Contributor
05-15-2008, 03:50 AM
This article was originally posted on LonelyLifetime.com in September, 2007.
Meeting an unfamiliar dog, by Chaitanya
Human: “Oh look at him. So cute!”
Dog: *GRRR* *SNAP*
Human: “Eowww! Bad dog. That’s a bad dog, put him to sleep”.
An exaggeration? Perhaps. What most people see there is that the dog bit a human and not the reason behind the bite. Here I present you with some ways to avoid a scene like that. Why do dogs snap at strangers? Most people do not cater to the dog’s instincts. The thing with approaching an unfamiliar dog is that it is important to respect their boundaries.
Why do dogs bite/nip:
Dogs bite for a variety of reasons. Some dogs are naturally dominant aggressive but this is rare. Other dogs bite because they cannot run away from you. Other dogs, like the herding class of dogs, nip at heels due to their instinct. The instinct of these herding dogs is to get the pack into the centre.
Figuring out the personality of a dog:
A well balanced dog will be curious about you. He/she might want to sniff you or some will just lie down and ignore you. If the dog’s tail is wagging it is generally a sign of excitement, not happiness as many would interpret. A well balanced dog will contain his/her excitement and wait patiently for you to give him/her the permission to play with you. He/she is always ready for tummy rubs. He/she will lie on his/her back without getting scared or aggressive. Most of the dogs you come across will be well balanced.
A fearful dog will run and hide in a corner if you approach him/her. If you push the dog too far, the dog might first growl, with their tail between the legs, looking at you, but the body will face away from you. If growling doesn’t get rid of you, they may resort to snapping or nipping at you. Some fearful dogs pee in submission when you approach.
An aggressive dog on the other hand will charge right at you when you approach him/her. The bark is deep, firm and at regular intervals. The dog might growl at you with the same intensity. The dog will show teeth, will keep his/her eyes focussed on you, will have his/her ears pointing forward. You will also notice he/she has shoulders pushed back with chest open and head jutted out.
An insecure dog will also charge at you but if you face him/her and stand ground, the will run away from you, barking all the way. Their bark is more like a “woo woo woo” sound. It starts out deep but fizzles away towards the end. These dogs are good at bluffing. They have learned overtime that the bluff scares people away. So they use it on you.
If you spot a mother with puppies do not approach the puppies. Mothers are quite protective of their puppies and will attack you if they perceive you as a threat to her puppies.
Approaching a fearful dog:
Be very gentle when you approach these dogs. You should avoid any eye contact with fearful dogs. Eye contact means challenge and this will cause the dogs will just run away from you. Do not under any circumstances trap the dog. This will leave the dog with only one choice - striking back. With that in mind approach the dog from the side or with your back towards the dog. If you bend your knees it is a lot better. Leave some distance between yourself and the dog and just sit down. You need to gain the trust of the dog. So if you have a treat, offer it to the dog in your open palm and let the dog pick it up from your palm. The time it takes the dog to take that first step towards you varies between the dogs. It could be seconds or it could be minutes.
Do not make any sort of sound during these crucial moments. If the dog finally licks it up from your palm, it doesn’t mean that the dog trusts you as yet. Do the same thing again till you see no hesitation in the dog’s movements toward the treat. Now, keep the treat in your palm, but close it into a fist. If the dog tries to lick it out of your palm he probably trusts you. At this moment open the palm and let him take the treat. If the dog runs away after taking it from your palm, the trust has not yet been built. If however, he comes close to you and tries to sniff out the other treats offer it to him/her and then gently stroke the under the chin.
Always remember not to surprise the dog with any fast movements. If you plan on using your right hand to pat the dog, let the dog see the hand approaching. Do this very slowly and gently. One of the sure shot indications is the position of the tail. If the tail is between the legs, the dog is still afraid. A tail that is parallel to the spine is a good thing. A tail that is up after it being tucked away between the legs is a good thing. Only after this should you talk to the dog or have eye contact.
Approaching a dominant aggressive dog:
One sentence - don’t bother. It is not worth the effort and the risk to approach these dogs.
