Dogs are much more likely to bite anxious people, study finds

People who are a bit afraid of dogs have probably suspected this all along – but dogs are actually more likely to target people who are nervous.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool found that anxious people are far more likely to have been bitten by a dog.

The researchers quizzed 700 people in England about their emotional stability – and then asked them if they had ever been bitten by a dog.

People rated themselves on a scale of one to seven for emotional stability, and the researrchers found that for each point increase in stability, there was a 23% decrease in likelihood of having been bitten.

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Dr Carri Westgarth of Liverpool University said, ‘Reporting being less emotionally stable was associated with an increased frequency of dog bites.

‘Neuroticism is well known to be linked to public health behaviours and outcomes perhaps then this aspect of personality may be linked to performing behaviours that provoke dog bites.

‘Dog bite prevention schemes may need to target particular behaviours around dogs by different personality types.’