#15: Dog bites: It’s time to hear the dog’s side of the story!
It’s estimated that around 4.5 million people are bitten by a dog in the US every year. Most of these are children. Children between the ages of 5-9 are most likely to be bitten by dogs and males are more likely than females to be bitten.
When it comes to dog bites, we humans often do things to or around dogs that make them feel unsafe or even threatened. Most of the time we do it because we don’t think or because we don’t know better or simply don’t understand dog body language.
If a dog growls or bites, we are quick to label them ‘bad’, ‘mean’, ‘aggressive’ and so on. It’s ironic how many of us actually expect that dogs should be ok with us doing things to them, manipulating their bodies or free will, letting kids run around them, jumping, screaming, throwing things at them, pulling at them, and so on. Because they are our pets we assume we have the right to do anything we want to them. How incredibly arrogant is that?
In this episode I want to dive deeper into the many situations where dogs bite and help you, the listener, get a better understanding of what typically goes wrong, especially in homes with smaller kids.
It’s so important to emphasize that dogs do not bite without in some way being provoked, or without a trigger or stressor present.
It’s equally important to understand the warning signs or calming signals that dogs often exhibit when they feel uncomfortable.
It's our responsibility to teach kids to respect a dog’s space and to help them understand that if a dog growls at them, or shows his teeth, the dog is not being mean, but is requesting space and does not want the person to come any closer.
We humans must never punish a growl! It’s the dog’s only means of respectfully telling us “ I don’t like what you are doing to me so please stop and please move away”
This episode is an important one for all dog parents! It's time to get a better understanding of why dogs bite. So if you you are concerned about YOUR dog's behavior, take a listen.....all the way to the end.....and listen out for the FREE GIFT I am giving away!!!
Thank you for listening with an open mind, heart, and soul,
Vivi MJ
Don't forget to take advantage of these resources as well:
To help you understand dog body language, I would recommend taking a look at these two videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00_9JPltXHI&t=102s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00_9JPltXHI&t=102s] (5 mins long - great for kids!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bg_gGguwzg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bg_gGguwzg] (9mins long)
Blog: How to keep children safe around dogs: https://www.thedogtalker.com/blog/how-to-keep-children-safe-around-dogs
Helpful website & resources for families with kids and dogs:
https://www.familypaws.com/
Source: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/ [https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/]
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Learn more about Family Dog Mediation®: www.familydogmediation.com or www.thedogtalker.com
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https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/dog-attack-statistics-breed/
