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Key points
- Getting a dog's consent (as well as their human's) before we attempt to approach or touch them is critical for avoiding an altercation.
- There's no one-size-fits-all solution for avoiding dog bites, but listening to and honoring what a dog is saying is a good start.
- One study showed that touching a dog increases approximately 20 seconds before a bite, as does standing or leaning over a dog.
By Steve Dale and Marc Bekoff1
This week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week. The general consensus is that many dog bites are avoidable when we carefully listen to what a dog is telling us, sometimes regardless of what their human guardian is saying. All in all, the dog must give their consent before we intrude into their personal space, and we must honor what they want.
What’s happening for the dog
Dogs are always communicating, just as people are. Sometimes that communication is clear. Few might go ahead and pet a barking and growling dog, even if the handler says, “It’s OK.” However, what if the handler says, “It’s OK” but the dog is saying, “It’s not OK”? The dog is standing stiffly and refuses to look at the person who wants to pet them—the dog is unmistakably saying, “I’d rather not interact right now,” as is the growling dog. We all communicate differently. If a stranger with whom we don’t want to have an exchange approaches, some of us may walk the other way while others may hold their ground and say, “Go away, please.” Still others may pretty much ignore the stranger. Similarly, individual dogs also communicate differently. What’s more, being on a leash, they don’t have the option to walk away.
In the United States, there are around 63.4 million dogs, more than ever before. Most dog bites happen within families, and since not all bites are reported, the real number of dog bites is difficult to estimate accurately.2 According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs annually in the United States. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in five of those require medical attention. No matter what the real dog bite numbers are, all agree on a few basic facts—most bites happen to children, and most dog bites are preventable.
The results of one detailed study of dog bites can be summarized as follows:
- Among adults who are bitten, male victims were more numerous across all bite contexts.
- Only the age of the victim was predictive of bite severity: Adults were bitten more severely than infants and infants more severely than older children.
- Children and infants were considerably more common victims than adults. Most bites were to the limbs, followed by bites to the face and neck area. Bites to the face and neck area were more common among children and infants.
- Nonneutral dog body posture and some displacement and appeasement behaviors increased approximately 20 seconds before the bite, and humans made more tactile contact with dogs 21 seconds before the bite.
- From nine seconds before the bite, more codes for movement away from the dog were noted.
- Bites during play and benign interactions were particularly common.
- Standing over a dog, petting, and restraining a dog were seen proportionally more frequently closer to the bite, increasing approximately 20 to 30 seconds before.
Sage advice offered in the study includes not leaning over a dog and, when in doubt, avoiding a dog. Approaching a dog from the side also is a good idea, whereas petting a dog on the rear end is not, although some dogs do like “butt scratches.”
The importance of becoming fluent in "dog"
Dogs never stop communicating with us. For example, even the way in which a dog is lying down may tell us, “I’m approachable” or “Give me some space.” There’s no doubt that if we pay attention to what dogs tell us the number of bites would decline.
There may be reasons that a pup doesn’t want to interact. It might be that the dog is having a bad day, has an ear infection, or maybe is feeling achy because of arthritis. Any time there’s a change in a dog’s usual temperament, there's usually an explanation.
We don’t always speak dog as a second language, and, therefore, we may not understand what a dog is saying, or perhaps we’re simply not paying attention. Sometimes caretakers fully understand what a dog is saying but don’t really care, thinking something like, “My dog loves me so I can do anything I want” or “I’m the boss; I can do what I want.”
Here’s a quick review of 10 subtle and not-so-subtle signs of fear and anxiety indicating a dog doesn’t or most likely doesn't want to be interacting at the moment:
- Tail tucked;
- Tail wagging (tail wagging is an expression of excitement, which often equates to joy but not always), particularly pointed downward and wagging fast;
- Ears pinned down or ears erect;
- Piloerection (hair standing up on the back of a dog’s neck.);
- Eyes dilated or "whale eye" where the whites of the eyes are prominent;
- Lip licking;
- Yawning;
- Vocalizations, including snarling and/or growling;
- Standing stiffly (tail may also be pointing straight out and frozen); and
- Refusing to make eye contact or staring intensely.
Of course, not all dogs who prefer to be left alone will respond with a bite. Some dogs will tolerate the unwanted attention, especially from those they know and love. Other dogs will elevate their warning signals hoping to eventually get the message across, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t.
Listening carefully and getting consent
Dogs aren't unconditional lovers—love muffins—who can be approached and touched whenever and wherever people want to have close contact. Similar to humans, dogs can have good and bad days, and our advice, even with familiar dogs, is for humans to be very careful about abruptly entering into their personal space and that they shouldn't touch or hug a dog until they're certain that the dog consents to be touched on their terms. The same goes for cats.
While there still is a lot to learn about why dogs bite and how to prevent bites, it's essential to respect what dogs are telling us and to listen to them carefully. Few, if any, dogs want to bite us, and we can help dogs along by asking for their consent and honoring their requests for us not to enter their personal space.
The bottom line is simple: Listen to what dogs are telling us, watch them carefully, and give them room to say no or consent to our presence and if and how we approach and touch them.
Facebook image: Bonsales/Shutterstock
References
1. Steve Dale is a certified animal behavior consultant who hosts several pet radio shows and has contributed to and authored several books. For several years, Steve has been honored to moderate a national panel on dog bite prevention hosted by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
2. Detailed statistics on the incidence of dog bites can be seen here. The World Health Organization notes, "Dog bites account for tens of millions of injuries annually; the highest risk is among children...There are no global estimates of dog bite incidence, however studies suggest that dog bites account for tens of millions of injuries annually. In the United States of America for example, approximately 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year. Of these, nearly 885 000 seek medical care; 30 000 have reconstructive procedures; 3–18% develop infections and between 10 and 20 fatalities occur. Other high-income countries such as Australia, Canada and France have comparable incidence and fatality rates."
Why Dogs May Bite, and How People Could Avoid It: A summary of "Online videos indicate human and dog behaviour preceding dog bites and the context in which bites occur." Scientific Reports, 2018. (open access) The researchers stressed that they're not offering causal explanations for why dogs bite in certain contexts but note that touching a dog increases approximately 20 seconds before a bite, as does standing or leaning over a dog.
