My daughter is a casualty adjuster for a major insurance company, and has been for many years. We were talking about dog bites the other day... primarily because my son just got a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, and my sister had heard that they were quite protective.

Anyway, I asked my daughter which breeds, off the top of her head, seemed to bite more people than others. She said that in her experience, it was Labs. I was very surprised by that, but pointed out that there are more Labs out there than almost any other other single breed, but truth be known, when I looked it up, GSD and Goldens are also in the top 4, and have been for quite some time.

She said she doesn't remember having a claim where a Golden was involved. Anecdotal, but interesting.

Has your Golden, or one you know of, ever bitten someone hard enough that an insurance claim was necessary?

No, mine haven't, but I have read the same thing about Golden's.

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I have seen that Goldens were near the top of the bite list and it really surprised me but then I thought about it. They are also near the top of the Most owned breed and Goldens are mouthy. It made me think of something our trainer said. He was stressing the need to teach puppies not to "put their mouths on humans" because although they rarely bite down all people don't know that and all people are not dog lovers. It only takes one neighbor who doesn't like or is afraid of a dog to see a dog "mouth" someone to report the dog has "bitten" someone.

I would bet that most of the reports on Goldens and even Labs as biting was nothing more then mouthing. Again stressing the need to teach "no bite" to a puppy and stop the mouthing.

Oh and NO, m have never bitten anyone one.

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Vanessa, Darby & Kirby

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Neither my Golden nor my Lab have ever bitten anyone. They didn't even puppy jaw anyone but me, DH and each other.

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Abby and Finn

Neither of my Goldens have bitten anyone. I suspect Goldens (and Labs) are at the top just due to the number and popularity of those particular breeds. I wonder too, how many were actual bites or just perceived bites.

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**Fraulein "Maggie" Louise 8/2/95 - 7/20/09**
*At Rainbow Bridge but Forever in Our Hearts*

I can't believe this! Dakota is only a little over a year, but I can't imagine him ever biting someone. He is just so lovable and kind! I don't think he has an aggressive bone in his body, and I imagine most GR's are the same. This is really shocking to me, but like muddypaws said, they are very mouthy and this could get misinterpreted as a bite pretty easily. I know Dakota and Sierra, my little one, both are mouthy and it scares my little neice and nephew. Neither of them have ever really hurt them, but I could imagine a kid considering that a bite.

Daisy has never bitten anyone, or even come close.

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This is exactly the hypothetical situation our trainer uses, picture a small child running home to parents who are not "dog" people and saying this. Trouble, because you are not going to be able to explain to frightened and angry parents that their child was NOT bitten. They are not going to listen to or understand the difference between a mouthy dog and one that "bites". I would bet money that most reports stem from a circumstance like this and the dog will loose the argument every time.

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Vanessa, Darby & Kirby

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I will hang my head in shame...Ranger definitely bit someone. BUT in his defense, he had a problem with food when I got him. Totally understandable when you know his background, but not acceptable. He didn't like people touching his food or bowls.

Once I realized it was a problem, I contacted an amazing behaviourist who gave me exercises. Part of the problem was Ranger's anti-social beginning to life - he didn't learn the "puppy rules" that people are to be respected. ANY people. He didn't even respect me! He never once growled or snapped at me when I touched his food - but as the behaviourist said, I was the person who Ranger trusted and loved but that didn't equal respect. And it was ONLY when his head was down in a bowl. People could take his toys, bones, treats, whatever - but he didn't like people approaching him with his head down.

Anyway, we were out camping and it was late. Ranger was sleeping while a bunch of drunken idiots were running around. He stuck his head in a little fabric cooler and was drinking the water from it. A girl reached down to get a beer out of the same cooler and Ranger snapped at her - and connected. He didn't draw blood and he easily could have; what he did was "touch" her so hard with his nose/front teeth, that she had a massive egg-sized bump on her inner arm the next day.

That happened the first month I had him. I kept working on his exercises with food and now, a year later, he is completely trust worthy. How do I know? My close friends "test" him here and there and he's realized that he has to give. I think part of it is he realizes 1) No one is going to beat him when he's distracted or comes up behind him with his head down, 2) Two meals a day are a regular occurence NOT a luxury and therefore not a big deal, and 3) He's finally learned ANY person is to be respected.

Having said that, I still have no doubt in my mind that Ranger would attack someone if I was threatened. No doubt whatsoever. He came close once when I was getting harassed by a bunch of guys in a car. The car had been creeping behind me while I was walking Ranger and then pulled up in front and one guy opened up the back door and went to get out. Ranger turned into a frenzy - hackles up, snarling, growling, lunging, snapping at the air - I couldn't believe it. I'd NEVER seen him react that way before, even in situations when I'd been nervous. Luckily, the guy got the hint and got back in the car and they drove off. If that guy had kept coming - Ranger would have gone for him.

Unfortunately, I don't think "self-defense" works well in a dog's favour for a bite history. Knowing I have a dog that will bite if threatened (actually threatened, not just provoked), I'm trying to do all I can to stack the odds in his favour. Which is why we're trying to get our CGN and get him registered as a therapy dog. So if he ever had to bite someone to protect me, I can at least TRY to have a defense for him.

He's been poked, prodded, hugged, headlocked, taken by surprise and tackled by a screaming pre-teen when he wasn't looking, dragged around by his collar, eyes poked at, paws stepped on, tail stepped on, etc all by strangers and he's never once growled, let alone snapped. It's not in his nature...unless he feels that I'm threatened.

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None of my dogs has ever bitten anyone, or another dog.
Having worked in insurance, though, I will say this - the bite statistics are as they are because Goldens are so popular and so many people own them. That said, for the same reason, so many of those dogs, and the ones that are listed as having bitten, are often poorly bred, BYB dogs with incorrect temperaments. The number of bites, though, correllates with the number of dogs, simply.