During the week April 11th- April 17th, we will be covering key tips to understanding your pups and educating others on pet behaviors for Dog Bite Prevention Week! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with our tips!
Recent studies show that 1 in 5 dog bites require medical care and out of those 1 in 5 medical cases - children are the
#1 victims of those bites. Oftentimes kids are bitten by a familiar dog during a routine activity.
Why Do Dogs Bite?
No one wants their dog to bite someone and no one wants to be bitten. So we need to understand WHY a dog would bite
someone. Learning these cues can help us prevent future incidents.
Here are some examples:
● Social cues and body language warnings are ignored.
● They feel threatened, trapped, panicked, or startled.
● Feeling protective over someone or something.
How To Avoid Being Bitten By A Dog
To avoid a dog bite, we want to ensure that we are understanding dog body language. We can learn a great deal from social cues and body language. Since they cannot talk to us with words they use their Tail, Hair Eyes, Mouth, Ears and Stance. You can use the mnemonic device T-H-E-M-E-S to help you remember. These are key body areas to look at when comprehending our doggies behavior.
A Key To Dog Body Language
Below is a chart that shows different body cues an owner should be aware of.
How To Minimize Risk Of Your Dog Biting Someone
When you can accurately distinguish your doggies body language we can start to understand how to best minimize risk among certain situations.
● Keeping your dog out of situations known to increase stress
● Be conscious of what he/she is trying to communicate with you.
● Utilize consistent training through your pooches lifetime
● Be an advocate for your doggy
● Involve children with supervised training
It’s also important to educate children that asking an owner before petting is for the safety of both the child and the doggy. This gives the owner an opportunity to accept or decline a child's ability to pet a dog. Consistent training is key throughout a doggos life and establishing your dog’s boundaries early in their training can be beneficial for years to come. Learning and educating the general population about pet behaviors can help prevent future dog bites.