American staffordshires are NSW’s most attack-prone dog – but there may be more to the data

Australian Veterinary Association says aggression is more reliably predicted' by owner behaviour and individual dog experience than by breed alone

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American staffordshires (Amstaffs) registered in NSW had the highest rate of attacking a child, adult or other dog in 2024, statistics show.

But experts warn the data may not show the full picture, because dog breeds can be wrongly identified - sometimes deliberately - and often not identified at all.