It is Child Mental Health Week and Dog Bite Prevention Week, so we are starting off our series of daily tips on the topic of emotional support for children after a dog bite.
Children who are bitten by a dog often experience significant stress that can persist long after the incident. The may feel betrayed if their own dog bit them, guilt if the dog is put down or sent away, anxiety due to the distress that this has caused their parents and fear of some or all dogs. Signs that your child is experiencing emotional distress or even post traumatic stress include, nightmares, social withdrawal, fear of going outside or other changes in behavior that surface after the incident.
Please remember that no matter what, it is NOT YOUR CHILDS FAULT that they were bitten by a dog. If the dog was supervised and secure the child would not have encountered the dog. Be sure to reassure your child that it is not his fault and avoid using language that might add to a childs guilt ("you should have..." or "why didnt you..." or "if only you had..." or "I told you not to..."). In many cases neither the child nor the supervising adult, nor the dog owner realized that there was a danger of a bite because the dog was a generally friendly family pet. In other cases the child encountered a strange dog running loose, a situation that should have been prevented by the dog owner. Learning about dog body language and how to read the signs from a dog will help prevent these types of bites in the future and will be empowering for the child. We do not blame the victim, but we do encourage education for children just as we would for any hazard. The more they know, the less likely they are to be hurt.
Child psychiatrist Dr. R. Larry Schmitt recommends that parents repeatedly encourage and allow their child to talk about the incident and their feelings.
Read an article by Dr. Schmitt about why it is important to keep encouraging your child to talk about the bite or attack and more importantly to listen to your child.
Find out more and read answers by Dr. Schmitt to frequently asked questions from parents.
Dr. Schmitt will be giving a lecture for parents about how to help a child after a dog bite. This will be held at the San Diego Humane Society on May 22 from 6:30-8:00 PM. If your child has been bitten, be sure to attend so that you know how to prevent lasting emotional effects.
Click here for more information or to register.
Help us with our research into the lingering effects of a childhood dog bite by taking our survey:
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Hi Mia, Oh, Arf! Based on the way I treated him, its a good thing he was stuffed. I remember dragging him around by his leg (or maybe it was his ear) so we could "spend time" together.
Given he was a stuffed animal, I have to admit its pretty cute. Nowadays, it seems like one of the functions of social media is sharing cute stuff. You cant go aday without seeing something posted, tweeted or shared that elicits an, "Aww cute" response. Some photos mix and match baby animals:
Baby animals get us every time
Others photos are more in the cute-weird category:
I see a piece of strawberry and broccoli on that plate. Do you?
Then there are the dog and baby pictures. On our Do You Believe in Dog? Facebook page, I posted the below picture. We got 37 likes, 27 shares and 1, “Awwww!" comment. This picture also appeared elsewhere on Facebook, and I took a screen shot to capture all the attention it received (listed below): 1,658 likes and 464 shares.
In one sense, when it comes to dogs and babies, the above picture is something we are very accustomed to seeing, a gaggle of mushy cuteness. But theres more to the story, and this is clearly where you are going in your next installment, The Science Surrounding Kids and Dogs: The Ugly (Part 3)
Kids are bitten by dogs and some babies don’t become kids because of an interaction they had with a dog. This is a fact. A really upsetting fact.
A retrospective study examined 341 children who had been bitten by a dog, and they found:“Incidence was highest in 1-year-old patients and decreased with increasing age.”
Another study found:“Children younger than 6 years constituted 52.8% (n = 204) of the sample. As compared with older children, a higher proportion of younger children were bitten by their family dog whose rabies shots were up to date.”
And another:“Children younger than 5 years represented 34% of all dog bite victims, but 50% of all children requiring hospitalization. Thirty-seven percent of all children admitted to the hospital were bitten by a family dog. The cost of direct medical care during the study was $2.15 million.”
These figures are quite painful. Even writing them sucks. But the numbers tell us something.
First, some families will have a traumatic experience as the result of an interaction between a dog and a child.
Second, many of the dogs doing the biting arefamily dogs.
Finally, young children constitute a high proportion of children being bitten (and often by the family dog).
Putting it together: Images of dogs and babies Madeline Gabriel is a San Diego-based Certified Professional Dog Trainer who holds training classes about dogs and babies. On her blog, she recently took a look at ubiquitous dog and baby photos, exploring whether “Cute” Dog and Baby Photos Feed the Fantasy? Photos of dogs and kids often suggest that dogs and kids are just supposed to be "best friends," that dogs should somehow be comfortable having their space invaded, their toys handled, their food bowls touched and their tails tugged.
