The second full week in April is National Dog Bite Prevention Week, an important time to take a few minutes and consider if there are any steps you can take in your daily life to help make sure you and your dog are not among the 4.5 million dog bites in the US annually. As education is key to combating any crisis, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) established this annual pet holiday.
Even the most docile dog can lash out when feeling frightened, hurt, confused or provoked, leading to a nightmare scenario for the injured party, the pet parent and their canine companion.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is joined by Animal Planet’s Victoria Stilwell, the United States Postal Service (USPS), pediatricians, plastic surgeons and representatives of the insurance industry in offering tips to prevent dog bites.
Victoria Stilwell explained, “Dogs need and want us to provide effective leadership, but the most effective leaders do not simply impose their will on their followers,” says Stilwell. “And I firmly believe the only way to truly ensure that we are successful in achieving the necessary balance with our dogs is by using positive reinforcement and treating them with the same respect that we ask of them. It’s not the breed of the dog that causes the bite, but rather how well the dog is trained and controlled.
Tips for Avoiding Dog Bites
Whether you are out daytripping with your dog, taking a walk around your neighborhood or just greeting visitors to your home, American Humane Association has some tips on avoiding dog bites.
- Pet parents of puppies must teach socialization skills so the dog will feel more at home among other people and pets.
- Never put a dog in a situation which will make him or her feel threatened.
- Walk or jog with your dog, as regular exercise will help to maintain both the physical and mental health of your barking buddy.
- Always walk your dog on a leash while in public.
- Visit your veterinarian regularly, as a dog who is ill or injured is more apt to strike out at people.
- Caution people who approach your dog. Strangers should always wait before petting any dog in order to give the dog time to familiarize themselves with the unknown person on their terms.
Helping Children Avoid Dog Bites
“Veterinarians recognize, while there are 72 million good dogs in the United States, any dog can bite if it is frightened or feels threatened, even the family pet. Unfortunately, children are most often the victims,” says Dr. Larry M. Kornegay, of the AVMA Executive Board.
Bite injuries occur most often among children between ages 5 and 9 years old. In victims younger than 18 years old, the family dog inflicts 30 percent of all dog bites, and a neighbor’s dog is responsible for another 50 percent of these bites.
Children should be reminded to always abide by the following safety rules:
- Never approach any dog with whom they are unfamiliar, or any dog they may know if the dog is unaccompanied by their pet parent.
- Always ask for permission from a pet’s guardian before petting a dog.
- Do not approach any animal who shows signs of injury or illness. If a child feels that a dog requires assistance, he or she should tell an adult.
- Never approach a dog who is sleeping, eating, playing with their toy or caring for puppies.
- Never provoke a dog through teasing, poking, pinching or pulling.
The American Veterinary Medical Association offers a number of in-depth articles regarding bite prevention, ranging from reasons why Rover might bite to reading a dog’s body language. A downloadable Dog Bite Prevention brochure is also available.
Combining education with entertainment, the American Veterinary Medical Association has created several episodes of Jimmy’s Dog House, which highlights some of the actions to avoid when associating with a dog:
Keeping Utility Workers Safe from Dog Bites
We don’t have meter readers at our home (that’s a nice thing about country living…we read our own electrical meter and mail in the reading) but we do have a lot of deliveries.
We post “Beware of Dog” signs just to let delivery people and anyone else know that we have dogs on our property, just so there are no surprises.
Of course, socialization and training are the best steps to preventing dog bites. What else can you do to help make sure that utility workers, repairmen, and others come and go from your property safely?
We’ve got some tips here from Southern California Gas Co.; they know firsthand about the danger of dog bites since, although children are the most common victims of dog bites, utility workers are second.
Here are their suggestions:
- Securely confine or relocate your dog during scheduled customer service visits and when it’s time for utility employees to read your meter.
- Contact your local utilities or check your monthly bills for the dates when utility workers are scheduled to conduct meter readings. On those days, leave gates unlocked and keep your dogs or other pets securely confined in another section of the property.
- If the employee is outside, keep your dog securely confined inside. If the employee is inside, keep your dog securely confined outside. Dogs may become more protective in the presence of their owners. Make sure your dog is securely confined where it cannot come into contact with the utility employee.
- Post a Beware of Dog sign on your fence or house to avoid any surprises.
- Leave a note on your meter explaining that you have a dog and how and where it is confined.
- Be sure all vaccinations and inoculations for rabies and parasites are up to date.
- Train your dog to obey simple commands like “sit,” “stay,” “no” and “come.” Obedience training can teach dogs proper behavior and help owners control their dogs in any situation.
- Collar your dog, so you have the means to quickly restrain your dog in any emergency.
- If you get a new dog, contact your local utilities to let them know.
