Perth Woman Nikita Piil was mauled by her two dogs on Saturday, causing her to need surgery to save her arm.

Two days later, a man in Sydney was attacked after two dogs, believed to be Rottweilers, escaped from a nearby property.

"A few breeds are essentially sharks on legs and you should ban these breeds, they're a minority," Federal frontbencher Bill Shorten told Today.

If Rottweilers are banned, they would join a national list of dog and cat breeds not allowed to be owned in the country.

Click through to see which breeds are banned.

The Dogo Argentino, also known as the Argentine Mastiff, is a large and loyal breed that can't be imported to Australia under any circumstance.

This is partly because the muscular breed was bred to hunt large animals, including wild boar.

But there is also some concern over their temperament as they are such fierce hunters.

The Pitbull is a breed that divides option.

They have developed a reputation as one of the most fearsome dogs, with others saying they are loyal and sweet with the right owners.

But they top the list for the most dog attacks in Australia, with 10.3 per cent of maulings attributed them. 

They have been traditionally used as fighting dogs due to their muscular, stocky stature.

They are highly intelligent and have a hunting instinct.

For these reasons, they were banned from importation in Australia in 2011.

Owners have to be granted authorisation from the authorities to own one.

The Fila Brasileiro, or Brazilian Mastiff, was bred in Brazil centuries ago.

Similar to the Dogo Argentino they are large, working and hunting dogs. 

They are high energy, with quick reaction times and so have been banned in Australia amid safety fears.

This Japanese dog breed is considered rare, and has a long history dating back nearly 1000 years.

It was first bred in Tosa, Shikoku as a fighting dog and can still be used legally as one today.

The dogs are large, thick, and strong and have been bred specifically to fight like sumo wrestlers, throwing their massive weight around.

It's considered dangerous, which is why you can't import one to Australia. 

This attentive Spanish breed of dog, hails from the autonomous region of the Canary Islands.

It's well-suited to guarding homes and herding cattle as it features a square head nearly as wide as it is long.

The breed has also developed a reputation as a fearsome fight dog, and may be aggressive if not trained.

For this reason it's included under Australia's import ban.

On top of the domestic dog breeds listed in this gallery a number of dog-wolf crossesare also prohibited.

These include the;

• Czechoslovakian wolfdog or Czechoslovakian Vlcak (pictured)
• Saarloos wolfdog or Saarloos wolfhound
• Lupo Italiano or Italian wolfdog
• Kunming wolfdog or Kunming dog.

A study, led by the University of Sydney, said the move to ban the Savannah cat was a wise one.

"Over 90 per cent of Australia's native terrestrial mammal species would have been at risk," Professor Chris Dickman, from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences said.

"Reptiles and birds would also have been affected."

It may be cute, but this exotic breed can be deadly. 

The Australian Government banned the importation of Savannah cats in 2008, amid concern for Australia's unique flora and fauna.

The breed is a hybrid, the result of a cross between a domestic cat and a wild serval cat, a fierce hunter that roams the plains of Africa.

The Chausie is another rare and wild hybrid cat breed.

They are a result of a cross between domestic and jungle cats, which are native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia.

This exotic cat breed is another hybrid, the result of crossing a domestic cat with an Asian leopard cat.

While it makes the Australian government's list of breeds that can't be imported there is a caveat.

"Bengal cats may be imported into Australia if the animal is five generations or more removed from the Asian Leopard cat," the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries says.

"This is known as an F5 hybrid".