Gabriel points out, "parents don’t know about safety with dogs and babies and toddlers. Why should they when our society chooses to surround itself with imagery showing dogs and babies as “best friends?” You cannot pick up a children’s book with dogs in it without finding talking animals or smiley cartoon dogs who seemingly love being hugged and [their] space invaded by babies. We have chosen to sacrifice the real to the fantasy. The price of fantasy is being paid every day by children and dogs and the families that love them. Hardly ever does a baby or child die from a dog bite (that’s why a single incident will be news across the country), but even a less serious bite is devastating to a family. Tearful clients tell me, “If only I knew, I would have done it differently…”
She continues, “No one purposely puts babies with dogs they think will hurt them. The more a dog is tolerant, the more liberties will be allowed. It’s human nature to believe what’s in front of your eyes (“He’s good with the baby!”), particularly when spurred on by a society that rewards and covets “cute” dog and baby interactions. That is, until it goes wrong and then you’re spurned — as if you did anything different than millions of other parents who cling to the fantasy.”
In her follow-up post, Gabriel gives examples of photos of dogs with babies and kids that dont foster the fantasy: each has personal space, no hands are in the dogs face and dogs are not cornered or smothered.
This photo would not have made Gabriels list:
Feeding the fantasy?
Looking forward to your take on this topic!
Julie
Recommended reading Madeline Gabriel. 2010. Good Dogs Don’t Bite Children, Do They? Dogs and Babies Blog
References Madeline Gabriel. 2012. “Cute” Dog and Baby Photos Feed the Fantasy. Dogs and Babies Blog
Madeline Gabriel. 2012. Should You Share That Cute Dog and Baby Photo? Dogs and Babies Blog
BERNARDO L.M., GARDNER M.J., ROSENFIELD R.L., COHEN B. & PITETTI R. (2002). A comparison of dog bite injuries in younger and older children treated in a pediatric emergency department, Pediatric Emergency Care, 18 (3) 247-249. DOI: 10.1097/00006565-200206000-00024
Daniels D.M., Ritzi R.B.S., O’Neil J. & “Tres Scherer L.R. (2009). Analysis of Nonfatal Dog Bites in Children, The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, 66 (Supplement) S17-S22. DOI: 10.1097/TA.0b013e3181937925
Think that your dog likes hugs and kisses? Well if he is like most dogs, then he does not enjoy this type of human affection. Children want to show love to dogs by giving hugs and kisses, because this how they show affection to people they love. Hugs are not a natural form of canine interaction to show affection. To show your dog that you love him, learn to give him the things that he really does like and teach your kids to do the same.
Most dog bites are to children, by the family dog or another dog known to the child. Hugs and kisses are a major cause of facial bites to children. Doggone Safe offers suggestions for safe ways to love your dog that the dog will appreciate.
Children (and adults too) often want to show love to dogs the way we show love to each other, through hugs and kisses. Dogs do not naturally understand this, or even enjoy it. Hugs and face-to-face contact can be very threatening to dogs. The dog may tolerate this for a while, but at some point may bite or snap to protect himself once he has exhausted all his means of more subtle warning. Some dogs do enjoy a hug from a special person, if it is on their terms and done with some extra scratching on the chest. Few, if any dogs enjoy hugs the way young children do this, which is to clasp around the neck and hang on. Parents, teach your children to avoid face-to-face contact with any dog (even their own dog) and to show love to the dog in ways other than hugging and kissing.
Doggone Safe offers the following suggestions for Valentine’s Day about how to love your dog in a way that the dog will appreciate.
Touch Your Dog
Invite your dog to come to you for attention. If your dog turns away or moves away, respect his wishes and leave him alone. Many dogs like to be near you, but not necessarily to be touched.
Scratch your dog on the side of the neck or on his chest.
Avoid hugs and kisses. People enjoy this, but most dogs don’t like hugs and kisses. They might tolerate it, but few actually enjoy it.
Invite your dog to sit with you while your read or watch TV. Let him lean on you or put his head on your lap on his terms.
Some dogs enjoy a scratch behind the ears. Most dogs don’t enjoy hands coming down on the top of their heads.
Pet your dog and then stop. If he tries to get you continue then you will know he likes it.
Play With Your Dog
Play games like fetch and hide and seek that do not involve chasing or rough play.
Take your dog for lots of walks.
Understand Your Dog
Learn to read dog body language so that you can understand what your dog is trying to tell you.
A happy dog pants and wags his tail loosely. He may wag all over.
An anxious dog might show a half moon of white in his eye or he may lick his lips or yawn. He may turn his head away or walk away. He wants to be left alone.
A dog that suddenly goes stiff and still is very dangerous and might be ready to bite.
A dog with his mouth closed and ears forward and/or with his tail held high is busy thinking about something and does not want to be bothered.
Reward Your Dog
Look for things your dog does right and give him a treat or praise, petting or play. Never hit or yell at your dog.
Give your dog a stuffed Kong or Chewber or other long lasting chew treat to enjoy while he lies on a mat or in a crate.
Visit our site to download this information as a handout
Read a previous blog post for more about why dogs dont like hugs and kisses
Its 5 am on a Sunday, in October 1909, and a gaggle of impoverished child laborers are going to sell ground up trees with 5-day old news to people on the street. The boss man look on, and the dog is there for moral support.
