Dog bites occur more often in very young children, so families should consider waiting until their children are of school age before they introduce a new dog into the household. Even then, parents might want to think twice about getting a Doberman pinscher or German shepherd. Researchers from the Medical University of Graz, USA, conducted a review of 341 children treated for dog bites at a trauma centre over a 10-year period. They found that children 1 year of age or younger had the highest risk of being bitten, although children up to age 10 also had a higher risk than older individuals. Parents should postpone purchase of a dog until children are of school age, the researchers recommend. Throughout evolution, dogs have lived in packs with a specific order of dominance. In view of this rigorous hierarchal system in a pack, dogs may regard newborns as well as toddlers as subordinate. But school-aged children can be trained successfully in precautionary behaviour when approaching a dog. The researchers also found that the risk of being bitten by a German shepherd or a Doberman was about five times higher than for a Labrador retriever or a mixed breed. No dog bites in the study involved fighting breeds such as pit bulls, perhaps because of increased public awareness of their aggressiveness.
Pediatrics,
March 2006