Park Etiquette   What to do When a Dog Bites

   By Karen Saunders, Editor The Canine Post

Not all dogs get along.Not all people get along. Not all good dogs like all other good dogs.

As a child I had a great dog.  She was attentive, well trained and never needed a leash in our rural area.  But she had one flaw – she hated black dogs.  If she saw a black dog she would attack.  I could call her off the dog, but I knew she had a problem.  I always had to be vigilant when a black dog was near.

As a dog show competitor I learned early on I had to have one eye on my dog at all times.  As I signed up at matches I heard more than once “Watch your dog!” directed at me and was mortified to see my dog sniffing another canine.

It can happen to anyone at any time.  Dogs are not machines, they are animals who are interested in what is happening around them. Sometimes they want to play, sometimes they want make friends. Mostly they want to get involved and do something. 

When we are at the park during training all of us – new students, club members, trainers –  need to keep one eye on our own dog at all times.  There are no ifs, ands, or buts. 

But there are some other rules we need to follow, too.

If there is an incident, be it small with no blood and seemingly insignificant, we need to make sure the other handler knows the incident occurred.  For example, say my dog hopped up and bounced on another dog while the handler was looking the other direction and talking to a third person.  It would be my responsibility to interrupt the conversation and say “I’m sorry, my dog just bumped your dog, could you please see if he is okay?”  If everything is fine I could also ask the second handler if he would mind if we recreated what just happened so I could correct my dog so she didn’t do it again.

If I thought my dog was injured or hurt by another dog, I have a responsibility to tell the owner/handler of the other dog what happened immediately.  That way he or she could examine their own dog and see if it was injured and we could discuss what happened and how to  make sure it did not happen again.

Occasionally we might not know that something happened until later that day or night.  At one night class my Dobe was playing with another Dobe.  I didn’t know my dog was bleeding (probably a collision with a tooth), but it was my responsibility to let the other Dobe owner know about the blood in a timely manner.

Recently we had a problem at the park when a dog may have nipped or lunged at another dog. Sadly enough the incident was not brought to the owner’s attention until much later.  No dogs were hurt in the incident, but subsequently some feelings have been.  The dogs involved are all good dogs, if maybe a bit exuberant. 

The measure of a trainer is how well he or she trains past a behavior problem, just as the measure of a person is how they can discuss a problem and come to resolution without confrontation or name calling. 

We all have to remember we are working with dogs in a training situation with many distractions and lots of excitement.  The humans have to take the responsibility and be the ones who show manners and restraint.

If you or your dog is involved in a bite incident:

1. Make sure the other dog’s handler knows there may have been a bite or aggressive act.

2. Both handlers should examine their own dogs immediately.

3.  If a dog is injured, exchange phone numbers and take the injured animal to the vet immediately. Call and let the other handler know the vet’s diagnosis and the cost of the visit and any subsequent treatment.

4.  If the dog is uninjured, you can discuss how to alleviate any further problems (ie: not coming too close to the offending dog, letting the handler know you are there, each person watching their own dog).