We finally have some venison to feed this human and canine family! Yesterday afternoon John shot a nice mature doe on our property, and it was a perfect shot. She ran 50 yards from the hit site and expired right away. We brought Kunox and did the short track with him. He really liked the doe but showed no sign of possessiveness towards us. Good boy Kunox!
Then we brought two pups, Volt and Luna, and let them find the doe too. Volt was much more aggressive towards the deer than Luna was, and even though he was fine with us he really did not like Luna to be too close to "his" deer.
But I did take time to notice that your cat Josh broke something new. Oh Josh!
Thanks for telling me about your ISHAR presentation about dogs and cats in the home. I can definitely relate to the importance of early socialisation = best chance at harmony. Take my dog Elke, for example.
As a pup, she met and spent time around mature cat Bobby (who opted to ignore her for the most part).
Elke grew up around cats and kittens.
Then she helped me raise a bunch of Shelter foster kittens until they were old enough to be adopted.
By the time Tonto came to live with us as permanent family member, she was an old hand in living around cats. And when Caleb later joined us as a young adult dog, Tonto was pretty relaxed around dogs. He tended to be confident in interactions; not running away (importantly, not triggering any chase responses from our new dog).
Elke ably demonstrating in top image that a cat is not worth waking up for.
Gidget and some enthusiastic GDs
This was also true when we brought a new kennel cat into the Training Kennel and Vet Clinic facility I managed at Guide Dogs Victoria (GDV). We selected a kitten from the Shelter who was outgoing and confident around people and dogs. We then set her up in the main foyer of our facility to have a slow and positive introduction to the visiting puppies and dogs that we could control to maximise the positives for all the animals.
Gidget now plays an important role at GDV helping to desensitise the dogs to cats by reducing their level of interest and distraction. If their key learning experiences about cats with Gidget are boring, they associate future cats with boring and will be less likely to want to chase them.
Important when you are a working Guide Dog. Or a Police Dog. Or any number of other types of working dogs. Working Dog kennel cats are really common!
(source)
GDV Puppy Class (source)
Gidget also attends the puppy socialisation classes, wearing her harness and lead so puppies can be encouraged at an early age to stay calm around cats. A resident kennel cat also means that a friendly cat is readily available to assess a dog’s level of cat distraction or participate in training sessions to improve Guide Dog-appropriate responses to the presence of a cat.
Or help out with photo shoots around Valentines Day. You know how it goes!
(source) Gidget loves photo shoots. Even if they arent (supposed to be) about her!
Gidget would spend her downtime in my office, asleep next to my computer monitor. We were good workmates and I miss her jaunty greetings and blissed out purrs!
My regular desktop view when working at GDV
One thing about not sharing an office with Gidget any more is that it’s giving me more time to analyse all my PhD data about working dogs in kennel facilities. I’ve been busy number-crunching this week ahead of the RSPCA Australia Scientific Seminar later this month. My presentation is titled ‘Working Like a Dog – Affectively’. I’ll be talking about how affective states (a.k.a emotions) relate to working dogs, their welfare and performance. What is the affective experience for a working dog? How can we tell? What things should we be considering to give working dogs a ‘life worth living’ (or better!) while they are working to help us humans?
RSPCA Scientific Seminar 2013
Professor David Mellor will be chairing the seminar and giving a presentation titled ‘Coping, cognition and quality of life improvement’ which I’m looking forward to hearing. Mellor’s based in New Zealand and I’ve enjoyed listening to him at other conferences. I am very interested in the work he’s been involved with in translating animal welfare science into practical animal welfare standards and outcomes in collaboration with the NZ government. It’s going to be a fun day!
Speaking of fun – aren’t you at Science Online’s 2013 event this week? I’m following #scio13 on Twitter and pretending I’m there too!
Mia
Further reading:
Mellor D.J. & Bayvel A.C.D. (2008). New Zealands inclusive science-based system for setting animal welfare standards, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 113 (4) 313-329. DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.01.010 Mellor D. (2012). Animal emotions, behaviour and the promotion of positive welfare states, New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 60 (1) 1-8. DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2011.619047
Time to get back to the topic of tracking dogs because we really fell behind with our blogging and emails. I apologize to all our contributors and those who are still waiting for our replies.
We received this letter from Judy Catrett on December 10. As you recall Judy lives in Georgia where it is legal to track with a dog off-leash. Mossy (aka Viola von Moosbach-Zuzelek) is an eight-month-old daughter of Tommy and Tuesday. Thank you Judy!
Just a note to let you know how Mossy is progressing. We have now started doing a fair amount of tracking for hunters other than those that are guests of the plantation which Craig manages. I had read Johns books, Dead On! and Tracking Dogs for Wounded Deer prior to tracking season, but have found myself using them as a reference after several tracks recently. I am always wondering what we (Mossy and I) did not do when we were unable to retrieve a wounded deer--so I dig into the books hoping to obtain a little more knowledge along with rethinking what we did and could have done differently on each track.
