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Ask Yvette

It could be the warm summer weather, but the last month seems to have brought a rash of calls that sound something like this:

“All Aunt Hilda did was reach out to pat Fido. All of a sudden, without warning and without reason Fido bit her.”

Regular readers are well aware that I do not believe too strongly in, “Without reason.”

Novice pet owners often feel betrayed when a gesture of affection such as a head pat is reciprocated by a snarl or bite. But that does not mean a reason was not present.

Dogs are animals. And although that might seem like an obvious fact, it often gets tossed aside. There is no other species on earth where so much is demanded. Dogs have been pulled out of the animal kingdom by a Disney fantasy.

How does this explain Fido's irrational bite? No one would expect any other species to allow handling without teaching the animal to tolerate it. Would you touch a lion cub that had never learned to accept humans? I think not. Would you expect a rabbit to come running to you at a gesture of friendship? Not likely. Dogs are no different.

Zoo and marine animals can be touched because they are repeatedly handled. Anyone that happens to go to Marineland can see that in action. You can pay a small fortune to feed the whales. Touch and feed….touch and feed. It goes on hundreds of times per day. There are opportunities to touch a dolphin tail and feed a fish at the show. Touch and feed….touch and feed.

Keepers of animals need to be able to handle these creatures for a number of reasons. The tail is important for marine mammals because that is where blood draws are taken. When you get the privilege of handling a dolphin's tail, you are in return helping the handlers. The animal learns to accept human touch.

Now back to dogs. Think of a puppy that is born and kept in an outdoor pen for 7 or 8 weeks. Exposure to humans is minimal. Then that puppy moves on to a nice family who may skip puppy classes or they may attend one of poor quality. Several of the callers this month reported they were told to never handle or pick up their puppy. No wonder problems arise.

Time passes and we really don't know if the dog likes touch or not. Eventually that day arrives where “something” happens. I suspect that the dog feels much like a traveler to a foreign country faced with a medical situation. You lie on the table unable to understand what is happening. You are fearful because people are poking and prodding. You are unable to ask questions because no one speaks your language.

Dogs that have a strong foundation of prevention exercises and socialization are called, “bomb proof.” They have been taught, “human.” Dogs that lack the full spectrum are more like wild dogs. A good puppy class pushes the envelope on handling as far as it will go. It spots problems early. The trainer can spot the difference between nipping, handling issues or other problems.

It is critically important for new owners to make time for handling exercises. Teach a dog that getting patted, poked and prodded are good things. Thankfully, it is every. It all comes down to touch and feed combined with an experienced set of eyes.

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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