Preventing Dog Bites

Preventing Dog Bites

If you are a dog owner, you must be well aware that it is your social and legal responsibility to prevent your dog from biting others. If your dog is involved in a dog bite or dog mauling incident, you cannot escape from its liability.

Ways to prevent dog bites

• Give your dog the basic obedience training. The training can be given at home itself by the members of the family. The family members themselves must learn to train a dog. It is better for the owner or a family member to attend training classes to train the dog. Trainers can give you valuable instructions. You can learn how to train the dog and to give instructions to the pet. The dog may be taken with you when you attend the training class. Home is the best place to train the dog.
• Neuter your dog. It will prevent the dog from straying. A neutered dog has less desire to roam looking for mates. By neutering the dog, it becomes more docile also. They rarely bite.
  

• Permit and encourage your dog to interact with as many people as possible. Allow it to get friendly with children and disabled and elderly people. Familiarize the dog with different situations. Encourage it to be friendly with other animals. Allow it to know automobiles, machines, and bicycles so that it is not frightened of them.
• Train the dog for good behavior. Do not allow chasing of other dogs, animals and birds. Always be watchful of its behavior. If any aggressive intent is shown to any person, take the dog to a veterinarian.
• Always keep the dog under leash in public places. At home, keep it within walls. In permitted areas you may set the dog free if you are absolutely sure that the dog does not do any harm to anyone or anything. Even in that case, keep the dog within your sight always.
• Keep the dog’s rabies and other vaccinations current. Obtain license and other legally required papers.
• Reward the dog and praise it always for good behavior and obedience. Show that you love your dog and play with it. Do not punish the dog with physical violence.

Children as well as adults must take some precautions not to get bitten by dogs. Do not go near or touch unfamiliar dogs. Even if it is a familiar dog, get the owner’s permission to go near or to touch it. Try to learn the body language of the dog. Most dogs give signs of aggression before biting. Keep away from those that show aggressive intent. Approaching a dog when it is sleeping, eating, or is with puppies is dangerous. More often than not, dogs are over-protective in such situations and get aggressive easily.

Dogs are lovable animals, and perhaps, they are the best friends of man. But be very careful in handling them. If the dog bites, there is plenty to worry for the owner as well as the victim.