Dog-on-dogs attacks up 27% in Wiltshire
Poor socialisation from Covid lockdowns believed to be a big part of the issue
The number of dog-on-dog attacks in Wiltshire has jumped dramatically this year, according to the county’s dog wardens.
Dog Warden Team Leader Clair Francis said there have been 324 reported dog-on-dog attacks in Wiltshire compared to 255 in the whole of 2019. That's a rise of 27%.
There have been four dog fatalities due to these attacks in the last two months which Ms Francis says is “really unusual”.
“There are more dogs around because during Covid dogs became very popular.
"Some people who have not had dogs before are not aware of how to control them and because of lockdown many dogs were not allowed near other dogs, so they’re not used to it", says Ms Francis.
Dan and Jenni Molland run Salisbury Dog Trainers in Harnham, Salisbury.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, they said they were not surprised to hear dog-on-dog attacks were growing in the county, explaining how this is likely to be a knock-on effect of Covid lockdowns.
"The first three months are the most important part of a puppy's life. During the Covid lockdowns, the human world was so different. Walking the dog, you had less people out and about, less cars on the road. Coming out of that, those puppies which are now up to two years old, they've grown not fully aware of the real-world environment", says Jenni.
"What we've also seen through the last two, three years, is a huge influx of people buying dogs for, sometimes, the wrong reason, for example as something to entertain the family through a bleak time, and perhaps not knowing the history of that breed. And the training needed for these dogs is not there for everybody", says Dan.
They've also told us they've seen a huge increase in people seeking help to deal with dog behaviour issues.
"We've been under the name of Salisbury Dog Trainers for 10 years and in the last 2.5 years the phones have been constant. I would say 80% of the problems is dog-to-dog reactivity, it's the biggest thing that we deal with", says Dan.
"Also, most people were working from home during lockdown, so these puppies didn't have time to practice being home alone. That's creating a massive problem of separation anxiety. These two elements have been the biggest problems recently", says Jenni.
The Wiltshire Council's Dog Warden Team have asked dog owners to keep their dogs on leads to help prevent future incidents.
Dan Molland, from Salisbury Dog Trainers, agrees it's important to keep your dog on a lead if there are other dogs around, and especially if your dog's recall hasn't been perfected.
He adds that dog owners often have a misconception about what socialisation means.
"Correct socialisation is about exposing your dog to the human world because that's the first thing they need to get used to. What we would call incorrect socialisation is this misconception that people have, that our dog should be fine off the lead, playing with other dogs, running around and jumping all over with other dogs.
"That is part of socialisation, having that play-time with your dog, but you need to have the correct training in place to be able to recall your dog away from that."