Approaching an insecure aggressive dog:
These are tricky cases. If you spot an insecure aggressive (IA) dog and you want to help him the best way to do so is by being a good leader. This would mean that you are self-confident, proud and above all calm. Display no emotions. Don’t jump back if the dog charges at you. If you lose confidence at any time and want to bail out, walk away from the dog slowly but always face the dog. If you decide to approach the dog do so with extreme caution. Always keep your eye on the dog and look at the dog straight in the eye. NEVER lose sight of the dog. If possible hold a long object like a tennis racket in your hand. This will come in handy if the dog chooses to go after you. You could use this as a bait for the dog to bite. Hope that the dog has a leash on it. Depending on the dog, they will take time to give in and stop barking/showing teeth. At this moment pick up the leash and just walk. No petting. You will boost the confidence of these dogs by taking control of their pack. Only your being a good leader will teach the dog to get rid of this insecurity. This is similar to calling someone’s bluff in a poker match :)
Remember that you could get bitten while trying to help any of these dogs. So be prepared for that. If you are not, don’t bother approaching such dogs. Only through experience can you understand the personality of the dog accurately. I got bitten once because I was stupid. I got bitten another time but this time, I was anticipating it and I needed the dog to bite me to fix the problem.
Important points:
-Ask the owner if it is OK to approach his dog. This is important when you see a dog in the dog park or the road. The owners know a lot more about the dog than you do.
-Do not pet a dog that shows teeth. It only encourages this unwanted behaviour.
-Do not try to induce confidence in a dog that is shivering with fear or try to calm an aggressive dog down by taking it’s name. This is the normal reaction that most humans have but it just makes the dog associate bad behaviour with the name.
-Let a dog approach you to sniff you. Don’t shove your palm into the dog’s face. Fold it into a fist and hold it out a few inches from the dog. Let the dog approach you out of curiosity. A fist will lessen the chances of the dog getting your fingers. Some dogs can actually snap off a finger from your hand!
-If a dog jumps on you without permission it is a sign of dominance and not cuteness. If a dog jumps on you ignore the dog or in the worst case push the dog away. When a new person approaches the pack, he/she first greets the alpha of the pack. So when you see a dog, first greet the owner. If the dog disagrees (by barking/growling/jumping) because the dog considers himself/herself the alpha, well…
-One way to know if the dog considers the owner the alpha is by observing the dog for a few minutes. If the dog is calm, walks behind the owner and does not pull on the leash it is, in most cases, safe to assume that the dog considers the master the alpha of the pack. If the dog pulls on the leash, walks off in random directions, jumps on the owner, rushes through stairs/doors/gates, marks territory and walks in front of the owner you can assume that the dog is alpha of the pack.
Meeting an unfamiliar dog, by Chaitanya
Human: “Oh look at him. So cute!”
Dog: *GRRR* *SNAP*
Human: “Eowww! Bad dog. That’s a bad dog, put him to sleep”.
An exaggeration? Perhaps. What most people see there is that the dog bit a human and not the reason behind the bite. Here I present you with some ways to avoid a scene like that. Why do dogs snap at strangers? Most people do not cater to the dog’s instincts. The thing with approaching an unfamiliar dog is that it is important to respect their boundaries.
Why do dogs bite/nip:
Dogs bite for a variety of reasons. Some dogs are naturally dominant aggressive but this is rare. Other dogs bite because they cannot run away from you. Other dogs, like the herding class of dogs, nip at heels due to their instinct. The instinct of these herding dogs is to get the pack into the centre.
Figuring out the personality of a dog:
A well balanced dog will be curious about you. He/she might want to sniff you or some will just lie down and ignore you. If the dog’s tail is wagging it is generally a sign of excitement, not happiness as many would interpret. A well balanced dog will contain his/her excitement and wait patiently for you to give him/her the permission to play with you. He/she is always ready for tummy rubs. He/she will lie on his/her back without getting scared or aggressive. Most of the dogs you come across will be well balanced.
A fearful dog will run and hide in a corner if you approach him/her. If you push the dog too far, the dog might first growl, with their tail between the legs, looking at you, but the body will face away from you. If growling doesn’t get rid of you, they may resort to snapping or nipping at you. Some fearful dogs pee in submission when you approach.
An aggressive dog on the other hand will charge right at you when you approach him/her. The bark is deep, firm and at regular intervals. The dog might growl at you with the same intensity. The dog will show teeth, will keep his/her eyes focussed on you, will have his/her ears pointing forward. You will also notice he/she has shoulders pushed back with chest open and head jutted out.
An insecure dog will also charge at you but if you face him/her and stand ground, the will run away from you, barking all the way. Their bark is more like a “woo woo woo” sound. It starts out deep but fizzles away towards the end. These dogs are good at bluffing. They have learned overtime that the bluff scares people away. So they use it on you.
