Common Language Key To Dog Bite Prevention - American Veterinary Medical Association

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

All I can say is Better training of the humans + the dogs = less bites. Somehow people make it seem like rocket science, when yet again employ some common sense and you get a sensible, manageable outcome

__________________

yup! got it in one, LOL... better manners also help -
when being introduced to a dog for the first-time, minding ones manners is only polite.

avoid looming-over, grabs, cornering, thumping the top of the dogs head [to "Pet the dog" ] -
if it does not feel nice if U do it to U, odds are good the dog won't care for it, either.
try this on Urself:
pick a BIG muscle-area + stroke firmly OUT ==> from the center of the body... use smooth long strokes
with a lift at the end - like currying a horse U can do this over the front-thigh or rear thigh, calf muscle,
buttocks, or crest of shoulders... it feels good, doesn;t it?
(as a massage-stroke this is a form of effleurage.)

now as contrast, try *patting the top of Ur own skull* - if U are like me, U hear it as a internal thumps,
and even gently, it does not feel at all nice - a *stroke* is pleasant, a pat is only good for broad solid areas:
back, hip, etc.

being intrusive or over-controlling, touching the dog unexpectedly, teasing, petting while a dog is tries to rest / eat / nurse pups, etc, are all tickets to meet the dogs teeth up-close N personal and there ARE justified bites.

fearful dogs are an especially delicate category - if any dog DUCKS when U reach toward them, *STOP*.
FREEZING is another big red-flag; a dog who closes their mouth + stiffens is upset by what U are doing.
i would only touch a dog who is willing to be touched - if U must handle a fearful dog, a leash to maneuver them
is much-safer + less-frightening to the dog than physical manipulation.

still sans bite-scars and i hope to stay so,
--- terry

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

Terry your post reminds me of this excellent blog article from Deborah Flick: Boulder Dog » Blog Archive » Thank You for Ignoring My Dog

__________________
Anne, owned by Rufus & Tripod

Pet Central site & blog
Join us on FaceBook & Follow us on twitter

"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." - John Steinbeck

"If you don't want your dog to bite you, don't be an a**hole to him." ~ Dr. Ian Dunbar

Terry--how come you have managed to get so wise--I always look forward to your threads

Great post, Terry.

More and more I'm using the Golden Rule to explain to kids (over 6 or 7 years old) to back off from my pup. When I ask them how it would be for them if a total stranger came up and started patting them on the head, they usually get it and back off.

__________________

I would hope that better education of potential victims would teach children that to run very fast along a pavement.... coming from behind..... very close to a dog being walked, may result in *some* dogs being startled or trigger a chase instinct and a bite/nip.

Adults have much more of a sense of personal boundary to give space to others on the pavement - it would startle another human being, never mind leading to a potential dog bite.

__________________
‎

thanks, denise - ya made me blush i think its become second-nature for me,
thinking of the * recipients * reaction vs how much > I < would like to do X.

if the receiver is human, i can ask... May i shake Ur hand? etc, but with an animal, i depend on their
feedback via body-language, eye-contact, and so forth. even birds who have relatively immobile faces,
and fish or reptiles, with very frozen-faces, can give emotional signals + approach or avoid cues.

i might dearly love to caress that gorgeous plush coat, but if the dog is not as enthused, i could be truly sorry, after.
act in haste, repent at leisure...
- t

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

One would think so, but I rather noticed how little room many ppl gave me out on my bicycle last week, on river/canal bank.

Good luck with trying to educate people to give room to dogs...