Dog bites are a widespread phenomenon. About 4.7 million cases are documented each year in the United States. About one in five of those is a serious enough case for a medical examination by a veterinarian. What is not well known is the fact that the number of people bitten each year is growing. The problem is recognized as a major health problem by various organizations.
There are two basic reasons why dogs bite. One is to defend themselves. They are just doing what they think is right. Another reason is that the dog may feel threatened. The tendency for a canine to bite when feeling threatened is a somewhat normal thing. They will also try to scare off a person whom they feel may be a threat.
Unlike denial, anger, or depression, which are better handled on their own, aggression is not a normal reaction. Obviously there is always a certain percentage of the population that bites. But generally it is considered to be a normal reaction, and perhaps appropriate to some degree. What may not be appropriate is allowing a dog to roam free, especially in an area with children.
A dog usually bites as a threat to someone else. Usually, when the dog bites, it is someone else’s property that they are attempting to steal by barking and growling. It is important for children to learn to respect the dog and not be afraid of it. Teaching children to respect dogs will teach them how to behave around them.
A dog normally bites once in response to a threat or as a warning. If you ever watched a mother dog, she doesn’t hesitate to let out a warning once she gives her all. Once the warning has come out, there is no reason to stop the biting. If a dog does not bite in response to the warning, then there should be a reason for it and an immediate removal to distract them from the chase.
Some dogs feel very threatened by a child’s activity, such as pulling of the ears and tail, so they will rather chase that child as a means of avoiding the child and potential danger. This is common in dogs that feel their owners are making them angry.
Now that we have this all out of the way, lets take a look at the various reasons why this may be happening and how to prevent it.
A dog will instinctively chase any moving object. That means anyone who moves, including you, as well as smaller animals and birds, are fair game to the dog. Now unless you are on a swift trial, do not stand in the way of a dog as it is doing this. They will instinctively chase you. Now for those who want to prevent this from happening, have two options.
First of all, the best thing to do is to make sure your dog is on a short leash with case foam. It would be best to keep it on the left hand side, near your body.
Second of all, you can position your body at a ninety degree angle, with the leash going from your left to right. Your dog is going to try to run after you. Now, to stop this, rip out that leash. Don’t start tugging on the leash to pull your dog back, that could really let them off the hook.
As you can see, there are two strategies for stopping a dog from chasing, the first is to keep them from getting to close, and the other is to keep them from being able to get at you.
Once you apply these two strategies, you will be well on your way to keeping your dog from chasing and you will have some peace to be back from these activities in safety.
Your dog chasing you may seem harmless enough, but once it starts to get out of hand, it could be rather dangerous and could land you in harm’s way.