[The problem of the danger of dogs; a study of incidents with dogs in a large city]. / Zum Problem der Gefährlichkeit von Hunden; eine Untersuchung von Vorfällen mit Hunden in einer Grossstadt.

Incidents with dogs present a public problem. In order to specify this, all recorded cases of dog bites in the city of Munich from 1986-1991 (n = 284) were registered. The range of injury of men and animal, the influence of breed, age and sex of the dog on the incident, the behaviour of the owner in the situation and the location were inquired. 207 people have been lightly wounded. 136 dogs have been injured. The most incidents occurred with German Shepherds, mixed breeds of German Shepherds, Boxers, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes and Bull terriers. Almost one third of the dogs have been involved in cases of recurrence. There has been a distinct influence of the owner on the behaviour of the dogs. The reaction of the owner has got significant influence of the kind, frequency and seriousness of the accident. The spectrum reaches from passive watching of the incidence to encouraging the dog to bite. Most owners did not absolve any kind of educational program with their dog. More than 50% of the dog owners were judged incompetent to lead their dog in an expert opinion and two third of the owners considered themselves unsuitable to lead a dog. Almost 90% of the dogs have not been on a leash. Most of the incidents took place in public places and only 9% happened in parks. A catalogue of possible measures to avoid such incidents will be presented.

[Changes in the behavior of dogs after castration]. / Verhaltensänderungen von Hunden nach Kastration.

This study is based upon a written survey of keepers of neutered dogs about the behaviour of 209 male and 382 female dogs. The main findings are: Male dogs show behavioural changes after castration more often and more distinctly than female dogs after neutering. Behavioural problems in most cases are reduced or have even disappeared after neutering (male dogs 74%, female dogs 59%). At best, hypersexuality and connected problems are changed as expected. 49 of 80 aggressive male dogs and 25 of 47 female dogs are more gentle after neutering. 10 bitches appeared to be aggressive only after being neutered. Particularly feeding behaviour changes in 42% of the male dogs and 32% of the female dogs towards an increased intake of food, which also leads to an increase in body weight. This corresponds to decreasing activity, which is indicated by increasing time of rest (male dogs 36%, female dogs 18%) and decreasing motivation to move. Motivation for playing, watchfulness and perseverance change more seldomly and sometimes increase. The character of the neutered animals is predominantly described as "devoted, friendly and kind". Changes of behaviour following neutering depend on many influencing factors. Above all effective obedience training, but also the family situation of the owner, time factors, conditions of keeping and contact with other dogs have different impacts on the control of the individual behavioural problems.