Mossy Brooke continues to be an excellent tracker and her name has become well known around our little town and county as well as into some neighboring counties. Since I last emailed you, we have been on several tracks that we were unable to find the deer. One deer had a broken front leg--the hunter shot the deer straight on into the brisket area. Leg bone, a fragment of the bullet, and muscle tissue were found at the site of the shot. Mossy and I arrived approx. 5 hours after the deer had been shot and after 2 inches of rain. She immediately picked up the trail and actually jumped the deer within 100 yards of the last blood the hunter had found (this had been washed away by the time we arrived). She was tracking off leash as she was in an area that was safe for her to do this and the briars were so thick and tall that it was almost impossible for me to keep her on leash. I was 40 yards behind her when she bayed the deer. The deer immediately ran and she bayed it twice more during her trailing, for only a few seconds each time. The deer had stopped bleeding and crossed 2 creeks during this tracking. We trailed this deer for 1 1/2 miles and it was showing no signs of slowing down, so I stopped Mossy as I felt that this was another wound that would not slow the deer enough for us to retrieve it.
We had a similar experience with a buck that I think was shot above the spine and stunned for a few minutes. This was the second buck that we have tracked this year with this type of injury. Mossy tracked it on leash for over 1 mile. This track was 11 hours old when we arrived. On arrival, she immediately picked up on the blood trail which dwindled to no blood within 150 yards. She continued to pull strong on the leash throughout the entire track. I finally had to stop her around midnight as this seemed to be a nonfatal injury with no bleeding being noted along the trail past the first 150 yards and I had to work the next day.
We then tracked a deer that was gut shot 24 hours previous to our arrival. This deer was probably shot in the stomach as acorns and corn were noted at the shot site. I certainly thought that this buck would be found. There had been 2 to 3 inches of rain during the 24 hours that had passed since the shot. She trailed the buck for approx. 1 to 1 1/4 miles total, off leash. She bayed the buck in a very thick pine thicket with terrible briars for a few seconds, but when the buck heard me coming it ran. Mossy trailed it to a large pond which neither she nor I could cross. The hunters (age 12) father owned this land and decided that there was no easy way to get to where the buck may have gone if he was able to cross the water and that he would watch for a floating deer or buzzards in the next few days. This is one track that I am still puzzled over. I certainly thought that the deer would be in the edge of the water and that the wound would be significant enough that Mossy and I could catch up with the deer. I am still mulling this over in my head trying to decide what should have been done differently.
Craig took Mossy on a track in which the deer was tracked for 1 1/2 miles. She was on leash on this track and Craig did not have a gun as the hunter was carrying a rifle and going with them. After 3/4 mile, Mossy walked into a briar thicket and actually put her nose on the deers hip. The deer was still alive --shot through the flank areas (gut shot)--and it stood up when Mossy touched it. The hunter had been unable to keep up with Craig and Mossy in the briars and when Craig had to yell for him to come with the gun, the deer ran another 3/4 of a mile at which time Craig had to stop tracking due to property lines. Craig has not tracked as much as I have and did not realize the importance of being self sufficient and having his own gun. A lesson well learned he said after being dragged through 1 1/2 miles of briars by Mossy.
I am realizing that wounded bucks will let Mossy Brooke get fairly close to them and they will have a stand off with her if they still have enough life left in them to possibly survive. This I think occurs because of her small size and bucks detecting her as not being threatening. If I try to approach a buck with a wound that may not be fatal, it immediately bolts as soon as it detects a larger creature approaching. It is almost impossible for me to get to the buck without making noise due to the thick vegetation and briars. I would appreciate any feedback on how to handle these situations. I think that this is one reason a lot of trackers in the south use larger dogs who actually catch the deer and keep them at bay until the person with a gun can get there. Dont worry, I would never trade my Mossy Brooke for a larger dog.
Mossy Brooke is an awesome little dog with a love for tracking that cannot be described. I consider myself very lucky to have her--for tracking and more so as a companion. She is almost 8 months old and has now found a total of 26 deer (December 10).
Hope you and John have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Judy
Mossy modeling her camo jacket with Erin prior to going hunting. Mossy stays in the car very quietly with her camo jacket when I take the kids hunting. I am also sending a picture of the buck that Erin killed on our hunt a couple of hours after this picture was taken. Mossy was not in the picture because Erin dropped the deer in its tracks. Mossy still had fun acting like she found it. All of the kids love Mossy as she does them. I take most of these kids turkey hunting in the spring also, so, if Mossy finds a deer for anyone, when they ask what they owe for her services, I request the favor of being able to bring one kid to their property for a turkey hunt next spring. I am now having to keep a list of the places Mossy has earned us the opportunity to turkey hunt. When I sit back and look at all Mossy has done here in Georgia--in addition to tracking wounded deer--I am overwhelmed. Introducing kids to hunting, the outdoors, and WHDs is awesome.
