Unfortunately, dog bites and other injuries from dog attacks are more common than anyone wants them to be. Typically, the ones that make the news in New Jersey are those that involve larger breeds or breeds stereotyped as aggressive. This does not mean that only these dogs are responsible for harm to people, though.
There is a lot of information showing that it might be small dogs who actually pose more of a risk for aggression. The American Kennel Club explains in a study it found that there are several traits in small dogs that make them a bigger risk than breeds such as a pit bull, which often gets a bad reputation for being aggressive.
The findings showed that small dogs are more anxious and fearful. They are more excitable and less likely to listen to their owner’s commands. In addition, they are more likely to be aggressive towards strangers. This all adds up to them being more likely to bite or harm a stranger. However, because they are small, it is also easier to intervene and stop them before they can hurt someone. Even if they do make contact, it is not likely they will cause much harm due to small mouths and weak jaws.
The issue is that small dogs may act this way, not because they are aggressive by nature, but because owners do not train them properly and often let them get away with bad behavior. This goes to show that it really does come down to the owner’s responsibility for the dog, which can happen with any size dog and contributes to why many larger dogs end up in the news for attacks. Owners cannot as easily restrain them, and they are much stronger, so they can do more damage.