Around 4 and a half million people in the US are bitten by dogs every year and 1/5th of them need medical care for their injury. The commonest victims of dog bites are children and half of them are under thirteen. Since children are small-sized and don’t very much know how to act with a dog around, they are most likely to be severely attacked by dogs. It’s important to know that any dog can bite and by knowing the common reasons why dogs bite, dog bites can be prevented.
Protecting property can be a great issue and ‘property’ can mean anything from territory, food and toy to a human being. This issue is typically common in herding breeds and guard dogs, but can occur in any dog. To avoid this, you have to train your dog early. The “Leave it” command works well in stopping toy aggression. Food aggression can be prevented by training your dog to wait when you put his food down. Go near the food bowl and infrequently add treats so he knows that someone coming near his food bowl is not always a bad thing. Teach kids not to disturb dogs while they are eating or enjoying a treat.
Fear is normally associated with strangers such as postal workers and even vets or unfamiliar scenarios. Never go near an unknown dog and instruct your kids to do the same. Fear bites can take place when a dog is startled; hence teach kids never to surprise a dog or disturb a sleeping dog. Early socialization helps in terms of exposure of young dogs to several different animals, people and circumstances, lessening the risk of developing phobia. Understand the legal side of dog bite incidents from the Riverside dog bite lawyer.
Pain can make even the friendliest dog to bite. If a dog is suffering from severe otitis, hip dysplasia or a chronic injury, teach your kids to keep away from the painful areas and be gentle while handling the dog. If your dog acts irritable for no reason, understand that he has a pain and take him to your vet.
When your dog has puppies, no matter how well-trained she is, she will become a biter. Respect her maternal instincts and be cautious when moving around a female dog that has had puppies recently. Teach your kids not to approach a young puppy when his mother is around and be careful while handling puppies. Provide the mother and her puppies a place where they can feel safe.
Dogs are our friends since ages. We should know their nature, likes and dislikes, and respect them, so that we can minimize incidents like dog bites and can always be on good terms with our most loyal friends.