This is Part 4 of an ongoing series. We recommend that you read the previous articles since we are not going to repeat anything here. Here is a link to the other articles in the series and some related articles: Puppy Biting series
Teaching your puppy to control his mouth and to keep his teeth to himself requires a multi-faceted approach which is a combination of management and training. In this article I will talk about the first of two very effective training approaches that you can take to help your puppy learn not to bite. These are as follows:
Teach the puppy to give kisses instead of biting.
Teach the puppy the meaning of a cue that means "take your mouth off" and subsequently "leave your mouth off".
How to Give Kisses
Most puppies are generous with kisses and you can encourage this by saying "kisses" and welcoming the kisses when the puppy offers them. Of course if you dont want the puppy slobbering all over you, then just ignore the kisses or move the attractive body part out of range. Your puppy will soon learn that if you say "kisses" you will welcome his licking you and otherwise you will not welcome this. Never scold or punish or take away your attention altogether from a kissing puppy.
A great way to encourage kisses instead of biting and to help a puppy learn to take treats gently is to put something like cheese spread or peanut butter on your hand and fingers (dont use peanut butter if your puppy is going to be around children though in case of children with peanut allergies). Let the puppy lick this off, while you say the word "kisses" over and over. This helps him associate the action of licking with the word "kisses". If he is really frantic for the yummy stuff on your hand he may not be paying too much attention to what you are saying, so it could take a while for the association with the word to sink in. For some puppies this exercise is all that you will need to do teach him what "kisses" means, but others may not seem to catch on.
A better way to ensure that the puppy is thinking about what he is doing and not just madly licking is to set up the situation so that he offers a lick and is then reinforced for that so that he will repeat it with the conscious thought of doing it. To do this you need some kind of marker sound that tells the puppy he is doing the right thing. I use a clicker for this, but you can use a ball point pen or something else that makes a short sharp sound. You can also use a marker word such as "yes" or "yip", but this does not work as well as using a clicker. Here is a video that shows how to do this. The puppy in this video was the nippiest puppy I have ever worked with and she rarely offered spontaneous kisses - she had much more fun nipping!
Offer a treat that leaves a tasty residue on your hand (put a dab of cream cheese under the treat if necessary to get things started). Click when the puppy licks and give another treat. Create the cycle: lick - click - treat - lick - click - treat. At first the puppy is just licking the treat residue of my fingers, but after a few tries she is offering a lick on purpose. Add the cue "kisses" when the puppy offers a lick when you hold out your hand. Use this cue from now on when offering treats. Gradually move from a more open hand presentation to holding the treat between thumb and forefinger. Click when the puppy licks and release the treat. Eventually the puppy will learn that the offering of a treat is the cue for "kisses" and he will lick to get the treat rather than snatching it. Practice with different people in different location. If the puppy makes a mistake such as biting at your hand or putting his paw on you, just ignore this. You dont need to say "no" or "ah ah" or "oops" if the puppy makes a mistake. It is best just to be quiet and let the click be the only communication during this training session. The training session in this video was about a minute and a half - this is plenty long enough. After training, play for a few minutes and then do another short session. You will get much more out of five 1 minute sessions than out of one 5 minute session.
Next time I will talk about teaching your puppy the cue "off" so you can tell him you want him to stop biting or not to bite in the first place.
The newest dog training craze is clicker dog training. A clicker is a small rectangular plastic box with a metal button on top that clicks, hence the name clicker. It’s the type of training that the dog decides whether or not it suits him. There have been a lot of success stories with clickers, but with my dog he just didn’t want to know!
Researchers in dog studies believe that the clicker promotes enforced training, without punishment! As we all know when we do something good and get rewarded for it we are going to do the same again, a dog thinks the same way. Dogs learn through consequences, if they do something and it earns them a treat and praise they are going to want to do it again because they like this consequence. If they do something that you don’t like and they get ignored or said no to in a strict voice they know that they aren’t going to get any treats so are not going to do it again.
Clicker dog training works in such a way it reinforces good behaviour. If your dog sits, click and give him a treat. The next time he sits do the same but don’t say anything to him. He will soon realise that when he sits he will get a treat and hear a click, so when you eventually come to click before he sits he knows to sit. Its not all that confusing when you think about it.
Punishment is not used with clicker dog training as researchers believe that although punishment does stop some bad behaviour it may also create another unwanted behaviour. Punishment is almost always carried out after the dog has done something wrong so dogs see punishment as a random consequence therefore punishment doesn’t really solve anything.
Clicker dog training is not only used or dogs! It is widely used for other animals such as dolphins and horses. It is a widely practiced training method and does produce results; if carried out properly.
Some of the best quality dog resources and articles can be found online at MDarmas Dog Site. Our visitors recommend this website each time they try to search for dog training tips, advice and insider secrets from experts. You can search thru the form by keywords on that site or just browse their library of dog-related articles by experts in various fields of american eskimo breed dog.
Dogs dont get many positive mentions in the Bible. Good people can disagree why. Some think its because prior to the modern age of vaccines and pesticides, dogs carried rabies, fleas, and ticks. Others think its because feral dogs were associated with trash and grave robbing. The real reason, of course, is that Noah got tired of holding the damn umbrella.
