The scene of Saturday's dog attack in Christchurch. Photo: Sam Sherwood / RNZ
A veterinary specialist says it is shocking to see another serious dog attack, days after a woman was mauled to death in Northland.
Three people were injured after two dogs attacked people in the Christchurch suburb of Bryndwr on Saturday.
One person was critically injured, another seriously injured, and a third treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Association of Professional Dog Trainers president Dr Jess Beer, said the frequency of the attacks right now is "distressing".
"It's multi-factorial when it comes to aggression in dogs. It's not a personality, it's a combination of lots of different reasons, and every case is individual.
"But it is concerning to be seeing so many instances where aggression has been reached in that relationship between the human and their dog."
On Tuesday 62-year-old Mihiata Te Rore was killed by dogs while visiting a home in the Northland town of Kaihu.
The attacks have sparked calls for an overhaul of the Dog Control Act - with Te Rore being the fourth person killed by dogs in the past four years.
In Christchurch, the city council has said the two dogs have been impounded pending an ongoing police investigation.
Beer said she did not know what caused the Christchurch attack, but said "backyard breeding" was causing concern generally.
"An animal is under-sexed, a roaming dog, they get pregnant, large puppies produced and it's just a question of finding a home for them.
"I know if you speak to any of the rescues around New Zealand they are absolutely flooded with a lot of abandoned dogs."
Beer said there was not enough information about de-sexing rates around the country, the levels of breeding going on, or where dogs were coming from.
"We need better management of what dogs are pro-creating, so there is a genetic predisposition that certain individual [breeds] will pass on a genetic trait to be prone to aggressive behaviours."
There also appeared to be fewer dog owners seeking dog training before a problem occurred, Beer said.
She urged people to reach out to a dog trainer if they saw their dog display worrying behaviour.
"It is much harder to resolve these problems and help these dogs when they are already displaying bite activity towards people or other species."
Local Government minister Simon Watts has previously said he is seeking advice on how central government can respond to these attacks, and on the Dog Control Act.
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