ADVICE: The Commonsense Dog
I’ve seen and heard of several dog bites this month. Some in public areas, some in people’s homes, some at dog parks, and I am constantly thinking of ways to spread education that might help stop these events. It is a terrible experience for both person and dog, and sadly, it often winds up costing the dog its life.
In past articles I discussed the myths about how to approach dogs (letting them sniff our hands prior to petting is very dangerous and quite often leads to a bite). I’ve also discussed the myths behind using basic obedience as a “fix all” tool in rehabilitation (obedience alone cannot change the dog’s perception of a situation), but last night I sat down and watched a funny video about someone reading a dog encyclopedia. The video was making fun of all the things these books DON’T tell you about different breeds, and then it hit me.
Breeds and what we think to be “normal” for them often leads to bites as well. I recently trained a dog with human and dog aggression issues. People had a really hard time believing this dog could exhibit these behaviors because he is a Labrador retriever, and Labs are always friendly, right? They asked to pet him during every field trip, and sometimes even reached for him after I had already said he doesn’t like people. These “friendly” breeds are friendly until they are not. I’m currently training a golden retriever with aggression toward everything under the sun, and these dogs are the ones I am most careful with because so many people want to pet and engage with them. Aggression isn’t breed specific. Neither is fear, anxiety, or reactivity. Dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds can struggle with any number of these issues.
This also has a flipside. There are breeds that people tend to fear more than others. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, mastiffs, etc. tend to fall in this category, but there are many factors that contribute to aggression, and it is unfair to reduce it to something as simple as breed.
The safest way to navigate life with dogs is by giving them space, regardless of age, breed, or size. Give them time to adjust to new situations, new people, new surroundings, and give them time to communicate with you about what they might be experiencing. We must also make sure we are consistently teaching them the right choices to make in various scenarios.
And as always, treat each dog as an individual. You might just be surprised how many new and cool things they can teach you.
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Stephanie Vichinsky is the owner/head trainer of United K9, LLC in Post Falls. 208-964-4806
unitedk9training.com