A ban on certain types of dogs in Ireland would be ‘panic legislation’ that would have little impact on the number of bites reported each year.

That’s according to dog behaviourist and trainer Suzi Walsh who was speaking after two women were seriously injured in a dog attack in Waterford.

It is understood the dog attacked a teenage girl in a downstair room of a house in the city before attacking a woman in her 30s who rushed in to try and break up the attack.

The dog involved is understood to be an XL Bully and it has since been seized by the Waterford County Council dog warden.

The attack is the latest in a number of incidents involving the breed type and has led to renewed calls for them to be banned in Ireland.

An XL Bully. Image: Damien Platt / Alamy

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, dog behaviourist and trainer Suzi Walsh said any ban would be little more than “panic legislation”.

She said there is lots of research showing that banning specific breeds does not work.

“It doesn’t decrease the bite rate because the problem isn’t the specific breeds,” she said.

“By the way when we talk about Pitbulls and XL Bullies, those aren’t breeds of dogs, they are breed types so it is really hard to legislate for.”

American Bully

American Bullies are a cross between American pit bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers that originated in the US in late 1980s.

They come in four variations, standard, pocket, classic and XL, and the XL type can weigh as much as 60kg.

While the breed is not directly mentioned on Ireland’s restricted breed list, the type is restricted because it is bred from breeds that are listed.

'Crisis'

Ms Walsh said Ireland is in the midst of a dog attack “crisis” – but insisted banning breeds is not the answer.

“The problem is, as a country, we have such a crisis at the moment and the problem is not individual breeds of dogs, it is how we are breeding them,” she said.

“There is regulation but it is not being enforced – so it is about who is breeding the dogs and what health condition those dogs are in.

“I am not talking about puppy farms – even though we have plenty of them – I am talking about the parents. A huge amount of dog aggression cases, in fact we believe about 82% according to research are down to undiagnosed pain and discomfort in an animal.”

Training

She said there are also too many people out there claiming to be dog behaviourists without the knowledge and training required.

“My industry is not regulated either so you can have any cowboy going around saying they are a dog behaviourist or trainer using really aversive measures.

“So, if you have a dog in pain and you shock that dog or punish that dog – that suppresses the aggression and then you get a bite.

“That is really, really common.”