How Too Much Positive Make a Negative.  (May 2002)

            I just heard on the car radio about another dog bite. This time it was a Labrador and the child needed over 100 stitches. It almost seems like I hear about dog bites on a weekly basis and this is only locally. Dog bite incidents have increased dramatically over the last twenty years. If you don’t believe me ask a veterinarian who had to do more muzzling or tranquilizing of dogs now more than ever for routine exams and simple procedures. Ask most homeowners insurance companies about their statistics that are on the rise because they are paying out to the victims. That is why most homeowners insurance companies now restrict coverage to potential clients with particular breeds of dogs. Currently on the list are German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Chow, wolf hybrids and Pit bulls. I am sure the list will get longer. There are breed bans in two cities in Washington and I hear there are more in many states across the country.

            Why do you think dog bites have increased when our society has progressed so far? We can now clone animals and we have every type of high tech electronic device, pagers, palm pilots, computers in cell phones, digital cameras and film processing on your computer to name a few yet our dogs are still biting the mailman or the neighbor’s kid. My theory is that most dogs today have no bite inhibition. I am speaking from experience since I have to deal with dog problems on a daily basis. Even though I instruct and oversee over 400 lessons a month in herding, many a time I end up dealing with a dog that is fear-aggressive or dog/people aggressive and the herding lesson foes on the back burner because I fell that this is a much more serious issue that whether or not someone’s dog herds sheep well.

            Bite inhibition is rarely discussed or mentioned in most dog training books today. Most puppy classes or your average family dog training class rarely touches on this subject. You’d better believe that there are plenty of training aids discussed in books and used in classes. There are gentle leaders, pointers, clickers, and always something new on the horizon. But, we seem to have forgotten basic common sense, In our rush to go with the flow and be politically correct, the cliché word “positive” has become the mainstream in dog training. Everywhere you look the word “positive” has infiltrated business names and logos in the advertisement of dog training. I feel this is the root cause of the increase in dog bites.

            Dog owners are told to spray their puppy with lemon juice, Binaca or to distract them with a toy when a puppy mouths, nips or actually draws blood. Distracting the puppy is not teaching bite inhibition and spraying something is inconvenient. It has to be handy and many dogs don’t mind the sprays. Bite inhibition need to be taught before a dog is six months old. Ideally, seven-week-old puppies should start training.

Dog Bite Inhibition 101

The Reenactment of a Veterinarian Exam, Grooming, Play & Intr oducing your Puppy to Strangers.  

            Take a seven-week-old puppy and poke and prod it like any veterinarian would to exam the pup for medical problems; touch the dog’s pads, toenails, and toes. Move the toes, squeeze the foot and toes lightly. Clip the toenails every few weeks; just take a little bit off the toenails, mainly to get the puppy used to this important part of grooming. (For many dogs this is a huge problem and could have been prevented if it was taught to tolerate toenail clipping as a pup.) Hold the pup on its back, move its legs around, touch, rub and squeeze lightly the pup’s legs and tummy. Male dogs should learn to have their testicles and sheath examined. Open the puppy’s mouth and touch its teeth and gums. Pull the earflap back and touch just inside the pup’s ear with your finger. Hold the puppy’s head still and look into it eyes, pull up and down slightly on the eye to expose the white part of the eye. Lift the tail up by the base and touch the puppy around the anus. Puppies that scoot will have to have their anal glands expressed monthly. (Owners need to learn how to do this or it can be a costly trip to the groomer or veterinary office every month.) Granted, most normal puppies will object t the very first thing I’ve listed to do. The average puppy is going to struggle. When a pup struggles, do not let go. Continue to hold. The average puppy usually tries biting. Tapping with one finger on the muzzle and saying my razz word “ack” at the same time is all the correction most puppies will require. Some puppies don’t fight it long and with others it could be a marathon of wills. No matter how long it takes, the owner should not give in.

            This reenactment of a veterinarian exam should be done at least twice a day until the puppy is six months old and at least once a week there after for six more months to see if the dog develops a problem with any part of it. Once the pup get used to it, the whole exercise should take less than a minuet.