Puppies are furry, friendly and programmed for learning. Now is the time to teach your puppy about the things that people, especially kids might do, that dogs do not naturally accept. Things like toddlers pulling his tail, people taking his toys, kids going near his food bowl or kids taking over his special sleeping area.
To prevent biting accidents later in life you can condition your puppy to tolerate and even enjoy any kind of handling. Give him hugs, pull gently on ears and tail, tug gently on his fur all over while at the same time feeding him goodies from your hand, or allowing him to chew on a yummy bone. Pairing with a treat can make even rough handling a positive experience. It is essential to use the goody in this type of conditioning – just doing strange things to the puppy will not necessarily teach him to tolerate this from others. When that toddler runs up and yanks on his tail, the dog is more likely to look at you as if to say “where’s my treat?”, rather than snapping at the annoyance. This touch desensitization should be done monthly throughout the dog’s life. Watch this video that illustrates the process. It is best for parents to start the process, but kids can take over once the puppy shows acceptance and enjoyment of the activity. Only adults should do this with adult dogs.
Dogs do not naturally share, but you can teach your puppy to give up his toys, bones, food and resting place by associating the approach of people with great things. When you first get your puppy, feed him at least some of his food by hand. If he shows any sign of being unhappy with you near his food bowl, then feed all of his food by hand for the first two weeks. This teaches the puppy that hands near his food is good. As he is eating from his bowl walk by and toss something really yummy near the bowl, so that the puppy leaves the bowl to get the treat. This teaches the puppy that it is OK to move away from his bowl when a person approaches. After a few meals, move to tossing treats into his bowl while he is eating and then to putting your hand into the bowl with the treat. This teaches the puppy that people approaching means good things. Do not take the bowl and away and give it back. This teaches the puppy that you are unreliable and he needs to protect his food or eat it really fast!
Practice exchanges with your puppy, where you get him interested in something of equal value to the toy or bone that he is playing with and you give him yours and take away his. Or give him a great treat in exchange for his toy and then give the toy back. Sit with him in his resting place and give him toys and treats. Make sure that every experience the puppy has with people approaching his things or special places come with a great reward and you will have a puppy that is happy to share and is less likely to become defensive later in life.
This is the fifth in our series about how to stop your puppy from biting. Please read the previous installments, since we wont be repeating information and you will want to know why it is important to teach your puppy how to bite softly and then not at all. All the strategies we offer are important and you should use them all. Click here to see all the parts in this series. Some of this article is excerpted from an article published at clickertraining.com. Click here to view the entire article if you want more details and more advanced steps once your puppy has the basic idea.
Teach the Puppy to Leave It
An important strategy in helping the puppy to learn what he can and cannot bite and whether he is biting too hard is to teach a cue that tells the puppy to leave it. Some people use the cue "leave it" or "out" or "off". In our example we will use the word "off". You can use whatever you want, just be sure that this word is unique for the purpose. For example, you would not use this to tell the puppy to get off the couch or to take his paws off you. Choose a word that is going to be easy for you to remember to use in a consistent context.
Command vs Cue
Many people train "off" as a command with its associated threat: "Leave it or else." The trouble is, once the dog has swallowed the light bulb (I am not making this up), or Grannys $3000 hearing aid, the ensuing "or else" does not do much to remedy the situation. It is not as if you can dock the dogs allowance or extract an IOU to pay for the costs of his transgression. Experienced clicker trainers, especially those whose training goals require an exceptional degree of reliability (those who work with guide dogs, service dogs, bomb detection dogs, etc.), know that training cues rather than commands produces a dog that can be counted on even in very difficult situations. Be sure to watch the video clips at the end of this article to see the results of training with cues using clicker training.
It is important to understand the difference between a cue and a command. A command implies a threat: "Do it or I will make you." A command is given before the behavior is learned, and it can be enforced if the dog does not comply. For example, a trainer may teach "sit" by pushing down on the dogs rump while saying sit, repeating the word and action over and over until the dog figures out that the word sit goes with the action of sitting, and that sitting fast enough will prevent the rump pushing. In the early stages of this kind of training, the dog associates the command "sit" with all kinds of stimuli and with actions that have nothing to do with the dog sitting on its own. Eventually after much frustration he figures it out.
"Off" is commonly trained as a command by placing a temptation near the dog and holding him back, or tugging on his leash and saying "off" in a stern tone of voice. If the dog does manage to grab the prohibited item, the command is repeated while the item is forcibly removed from the dogs mouth. This method is stressful for the dog, and he may not learn much. In many cases, the command approach may place the trainer at risk of being bitten, too.
A cue is completely different from a command. There is no threat implied with a cue. A cue is like a green light that tells the dog that now is the time to execute a behavior for the chance of reinforcement.
