Dog Bite Safety.
Many of my clients have dogs who have “bite histories”. Their dog has bitten a person or another dog in the past. We work together to help change the dog’s negative associations to the triggers that initiate the bite. But I also teach my clients how to correctly manage their dogs in order to avoid these trigger situations.
There are many common, everyday situations where any dog is likely to bite, simply because of the circumstance the dog finds itself in. A dog’s natural operating system is a reactive one. Something happens in the environment that is perceived by the dog as a threat and the dog bites to guard or defend.
I have a long time client with a lovely female German shepherd. I have known Una since she was a little puppy. Marianne has crates in the back of her SUV that her two dogs travel in. Marianne had the back of the SUV open one day. She was standing with a friend close to the car chatting. Her friend knew Una and had met her at Marianne’s home many times.
When Marianne was distracted, the friend reached toward Una’s crate and put her finger through the bars. Una nearly severed this person’s finger. She had to have many stitches. Una has no bite history and under other circumstances is very safe around people.
Marianne blames herself (and she should) for allowing this to happen. She doesn’t blame Una. There is now a warning sign on the crate door.
This was an unfortunate accident but it illustrates the ignorance that many (most) people have regarding dog behavior and the common scenarios that can trigger a bite. Common sense would tell many people not to put their finger into a crate with a German shepherd in it. But there are others who would not think about that and go right ahead.
Anytime you put a dog in a restrained situation, crate, car, leash, tie-out, behind a fence…the dog does not have choice. They are stuck where they are. This dynamic alters their response to someone approaching them because they have no “flight” option
I try to educate people about the “red zones” or the environmental situations that are difficult for dogs. Below is a list of some of them:
In Crates
In Cars,
Doorways into the home
On sofas, beds, anything with height.
On a tie out.
Behind a fence.
Eating something
Chewing on something
On a leash
Tight hallways
Startling out of sleep
Staring and moving your face toward the dog’s face.
Toddlers
Shrieking children moving quickly.
Reaching down and toward a dog.
Belly rubs (not all dogs like this)
Something moving quickly like a jogger or bicyclist.
Grooming
This is just a partial list and not all dogs are going to react in all of these scenarios. If you have a dog it is your responsibility to make sure that others don’t put your dog in a situation where he/she feels the need to bite. This is just good management. Let’s keep everyone safe.