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Will ANY Dog REALLY Bite?
Well, YES, any dog WILL bite, given the right circumstances. No matter how loving, trustworthy, docile, content and otherwise given to a great attitude, any dog is still capable of biting anyone from its owner to a complete stranger to its leash or even the wall.
I’m not a vet, nor a dog handler/trainer nor even an expert on the subject but my reading abilities and personal experiences, in my opinion, give me the ability to write this article with a fair amount of credibility and accuracy. I am a dog owner though and except for a brief time in the military when it wasn’t possible, I have always had dogs. Happy dogs. Trustworthy dogs. Loving, gentle giants and toys alike. And I’ve been bitten. Dog bites are very painful.
Most dogs do not “want” to bite unless they’ve been abused by being trained to bite or are very frightened, or in considerable pain; it’s just not in their domesticated, overall nature but it IS in their INSTINCTS. They have often somehow been coerced into biting by their environment. That coercion can range from the unpredictability of a young child’s actions to threatening and cornering a dog and many, many areas in between. To understand it, you have to look at things from a dog’s point of view because we humans are terrible at empathy and knowing how others feel, let alone our pets. Dog bites can range from just a “snap”, not meant to connect but it did, to the intentional, chewing and working along an arm, a person’s face or whatever the dog gets hold of on a person.
It’s my opinion that the majority of bites occurring at home aren’t real bites per-sae from the dog’s point of view, but they are damaging even so and can be severe bites from a human being’s point of view.
Let’s take a look at the stages a dog seems to go through before it bites; there are usually identifiable warning signals the precede a bite or warning from the dog that a bite is pending and will happen. I credit The Whole Dog Journal (www.whole-dog-journal.com) for the precision and assistance of some of this information. Interesting how we tend to love an article that agrees 100% with our own thoughts and ideas, isn’t it?
The Journal calls it “Resource Guarding” but I call it the “That’s Mine!” attitude of most animals. I find “Resource Guarding” to be sort of a sterile, politically correct attempt to describe what really seems to be jealousy although the more often-used word is “territorial”. Animals are territorial by their very nature and being domesticated does not abate that instinct. But I think jealousy is a better description because they can be territorial about anything ranging from everything they can see or smell to the tiniest morsel of food they are about to eat. “It’s MINE and you shalt not have it!” prevails, whether the animal displays it or not. The impulse is stronger in some breeds than others, but it’s still there.
Guarding even a small morsel of food is a survival instinct that allows the smaller, weaker and less able dog to keep possession of a valued item, no matter what it is. In domesticated animals it’s often food, sometimes even their toys and sometimes their owners in the extreme.
That is WHY it’s important to teach, train and otherwise acclimate your pet to the process of sharing, respecting and trusting others. Both you and your pet will be much happier together and safer around others.
Let’s take a look at the processes a dog goes through when whatever he is guarding or being jealous of, if threatened in some way with removal. The Journal divides it into 10 stages, but I prefer to instead simply take it as an overall process that the dog may or may not go through, and which may or may not be noticeable to an observer. Rather than use “Levels” here, I’m going to simply number the steps in the way I think they are most usefully explained.
First of all, there is the ideal dog. It’s a happy critter and just loves the song Be Happy, Don’t Worry. He is that way because he’s happy and doesn’t see you as a threat to his property. He has learned to trust you and knows that you won’t do anything “bad” to him. However, that does NOT necessarily extend to everyone! Your spouse likely gets the same love and respect, but it usually ends there, not extending to your young and unpredictable children and especially not to outsiders. That would be a rare dog, indeed.
So, let’s say now that the dog is unsure of you or whoever is approaching him, especially if it’s food, a very commonly closely guarded item for dogs. He knows he “should” trust you, but something isn’t just right somehow. He’ll wag his tail but keep on eating and consuming what he doesn’t want taken away. He’s still happy, but “something” doesn’t seem just right to him. You might be able to distract him with a different treat or favorite toy is he’s not really hungry.
If that feeling of “something isn’t right” is stronger, as in say the approach of a child or other acquaintance but not someone intimately close to the dog, he may decide that he wants to let you know that he knows you’re there, and keep away, please.
His tail might wag faster, and you’ll be able to note that his body has tensed, beginning to show some nervousness. He’s just not comfortable right now.
Now let’s say the perception that “something isn’t right” is even stronger. Perhaps a child, with their unpredictable gait and arm motions is approaching his dish while he’s eating. He will most likely stop eating and become stiff, and the closer he’s approached, the more nervous his appearance is. He perceives a threat and isn’t sure just how to handle it, so he’s preparing himself. He stares off into space but not at what he considers to be the impending threat; he’s just still and staring.