A cue is attached to a specific behavior only after the dog is offering the behavior on his own. The "sit" cue, for example, is only given once the dog has learned to sit, and, therefore, the cue is not associated with anything other than the act of sitting. If the dog does not respond to a cue, a trainer knows that further training is required. The trainer does not assume that the dog is intentionally misbehaving and must be forced or helped to do the behavior.
Getting the Behavior
A common and very reasonable question about teaching cues is, "How do you get the dog to sit or demonstrate the goal behavior in the first place, so that you can click/treat and eventually add a cue?"
An easy way to get the puppy to take his mouth off your hand so that you can then click (or say yes) and reinforce was described by Carolyn Clark (click here for the original article) and summarized here.
A popular method is to hold a treat in your closed fist and allow the dog to sniff, lick, paw it—whatever he wants to do to try to get the treat. Keep your fist closed until he backs off for just a fraction of a second, then click and open your hand to give him the treat. Alternatively, you can click when he backs off, and give him a better treat from your other hand. Avoid the temptation to say anything—no scolding or otherwise telling him not to pester your hand. The dog learns best if he figures it out for himself without fear of reprisal.
If the dog is too frantic to get at the treat, use something less tantalizing to start. If the dog loses interest and does not try to get the treat, use something more tantalizing.
Raise criteria gradually so that the click/treat comes only when the dog is deliberately moving his head back several inches from your hand. Raise criteria again so that the click/treat comes only when the dog makes eye contact with you after moving away from your hand. Gradually require longer periods of eye contact, until the dog backs off from your hand and maintains eye contact for three seconds. Now is the time to add the cue "off."
Show the dog your fist containing the treat. When he looks away from it and toward you, say "off," click, offer the treat, and say "take it." Teaching opposite cues in pairs like this is a really effective approach. From now on, always say "take it" when you give a treat after the dog responds to the "off" cue.
Video Demonstration
Here is a video demonstrating the method by super trainer Emily Larlham. Emily uses the cue "leave it". Notice the tone of voice; there is no threat. Note the extreme reliability of the behavior. Emily puts a plate of food down, asks the dogs to leave it and leaves the room. We recommend that you watch all of Emilys training videos!
Here is another video that demonstrates the extraordinary power of this type of training. See a dog retreiving a hot dog and another willingly relinquishing a raw steak.
We hear the same story way too often at Rady Children’s Emergency Department here in San Diego. “Our dog has never bitten anyone. The kids and the dog play nicely together all the time. Then today, out of the blue, he bit him.” As we prepare for the plastic surgeon to arrive and repair these tiny faces, we often wonder, “Why do we see so many dog bites?” As a trauma nurse and a dog trainer, I decided a few years ago that I wanted to find out more about dog bites. My hunch was that people can prevent nearly all of them. I am now certain that this is the case. The way we can prevent dog bites is by educating the entire community.
In 2009, I was honored to be the recipient of a generous injury prevention grant from The San Diego Chapter of the Emergency Nurse’s Association. I didn’t know where to begin, but I knew I would need some help from experts in dog bite prevention. That is when I found Doggone Safe. Together, we have created a complete educational program. It is suited for providing dog bite prevention education to all ages. Products available include colorful brochures, postcards, and a poster that gives a quick lesson in dog body language and explains that “Dogs Don’t Bite Out of the Blue.” Click here to view and order these.
For the past three years, I have focused my energy on educating San Diego area nurses, doctors, and paramedics about dog bite prevention. I have had the opportunity to give my lecture entitled “Who Let the Dog Bite?” to audiences throughout Southern California. This year, I will have the opportunity to take this education nationwide. I will be presently during Dog Bite Prevention Week at CFED West, which is a national education conference for paramedics and firefighters. In September, I’m thrilled to be speaking at The Emergency Nurse’s Association National Conference here in San Diego.
Thank you Doggone Safe for your wonderful partnership! I’m very proud of the progress we have made and the strides we have taken to bring Dog Bite Prevention to the forefront of injury prevention.
Think that your dog likes hugs and kisses? Well if he is like most dogs, then he does not enjoy this type of human affection. Children want to show love to dogs by giving hugs and kisses, because this how they show affection to people they love. Hugs are not a natural form of canine interaction to show affection. To show your dog that you love him, learn to give him the things that he really does like and teach your kids to do the same.
Most dog bites are to children, by the family dog or another dog known to the child. Hugs and kisses are a major cause of facial bites to children. Doggone Safe offers suggestions for safe ways to love your dog that the dog will appreciate.
Children (and adults too) often want to show love to dogs the way we show love to each other, through hugs and kisses. Dogs do not naturally understand this, or even enjoy it. Hugs and face-to-face contact can be very threatening to dogs. The dog may tolerate this for a while, but at some point may bite or snap to protect himself once he has exhausted all his means of more subtle warning. Some dogs do enjoy a hug from a special person, if it is on their terms and done with some extra scratching on the chest. Few, if any dogs enjoy hugs the way young children do this, which is to clasp around the neck and hang on. Parents, teach your children to avoid face-to-face contact with any dog (even their own dog) and to show love to the dog in ways other than hugging and kissing.
