Sunday marked the beginning of Bite Prevention Week. Since opening the store I've been bitten four times. Three of them were my fault and one of them was partially my fault (I turned my back on a dog I knew to be people aggressive and the owner lost their attention for a split second). Fortunately all of the bites were very inhibited and didn't even break the skin.
I only mention this to illustrate a point. I've studied dog behavior and communication. I've probably been around thousands of dogs. And still I've had occasion to be bitten. So how do you avoid being bitten?
1. If you are unfamiliar with the dog, ask before petting.
2. Do not approach a dog head on. Notice when dogs greet, they tend to approach each other at an angle. When I greet an unfamiliar dog who seems a bit uneasy, I kneel down and position myself sideways. I then extend my hand just far enough so he can approach me, but not so close that I invade his space.
3. Know the signs. Dogs communicate with body language. Most dogs who may bite are fear bitters, meaning they bite because they are scared and are trying to get the person to back away. But the bite is usually a last ditch effort.
Signs to look for can include lowered head and/or body, ears close to the head and back, tail down and between the legs, lip licking, yawning, looking away, piloerection (hair standing up), snarling, growling, etc. A side note: These behaviors should not be punished. This is how dogs communicate they are uncomfortable. Instead you should try to diffuse the situation and work on some desensitization, a blog for another time.
A final note, and then a few links to illustrations: It doesn't matter how "good" you are with animals, some dogs are not going to like you. You can be the kindest, most gentle person in the world, but you may have to same hair color as someone who startled the dog, for example. That's just the way it is. It does not mean you should put yourself in peril or overstress a dog to the point that he may bite.
Dr. Sophia Yin has a great PSA put together. It's a little over 30 seconds long, but you may want to pause it a few times to check all the information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrQ1KO4j2bc
This is a poster, also from Dr. Yin, on the more common signals I mentioned above, free for download: http://info.drsophiayin.com/free-poster-on-body-language-in-dogs/
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