 Each year dog bites cause thousands of injuries and insurance companies spend millions of dollars in claim settlements.
The typical dog bite is a little different than one might assume. Most dogs can bite or cause injury if put into the wrong situation. Generally, when dogs injure a human, the dog is known by the victim. It is usually a dog that belongs to a neighbor or relative and is considered friendly. Many dog bites are to children visiting their grandparents or aunts and uncles. Children assume grandpa's dog is friendly and force the animal into a situation where the dog reacts defensively to the provocation by biting or clawing.
How do you keep your dog from biting?- Do not let your dog roam outside of your yard.
- Keep the dog in a fenced yard or use an "invisible fence."
- Always supervise your dog, especially when around children. If you can’t supervise, then separate your dog from the children.
- Teach children not to chase or tease dogs they know and to avoid dogs they don't know.
- Do not let children put their face close to the dog’s face.
- Don't disturb a dog while it's sleeping, eating, chewing on a toy, or caring for puppies – even if your dog never reacts to you, it may resent a stranger disturbing it.
- Ask visitors to give the dog time to become familiar with them.
- Animals trained as watchdogs sometimes do their jobs too well. If they bite there is usually still no defense for the dog's owner regarding liability.
- Avoid situations and children that may make the dog nervous or protective – put it in a quiet part of the house or in its crate before a party or loud situation that might frighten the dog.
- Never approach a strange dog, especially one who is tied or confined behind a fence, or in a car.
As pet owners, please keep your dog out of situations where they may bite. When dogs bite, the injured person and the dogs owner both become victims. Unfortunately, the result for the dog owner, may be cancellation of insurance, higher insurance rates or having to get rid of the pet.
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