How to prevent dog bites
When it comes to bite prevention there are five key factors: Learn to understand canine behavior, socialization, training, management and respect . By combining these things we can mitigate the chance of an incident occurring.
DISCLAIMER: The information compiled below is for education purposes only and is not a suitable replacement for professional training; it is not to be used as legal advice. The information below is as accurate as possible using various resources and speaking to qualified trainers.
DISCLAIMER: The information compiled below is for education purposes only and is not a suitable replacement for professional training; it is not to be used as legal advice. The information below is as accurate as possible using various resources and speaking to qualified trainers.
Canine Behavior
Dogs are expressive creatures and often people miss cues or misinterpret signals their dog is giving as we don't speak the same language and neither is perfectly bilingual, this can cause instances where a human see's an interaction as "friendly" but the dog interprets it as threatening; it's also important not to discipline a dog who is displaying natural warning behaviors, as this creates a dog who seemingly goes from calm to attacking without warning.
Understanding general canine body language is helpful, but it is also key to know your dogs individual body language, we humans can get caught up within the surrounding environment that we fail to notice the sometimes subtle clues that our dogs are giving us about how they feel about a situation, place or other creature.
Some of the signs to watch for if a dog is frustrated, worried or nervous about their situation is yawning, flicking their tongue, turning their head to look away or turning their head and continuing to look at the person indirectly with what is referred to as "whale eyes." This is when the whites of the eyes are clearly seen.
In combination with these a dog may also lift their front leg, lower their head and/or body, roll onto their back and even urinate
Dogs are generally uncomfortable when making direct eye contact, when people reach above them or loom over them, and they're generally not comfortable being in a confined space without an escape or somewhere to get away when in an unfamiliar environment or when someone unknown enters the confined space. This can cause them to feel anxious and stressed.
If the earlier warning signs of a stressed and anxious dog are ignored, the next step is growling, baring the teeth, snarling and potentially snapping and biting.
Avoid situations where conflict can arise, watch a dogs body language closely and ensure they have a means to get away or otherwise remove themselves from a situation that is causing stress, fear or aggression reactions unless the situation is absolutely needed. Situations that might cause stress in a dog that aren't unavoidable include taking the dog to the vet or car rides to appointments. In these cases err on the side of caution. Employ the use of muzzles, calming treats or vet prescribed drugs before hand and don't allow the situation to go on longer than absolutely needed.
Understanding general canine body language is helpful, but it is also key to know your dogs individual body language, we humans can get caught up within the surrounding environment that we fail to notice the sometimes subtle clues that our dogs are giving us about how they feel about a situation, place or other creature.
Some of the signs to watch for if a dog is frustrated, worried or nervous about their situation is yawning, flicking their tongue, turning their head to look away or turning their head and continuing to look at the person indirectly with what is referred to as "whale eyes." This is when the whites of the eyes are clearly seen.
In combination with these a dog may also lift their front leg, lower their head and/or body, roll onto their back and even urinate
Dogs are generally uncomfortable when making direct eye contact, when people reach above them or loom over them, and they're generally not comfortable being in a confined space without an escape or somewhere to get away when in an unfamiliar environment or when someone unknown enters the confined space. This can cause them to feel anxious and stressed.
If the earlier warning signs of a stressed and anxious dog are ignored, the next step is growling, baring the teeth, snarling and potentially snapping and biting.
Avoid situations where conflict can arise, watch a dogs body language closely and ensure they have a means to get away or otherwise remove themselves from a situation that is causing stress, fear or aggression reactions unless the situation is absolutely needed. Situations that might cause stress in a dog that aren't unavoidable include taking the dog to the vet or car rides to appointments. In these cases err on the side of caution. Employ the use of muzzles, calming treats or vet prescribed drugs before hand and don't allow the situation to go on longer than absolutely needed.
Socialization
There's a lot to be said about proper socialization when a dog is young, it builds the foundation for a well behaved doggy member of society. Of course, things happen and we cannot be in complete control at all times to avoid negative experiences. But by allowing the dog to meet and interact with different types of people, including children, various disabled folks who use different forms of mobility assistance, religious folks who wear various forms of religious garb and older folks under calm, positive circumstances, we ensure that the dog has the best foundation possible.
Training
Put your dog through basic training at the very least and continue to keep up your dog's training program throughout its life to reinforce the lessons you've taught it.
