Comments on: Prevent Dog Bites – Supervise Your Dog

By: 2 brown dawgs

2 brown dawgs — Sat, 26 May 2012 16:34:01 +0000

Great videos. We manage our dogs by reinforcing to them that they are not to protect us. We also let them know that biting people in never allowed. Not foolproof, but hopefully it helps.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Sat, 26 May 2012 14:04:45 +0000

Absolutely and I think both of these videos show this perfectly. When dogs bite strangers, it is usually the dog that suffers the most. It is our responsibility to protect our dogs and prevent them from ever being placed in a situation in which biting is their only option. Only we can keep our dogs safe.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:30:12 +0000

I always watch my dogs and the approaching dog. If the dog is just approaching normally, or running the dogs they are fine, but if someone is on leash and barking and snarling that is an avoid situation for me as it is more than Delilah can handle.

As for people or children I would usually let them stand with us for a minute or two before approaching our dogs and I never leave my grandchildren alone with them. Hubby and I also do our very best to educate our grandchildren about the proper way to act with our dogs.

Education is key.

By: Lili Chin

Lili Chin — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:40:42 +0000

Thanks,Pamela! The Michael Burkey video is fantastic. The speed at which dogs bite is the scariest thing. It is so easy to miss the signs if you don’t know the dog. Thankfully I know how to read my dog well enough to know when he is likely to bite but it took a long time (with bad experiences) for me to learn what I know now.

By: KimT

KimT — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:42:44 +0000

Excellent point, regardless of who does or doesn’t learn what’s necessary about dog bites, our dogs are our responsibility. For me, I’m always on constant guard about both Chester and CindyLu when they’re around other people or dogs. It’s amazing how even the calmest of dogs can get ruffled, as shown in the videos.

By: Jan

Jan — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:39:14 +0000

I would have sworn that Timmy my little stud muffin Poodle would never bite. But a few years ago my daughter’s boy friend was being stupid and picked me up. Big mistake. Timmy has no sense of humor and without warning sunk his little fangs into stupid human’s ankle. I pretended to admonish him, but it was wink, wink, naughty dog. I was actually quite proud of him for being protective.

By: RumpyDog!

RumpyDog! — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:06:55 +0000

Great post! I don’t worry about Rumpy biting as much as I worry about him injuring someone from being so playful. But you never know…. and I absolutely agree that our dogs should always be supervised.

By: MelF

MelF — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:43:09 +0000

I agree Pamela. Even though Daisy or Lady would likely shut down before biting someone, I need to be the responsible dog owner, not only where people and kids are concerned but also for my dogs’ own protection. The same goes for Jasper too.

BTW- Autocorrect tried to change the word people to Peoria. Now wouldn’t that have been confusing?

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:12:03 +0000

I constantly supervise my dogs around people. In my house or out in public. I don’t want my dogs blamed for biting someone, even if they pushed they limits.

I agree that not everyone will learn how to recognize body language of a dog, sometimes the signs are subtle and not everyone will pick up on them. Educating people that any dog can bite and to respect the dog is key. Bites may still happen but if 1 person can learn the signs, then that is one more person that won’t be added to the stats.

By: Amber @ Pooch & Puddy

Amber @ Pooch & Puddy — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:04:40 +0000

I love Lilli’s animation. Most people pick up on cowering, but not always the other signs.

I don’t have a proven biter, but she is insecure, and she has teeth. Peach brims with confidence until the very last second of an introduction, when physical/near contact occurs, at which point she suddenly realises that this new person/dog/thing is NEW and BIG and SCARY and she bolts.

When I know an introduction is going to occur, I let people know she’s “shy”. Most people think that means she needs quiet noises and a gentle hand held out instead of a direct petting, which Peach appreciates. The few times she’s been put in situations that made her uncomfortable I tried to manage the situation: when we were suddenly walking through an event I didn’t know about I picked her up and let potential petters know she preferred petting on her side; when she was scared away by a thing and a child tried to help me catch her, I gave her many, many treats when the child wanted to pet and talk to her after. Every time Peach gave a stress signal- a lick, a head turn- it was towards me and a fistful of tasty. Now she thinks that little girl is the best thing ever 😉

I try not to “rescue” her, so she doesn’t become a person-reliant/defending dog, but I do want her to know I’m here to keep her safe. I became very angry at a pet store employee early on who told me, matter-of-factly, that petting her when she was nervous made it worse. I haven’t gone back there because of that misinformation: if Peach becomes nervous, she turns to me for a reassuring pet, and dives back into the fray.