Given the nature of dogs and given that dogs are embedded in our society we must accept that, like people, dogs will become aggressive and bite, maul and kill people.
Annually in the United States, a popular estimate is that approximately 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs. A disportional number of victims are children. Educating people about dog bite prevention is probably the best way to curtail the so-called "dog bite epidemic". Whether this so-called "epidemic" exists, and to what extent has been questioned, however. Using the term epidemic is probably an exaggeration, but the seriousness of the problem should not be downplayed.
Information about dog bite prevention is now widely available from many different sites on the internet. For example, from the American Veterinary Medical Association - and not surprisingly from organizations which stand to lose the most financially - State Farm Insurance and the US Postal Service.
Below I offer a non-exhaustive list suggesting preventative steps that may be taken by parents, landlords, and dog owners. If the selected preemptive steps are employed, either alone or in combination, the number of people attacked and bitten by dogs could well significantly lessen.
Two important caveats that must be considered:
Caveat 1. In any particular situation, considerable differences exist in the extent to which the below mentioned dog bite safeguards need to be employed. Note carefully that the recommendations below are general guidelines for dog bite prevention, and the extent to which they might prove helpful in any given situation must be determined on a case-by-case basis. In some situations because of the nature of the dog, the history of the dog, and other factors relevant to the kind of relationship the owner has with the dog, the employment of any specific dog bite intervention may have little or no effect in decreasing the likelihood a dog bite. On the other hand, for some dogs in certain situations, it would be critical to employ many of the recommendations mentioned below.
Caveat 2. The other important caveat is that despite one's effort employing dog bite preventive safeguards, if any particular dog is sufficiently provoked to bite, then prophylactic safeguards will not prevent the dog from biting. Provocation can take many forms, and what constitutes provocation is discussed on http://www.dogexpert.com.
Recommendations for parents
- Parents should instruct children not to approach and interact with dogs they do not know that well, particularly in certain circumstances such as when a dog is feeding, when a dog in in possession of a coveted object such a bone or something that it has stolen, or when a dog is resting or sleeping;
- In selected circumstances, parents should instruct children not to charge a dog or place their face into the face of a dog they do not know that well. This recommendation also applies to adults;
- Both children and adults should be cautious around a dog who is chained until indication is received from the dog itself (i.e. through it's behavior) or from the owner that the dog will not bite or act aggressively;
- In selected circumstances, children need to be taught to respect a dog's personal boundaries, including the dog's territory and "personal" space, and further children (and adults as well) need to recognize a dog's "body language" (e.g. facial, postural, and vocal behavior);
- Instruct children not to tease neighborhood dogs, or for that matter any dog;
- Parents should teach their children to treat dogs in a humane and caring manner. There should be zero tolerance for animal abuse;
- Keep children away from a dog who they know could be aggressive, and both children and adults should avoid circumstances that might elicit aggressive responding from a dog. These circumstances have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis - situations obviously differ.
Recommendations for owners
- Obtain a dog from an experienced breeder with a track record of breeding for temperament and not just physical appearance. Be wary about obtaining a dog from pet shops, puppy mills, "backyard" breeders, or obtaining a puppy whose background is mysterious (e.g. stray dog found on the street).
- Spay or neuter the dog, ideally before 9 months of age;
- Subject your dog to obedience and socialization training, ideally before 6 months of age. Older dogs also benefit from "refresher" obedience training under the instruction of a behaviorist or dog trainer.
- Avoid chaining an aggressive dog as a means of restraint and avoid long periods of sustained confinement in one area. A caveat to this is that some dogs (depending on a dog's temperament and behavioral history) can be confined or chained without negative consequences;
- Act in a responsible manner: take your dog in for regular veterinary examinations, including blood work, to rule out medical causation for possible aggressive responding;
- Recognize warning signs of aggression and seek professional help from a properly qualified animal behavior specialist when the first signs of aggression appear. Do not wait until the dog bites someone. Behavioral therapy should be started to reduce a dog's tendencies to bite. Part of this therapy may include the use of drugs when necessary.
- Choose a dog which you know you can physically control;
- Dogs with strong predatory tendencies (e.g. killing cats) should be kept away from toddlers and children and the dog's predatory tendencies should to be addressed with behavioral modification;
- If you dog lacks a proven tract record of 100% acceptable and non-aggressive behavior around children, and to a lesser extent around adults, then keep the dog away from children (or adults) who do not know the dog that well;
- Post warning signs (e.g."Beware of Dog") when necessary and use judgement when it comes to the need of possibly warning people that your dog could become aggressive and bite;
- If you know you have a dog with aggressive tendencies, make sure the dog can't escape from your property. Mend broken fences, install locks on gates, make sure gates close automatically and properly, instruct service people to close gates, know the whereabouts of your dog when you open a garage door, etc.
- Use a muzzle when appropriate;
- In selected cases, reduce the height of a dog's canine teeth via veterinary surgical procedure;
- Lodge complaints to animal control about neighborhood dogs who act aggressively;
- Be wary of circumstances when a female is in heat and in the proximity of a male dog, particularly a male dog who has not been neutered. Some male dogs may become aggressive in these circumstances. The bottom line: do not let people, particularly small children, interact with a male dog or a bitch, when the male is near a bitch who is actively in heat (the duration of esterus in female dogs is relatively short: 4 - 7 days; behaviorally this can be determined via "flagging" behavior in the bitch). After the period of esterus has ended, owners do not need to be as concerned because intact males quickly lose interest in the female and become less protective.
- Aggressive dogs should be relocated so that the likelihood of attack on a person is substantially reduced, or the dog should be placed in a no-kill shelter or sanctuary. If these options are not available, in selected cases, the dog should be destroyed.
- Comply with local leash laws. Letting you dog run loose in an urban environment or residential area could be dangerous:
- Your dog might approach a person and frighten that person, causing that person to fall;
- Your dog, albeit non-aggressive, might approach and try to interact with a dog-aggressive-dog (possibly being walked on leash), an altercation starts, and somebody gets injured;
- Your dog might run into the street in pursuit of a squirrle or cat and get hit by a car or possibly cause a traffic accident;
- Your dog could pick up a disease through contact with another animal and transmit it to you or your child;
- Your dog could injure a person if it accidentally collided with a person while in pursuit of some object like a cat (or another dog), or while playing with another dog.
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- Recommendations for landlords
- Landlords should have zero tolerance for aggressive dogs residing on their property. Once a landlord becomes aware of a dog's aggressive nature, steps need to be immediately taken to reduce the risk of injury to people living on the property or coming near the property. Recently, in California, there have been a number of published appellate decisions addressing the law as it pertains to landlords and tenants who keep aggressive dogs on rental property.
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- Articles, Books and web sites on dog bite prevention
** Dr. Polsky provides expert testimony, consultation, affidavits, declarations, reports, inspections, for attorneys in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
Scientifically based animal behavior analysis and opinion dealing with matters other than dog bite prevention, which includes but not limited to: police dog attacks; scent discrimination; scent dog tracking; provocation; negligence; vicious dogs; temperament evaluation; foreseeability; breed tendencies; Pit bull attacks ; effects of housing/environmental conditions on animal welfare; assessment of pain; appropriateness of training techniques/equipment; electronic shock training collars; Rottweiler attacks; breed identification; bite wound analysis; human-animal bond; German Shepherd aggression; chaining; stress and behavior; behavioral rehabilitation; effects of drugs; supervision/handling of dangerous dogs; constraints on behavior; causation, control, development and foreseeability of canine aggression.
This site updated on 12/29/08
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