Expose your dog regularly to a variety of situations such as other dogs, loud noises, large machines, bicycles, or anything else that might spark fear. Start this training with your dog at the youngest age possible and keep the experiences positive.
Disciplining a dog using aversive methods such as shock collars, spray collars or hitting often results in fearful and anxious dogs who develop behavior issues as a result. Opt for positive reinforcement and force free, and when selecting a trainer look for force free trainers, these methods are scientifically proven to be more effective to train your dog what is desirable behavior and what isn't.
For force free trainers within Alberta:
https://albertaforcefreealliance.com/
https://www.ccpdt.org/
Expose your dog regularly to a variety of situations such as other dogs, loud noises, large machines, bicycles, or anything else that might spark fear. Start this training with your dog at the youngest age possible and keep the experiences positive.
Disciplining a dog using aversive methods such as shock collars, spray collars or hitting often results in fearful and anxious dogs who develop behavior issues as a result. Opt for positive reinforcement and force free, and when selecting a trainer look for force free trainers, these methods are scientifically proven to be more effective to train your dog what is desirable behavior and what isn't.
For force free trainers within Alberta:
https://albertaforcefreealliance.com/
https://www.ccpdt.org/
Management
Management can come in many forms and the level of management one employs depends on the dogs temperament, known triggers, potential triggers, socialization level, what they've been exposed to, etc. By taking all these elements into consideration an owner can form a management plan that best fits them and their canine companion.
Always pay attention to the dog and watch for things that may lead to aggression, if warning signs are noticed that could potentially lead to an incident occurring, removing the dog from the situation.
If the dog has known behaviors that could potentially lead to an incident; be it fearful, anxious or known aggression, err on the side of caution and always warn others. As covered in our "Dog bites and the Law" section, if an owner is aware the dog is a bite risk and does not take the proper precautions to limit the risk of an incident occurring, they are immediately at fault for the bite. Take as much control of the situation as possible by doing things such as having the dog wear a muzzle, having the dog wear a "ANXIOUS" or "NERVOUS" patch, or other identifying markers so that other individuals know to take caution and to keep their distance from the dog.
If the dog has severe reactivity, has been deemed a dangerous animal or has the potential to be labeled as such by by-law, follow all by-laws regarding dangerous dogs. This includes not letting the dog off leash, muzzling in public area's, using a shorter leash and keeping the dog confined in a fenced area on private property.
Always pay attention to the dog and watch for things that may lead to aggression, if warning signs are noticed that could potentially lead to an incident occurring, removing the dog from the situation.
If the dog has known behaviors that could potentially lead to an incident; be it fearful, anxious or known aggression, err on the side of caution and always warn others. As covered in our "Dog bites and the Law" section, if an owner is aware the dog is a bite risk and does not take the proper precautions to limit the risk of an incident occurring, they are immediately at fault for the bite. Take as much control of the situation as possible by doing things such as having the dog wear a muzzle, having the dog wear a "ANXIOUS" or "NERVOUS" patch, or other identifying markers so that other individuals know to take caution and to keep their distance from the dog.
If the dog has severe reactivity, has been deemed a dangerous animal or has the potential to be labeled as such by by-law, follow all by-laws regarding dangerous dogs. This includes not letting the dog off leash, muzzling in public area's, using a shorter leash and keeping the dog confined in a fenced area on private property.
Respect
Respecting a dogs boundaries and limits is something that cannot be stressed enough; disregarding a dogs boundaries is one of the leading causes of dogs, who would otherwise have never bitten, to bite.
Never try to approach an unknown dog without first asking the owner's permission, look for things identifying the dog as "friendly" "Anxious/nervous" or "Do not approach". If the dog is wearing anything that says "Do not approach" or "Do not pet", respect that limit and do not ask the owner.
If permission is granted by the owner, allow the dog to approach. Slowly crouch down and turn to the side, offer a hand for the dog to sniff and potentially lick while the dog decides if they wish to continue engaging. If the dog backs off and isn't interested, don't force interaction on the dog, if the dog wants to continue, gently petting and giving affection is fine. If at any point the dog expresses discomfort, the owner should remove the dog from the situation and the individual interacting with the dog should slowly back off.
If a dog is in a situation that is more likely to cause a startled or protective reaction, do not approach. Owners should ask individuals not to interact with their dog and enforce their dogs boundaries.
