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What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

  • 1.  What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 11-10-2022 10:30 AM
    Hi,

    This paper was published in the last month, Comparison of behavioural tendencies between "dangerous dogs" and other domestic dog breeds – Evolutionary context and practical implications, by Hammond et al in Evolutionary Applications.    The paper found that there are no significant behavioral differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds with regard to impulsivity, positive activation and negative activation. 

    Have you read it?  What were you surprised to learn? Do you have any thoughts or questions for us all about the paper or the two surveys used, the DIAS and the PANAS?

    Looking forward to chatting about this :)

    Sheila
    #Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment

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    Sheila Segurson, DVM
    Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
    Director of Outreach and Research
    Maddie's Fund
    9258608284
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  • 2.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 11-28-2022 11:09 AM

    Hi Sheila! 

    Thanks for sharing this paper. I was unaware of the DIAS and PANAS surveys so those were interesting to learn about. 

    I think the main issue I found with this research, however, is that the breeds appear to be self-reported by owners. Some of the owners were contacted via breed-specific, breeding groups on Facebook. Unless breeder paperwork was provided on any of the dogs, they could all be mixed-breeds. And as we all know from several research studies, most dogs are identified by looks alone and the breeds we label them as can be so misleading! 

    And when the UK has a ban on "pit bull type" dogs, it is unsurprising that many owners would begin labeling their dogs as non-legislated breeds. 



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    Emily Roberts
    Executive Director
    Cortland County SPCA
    she/her
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  • 3.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 11-28-2022 12:01 PM
    Thx for the reply, Emily. One of my other concerns was that they looked at legislated vs non-legislated breeds, but didn't include bully type breeds like the american bulldog, american pit bull terrier, and american staffordshire terrier. But then again, those breeds might be really uncommon in the UK?

    Sheila

    Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB, CDBC, CCBC
    (she/her/hers)
    Director of Outreach and Research, Maddie's Fund
    925 860-8284

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  • 4.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 11-28-2022 02:53 PM
    This study was interesting and seems like it adds to the good set of data we have showing that often "dangerous dog" breeds are really no more likely or perhaps even less likely to engage in certain aggressive behavior than other dogs not typically thought of as dangerous.

    It seems like the science and the conversation have been trending in that direction and we've made a lot of good movement in being able to educate potential adopters and even insurers, landlords, and legislators that a pit bull is probably less likely to bite someone than a dachshund.

    The problems that exist there though are:

    • As Emily pointed out, the data from these studies and even studies looking at calling certain breeds more dangerous is often self reported, or inherently biased (as with insurance company data) and so getting an accurate and representational data set, even with good assessment tools, is mixed at best.
    • At a certain point, we sometimes go overboard in saying well if the breed isn't more dangerous than we don't need laws and protections against certain breeds, we need to educate owners.  While that's somewhat true and it's not popular to say, from a public safety standpoint, a pit bull will always be more of a risk than a chihuahua even if the chihuahua is 10 times more likely to bite.
    • While individual breed level behavioral data - or even data that shows a lack of difference between breeds - can be helpful and useful, I think one of the big data sets that we don't examine closely enough is Level 4/5 maulings and death.  From a care staff standpoint, I love that they can look at general data and maybe get a better idea of how to work with an animal.  From a director standpoint, I want to know what the risk is to my staff and how to mitigate the risk to the public because the repercussions for a shelter and for the image of the breed when a serious incident occurs are enormous.


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    Jeff Okazaki
    Humane Society of Jefferson County
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  • 5.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 01-19-2023 01:40 PM
    I found the following link- https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/banned-dogs

    It indicates that each of the following breeds are banned as a whole in all of the UK:
    • Pit Bull Terrier
    • Japanese Tosa
    • Dogo Argentino
    • Fila Brasileiro

    Interestingly enough, you could go to court to seek an exemption certificate which will last the life of the dog.  However, even if an exemption is granted, you have to have it muzzled at all times it is out in public, keep it contained, and obtain insurance along with updating the registry as to when your dog moves locations or dies.  Clearly, they do have the presumption in place that these breeds are more aggressive and that it is in the public's best interest to ban these dogs.  Thereby, they place the onus on the owner to go to court to obtain an exemption from their overlying belief that these breeds are inherently dangerous, which is inherently unfair.   In court, you must produce evidence that the dog is safe despite the breed.  However, initially, owning a banned dog results in fine and could result in up to 6 months of prison or both according to the Purina article.  After conducting a little more research, I found that the law was enacted in 1991- Dangerous Dog Act- in response to "unprovoked attacks" by certain breeds which they characterize as being "bred for fighting".  (See- https://www.purina.co.uk/find-a-pet/articles/dog-types/breed-groups/illegal-dogs-in-uk).  This BBC article (https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-36033778) details human history of "using" dogs in ways that led to aggressive behaviors and also includes details of one horrific attack in the UK that galvanized support behind the Dangerous Dog Act legislation.   The BBC article also indicates that in Ireland many more breeds are banned.  As an honor of a pitt bull, I am saddened to see that despite the research to the country these dog breed bans continue to persist.  Clearly, more education is needed to remove these archaic laws that are based on beliefs that science debunks, so that less pitt bulls can be put down or languish in shelters each year simply because of their breed. 