Doggone Safe offers the following suggestions for Valentine’s Day about how to love your dog in a way that the dog will appreciate.
Touch Your Dog
Invite your dog to come to you for attention. If your dog turns away or moves away, respect his wishes and leave him alone. Many dogs like to be near you, but not necessarily to be touched.
Scratch your dog on the side of the neck or on his chest.
Avoid hugs and kisses. People enjoy this, but most dogs don’t like hugs and kisses. They might tolerate it, but few actually enjoy it.
Invite your dog to sit with you while your read or watch TV. Let him lean on you or put his head on your lap on his terms.
Some dogs enjoy a scratch behind the ears. Most dogs don’t enjoy hands coming down on the top of their heads.
Pet your dog and then stop. If he tries to get you continue then you will know he likes it.
Play With Your Dog
Play games like fetch and hide and seek that do not involve chasing or rough play.
Take your dog for lots of walks.
Understand Your Dog
Learn to read dog body language so that you can understand what your dog is trying to tell you.
A happy dog pants and wags his tail loosely. He may wag all over.
An anxious dog might show a half moon of white in his eye or he may lick his lips or yawn. He may turn his head away or walk away. He wants to be left alone.
A dog that suddenly goes stiff and still is very dangerous and might be ready to bite.
A dog with his mouth closed and ears forward and/or with his tail held high is busy thinking about something and does not want to be bothered.
Reward Your Dog
Look for things your dog does right and give him a treat or praise, petting or play. Never hit or yell at your dog.
Give your dog a stuffed Kong or Chewber or other long lasting chew treat to enjoy while he lies on a mat or in a crate.
Visit our site to download this information as a handout
Read a previous blog post for more about why dogs dont like hugs and kisses
Dog shows are all about the romance of dogs -- which is to say they are pretty far from the reality of canine genetics today.
One of the things you will NEVER hear at a dog show is the true history of any breed, or the list of genetic defects that have been exacerbated by closed registries.
And yet what a thing it would be to hear the truth!
What a breath of fresh air it would be to hear:
"The German Shepherd was never much of a herding dog and is never found herding today. A herding German Shepherd -- ha - what a notion! In fact this dog is a relatively new breed, created around 1900. Today the genetic stock of this dog is so racked by chronic hip dysplasia that many lines of German shepherds can barely walk. Anyone with an ounce of sense stays away from show lines today, and imports their dogs from working stock overseas."
The Bull Dog would be properly introduced as:
"A game dog once used to catch stock for altering or slaughter, the bull dog was reduced in stature and mutated by intentionally breeding in achondroplastic dwarfism, which is why the legs on these dogs are so bent they can barely walk. The pressed-in-face means the dogs have chronic breathing problems, while the digestive tract is so wrecked that these dogs pass more gas than a Mexican restaurant. You will learn to light matches with a bull dog!
The heads on these dogs are so enormous that almost all the dogs are born caesarian, and in fact this dog would be extinct within 10 years if it were not for veterinarians helping these little mutants into the world.
Notice that nice little pig tail? That is a source of chronic skin infection, and most of the dogs in the ring today will have their tails completely cut off after they are retired from performance -- a way of making it easier to keep this breed after a show ring career."
Someone really should write a new voice-over sound track for a dog show and see if the BBC or Animal Planet might run it -- it would certainly amaze the public to learn the truth about these dogs, from dachshunds to poodles, from Irish setters to Scottish terriers. And there is certainly no shortage of true dog tales to tell!
Related: ** Rosettes to Ruin: Making & Breaking Dogs in the Show Ring.
For those of you that insist your dogs are your children, I challenge you to treat your kids like your dog for one week and see if you still think your dog deserves the lowly status of "Child".
For those of you who have no human children or whose children have grown dont fret, just borrow a kid of a friend or relative or bring over the grandkids for a week. Theyll love you for this! What? You cant find any kids to hang around for a week. Thats ok, ask your spouse or a friend or, heck, go grab that homeless guy off the street corner and tell him you want to treat him like your dog for a week. Hell think hes won the lottey!
Heck, anyone will jump for a chance when they find out that youre going to:
Let them lay around in your bed all day. Pick at their dinner and snub it so youll feed them whats on your plate. Constantly lavish them with affection. Spend hundreds of $ on them at specialty stores for things they really dont need. Let them in and out of the house everytime they look at the door. Look the other way when they jump on the sofa between you and your special person growling and demanding attention. Laugh and joke while you hump their 80 year Nannas leg.
Well, ok, maybe you dont treat your dog this good. But if you really treated your dog like your "child" your dog would go to school to become a good citizen, greet people politely, eat what is put in front of them, and never be aggressive to anyone.
Teaching your puppy to control his mouth and to keep his teeth to himself requires a multi-faceted approach which is a combination of management and training. In this article I will talk about the first of two very effective training approaches that you can take to help your puppy learn not to bite. These are as follows:
