DBRFs are extremely rare, and because research indicates that they are largely preventable and may disproportionately affect children, there has been a push to better understand the circumstances and variables that contribute to such incidents.
Visual breed identification is often inaccurate, and study results bring into question the findings of any research which attempts to link breed to behavior based on visually identified study populations and demonstrates a need for eliminating visual breed identification as a data source for ongoing canine behavioral studies.
“Breed differences” is a popular research topic in the study of canine behavior – it is superficially an easy concept for people to grasp and it makes for flashy headlines.
Most studies do not distinguish injurious dog bites from non-injurious behaviors, and seldom define the severity of injuries. Behaviors as different as growling and bites resulting in hospital treatment are grouped and counted together.
In this literature review, we concern ourselves with the applicability of formal provocative behavior tests used to attempt to predict the behavior of a dog residing in a shelter after he is placed in an adoptive home.