Licensing, Regulation and Confinement of Dogs and Responsible Pet Ownership; Bylaw 2018-16
Wainwright, Alberta
· adopted 2018-01-01
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Page 18 of 18
SCHEDULE "D"
Dr. IAN DUNBAR'S
AGGRESSION SCALE
ASSESSMENT OF THE SEVERITY OF BITING PROBLEMS BASED ON AN OBJECTIVE
EVALUATION OF WOUND PATHOLOGY
Level 1
Dog growls, lunges, snarls-no teeth touch skin.
Mostly intimidation / threatening behaviour
Level 2
Teeth touch skin but no puncture. May have red mark/minor
bruise from dog's head or snout, may have minor scratches
from paws/nails. Minor surface abrasions or lacerations.
Level 3
Punctures one to three holes, single bite. No tearing or
slashes. Victim not shaken side to side. Bruising
Level 3.5
Multiple level 3 bites.
Level 4
Two to four holes from a single bite, typically contact/punctures
from more than canines, considerable bruising. Black bruising,
tears and/or slashing wounds. Dog clamped down and held
and /or shook head from side to side.
Level 5
Multiple bites at Level 4 or above. A concerted, repeated
attack causing severe injury.
Level 6
Any bite resulting in death of an animal
This Scale is developed by Dr. Ian Dunbar PhD. BVetMed, MRCVS, of Berkeley California. From his studies Dr Dunbar has been
able to separate and classify bites into a generalized six level assessment protocol. This Scale is used as a standard throughout
the world in canine aggression investigations and behavior assessment. Updated in 2012 for the City of Calgary Animal Services..
Bite Inhibition
"Inhibitions are the mechanisms which compel an animal to interrupt an action in the middle of a sequence."(i)
"Good bite inhibition does not mean that your dog will never snap, lunge, nip, or bite. Good bite inhibition means that should the
dog snap and lunge, his teeth will seldom make skin contact and should the dog's teeth ever make skin contact, the inhibited
"bite" will cause little, if any, damage."
References
(i).ABRANTES R. Dog Language An Encyclopedia of Canine Behavior 145. Wakan Tanka Publishers 1997
(ii). DUNBAR.I. PhD, BVetMed, MRCVS After you Get Your Puppy 84. James & Kenneth Publishers 2001
(iii). City of Calgary Animal Services. Standard Operating Procedure for Peace Officers. City of Calgary, 2012