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Ask Yvette

Another year has passed. Many of us turn out minds to setting New Year's Resolutions. I am not a big believer in resolutions that are set because we pass from one year to the next. But I am a very big believer in setting goals regardless of the time of year.

For goals to be successful, it is recommended that people follow certain guidelines. For example, you should be able to specifically state what your goal is. You also should tell some people about your aspirations. You should also set a timeline. Many of my readers have become good friends, and this year one of my goals relates to dogs. So I would like to share it.

When our son was born, I watched as the dogs settled in with the new human addition and asked, “What would I do if one of these animals I so deeply care about was not friendly?” I am glad that question remained hypothetical.

Other people are not so fortunate. When I evaluate an animal, it can be painful. People may be in danger. Frankly the life of the animal is in danger too. No one wants a biter dog, and many of my clients are some of the nicest, most well respected people I have had the fortune to meet.

What they did not have was access to information at critical times in the dog's life. They did not know how to prevent aggression in a dog. Some inherited the problems caused by a former home unaware.

So as we look forward to New Year's celebrations, my goal is to put myself out of business.

Yes, you read that correctly. I want to close the aggression and rehabilitation components of what I do. I want to see a time when puppy prevention exercises eliminates rehabilitation. No more injuries to children, no more broken hearts, and fewer animals put down.

Phase one of this plan is my resolution for 2006. The entire plan is a five-year strategy. Since most aggression cases involve the guarding of resources, this is the first order of business. Over five years, I want to see the number of dog bites in London decreased by 75%.

As for my part, there is a new resource available online at www.awesomedogs.ca. It is entitled “Resource Guarding Prevention – Dog to People.” I encourage all new puppy owners to take a look and get working on the exercises. Guarding typically creeps in, and once a bite takes place, rehab becomes labour intensive. If you leave the problem alone, it always gets worse. Whether you think you need them or not – do them. All dogs need these exercises.

Here is the catch 22. I cannot reach everyone at the time they may need this information. If you have the ability to reach pet owners, feel free to print off copies of these exercises and distribute them. If you have a website, either link to the page or ask me for a copy to post to your site. I will even add your logo to the exercises if you like. If we all send a consistent message, we can “Stop the Bite”. Dog bites are preventable. We just need to get the word out.

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

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