Every dog, no matter what breed, has the potential to attack, and the responsibility for their behaviour lies firmly with the owner, a Dunedin dog trainer and obedience instructor says.
Pauline Blomfield's comments follow the savage attack on a Dunedin woman by three Irish wolfhounds on Tuesday, and were backed up by Irish Wolfhound Club New Zealand president Doug Wylie.
Mr Wylie, of Christchurch, said dogs were closely related, genetically, to wolves.
''Responsible dog owners and the public have got to be aware that they're dealing with a dog - whether it's a chihuahua or a wolfhound, they can bite you.
''They'll defend their bone or their home or their people.''
The two were approached for comment after the attack, in which the woman was seriously injured while delivering the Otago Daily Times in Walter St, in the Glen.
Mrs Blomfield said the latest incident emphasised dog attacks were not breed specific.
''I think everybody has to be aware, dog owners have to be aware, that any dog has the potential to bite.''
She heard people say regularly, a dog attack was ''out of the blue''.
But dogs did not bite out of the blue, instead there are always signs and triggers.
''It's up to the owners to learn those triggers for their dogs.''
Situations that could upset a dog included, for instance, being patted on the head, being frightened by larger dogs, or being frightened when a truck drove by.
Dogs learned to cope with such fears, but if they all happened at once, a dog ''simply cannot cope''.
Owners needed to be more aware of their dogs, but that often was not the case.
Mrs Blomfield said everyone had the right to walk down the road and not have a problem with a dog.
''Dogs need obedience skills and there are clubs and there are people here to help you with those.
''The onus is firmly on the dog owner.''
A pack mentality, where there was more than one dog involved in an attack, was also an issue.
''This is the core of what dogs are - they're pack animals, they need to belong to a group.''
She said while attacks were not breed specific, some dogs had a natural pre-disposition for a type of behaviour due to their genetics.
''I would like to see more awareness from dog owners about what they are doing, and to show other people a level of respect.''
Mr Wylie said he did not want to detract from the seriousness of the attack, but ''in defence of the breed this type of incident is unheard of in Irish wolfhounds in New Zealand''.
The breed was known globally as ''the gentle giants of the dog world''.
''I've had Irish wolfhounds for 30 years, and never known an attack such as this.''
Mr Wylie said ''a rough guess' of the numbers of the breed in New Zealand would be fewer than 100.
He had never seen Irish wolfhounds in a pack, but ''dogs do hunt in packs, and I guess this could revert back to some ancient thing hundreds of years ago''.
''This is totally off the wall for wolfhounds.''
