Some people might be confused about the recommendations in the first article for behaving around potentially aggressive dogs.
These recommendations are meant as guidelines that should work in the majority of cases.
So what if you are actually attacked?
Actual attacks can range in severity from being snapped at to being mauled. If you are snapped at or bitten once and the dog backs away, talk softly in a low soothing voice, keep your eyes from directly staring at the dog, and slowly back away.
The reason for not staring at the dog is because this can be interpreted as a sign of aggression on your part. It is OK to look from averted eyes. You need to keep an eye on the dog in order to assess his behavior.
If you are the victim of a savage dog attack, do not move if the dog already has a good hold on you. If mauled, try to drop into a ball and cover your head with your hands. It will probably give up, let go, and lose interest when you don’t fight back.
Last time I said that biting can range from benign to severe. But can any biting be benign? Most trainers would say no. But not all biting is intended to harm anyone.
All puppies learn play biting with their mom and litter mates. This can range from gentle to rough. It can be so rough and threatening that only the owner can tell that it is play.
For this reason it is better to teach them not to bite at all.
So what are aggressive bites?
Aggressive biting can be divided into several categories: Dominance biting, fear biting, territorial biting, isolated incidence biting, animal territorial biting and prey biting.
Dominance biting occurs when the dog assumes the role of the leader of the pack. The leader is entitled to the best of everything and everything he wants. He may bite anyone who tries to take that away.
Territorial biting occurs when someone enters the dog’s territory. Dogs instinctively protect their territory. Depending on how threatened they feel, they may bite anyone who enters their domain.
Dogs bite out of fear. They bite when cornered. They bite in fear of punishment. They snap at children and people when they feel frightened or uncomfortable with them.
Dogs may bite out of isolated incidences. For example, assume a delivery man once hit the dog with a baseball bat. The next time the dog bites the meter reader.
Dogs bite out of animal based aggression. An example would be two non-neutered males fighting in a neutral area to establish dominance and claim territory.
Dogs bite when they see something as prey. This is what happens when they bark at cars or bicycles.
I have been told that a forceful “no” will often keep a dog from chasing a cyclist.
This is probably because the dog then realizes that this is not a strange beast but a human going down the road.
Aggressive biting behavior is complex. Some are meant as play. Others are based in fear.
Some bites do not even apply pressure and are simply a way of asking you to stop.
Some are “gum bites” meant to scare. Others are snaps meant to hurt, break the skin and mean “stay back.”
And others are out of control vicious attacks.
So every bite is not the same. They are not equal in severity. They do not mean the same thing.
Before a biting behavior is determined to be dangerous, it should be assessed by a specialist who is trained in evaluation and treatment of aggressive behaviors in dogs.
Remember, with proper training, socialization, caring, and respect, we would not have to concern ourselves with aggression in dogs.
For more information check out: http://www.doggonesafe.com/dog%20communication.htm
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