'In most cases it’s the owners that need a good talking to - not the pets.'
More pet owners than ever before are being slapped with dog control notices - otherwise known as dog asbos - and the number of staff working in the council's enforcement team has risen tenfold since a 2011 crackdown.
Three years ago, the local authority handled just eight complaints about dogs being out of control - but that figure soared to 38 the next year and 97 in 2013-2014.
The new figures show that Inverness and Ross and Cromarty are the worst areas for complaints and collies were by far the most complained about dog.
June Ross, the council official who oversees the dog control enforcement team, said pet owners should take action.
"A lot of the problems stem from the way the dog is being looked after," she said.
"In most cases it's the owners that need a good talking to - not the pets."
The Scottish Government launched new measures in 2011 to prosecute owners of out-of-control dogs amid growing concern at the number of attacks on people across the country.
The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act closed a loophole which previously meant that if a dog or child was attacked by a dog in the animal's own home, the owner could not be legally held responsible unless it was classified as a dangerous breed.
Failure to comply with dog control notices can result in penalties such as fines.
Nuisance dog owners can also be forced to keep their pet on a lead at all times, have it neutered, or attend special training courses.
From the 97 investigations last year, 14 dog control notices were served on people across the Highlands who allowed their pets to get out of control.
Of those dogs investigated, 28 were in Inverness and 28 were in Ross and Cromarty. They included 14 collies, six staffordshire bull terriers, six Labradors or Labrador retrievers, a pug and a chihuahua.
A further 14 were in Caithness, 11 were in Skye and Lochalsh, six were in Lochaber and a further six were in Sutherland. Two notices were served on dog owners Nairn and a further two on individuals in Badenoch and Strathspey.
The 14 dog control notices issued were in respect of four labradors, four staffordshire bull terriers, a staffordshire bull terrier-cross, two collie-cross breeds, a collie, a lurcher, and a dalmatian.
Five of the dogs were in Lochaber, four were in Skye and Lochalsh, three were in Inverness, and the others were in Ross and Cromarty and Caithness.
Mrs Ross said nine officers were now trained to deal with dog control notices -compared to just one official in 2011.
She believes that terrible stories of children being mauled and increased awareness of the council's enforcement team led to the rise in complaints.
She said: "I think a lot of the calls we get are fuelled by those terrible tragedies where people were killed. And most people are aware now that they can report it an we can look into it. In some cases, all we're doing is really just passing on advice and paying people a visit, or sending out one of our leaflets in the post. But sometimes we do have to take action."
She explained that dog control notices are not used for dangerous dogs. Those situations are dealt with by Police Scotland. It is understood those reports have also risen but the force did not have the figures available at the time of going to press.
She added: "The aim of the act is to identify out of control dogs at an early stage so that measures to change their behaviour - and that of their owners - can be brought in before any dog becomes a danger to the public."
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