Reduce the Risk of Dog Bites

Have you added a four-legged friend to your family over the past few years?
If so, you are not alone, pet ownership has rocketed since the pandemic as working
habits and values continue to evolve. Many of these pets are pups and it’s easy
to see why the nation fawns over these cute furballs.

New puppy owners will have been discovering that the reality of owning a puppy isn’t all that cute, but involves lots of early mornings, housetraining and being driven barking mad by excitable nips by their sharp little fangs. But while puppy bites can be annoying and painful, this needs to be handled correctly. Puppies bite for a reason, they are learning how hard to bite for survival, fighting and play. Never tell a puppy off for biting merely teach him that it hurts you with a loud “Ouch” followed by offering him something to bite on, like a rawhide chew or a dog toy, praising him as he chews it,  “Good boy, chew chew”.

Children are often the victims of dog bites and according to the NHS, there were 7,227 hospital admissions for dog bites in England in 2019-2020, which represents a 6% increase from the previous year.

“I DISCUSS HOW DOGS COMMUNICATE AND WHAT THEY DO AND DON’T LIKE, IN THE HOPE THAT THEY STAY SAFE AND BECOME BETTER DOG OWNERS IN THE FUTURE.”

Shirley King, a dog trainer and behaviourist who has been working with dogs for over 35 years, is keen to highlight the importance of educating children about how to interact with dogs safely and the importance of responsible pet ownership. “I have spent a number of years going into primary schools to help teach young children how to stay safe around dogs,” Shirley explains, “I discuss how dogs communicate and what they do and don’t like, in the hope that they stay safe and become better dog owners in the future.” While many people believe only certain breeds bite, Shirley makes it clear this is not the case. “The most common dog to bite in the UK is the cute Labrador. Any dog no matter what breed can bite or attack at any time,” Shirley says the most important thing to instil in people is that any dog can bite, even those who have never bitten before. Many of us are guilty of believing that our dog would never bite. “I know and love my dog however, I know it’s normal dog behaviour to bite when threatened scared or in pain. It would be my fault if my dog bit my child because I allowed them to be on their own together, something I never did as I knew it was a potentially dangerous situation. The most common comment I hear from dog owners is ‘my dog would never bite’, and when it does happen, they say ‘oh, there was no warning’, but there have been thousands of warnings, It’s just that many people aren’t aware of the signs.” “No dog, unless it has a specific gene problem, is aggressive for no reason. Aggression is normal dog behaviour, it’s just how they communicate. They don’t have the ability to plan, they just react, and that is where the problem comes from. It’s our behaviour causing them to react.” To reduce bites, Shirley advises teaching children to understand a dog’s body language. A happy dog is relaxed with a tail hanging low, an angry dog will be stiff, with a high tail and ears sticking straight up and a scared dogs ears will be back. Shirley recommends ignoring an angry or scared dog and avoiding eye contact. She also has tips for families to raise happy dogs who are less likely to bite, such as ensuring dogs have their own beds and that children know not to play with dogs when they are eating.

Shirley rescued Sam, a border collie from being put down due to a history of biting. When my son was born 6 years later, “from the minute he could grab and crawl I had to teach him ‘don’t touch doggie, doggie bites’.” She believes many families avoid teaching toddlers not to touch the dog in case they grow up scared of them but she explains “it didn’t stop my son growing up loving dogs, but gave him a healthy respect for dogs, and if they hurt them he would get bitten.”

When lockdown hit, Shirley could no longer go into schools to teach children about dogs, so instead she started writing her advice down. “Horrid Hugs Pesky Pats is a book for 4 to 10-year-olds to help teach children how to understand dogs, how they communicate and what they do and don’t like. For younger children, Sam’s Tails helps parents teach their toddlers what dogs do and don’t like in a fun but informative way.”

Learn more about Shirley, her books and reducing the risk of dog bites here: www.shirleyking.co.uk

NorthernLife Family Spring 23