The item ‘Court orders charges against dog owner’ (February 19) was about a dog that attacked a shop attendant.

Such behaviour is dangerous, both for the people as well as for the dog. Unexpected bites rarely occur for no reason. People and dogs do not speak the same language. The purpose of aggression is to keep a distance between the aggressor and the target (“I can’t easily get away from you, so you’d better get away from me”).

It is safe to assume, then, that, often, dogs bite people to defend themselves (fear) or the resources they care about (food, bed, human). Even if the handler is keeping the dog on a short leash, one would still have to be very strong to keep a heavy dog from pulling if it is resolved to get what it wants.

I have written time and time again that big, strong dogs need be kept on a leash and wear a muzzle. It will not be detrimental to dog shows since a good judge goes over the head in less than 20 seconds. Therefore, when in the ring, the handler can remove the muzzle for those few seconds allowing the judge to examine the dog. 

I judged rottweilers in Madras, India, which were all aggressive but wore a muzzle.