Rules for Dog Owners

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Dog attacks are happening at a phenomenal rate and I feel it is due to both dog owners and parents taking a relaxed attitude towards the interaction of dogs with children especially and adults. I have put together a few things that I feel can greatly reduce the risk of dog bites; I do believe they can be prevented as dog bites are rarely due to the dog just being plain nasty.

Rule # 1: Never Leave Any Dog Alone With Any Child!

A dog owner never wants to admit that their dog may be a potential risk to a child; I don’t like to admit it either. The fact is that many dog bites occur when a dog and child are left alone, even for a minute. In my own experiences all dogs will bite if the conditions are right, in other words, they all have their breaking point. Sure, some dogs are less tolerable to the antics of a child but it is important to remember that dogs are dogs; they all have the capability to inflict serious damage regardless of size, breed or sex. You hear on the news all the time about certain breeds killing or seriously mauling a child but it is important to remember that the media is playing on the publics fears of certain breeds. A dangerous “Pit-bull” story sells better than a dangerous “Pomeranian” (I am using these breeds as an example). Many breeds are getting a bad rep that they do not deserve as there is a lot more to these stories than what makes the six o’clock news.

Rule # 2: Socialize Your Dog

If you want to have a well adjusted dog, socialization is the key to achieving this. Dogs most often bite out of fear rather than just plain aggressiveness as they have a strong fight or flight instinct. When the dog is afraid of something, they want what ever it is they are afraid of as far away from them as possible; to accomplish this space they will either run or bite. Dogs will use whatever is most convenient at the time. By effectively socializing your dog, you are preparing your dog ahead of time and therefore they are not as likely to be afraid of a new situation. The main object of the socialization game is to get the dog out into as many different situations as you can this act to prepare the dog for different people, noises, environments etc. The more a dog is socialized the less likely they are to act fearful to a new or unusual situation and as a result bite. Another very important note on good socialization is to make sure that your puppy is at least eight weeks old when you bring him home and that he has been with his littermates and mother up until that point. This is important because there is a critical period in canine development in which they learn how to be dogs. They learn how to communicate by playing with their litter; they learn to submit by interacting with their mother, etc. The critical time for socialization lays between about seven weeks to twelve weeks. After twelve weeks I would still continue this as socialization is never a waste of time for you or your dog, it still has an impact even after the age of twelve weeks. These critical early developmental stages lay the foundation for future development in the dog.

Rule #3: Train Your Dog

Training is not only a lot of fun but it helps to build a working relationship between owner and dog. Training is important so that you are able to control your dog effectively in different situations. You want to have a dog that you can walk with comfortably on a loose leash without the dog lunging at everything that sparks his interests. It has been said in the past that it is best to wait till six months of age before beginning training but this is absolutely not true. This is a dangerous thing to do for a couple of reasons, number one being that puppy classes are a great opportunity for socialization (you don’t want to miss the opportunity as earlier discussed). Secondly, it is much, much easier to handle a 12 week old puppy than a 6 month old adolescent dog that may be very close to full grown. It is easier not only because a puppy is smaller and therefore not as strong but a dog at six months is getting into the “teenage” years so to speak and is far more likely to challenge your every command. Also, if you wait till six months bad behaviour has already been reinforced for months and therefore it will be much harder to break, many puppy behaviours seem cute but become very annoying (even serious problems) as adults. If you build a strong foundation starting at twelve weeks, you will have a much easier time when the dog reaches the adolescent stage. Most obedience instructors’ offer what is commonly referred to as “puppy socialization” or “puppy-K” classes; they will require that your puppy has had all their shots prior to class to prevent the spread of infectious disease.

Rule # 4: Control Your Dog

It is very important for all dog owners to take this very seriously. This is important for the safety of others as well as the safety of your dog, not to mention yourself from a liability standpoint. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than a dog that is running at large and has no clue what any commands are. At the very least your dog should know “come”. Not everybody likes dogs and they do not think your puppy running at them is cute. Some people are down right afraid of dogs. This rule does go along with training but it is also important that you are in control of the dog at all times rather than the dog in control of you.

All of these rules are just a matter responsible pet ownership. There is a lot of work that goes into properly raising and keeping a dog and I feel it is your responsibility to make sure your dog does not pose a great risk to the people around you.

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