The dog is supposed to be man’s best friend. However, man has a love-hate relationship with his canine friend. The dog you feed and care for may be trustworthy, but we do not trust street dogs found in all parts of the country. The mistrust is mainly due to our fear of dog bites. Some dogs would approach you wagging their tails vigorously. Sometimes they would attack you unexpectedly.
One day a man walked into a sheet metal shop and two Rottweilers sniffed him. He patted them while talking to the shopkeeper. Thereafter, he visited the shop and the dogs were always loose, amiably greeting him. One day, however, he found one of the dogs tied to a post. He approached the dog and tried to stroke its head. There was an unexpected reaction from the dog. The Rottweiler sank its teeth into his arm. He learned a bitter lesson for the first time in his life.
According to dog experts, most bites would never happen if people had a better understanding of how dogs communicate. John C. Wright, an animal behaviourist, says, “Dogs almost always display danger signals before they bite. The problem is that we often misinterpret these signals.”
As there is a severe shortage of dog experts in society, we may have to depend much on common sense. You should never greet a stray dog and try to pat it gently on the head. When you try to stroke dogs, some of them would stare at you or bear their teeth to show dominance. Keep away from such canine friends.
Initiative
If you are not sure of what to do, let the dog take the initiative. When a strange dog approaches you, keep your upper body erect and stay calm. If you try to run away, the dog is sure to bite you. A dog trainer once told me another secret. He said, “If the dog is small, you might want to squat, which is less threatening because you are at its level not towering over it.” I have tried this method successfully. Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not like to be patted on the head. Sometimes they find it irritating or even frightening. If necessary, cautiously stroke the dog’s cheeks, chest or shoulder, rather than its head or neck.
If a stray dog approaches you, do not run but stand still like a statue. In such situations, dogs usually do not attack.
The secret is that when you stand still, the dog thinks the game is over and it loses interest in biting you. Unlike adults, children would run away when they see a dog. It would encourage the dog to chase after them. In a reported incident, three dogs pursued a 12-year-old boy and his friend. One boy tripped and fell down and the other kept on running. The dogs did not bite the fallen child but chased the other boy relentlessly. Finally, the dogs bit him severely.
You will never win a race with a dog. The fastest human can run just over 20 miles per hour, but a dog can run between 25 and 40 miles per hour. Instead of running, climb a tree or get into a house when a dog chases you. Your running will set off a dog’s aggressive chase-and-attack reflexes. When a dog is chasing you, stand still if you do not find a safe escape route. Sometimes you might think that the dog that keeps on chasing you would stop at its owner’s property lines. Unfortunately, dogs do not have any respect for property lines. They would pursue you even in your own property.
Gail Fisher, author of ‘Training your Dog,’ says that the dog often claims not only its owner’s yard but also the driveways on each side, the streets and sidewalks in front as well. It would bite you in any of these places. What are you going to do if you see a dog with threatening looks? The best way is to stay as a non-threatening person to encourage the dog to leave you alone. If you try to be a bold person, the dog will have little choice but to attack you. The lesson is clear. Play it safe by not challenging the dog.
A dog would wag its tail for different reasons. Although we think that a tail-wagging dog is a friendly animal, it is far from true. A tail-wagging dog may show arousal, excitement or uncertainty – not necessarily friendliness. A tamed dog would wag its tail when it sees its master. A friendly dog would wag its tail in a relaxed way. However, an aggressive dog would keep its tail up, stiff and swishing back and forth.
If you see an aggressive dog, do not stare at it. A dog will interpret any stare as threatening. Therefore, in the presence of an aggressive dog avoid direct eye-contact and look from side to side. You have to act like a subordinate person. When the dog feels that you are not a threat, it will not attack you.
However, do not turn your back to the dog. If you do so, the dog will get behind you and attack. If possible watch the dog’s movements with the corner of your eyes. Children usually scream when they are pursued by a dog. To avoid a dog bite, never run or scream. If you stay motionless, the dog will move away. I have tried this method on many occasions successfully. If you want to speak to a dog, do so in a soothing way. One day, I saw a foreign tourist telling a barking dog, “Staaay boy” and the ferocious dog did not attack him.
Chained dogs
Chaining or putting a dog in a kennel for a long time can make it dangerous. Most of the attacks take place when you try to approach such a dog. Dogs do not like to be kept in kennels, but people do so for convenience. Chained dogs and those kept in kennels turn out to be very aggressive.
Is it safe to leave babies near dogs? Gail Fisher says even a resting baby can appear more like a prey than a human being to a dog. On the other hand, a child may trigger a response that causes a dog to attack. Therefore, never leave a baby alone even with a friendly dog.
Any dog, despite its breed, can bite you under the right circumstances. It is a misconception that only stray dogs bite people. Even a family pet dog is quite capable of biting you. So, you should be wary of your canine friends!