            If you have a breed that is going to need brushing when he is older, now at seven weeks is the time to start getting him use to it. The pup must learn to stand still and lay down on both sides for brushing. A slicker brush really gets to the skin but use it lightly on a puppy. As the pup is lying on both sides, lift each leg and brush under the armpits, tummy and all sides of the neck, ears, body and tail. Again, if the pup objects to being on his side or to standing still, hold him firmly and don’t let him win. If he bites at the brush or you hands, correct the same way as during the vet exam reenactment.

            Those little needle sharp puppy teeth can really do some damage to one’s skin. I am always amazed at how clients have shown me their hands and arms full of scratches and bite marks. Not to mention ripped clothing. Yet, they didn’t want to do anything to hurt their dog. It seems to me that the owner is getting hurt and appears to be sacrificing themselves to their pet. Playing with a puppy or and adult should include bite inhibition training. Tug of war and roughhousing should never be allowed. It encourages aggression, especially if your dog is going to be around children at anytime. Constructive play such as ball or toy retrieving and hide and seek games encourages bonding and obedience.  It’s a fun way to encourage the dog to stay until called and then to come when called. It also gets them to use their nose. Retrieving reinforces a recall if you repeat the command “Come” as the dog brings the ball back. You can periodically make the dog “stay” and then throw the ball to reinforce “stay” with distractions. When your dog returns the ball, you can teach an “out”. This can be useful if your dog picks up something he shouldn’t.

            During any playtime or while lavishly praising a dog or puppy, they may get worked up and grab your flesh or pants. Don’t make excuses for the dog. As soon as you realize that the dog bit you, yell firmly the “ack” razz. If this becomes a habit and the razz isn’t enough, set the dog up with a long line on. Get the dog excited in the situation where he may bite. As soon as he bites, step on the line and reel the dog to you still yelling “aaaccckkk”. This should be enough for a correction for most dogs. If not, the corrections should be more forceful.

            Basic beginner classes should not just include the vet exam reenactment, grooming and proper play, but how to introduce your dog to strangers. All of the former are extremely important for a well-rounded dog, but meeting strangers is something your dog could do perhaps several times a day for the rest of his life. Strangers will always be walking up to your dog on the street or coming into your home. This is a very crucial time when most dogs will bite it they haven’t been trained properly. Again, seven weeks is the ideal age to start training this, and training should continue until the dog is at least a year old. Puppies are easy. Of course, the pup needs to be on leash. Use moist treats such as cheese to hand to strangers to give to the pup. Tell the stranger to get their hands on the pup first, petting him all over before giving the treat. Most pups will grow up thinking all strangers are wonderful if owners are consistent in this training. If you have an older dog that already had a problem with strangers, it will take much more the treats to work through it.

            If dogs have problems with part of the vet exam reenactment, part of brushing, at play or when introducing strangers, it will eventually show up in other social or training situations. Believe me, I see it all the time. The reason is that if your dog has learned he can just get upset enough or intimidate someone enough then he will easily get his way.

In Conclusion

             I blame a lot of dog trainers that are trying to make a living in the PC society that give puppy and dog classes all across the country. Many have sold their souls to the latest gimmick and their hearts may not even be in it but they are going along with the latest fad. This is all well and good for the professional dog trainers and people full time in the sport of dogs. But, most of these types of dog people don’t put their dogs in the situations that the average pet person does. The average pet person has children and has other people’s children coming in their home. Aunt Betty comes for a visit and toddlers can be interacting with the family pet. Droves of relations at holiday time, parties and children’s sleepovers are what most dogs of the average family endure. And you know what? There is no excuse for a dog nipping or biting any more. In this society now, the dog always loses. Family members are suing other family members and neighbors are suing neighbors. Dogs are usually put down.

            Twenty years ago when a dog bit a child you asked, “What did the child do to the dog?” It wasn’t assumed automatically that the dog was wrong. Nowadays, dogs are expected to tolerate many difficult situations that most dogs couldn’t handle. They must endure any teasing or abuse from children or adults.

Thought of the Month: Corrections should be saving dogs' lives and isn't that positive?