How to Objectively Assess the Severity of Dog Bites

How dangerous is a biting dog?

Measure the wound objectively to decide

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The Bite Scale was developed by Dr. Ian Dunbar as a tool for objectively assessing the severity of dog bites, because dog bites can be scary and emotional events and the descriptions provided by victims and witnesses can vary dramatically.

The Bite Scale removes as much subjectivity as possible by looking at quantifiable aspects of the physical wound that results from the bite.

Over the years, we have seen that when the Bite Scale is used to assess dog bites, the vast majority (Over 99%) of dog bites fall into Level 1 or 2, which is to say they do not break the skin. (For more information about the relative frequency of the different levels of dog bites, visit this page.)

Obviously, dog bites are not good, but there is a huge difference between a dog that bites without causing a significant injury and a dog whose bite breaks the skin and requires medical attention.

Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Dogs that bite at Level 1 or 2 are in desperate need of training and socialization and they can often be rehabilitated quickly and safely.

Dogs that bite at Level 3 or above are also in desperate need of training and socialization, but rehabilitation will be inherently dangerous, and because of this, it will be much slower and more challenging.

For dogs that bite at Level 1 or 2, we strongly encourage you to enroll in the Top Dog Academy now, and make use of the many easy, effective, and safe training and socialization techniques.

For dogs that bite at Level 3 or above, your first priority must be safety and managing your dog's environment and proximity to others in such a way that you can be sure that no one will get hurt.

Your next priority should be to immediately seek help from an Animal Behavior Consultant or Professional Dog Trainer who can evaluate your dog as an individual, ideally in-person.

To find a Certified Dog Trainer in your area, please consult the trainer-search databases of The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, or The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. Both of these organizations have standards and accreditation requirements for all of their members.

Here is the text from the downloadable document above:

This classification is intended for wounds inflicted on a person by a dog, not for wounds inflicted on one dog by another dog. Measurements are based on direct skin contact

by the dog’s teeth. Bites that tear or puncture clothing or footwear should be considered as severe as those causing comparable damage to skin.

Level 1: Fearful, aggressive, or out-of-control behavior but no skin-contact by teeth.

Level 2: Skin-contact by teeth but no skin-puncture.

However, there may be skin nicks (less than one tenth of an inch deep) and slight bleeding caused by lateral movement of teeth against skin.

Level 3: One to four punctures from a single bite with no puncture deeper than half the length of the dog’s canine teeth. May have slight bruising or lacerations in a single direction, often caused by victim pulling hand away, owner pulling dog away, or gravity (little dog jumps, bites and drops to floor). Level 3b. Multiple Level 3a. bites.

Level 4: One to four punctures from a single bite with at least one puncture deeper than half the length of the dog’s canine teeth and considerable bruising around the wound (dog held on for a number of seconds and bore down), or lacerations in both directions (dog held on and shook its head from side to side).

Level 5: Multiple-bite incident with at least two Level 4 bites or multiple-attack incident with at least one Level 4 bite in each.

Level 6: Victim dead.

A dog’s previous behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Dogs that have inflicted a serious bite may do so again and should be managed accordingly. Fortunately, Levels 1 and 2 comprise well over 99% of “dog bite” incidents. These dogs are unlikely to cause serious injury in the future and are wonderful candidates for immediate rehabilitation so they can learn to feel more comfortable around people.

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If you'd like to learn more about how to how to use dog training to prevent or resolve dog aggression and reactivity problems, join the Top Dog Academy to get access to ALL of our online courses, plus our private support community, for just $20/month.

Looking for more DADDs (Dunbar Academy Downloadable Documents)? You can find them here.

We have one all about how to use raw or wet food in training.