If you spot a mother with puppies do not approach the puppies. Mothers are quite protective of their puppies and will attack you if they perceive you as a threat to her puppies.
Approaching a fearful dog:
Be very gentle when you approach these dogs. You should avoid any eye contact with fearful dogs. Eye contact means challenge and this will cause the dogs will just run away from you. Do not under any circumstances trap the dog. This will leave the dog with only one choice - striking back. With that in mind approach the dog from the side or with your back towards the dog. If you bend your knees it is a lot better. Leave some distance between yourself and the dog and just sit down. You need to gain the trust of the dog. So if you have a treat, offer it to the dog in your open palm and let the dog pick it up from your palm. The time it takes the dog to take that first step towards you varies between the dogs. It could be seconds or it could be minutes.
Do not make any sort of sound during these crucial moments. If the dog finally licks it up from your palm, it doesn’t mean that the dog trusts you as yet. Do the same thing again till you see no hesitation in the dog’s movements toward the treat. Now, keep the treat in your palm, but close it into a fist. If the dog tries to lick it out of your palm he probably trusts you. At this moment open the palm and let him take the treat. If the dog runs away after taking it from your palm, the trust has not yet been built. If however, he comes close to you and tries to sniff out the other treats offer it to him/her and then gently stroke the under the chin.
Always remember not to surprise the dog with any fast movements. If you plan on using your right hand to pat the dog, let the dog see the hand approaching. Do this very slowly and gently. One of the sure shot indications is the position of the tail. If the tail is between the legs, the dog is still afraid. A tail that is parallel to the spine is a good thing. A tail that is up after it being tucked away between the legs is a good thing. Only after this should you talk to the dog or have eye contact.
Approaching a dominant aggressive dog:
One sentence - don’t bother. It is not worth the effort and the risk to approach these dogs.
Approaching an insecure aggressive dog:
These are tricky cases. If you spot an insecure aggressive (IA) dog and you want to help him the best way to do so is by being a good leader. This would mean that you are self-confident, proud and above all calm. Display no emotions. Don’t jump back if the dog charges at you. If you lose confidence at any time and want to bail out, walk away from the dog slowly but always face the dog. If you decide to approach the dog do so with extreme caution. Always keep your eye on the dog and look at the dog straight in the eye. NEVER lose sight of the dog. If possible hold a long object like a tennis racket in your hand. This will come in handy if the dog chooses to go after you. You could use this as a bait for the dog to bite. Hope that the dog has a leash on it. Depending on the dog, they will take time to give in and stop barking/showing teeth. At this moment pick up the leash and just walk. No petting. You will boost the confidence of these dogs by taking control of their pack. Only your being a good leader will teach the dog to get rid of this insecurity. This is similar to calling someone’s bluff in a poker match :)
Remember that you could get bitten while trying to help any of these dogs. So be prepared for that. If you are not, don’t bother approaching such dogs. Only through experience can you understand the personality of the dog accurately. I got bitten once because I was stupid. I got bitten another time but this time, I was anticipating it and I needed the dog to bite me to fix the problem.
Important points:
-Ask the owner if it is OK to approach his dog. This is important when you see a dog in the dog park or the road. The owners know a lot more about the dog than you do.
-Do not pet a dog that shows teeth. It only encourages this unwanted behaviour.
-Do not try to induce confidence in a dog that is shivering with fear or try to calm an aggressive dog down by taking it’s name. This is the normal reaction that most humans have but it just makes the dog associate bad behaviour with the name.
-Let a dog approach you to sniff you. Don’t shove your palm into the dog’s face. Fold it into a fist and hold it out a few inches from the dog. Let the dog approach you out of curiosity. A fist will lessen the chances of the dog getting your fingers. Some dogs can actually snap off a finger from your hand!
-If a dog jumps on you without permission it is a sign of dominance and not cuteness. If a dog jumps on you ignore the dog or in the worst case push the dog away. When a new person approaches the pack, he/she first greets the alpha of the pack. So when you see a dog, first greet the owner. If the dog disagrees (by barking/growling/jumping) because the dog considers himself/herself the alpha, well…
-One way to know if the dog considers the owner the alpha is by observing the dog for a few minutes. If the dog is calm, walks behind the owner and does not pull on the leash it is, in most cases, safe to assume that the dog considers the master the alpha of the pack. If the dog pulls on the leash, walks off in random directions, jumps on the owner, rushes through stairs/doors/gates, marks territory and walks in front of the owner you can assume that the dog is alpha of the pack.