Preventing Dog Bites

Q: Is there any way I can guarantee my dog won't bite?

A: There is no way to guarantee that your dog will never bite, However you can lower the chances by following guidelines below :

Spay or neuter your dog

 This routine and necessary procedure will lower your dogs desire to fight and roam. By decreasing the amount of hormones that contribute to aggressive or anti-social behavior.

Socialize your dog. Socialize, Socialize, Socialize

 This cannot be stressed enough. You want your dog to be comfortable in all manner of situations. You want to insure that they are introduced to a variety of sounds, and situations as a puppy. This is another area where Dog Daycare is immensely effective, in that your dog is constantly exposed to different dogs, situations and people through out the day. This translates to a safer, happier, more well balanced dog for you. Instead of reacting to strange dog or person in an anti-social or aggressive way they have learned to react in an acceptable and social way.

Train your dog

 Training is an integral part of your dogs learning how to live and co-exist with us as humans. Through training you the owner will gain confidence in handling and interacting with your dog and your dog will learn rules, and boundaries that will guide it the rest of it's life. Training is also another great opportunity to socialize your dog and familiarize it with new and unfamiliar circumstances.

Teach your dog appropriate behavior

 It is up to us as the caregivers to provide our pets with knowledge as to what is and is not acceptable. Do not encourage aggressive or anti-social behavior and learn to recognize the beginning signs of a problem. Behavior that may seem cute as a puppy can become a real problem in adulthood, Never encourage your dog to chase or attack people or other animals. They dog may not be able to understand the difference between play and real life situations and may react in an aggressive or anti-social way at the least opportune moment. Remember this.. The dog that you have in adulthood is the dog you trained him to be as a puppy.

Be a responsible dog owner

 Your dog depends on you for everything, from food and affection, to socialization and acceptance. Remember that dogs are genetically predisposed to be pack animals, do not leave your dog alone for hours and hours on end with no way to achieve mental or physical stimulation. Do not leave your dog chained or staked to a specific spot on your property or leave them crated all day.. Dogs faced with this kind of isolation can and will react in a negative or territorial way given the opportunity. These methods only serve to increase anti-social behavior by isolating them from the outside world and leaving them to their own devices. Take them to dog daycare, if only for one day a week.. Give them plenty of exercise and remember that they need you to guide them on what the right path is.

Err on the safe side

If you are unsure how your dog may react in a given situation, be cautious or conduct home training to familiarize them with that specific stimulus. Don't expect your dog to inherently know how to react to new and never before seen events. Always feel free to seek professional instruction, contact a local trainer or behaviorist that may be able to help you better understand and prepare your dog to be a well balanced canine citizen.