Did you know that people are bitten more often on the hands than anywhere else on their body? From the dog’s point of view, hands coming towards him can appear quite frightening, especially if he had an unpleasant experience associated with them in the past. To help prevent accidents like dog bites, it’s essential to teach your dog that hands don’t represent a threat, and also when out walking your dog to warn strangers – especially children who tend to be drawn to dogs and want to pet them – not to approach and stroke him without first asking your permission to do so.
Check out how Undisciplined Dog Can Cause You and others Harm.
How do they warn us?There are always warning signs before a bite occurs, but these can be very subtle and may be missed by many people. A dog may appear to tolerate being repeatedly mauled by a child and one day bites, surprising everyone. Sometimes the warning have gone on for months or even years before the dog finally loses its tolerance and bites. Signs that you should take very seriously that indicate that the dog is saying “I have been very patient with this child, but I am nearing the end of my patience”, include:- The dog gets up and moves away from the child.collie_half_moon.jpg
- The dog turns his head away from the child.
- The dog looks at you with a pleading expression.
- You can see the “whites” of the dogs eyes, in a half moon shape.
- The dog yawns while the child approaches or is interacting with him.
- The dog licks his chops while the child approaches or is interacting with him.
- The dog suddenly starts scratching, biting or licking himself.
- The dog does a big “wet dog shake” after the child stops touching him
Training your dog to be amenable with people and obedient to their commands will benefit your dog in more ways than you can imagine. Not only will he then be a dog that virtually everyone will love and want to own, but he himself will be more comfortable living in the world of humans. Handling and training your dog correctly from puppyhood helps to stop behavioral problem developing, and retraining an adult dog can often correct those that already exist.
