Tuesday’s Pearl (on Thursday!): It’s common for dogs to guard food from other dogs and from people. But here are other guard-worthy situations to keep in mind for National Dog Bite Prevention Week (and the other 51 weeks): 1. Boring, familiar kibble may not concern your dog, but human food dropped to the floor is a different story. Dogs might bite over higher-value food – including hors d’oeuvres or cookies put down for a moment by toddlers. 2. Dogs determine their own favorite spots for resting or sleeping. That expensive dog bed might not make the cut, but a resting dog might guard the sofa, the cozy corner behind your plant, and your own bed after you’ve gotten up. 3. The dog’s owner/pet parent/guardian is also a “resource” to protect, especially from other family members. This is a common scenario for bites to young children, who might run to their mother or father while the dog is lying nearby. 4. It’s important to remember that dogs consider a wide variety of items to be “food” – including empty wrappers, dirty laundry, used tissues and tampons (sorry, but it’s true!). Keep those trash cans covered or, better yet, empty. Dogs do make their own decisions about the value of different items, including people. The best prevention is to know your own dog and to avoid simply punishing such behavior (which can increase anxiety). Instead, use prevention and common sense. Trade for something yummy when necessary. Try to teach your dog that relinquishing an item and jumping off the sofa when asked are positive, familiar activities that (at least sometimes) are positively reinforced. #vetbehavior #vetbehaviordogs #preventdogbites
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 13:53:24 +0000