Injuries from dogs edging up

People need to take responsibility for dogs to ensure they are fully trained.

The number of people injured by man's best friend in Hawke's Bay jumped up last year by an extra dozen cases.

ACC statistics show 896 claims were made in Hawke's Bay for dog-related injuries in 2014 - an increase of 14 from the 882 recorded in 2013.

"Dog-related injuries" cover all claims for accidental injuries whenever a dog was involved.

Hawke's Bay dog breeder Bruce Anderson said aggressive dogs were not an issue in New Zealand.

"I have been working with dogs for over 30 years and I have only been bitten once. In that time, I have handled hundreds of thousands of dogs and had no issues," he said.

"Dog attacks are not a problem. Mind you, it's like people, there are good people and bad people, just like there are good dogs and bad dogs. There are people who want their dogs to be aggressive and people who don't want their dogs to be aggressive."

Mr Anderson said working with owners would be a more appropriate way to address problem dogs.

"We should not be focusing on aggression in dogs. We need to reduce the aggression in people who want their dogs to be aggressive.

"The people who want their dogs to be aggressive buy pitbulls and then make them aggressive because that is how they want them," he said.

"We consider pitbulls to be a potential threat because they are designed to fight and protect. The trouble is that they get into the wrong hands and then owners make them into a problem dog."

Mr Anderson said however, all dogs had the potential to be aggressive.

"You have to remember that dogs are creatures of the wild and, even though they have been tamed and domesticated, they still are wild creatures and now and again you will get the odd slip up as with any wild creature that had been domesticated."

Nationally there were 14,901 claims made for dog-related injuries across New Zealand in 2014 - a drop of 94 from 2013.

ACC spokeswoman Stephanie Melville said most claims were for minor injuries.

"The three most common injuries are laceration, soft tissue injury and dental injury, for example, when Fido jumps up excitedly and hits your chin or mouth," she said.

"Given we're a country of animal lovers with a doggy population of approximately 700,000 and around 29 per cent of us being dog-owning homes, it can be a case of the minority, dogs and dog owners, giving the majority a bad rap."

New Zealand Kennel Club president Clyde Rogers said people were becoming more aware of dog-related injuries.

"I don't know that there has been a change [in the number of attacks] but there is certainly growing awareness of dog attacks and that is partially due to a growing dog population, growing awareness and more media coverage so it is a self-perpetuating story," he said. "As a result, people tend to be a lot more aware of potential risks."

When there were attacks, mixed-breed dogs were the most likely culprits, he said.

"The fact is that a lot of dog bites are not from pure bred dogs. Invariably when you cross breed dogs you have problems around temperament.

"Having said that, any dog can potentially bite. It is about environment and training."

Mr Rogers said local government needed to be doing more to ensure dog owners trained their dogs.