He’s giving off clear warning signs now. When a dog becomes stiff and stares, or appears spaced out, he is signaling that he could become dangerous if the situation is not alleviated soon. Heed this signal well.
Move away and the dog will usually shortly resume his meal or chewing his toy, whatever he was doing when the interruption occurred. Distracting him with another treat or food or toy now is not likely to work. His concern now is with guarding his food or toy, or … .
If the interruption/threat does not go away, then the dog is likely to gulp the food, hurrying to consume it before it can be taken from him. His tail won’t be wagging and might be tucked between his legs, his front end covering (protecting) his meal, his back end high, tense and ready to react if necessary. There may be a lift to the lips and a turning away of the head but the eyes will be far to the side, not looking where the head is pointed. Beware of a dog looking to fool you with that stance. He is serious.
The closer the person comes to the dog, the more intense the motions and guarding become. And the more dangerous continuing the interruption can become.
Next the dog will begin to exhibit escalating but almost imperceptible at first threats. He may do anything from a very soft, low growl or perhaps a sort of whining sound, but low, and may or may not last for long. Usually the dog at this point will try to move his item if possible, especially if it’s a toy, and take it to some secluded spot where he won’t be bothered. The dog is quite serious about protecting his property now. And of course, if it’s food, there may not be much the dog can do about relocating it but he might try to push it further away from you if he can.
Next comes the snarl, retracted lips and visible teeth. The dog is telling you that things are about to escalate to a very serious level. He IS going to do something about the perceived threat, and he wants you to know that you aren’t likely to like it.
Beware, because this action can happen quickly or even during the preceding piece where he is snarling and growling. Escalation can happen very quickly and result in dangerous actions to the intruder.
The next step is to abandon his food bowl and turn to face you with a threatening, serious growling sound and “snap” at the intruder. The snaps aren’t intended to land, but to warn. There is sometimes a loud clacking of teeth to go with the snap, indicating the ferocity he plans to use. At this point he’s not biting, but is issuing a very serious warning that he will.
That snapping CAN result in a bite! Our own dog bit our grandson once when he “snapped” at him, not intending to bite; I saw it happening but not in time to stop it. Scared, the grandson waved his arms and hands in fear; right into the path of the next snap. It did penetrate skin and made a pretty painful injury in his palm and top side of his hand. Luckily the child turned and ran, the dog went back to his meal.
Remember, children are very, very unpredictable to dogs and often are perceived as threats in some circumstances. In this circumstance, the dog was already confused by having received several conflicting “commands” from other kids in the vicinity, wanting him to show off his tricks. As you can see the outcome was very unpleasant. Yes, it was my fault, and I learned a valuable lesson from it.
If the intruder is lucky, the dog will go to the next step, which is to bite, but without breaking the skin. It’s a no holds barred warning that things have escalated too far and he’s through fooling around. Go away or suffer the consequences.
If the intruder isn’t lucky, that gentle bite could be followed quickly by a serious, painful, damaging bite intended to hurt. In the worst case, there may be several, quick, pulling bites in succession, moving up along the intruders arm or leg, up toward their face. Pray that you’ve followed the maxim to always be present whenever a child is near your pet because you might be very badly needed by now.
Stress in dogs is easy to induce, some easier than others. Remember, it’s the dog’s view of the world, not yours, that determines his happiness and comfort factors.
Simple indecision can bring on the same sort of response from a dog as the above explanations. This is a simple reason why almost every dog advocate advises against letting one’s face get close to a dog’s head. The simple joy of indecision can result in a playful snap, painful to the person but simple play to the dog.
And, you’ll see these symptoms very clearly in puppies once they reach the age of about 5 months I’ve discovered.
On a final note, the foregoing is also exactly why obedience training with negative reinforcement seldom is anywhere near as effective or long lasting as that done with positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement says “I’ll be rewarded if I do it this way even if it’s only a pat on the head” but negative reinforcement simply says “I’ll do that whenever YOU are around, but not otherwise”.
Never berate or punish a dog for aggressive displays because that will have the unintended effect of reinforcing it and likely causing him to move through the various stages more quickly, before the “punishment” arrives. Dogs are smarter than most of us think, but they do not think like we do. In my opinion, Empathy is the magic word. It allows the best understanding of what a dog might be feeling or experiencing.
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the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.
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