Hey, did you know there was a National Dog Bite Prevention Week?
Yep, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) National Dog Bite Prevention Week in 2014 is from May 18th until the 24th of May and the pont as usual will be on teaching people about dog bite prevention.
Well, the vast majority of these dog bites can be prevented. Who gets bitten the more often? Of course youngsters! Therefore, telling children must be the responsibility of the parents, especially if there are pets in the household.
With 70 million living in the United States, there’s got to be a substantial number of dog bites. Actually 4.5 – 5 million dog bites occur annually. As many as 20% of these dog bites need a doctor’s attention. That’s 800,000 a year and half of those are kids. Senior citizens are the next most common group suffering from a dog bite. Children are commonly more seriously traumatized. The responsible dog is usually known to the child. The dog bites generally occurs during normal daily interactivity with the dog.
So what ideas can we provide to help curtail this serious problem? Listed are 10 things a person can do.
Do some research and homework about various breeds
One of the most essential things is to do some study about different breed characters and behavioral trends before picking a dog for the household. Do not adopt or get an animal based upon impulse for emotional reasons, feeling sorry for the dog or guilty. Do not let somebody force a puppy on you. This generally turns out badly. Particularly if this is your first dog. Learn exactly what to try to find in a pet. Speak with a veterinarian, a trustworthy breeder, at least someone in the veterinary or pet care field. People who have actually had years of experience handling and taking care of various canines. If you are not alone, the other individuals, particularly adults, have to be on board entirely. Don’t permit children to make the choice. You have to take a look at your family situation and see if the dog fits (sex, breed, size, activity level, personality, kind of coat, monetary dedication, etc.) into your lifestyle.
If thinking about a puppy, check out the parents, at least the mother dog
Temperament is a heritable characteristic. Exactly how does she react when you approach and touch her? Will she sit on when instructed? Are you able to get her to lie down on her side? Take the puppy and pick the puppy up. Exactly how does it respond? Put the puppy dog on its back and side? How does it respond? If it fights you, vocalizes or attempts to bite, don’t get it. You will have issues in socializing it.
You need to have human socialization with the puppy
With that specified, ensure that your young puppy is well-socialized. The capability to socialize the pet is crucial in having an excellent and loyal animal. You need to work with your dog to comply with the basic commands such as sit, stay, lie down, obey when you say no and return to you when you call. The dog has to be comfortable walking with you on a leash (ie. – walks with you in a calm way, doesn’t drag you and is at your side). The most important thing you can do to prevent behavioral problems and reduce the risk of your dog biting someone is proper socializing. If your dog has a loyal nature, you will considerably lower the risk of biting somebody and misbehaving.
Workout with your dog daily
Exercise is likewise crucial, especially in specific animals. Pet dogs have energy that has to be burnt on a routine daily basis. Depending on the dog, the workout could be long strolls or have to be more aerobic. Good routine workout likewise provides psychological excitement for the pet and will make the pet better within the home.
Play appropriately with your pet
When individuals or the youngsters play with the dog, stay away from the play fighting or tug-of-war sort of games. That form of activity is over stimulating and matches the dog against you. Never aggravate the dog with your hands. Having your fingers, hands or arms in the animal’s mouth is saying to the dog it is okay to bite, even though it is in a playful manner. Additionally, don’t ever put your dog in a circumstance in which he/she feels teased or endangered.
Lead instruction is needed
As already touched on, you need to regularly use a leash whenever you walk your dog in public. You really need to maintain control. You do not have control, if your dog is pulling you along. Each family members need to have effective control when walking the dog, not just one particular person. You need to pursue out some obedience training if you have a substantial concern when walking your dog.
Don’t leave your dog outdoors alone in the yard
Keeping a animal outside in the yard unattended can lead to issues. Digging holes and jumping the fence are commonplace issues. You can acquire a few territorial and aggression problems if another dog is adjacent to your yard. This could undo the work you have already accomplished.
Timely neutering and spaying can assist
Neutering and spaying are good things to do. Getting rid of the hormonal impacts can lessen some common aggression inclinations present among intact animals. You need to talk about the timing of neutering and spaying with your vet.
Get yearly health and physical examinations
Regular health and physical examinations really should be done at a minimum yearly. If touched where there is pain, dogs in pain from osteoarthritis might potentially nip. Your veterinarian can provide medication for arthritic pain.
Take time to enlighten and teach your children
You must teach your children how to approach and act with not only your own pet but various other dogs that they may run into. Be sure that they understand not to merely go up a dog and extend their hand to touch the pet. Never go to hug a dog or get hold of the pet in any way. They should never move toward a pet that is not on a leash and under a grownup’s control. You really should never leave an infant or small child alone with any dog, even your own.
Watch the videos below to help teach your child:
Oak Tree Animal Hospital
7201 Armenia Avenue North
Tampa FL 33604
1.813.935.2080
A veterinary animal hospital located in Hillsborough County providing veterinary medical
and surgical care in Northwest Tampa and surrounding areas.
Need veterinary care for your dog or cat? We are an affordable animal hospital in Tampa FL.
Call us for an appointment and let us help you with your best friend and companion.