April 11 to 17 is AVMA’s Dog Bite Prevention Week, co-sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association and State Farm Insurance. Any dog CAN bite, but most dog bites can be prevented by paying attention to dogs’ body language and health and by desensitizing dogs to certain external stimuli. Most homeowner’s insurance will pay for damages but might have breed restrictions. According to State Farm’s claim information, there were more dog-related injury claims in March 2020 than in any other month last year, with a reported 21.6 percent increase in dog bites compared to March of the previous year
Nipping and play biting might be cute as a puppy, but we never want it to escalate to the point of breaking the skin. Taking the Fear Free training has trained me to look at biting as much more than “aggression”, but a sign of dog pushed past their point of control with anxiety and fear. It might be triggered by new people, pushing past a dog’s comfort zone on their body, or defending what they perceive as their home, or their resources. Resources might be food, toys, sleeping places, or their owner’s attention.
We have been seeing more behavior problems in “pandemic puppies” due to lack of opportunities to exposed them to new situations. Trainers were closed but starting to reopen for classes.
To help our pets with this transition, the National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition recommends the following tips:
- Make sure your pet is healthy. Not all illnesses and injuries are obvious, and dogs are more likely to bite if they are sick or in pain. If you haven’t been to the veterinarian in a while, schedule an appointment for a checkup to discuss your dog’s physical and behavioral health.
- Take it slow. If your dog has only been interacting with your family this past year, don’t rush out into crowded areas or dog parks. Try to expose your dogs to new situations slowly and for short periods of time, arrange for low-stress interactions, and give plenty of praise and rewards for good behavior.
- Educate yourself in positive training techniques and devote time to interact with your dog.
- Get outside for leash training and allow your dog to do more socializing.
- Gradually start arranging play dates with other dogs and people as allowed, and carefully increase the amounts of time and freedom together. This will help your dog get used to being with other canine companions again.
- Be responsible about approaching other people’s pets. Ask permission from the owner before approaching a dog, and look for signs that the dog wants to interact with you. Sometimes dogs want to be left alone, and we need to recognize and respect that.
If your puppy or adult dog (or cat) has triggers that might result in a “nip”, please call for a behavior appointment so we can “nip” it in the bud with helpful training tips for your pet and family.
https://www.avma.org/events/national-dog-bite-prevention-week
