As a dog trainer, I knew that one day I would be bit by a dog, it could be from a Chihuahua, Chow Chow or even a Dane. My first nib came from a Chow Chow, barely qualified as a scratch. At last my first real accidental bite came from a male Doberman, coming from my own home. No, the dog is not dangerous nor it is overly aggressive, I just did something wrong at the wrong place at the wrong time, being in the crossfire between him and another male rottweiler. The bite was at the ankle, having several scratches and two puncture wounds. The attack itself was not a great impact physically, but it did give me a lesson: Never Underestimate a Dog.
I believe for the past few years, we have had a fair share of dog attack related news in Malaysia. Bull terrier attacking an old man, rottweiler bit off the face of a child, farm mongrels killing a tourist (I have no prejudice towards these dog breeds, just stating what was published before). I decided to do some digging and found an article about dog attacks and dog related accidents in the US & Canada ranging from the years 1982 till 2012. I didn't know to either laugh at the report or to feel sad about it. I suppose not many people knew that a Beagle, Chihuahua, Shih Tzu, Mini Pincher and Pomeranian each killed or almost killed a human. Of course these dogs didn't bite or nib the victims to death, these were accidents that were caused by suffocation by the leash as well. There was a case where a burglar was bit to death by a pack of Maltese, true story.
As owners, we tend to forget that dogs are there due to their loyalty and their responsibility to safe guard their owners and their families. We always treat them as pets where they need to listen to our every call, when at the same time, as humans, we couldn't make our own kind listen to our every call. We get frustrated, we get angry, pointing the blame at our canine companion. When they see a stranger, they bark, but yet sometimes we shut them off once we see that stranger is someone we know, and we expect the dogs to automatically know that the dogs should not bark at these certain people. Making them confused on what is right and what is wrong. And when they are confused, instead of guiding them, we tend to blame them or forcibly educate them wrongly.
News flash : a dog CAN bite back. I remember seeing a short article on line, it's about 10 things a dog would say to its owner. One of the sentence says, "Please remember, I can bite you, but I choose not to". I guess a lot of owners take it for granted, thinking that because they are the owners, their dogs won't bite. It only takes a split second for a dog to take the instinct to bite, and the damage is done. The cause? It could be because of food, pressure, pain, frustration, or just dumb bad luck. The only difference between a human's brain and a dog's, is the ability to have a high degree or reasoning. They are more simple minded and rely more on their instinct instead of their deep thinking (if they have).
The only reason a dog does not sink that great white jaw into that firm human flesh of yours is only because of loyalty. As you raised it from a pup to a dog, as you nursed every injury it had, the repayment is done by undoubted loyalty. Hence, appreciate it and try to understand your dog. Why does it do what it does? Stop blaming your dog for mistakes it made, instead, understand why. Why is it barking at nothing? Could it be something you can't see easily like a snake in grass? Why is it constantly sticking by your side? Perhaps it has an injury that requires your attention? If their loyalty has given them nothing but disappointment or worse with blaming and physical injuries, when do you think it will start to think bite back?
This is where "how to choose a dog suitable for you and your lifestyle" comes in, this is something I will bring up in later posts more thoroughly. But in the meantime, don't blame your dog for the bites, the growls or the threats. It could be something that you SHOULD be concerned with.
No comments:
Post a Comment