Biting Commentary

Spring is in the air and that means several things. Kittens, of course! But we've already talked about that. It also means its time for National Dog Bite Prevention Week -- May 17-23.

Approximately 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs annually and the majority of these victims are children bitten by the family dog or another dog that they know. Dogs most likely to bite include those not spayed or neutered, not properly socialized, and those that spend their lives chained in a backyard or otherwise lacking in attention. However, any dog, regardless of breed, has the potential to bite in specific circumstances.

Some of my best friends are dogs and they assure me that they would rarely bite out of the blue. A growl is often one of the final signals. So don’t punish the growl. Take the message and get help immediately from a qualified dog behaviorist before someone gets hurt.

The good people at Pets Lifeline recommend that guardians reduce the chance of a bite incident through spay/neutering their pet, providing regular veterinary care, proper dog training and socialization and by educating themselves on bite triggers and canine body language.

Doggone Safe, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bite prevention education recommends the following to keep the kids in your home or neighborhood safe:

The 3 Most Important Things to Teach Kids
1. Dogs Don’t Like Hugs and Kisses – Teach your kids not to hug or kiss a dog on the face. Hugging the family dog or face-to-face contact are common causes of bites to the face. Instead, teach kids to scratch the dog on the chest or the side of the neck.
2. Be a Tree if a Strange Dog Approaches – Teach kids to stand still, like a tree. Trees are boring and the dog will eventually go away. This works for strange dogs and any time the family dog gets too frisky or becomes aggressive.
3. Never Tease a Dog – That includes never disturbing a dog that’s sleeping, eating or protecting something.

The 2 Most Important Things Parents Can Do
1. Supervise – Don’t assume your dog is good with kids. If a toddler must interact with your dog, you should have your hands on the dog too. Even if your dog is great with kids and has never bitten – why take a chance?
2. Train Your Dog – Take your dog to obedience classes where positive-reinforcement is used. Never pin, shake, choke, hold the dog down or roll the dog over to teach it a lesson. Dogs treated this way are likely to turn their aggression on weaker family members.

The 3 Most Important Things Dog Owners Can Do
1. Spay or Neuter Your Dog – Neutered pets are calmer, healthier and less likely to be aggressive. Neutering prevents unwanted dogs that end up in shelters or in situations where they may grow up to be poorly socialized or aggressive.
2. Condition Your Dog for the World – Give your puppy lots of new positive experiences. Train using positive methods.
3. Supervise Your Dog – Supervise your dog at all times around children. If visiting children are bothering your dog, put the dog away or send the children home.

For information on summer puppy socialization and dog obedience classes and summer camp for kids to learn animal safety, call one of the wonderful staff at the shelter at 707-996-4577 or visit www.petslifeline.org.

Stay Safe!