Dog Bite Prevention (though sometimes, you can't)

We've all heard about cases where a dog has bitten a child. Arguably, too many cases. Funny for me to say, perhaps, being a Dog Person™, but obviously, I can explain.

Lots of dog bites you hear about seem, from the outside, to have been completely unavoidable. Small child left alone with dog, child starts crying, dog has attacked the child. No adults there to see what happened. These cases are, in my mind, the fault of the adults. Dogs should not be left alone with tiny children. Tiny children do unreliable, misunderstandable things. Tiny children have little to no intent in their actions. Dogs, in general, have a specific set of reactions to stimuli.

Oh yeah, and last week was Dog Bite Prevention Week.

(drawn by Lil Chin)

Intersex Aggression in Dobermans

A big huge flag in the Doberman community is when a male puppy is sold to people with another male dog in the household already. Why?

Well, the stories say that Dobermans can be same sex aggressive. Two males, two females, there is a chance that when the second dog reaches sexual maturity (or both dogs, if you're making the equally dubious choice to raise them together), there is a chance that the dogs will become aggressive to members of the same sex and want to fight.

This is problematic, as we do not typically want dogs to fight. Not unless you're a scumbag.

New (to me) survey: Dog aggression and owner aggression

I posted not long ago about how Alpha rolling was both not my style and also not a safely recommended training technique. A study in 2009 by the University of Pennsylvania veterinary researchers linked an exacerbation of aggressive dog behavior with punitive and confrontational training techniques, entitled "Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors" by Meghan E. Herron, Frances S. Shofer and Ilana R. Reisner. Basically, if you're aggressive your dog will be too. Of course, Patricia McConnell beat me to posting about the study, but in a way, I'm glad. She's somebody I've heard of, read a lot, and am confident recommending her advice to people.

(Picture of Elka "paws up", taught through positive reinforcement techniques, to prevent this post from being a wall of text)

Canine Body Language: Piloerection

There are times Elka becomes aware (or decides that she's aware) that Something Happened outside. Or that Somebody is there. Or maybe the wind blew. Something.

But she'll go look out the door, or a window, growl or grumble, and sometimes give a bark. Invariably, when she decides she's the home's protector (or at least that something requires our attention), she sports a "mohawk", as we call it. Or, as Real Dog People call it, piloerects. Piloerection is when the hair stands on end; on a sleek, short haired dog like Elka, it is really very apparent.

When Strangers Call

Last week, I posted 5 Things For Your Dog To Do When You Have Visitors. In the comments, the issue of accidentally rewarding behaviors I didn't want, or aggressive behaviors came up, and while they weren't what I was addressing, it was a good point!

Much as I try to talk the talk, I am not a dog training professional. If your dog is truly displaying aggression, be it human aggression or dog aggression, you should seek help from a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist, who will have studied extensively in areas such as those to meet your needs. The Internet, while a magical place of information and  fun, won't necessarily be tailored to your dog and your dog's needs, or adequately explain how you yourself can "fix" things, or even give an accurate and appropriate diagnosis.

That said, I covered briefly what your dog can do when you have friends over. I've posted a picture (that I'll post again here in a few words) of Elka waiting for a delivery person. But, what do you do when a stranger comes to your house? Jehova's Witness, repo man, delivery personnel, door to door sales? What is appropriate for your dog to do, and what do you want your dog to do?

Heidi the Doberman ~ some more info in the news and from Royal Oak

My post the other day Doberman in Trouble: Help Heidi! has brought a lot of people here, and sent them on to the petition web site. There have been a couple of more articles in the news, and response from Royal Oak that I wanted to talk about here.

In both the Philadelphia Examiner and the Daily Tribune (which is, I assume, a local paper to Heidi's part of Michigan), there have been articles stating that the individual who reported this incident to the police was in fact bleeding from a bite, on the nose and chin. The Royal Oak's city attorney David Gillam is in fact saying that Heidi's life is not in immediate danger, which is a relief. His statement is, to me, rather noncommittal and open ended however:

He said the city did present two options: euthanize the dog or move her outside of Royal Oak. However, the issue could be resolved by sending the dog to obedience school, muzzling her whenever she is outside the owner’s McLean Avenue home, or some other action. (quoted from the Daily Tribune)

These aren't unreasonable options. "Sending" a dog to obedience school isn't what I would recommend (if he's actually discussing a board and train), but obedience classes that Heidi's owners attend with her is certainly preferable to returning their dog to rescue or euthanasia. Muzzling her, I feel, would prevent accidental bites, but not the other kinds of hard-head contact that would break a nose. Granted, I'm not a doctor, but I know that the Doberman snout and head packs a wallop, having been casually bludgeoned in the face by Elka's pointy skull.

Which brings me to an interesting point. Dog bites are a concern, certainly. A Doberman is a dog of threatening size, and power, and a Doberman bite to the face can be decimating. Again, from the Daily Tribune: "Bleeding from the injuries, Seagraves went into the store for a paper towel then to Beaumont Hospital, where he told police he learned his nose was broken." If asked, I'd say the contact, all of it, was accidental. A Doberman who wants to bite you in the face, and you're not prepared for it? I don't think you'll be wandering around to get your business taken care of.  I'll admit, this is a strange way for me to defend an incident, by highlighting the potential damage and bite strength of a Doberman that intends one harm, but there it is. In human criminal cases, one must prove intent. I don't think Heidi had the intent.

Indeed, the police report says ""the dogs jumped up at him and hit him in the nose and also caused a small laceration" and the responding animal control officer's notes say  "He had two scratches that were bleeding a little. One on bridge of nose and one below lower lip." (from this article on the Philadelphia Examiner:  Royal Oak Responds to Outpouring of Support for Heidi the Doberman, and the City of Royal Oak Attorney's Office Press Release)


It is also of note that this incident actually happened in October. According to the City of Royal Oak website, there were two prior court meetings on this matter, with the next one scheduled on February 9 (People vs. Spalding). I'm not sure what it is about the prior meetings, and upcoming one, that prompted Heidi's people to create their website and petition out of the fear that Heidi would be euthanized, since officials have hastened to say that isn't their intent, but obviously, I only have the news to go on.

I don't regret having signed the petition for Heidi, because I don't feel that she's necessarily a dangerous dog who will bite again. Do I feel something like mandated obedience training would be a fair way to satisfy both sides of this case? Yes.

Has this made me rethink how to handle passers-by, whether they want to greet Elka or not? Yes. Jumping is something that we've discouraged for a long time (though, as I've noted, Elka will jump next to somebody, and not put her paws on them, though many of our friends have been "dolphin nosed"). On leash, I'm going to continue to encourage her to sit if I'm speaking with somebody, and I daresay I'll tack on the behavioral expectation of focusing on me, rather than strangers. I like that Elka is friendly, and that I don't feel I have to worry about her behavior with people. But if she were to be excited, and jump up with a happy, open mouth? We could have another Heidi situation, and I do not want that heartache and that court case.

(another Heidi picture, used frequently in news articles, from the Save Heidi site)