What Really Predicts Dog Bites? With Dr. Helen Howell

You can’t “test” your way to certainty about whether a dog will bite—and provoking a dog during an assessment may tell us very little about the risk that dog presents in the real world. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Helen Howell, a forensic behaviorist and expert witness who works on serious injury and fatality cases. We talk about what a modern dog bite risk assessment should look like when the goal is not only to assess risk, but also to identify practical ways to reduce it. Helen brings a unique combination of experience to this work, including 16 years as a police officer and detective, along with her background in clinical animal behavior. Her approach asks us to look beyond the dog and consider the entire picture: the environment, daily management, human behavior, training history, predictability and routine, as well as the caregiver’s ability and willingness to manage risk. We also discuss why provocative assessments can be both ethically concerning and scientifically unreliable. Helen explains how structured professional judgment—a model used in forensic psychology—can provide a more consistent, evidence-based way to assess whether a dog presents a low, moderate, or high risk while still accounting for the individual circumstances of each case. Helen walks us through the DBR24, which considers 24 risk factors along with the potential impact of a bite, and the DBR Triage tool, designed to help nonspecialists recognize possible risks in homes with children or vulnerable people. We also explore factors such as pain, aversive methods, inconsistent training, human behavior, and the limitations created by poorly recorded dog bite data. If you work with aggression, human-directed aggression, legal cases, or dog bite prevention, this conversation offers a thoughtful and practical framework for assessing risk while improving safety and welfare for both dogs and people. About Helen: https://www.dogbehaviourexpert.co.uk/ Learn more about options for help for dogs with aggression here: AggressiveDog.com Learn more about the CANIS Conference here: CANIS Conference Subscribe to the bonus episodes available here: The Bitey End of the Dog Bonus Episodes Check out all of our webinars, courses, and educational content here: Webinars, courses, and more!