Dog Bite Prevention

The third week in May is designated as National Dog Bite Prevention Week. Good idea--every week should be that way. Our family dog Kelly, an English Setter, supposedly a kind and gentle breed, bit our then 3 year old son on the jaw. Frantic call from sitter, rush home, rush to ER, kick mother out. He had a few stitches and his black and blue face swelled up--closed eye--the whole bit. Traumatic for us all, and our sweet doggie went to live with relatives.

How to prevent? Listen to warning signals from the animal (and hire a competent babysitter). We were out, but reports from my now adult children, not the sitter, are that our little guy cornered our pup. Did our dog give warning signals? I will never know. But I have started to find the topic of canine communication fascinating. People tend to anthropomorphize dogs, which is an error. Fascinating suggestions from Cissy Sumner, Be aware of canine communication behavior in yourhub.com

I do find it hard to believe the dogs bit without warning. I find it much more likely the dogs gave warning, but the humans did not recognize it. It is the simple fact that dogs and humans communicate differently. Since humans are supposed to be the more intelligent species, we should learn to recognize canine warning signals.
Dogs often use subtle "calming signals" to let us know they are uncomfortable in a situation. They may yawn, blink, sniff or turn their head away to avoid our gaze. Few people notice these small signs. (I highly recommend Turid Rugaas' book or video "on Talking Terms with Dogs-Calming Signals" for anyone interested in learning more about canine communication.) Perhaps the dogs in question gave some of these signals, but no one noticed.

If a dog has been telling you subtly to back off and you did not get the message, the dog must escalate his warning. This can be a growl or it may be simply freezing and becoming still. A growling dog is giving a lot of vocal warning. This is good because if you have any common sense you now know there is a problem and can give the dog more space. You can deal with the problem later. The first thing is to diffuse the situation and keep everyone safe. Remember, growling is the early warning system. Do not punish a growling dog. He may bite you for correcting him or he may simply stop growling and go directly to using his teeth.

Dogs that do not growl, but just freeze before biting are more problematic. Most people do not notice the dog is suddenly still. This is the most dangerous situation. With this type of behavior, you can find yourself in in trouble before you realize it. I suspect these are the dogs that we think bite without warning.

May 19, 2007

Dog Bite Prevention