    Jennifer Lewis
    Animal Advocate (Rescuer, Rescue Volunteer, Transporter and Foster)

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    Jennifer Lewis
    Volunteer
    Deogie's Backyard Rescue
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  • 6.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 01-19-2023 04:51 PM
    Hi Jennifer,

    Thanks for sharing more of the history behind the U.K. breed ban. Unfortunately the links you shared don't work from my U.S. web browser, but i'm guessing that work refers to some of the older research where breed of dog was not definitively confirmed. It was definitely before newer research that demonstrated that there's a significant amount of misrepresentation in some of the research , as well as other research demonstrating that there are other factors such as the victim's compromised ability to interact appropriately with dogs that ARE significant.  That same study found that in the cases they looked at, breed could be confirmed only 17.6% of the time.

    Super interesting, ty!

    Sheila




    ------------------------------
    Sheila Segurson, DVM
    Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
    Director of Outreach and Research
    Maddie's Fund
    Pleasanton CA
    9258608284
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 11-30-2022 03:43 PM

    Thank you for sharing the study.   I never heard of DIAS nor PANAS before.  (Psychological and behavioral assessments for pups!)  I'm aware of the issue of dangerous dogs in the United States adversely affecting homeowner policies.  On many homeowner policies in the US there are liability exclusions that pertain to injuries caused by certain "dangerous" breeds which are basically excluded from coverage, such as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the German Shepherd and the Doberman, dogs in the legislated group in this paper. 

    I'm overall surprised as to the objective nature of the reporting.  As we know, reporting bias can affect empirical research; I feel an accurate picture of just how aggressive such a breed is therefore nearly impossible to ascertain. 

    I personally believe that all dogs are potentially good dogs and that a sizeable portion of the legislated group's behavior may be environmentally influenced rather than genetically determined.  Additional studies may be needed to assess the validity of excluding an entire breed from insurance coverage in my example, or from ownership, in the paper's example.  One study in the paper found that 95% of legislated breeds tested did not differ significantly in a temperament test from those of Golden Retrievers, who we all know can be (not always) perfect family pets.  Granted most of these studies are self-reported results, however additional studies are still warranted before entire dog breeds are banned from ownership.



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    Lorraine Myers
    Senior Grant Writer
    Valley River Humane Society
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  • 8.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 12-01-2022 05:01 AM
    The conclusions aren't surprising and one could always say that more validation of the idea that one can predict aggressive behavior by knowing the breed never hurts. The authors do a good job of articulating problems with the research, eg sample size and bias.

    What do you think of these 2  statements?

    A mistreated dog is more likely to act aggressively than a dog who is treated adequately (Barnes et al.,
    2006).

    Another study showed that dogs adopted from shelters were significantly more likely to show defensive aggression towards their owners compared with dogs obtained from other sources, suggesting that their behaviour could have been affected by negative prior experiences (Notari et al., 2020).
     
    I haven't yet read the papers but my first thought is how "treated adequately" and "negative prior experiences" are defined.  

     



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    Augusta Farley
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  • 9.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 11-03-2023 11:29 AM

    Hi Sheila,

    That was a very interesting article to read! I think more studies similar to this one need to be shared with the public to emphasize that a breed does not define the behavior of a dog, and a breed cannot predict the level of aggression a dog will exhibit. I would like to see studies conducted including data beyond what was reported from dog owners, like from animal controls, shelters, foster homes, breeders...and encompass a larger pool of breeds. There are many factors one has to consider when evaluating the levels of aggression in a canine such as their upbringing, the type of training implemented, genetics, health status, the living environment of the dog, etc. I would love to see more articles discussing these factors and the impact it has on a dog's behavior. I think a new focal point the public has on a dog and the impacts on their behavior is the style of training used, and how one training style can cause, or worsen, aggression in a dog versus another. For example, aversive methods compared to reward-based, positive reinforcement training. As a whole, I think there needs to be a greater emphasis made by animal professionals that a dog's ability to showcase aggression is not a problem with the breed, but issues with poor breeding (backyard breeders), specific training methods, and a lack of accessible resources such as affordable training and medical care to name a few influential components a dog may experience in its lifetime. 

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    Lauren Shaw

    Director of High Tails Animal Rescue, NFP



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    Lauren Shaw
    Director
    High Tails Animal Rescue, NFP
    IL
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  • 10.  RE: What are your thoughts about this paper about behavior differences between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds?

    Posted 11-03-2023 08:50 PM

    Thanks for sharing this paper. I had already read it, but it would be good to explore what it says and more about what is missing.

    I think it is clear from this research and others that carrying certain breed genetics cannot predict aggressive behavior. To Lauren's point, I too would like to see more and better research about the effects of dog husbandry and management, training exposures and standards of performance (what does "training a dog to be aggressive" mean), perinatal and early experiences of dam and pups, teaching philosophies and styles (again without bias and with consideration for both dog and human needs), breed type (we all know I think there is more variability within than between breeds...20 Malinois doesn't represent the breed), competencies and personalities of owners, etc.  Then maybe more useful predictions about the likelihood of a dog seriously biting can guide us toward better prevention and more enjoyable ownership.



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    Augusta Farley
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