This includes if a dog is having "down time" or time relaxing, often they do not wish to be bothered and can become grumpy and reactive if pestered. Just like humans, dogs need space to recover from events, outings and socialization; some more than others. Owners should allow their dogs to choose if they want to relax and have downtime with them or on their own; never force a dog to cuddle or lay with you as this could cause the dog to become irritable and snap. Offering a safe space such as a kennel with a bed and stuffed animals, or a closet that has a bed for them to rest in away from people gives them a space where they know they won't be bothered and allows the owner to more easily enforce boundaries to people visiting the home.
It's important to know what the dog is uncomfortable and comfortable with in terms of affection. Humans display affection differently than canines do, and this can cause dogs to become stressed. Dogs often do not enjoy being hugged, as it causes them to feel restrained or trapped, they can feel like they're unable to remove themselves from what is stressing them and snap to get away.
Repeatedly ignoring warning signs that the dog is giving that they're uncomfortable ignores their boundaries, disrespects them and causes them to believe that escalating to the point of barking, growling, snarling, snapping and biting is the only way for them to be understood. By respecting the early warning signs dogs give, we can prevent escalation, prevent negative experiences and prevent the likely hood of a situation escalating into a bite.
Never try to approach an unknown dog without first asking the owner's permission, look for things identifying the dog as "friendly" "Anxious/nervous" or "Do not approach". If the dog is wearing anything that says "Do not approach" or "Do not pet", respect that limit and do not ask the owner.
If permission is granted by the owner, allow the dog to approach. Slowly crouch down and turn to the side, offer a hand for the dog to sniff and potentially lick while the dog decides if they wish to continue engaging. If the dog backs off and isn't interested, don't force interaction on the dog, if the dog wants to continue, gently petting and giving affection is fine. If at any point the dog expresses discomfort, the owner should remove the dog from the situation and the individual interacting with the dog should slowly back off.
If a dog is in a situation that is more likely to cause a startled or protective reaction, do not approach. Owners should ask individuals not to interact with their dog and enforce their dogs boundaries.
This includes if a dog is having "down time" or time relaxing, often they do not wish to be bothered and can become grumpy and reactive if pestered. Just like humans, dogs need space to recover from events, outings and socialization; some more than others. Owners should allow their dogs to choose if they want to relax and have downtime with them or on their own; never force a dog to cuddle or lay with you as this could cause the dog to become irritable and snap. Offering a safe space such as a kennel with a bed and stuffed animals, or a closet that has a bed for them to rest in away from people gives them a space where they know they won't be bothered and allows the owner to more easily enforce boundaries to people visiting the home.
It's important to know what the dog is uncomfortable and comfortable with in terms of affection. Humans display affection differently than canines do, and this can cause dogs to become stressed. Dogs often do not enjoy being hugged, as it causes them to feel restrained or trapped, they can feel like they're unable to remove themselves from what is stressing them and snap to get away.
Repeatedly ignoring warning signs that the dog is giving that they're uncomfortable ignores their boundaries, disrespects them and causes them to believe that escalating to the point of barking, growling, snarling, snapping and biting is the only way for them to be understood. By respecting the early warning signs dogs give, we can prevent escalation, prevent negative experiences and prevent the likely hood of a situation escalating into a bite.
Resources:
https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/why-do-dogs-bite
https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-problems/why-dogs-bite/
https://www.doggonesafe.com/why_dogs_bite
http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/why-good-dogs-bite-part-i-you-didnt-understand-what-he-was-saying
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/decoding-your-pet/201412/dogs-dont-bite-out-the-blue
https://holidaybarn.com/why-do-dogs-bite/
https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/help-my-dog-bites-how-to-deal-with-dogs-who-bite/
https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-bites#1
https://www.cdc.gov/features/dog-bite-prevention/index.html
https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/why-do-dogs-bite
https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-problems/why-dogs-bite/
https://www.doggonesafe.com/why_dogs_bite
http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/why-good-dogs-bite-part-i-you-didnt-understand-what-he-was-saying
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/decoding-your-pet/201412/dogs-dont-bite-out-the-blue
https://holidaybarn.com/why-do-dogs-bite/
https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/help-my-dog-bites-how-to-deal-with-dogs-who-bite/
https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dog-bites#1
https://www.cdc.gov/features/dog-bite-prevention/index.html