Where are the Illawarra's best and worst behaved pooches?

With over 100,000 of man's best friend between Helensburgh and Depot Beach, and more four legged companions being welcomed into homes each month, the Illawarra-Shoalhaven can be a pet-lovers paradise as well as a dog's worst nightmare.

Reviewing dog attack data compiled by the Office of Local Government NSW finds that in some areas hounds are better behaved, while others are acting out.

The best behaved dogs are in Shellharbour City Council, where the rate of dog attacks is the lowest by the number of microchipped dogs in the LGA with on average 3.4 attacks per 10,000 dogs every 3 months for the past 10 years.

In Kiama, the figures are only slightly higher at 3.8 attacks.

In Wollongong, dogs were behaving much better than in the past, with a marked decline in the number of attacks, even as the total number of dogs increased.

Unfortunately in the Shoalhaven dog attacks have been on the rise since late 2021, with a peak between April and June this year, when 96 attacks were recorded.

The attacks include incidents where dogs attacked other animals, including other dogs, as well as dog bites on humans.

Across the state, the most dangerous breed is the American Staffordshire Terrier, followed by Bull Terriers and German Shepherds, however dog experts in the Illawarra said attacks generally came from a misunderstanding, rather than outright viciousness.

"I'm not necessarily a breedist," Alicia Robb, Illawarra-based pet behaviourist said. "I think that all breeds can bite, but we tend to have dogs that have bigger crushing power and that do more damage, whereas a lot of little dogs bite more often, but it's not as reported."

Patricia Taylor, the woman behind The Dog Whisperer Illawarra, said when dogs don't have clear guidelines they tend to act out.

"People talk to a dog from a human's perspective, but they're not human," she said.

"Dogs have a different system, a different language."

Having a clear pecking order in the dog's pack avoids anxiety and stress in dogs, as well as finding a language both can understand.

"It's really primal, and really basic," Ms Taylor said.

In the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, these misunderstandings can lead to tragic consequences.

In March 2020, Vincentia woman Ada Holland was attacked by three dogs on Collingwood Beach.

Mrs Holland suffered "extreme injuries" and went into cardiac arrest. Despite attention by paramedics she died on the beach.

The owners of the dogs were later fined and banned from owning dogs for five years. The three dogs were destroyed.

During the coronial inquest into her mother's death, Gloria Holland called for laws in NSW to match those being considered in Queensland, which include jail time for dog owners whose charges kill another person.

While there were warnings that COVID-19 lockdowns and the increase in the number of dogs in homes during the pandemic would lead to a spike in attacks, the data for the Illawarra-Shoalhaven does not show a significant increase.

For three months during the pandemic, no dog attacks were recorded in Kiama council.

Although there was a spike in early 2021 after the easing of restrictions in Wollongong and Shoalhaven, it was not significantly higher than pre-COVID figures and after all restrictions were lifted dog attacks fell in Wollongong, even as the number of dogs continues to increase.

Instead, it may be the cost of living that sees more or less dog attacks, Ms Robb - who runs a pet behaviour business The Pet Teacher - said, as families looked for cheaper breeds that had higher rates of attacks and were unable to afford proper training such as puppy classes.

"People that have more money tend to spend more money on better genetically bred dogs and they tend to have more time and money to put into training," she said.

To prevent bad behaviour amongst our furry friends, Ms Taylor said it was up to humans to realise that their "fur family" are not so far away from their wild ancestors.

"We brought them into our home and we've got them to do all sorts of things, but they're still running on those wild instincts."