How to Prevent Common Dog-Bite Injuries

Dog bites are preventable the majority of the time. Adults and children can learn to reduce their chances of being bitten by following some common safety tips. To begin with, for those thinking about owning “man’s best friend” and for new owners, before selecting your pup, get information about breeds and determine which ones are suitable for your situation. A good place to start in making this determination is in consulting a veterinarian. Experts suggest that parents wait to get a dog until a child is older than four years of age since children are the most common victims of dog bites.

In addition to the points above, the following 7 tips include some general suggestions to help prevent dog bite injuries:

• 1. Socialize your puppy so that it feels at ease around people and other animals. It will be less likely become a nervous animal.
• 2. Keep your pet healthy by getting it properly vaccinated.
• 3. Neuter your dog and it will be less likely to bite.
• 4. License your animal as required by community laws.
• 5. Always obey leash laws.
• 6. Be alert to any signs of your puppy being aggressive. If you observe any improper behavior, take it to a veterinarian, an animal behaviorist or a trainer.
• 7. Train your dog, but avoid aggressive games. Even for fun, don’t train your pet to chase after or attack other people.

The 6 most distinctive means to prevent a bite injury while walking or jogging include:

• 1. Keep a safe distance between you and animals being walked on leashes.
• 2. Before approaching a dog, ask the owner’s permission.
• 3. If local law permits, use pepper spray when charged.
• 4. If charged, put something between you and the animal’s mouth like an umbrella, stick or jacket.
• 5. If attacked, curl up in a ball and protect your face, neck and head.
• 6. If you see an unleashed dog a block or more ahead of you, change your route or turn around to avoid it.

To add to our list of tips to prevent bite injuries, it is important to remember that children need to be taught how to prevent these serious injuries as well. Here are the top 6 things you should teach your children:

• 1. Teach children never to run from a dog or scream.
• 2. Children should never scare or startle a hound, especially one that has been sleeping.
• 3. Teach children not to pet a pup that is playing with a toy. The animal is protective of the toy and may think the child is trying to take the toy away from it.
• 4. Teach children to report immediately strange dogs or ones displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
• 5. Always get the owner’s permission before petting.
• 6. Teach children not to pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff the children.

And if you thought that any additional rules to follow in preventing dog bite injuries couldn’t possibly exist, think again. Here are the last 10 rules to follow:

• 1. Never put your dog in a position where it feels threatened or teased. Never tease a dog.
• 2. Never reach through or over a fence to pet a dog. Since the dog is protecting its territory, it may feel threatened.
• 3. When a postal carrier comes to your home, keep your dog inside and away from the door, preferably in another room.
• 4. Never approach a dog that is barking, snarling, sleeping, eating or nursing.
• 5. Don’t stare a dog in the eyes.
• 6. When leaving, turn sideways and slowly withdraw.
• 7. Always speak softly and gently to calm a dog.
• 8. Be alert and cautious around stray dogs.
• 9. Never leave a baby or small child alone with a dog.
• 10. If a dog approaches to sniff you, stay still. The dog will probably go away when it determines that you are not a threat.

Regardless of size or breed, all hounds can bite if provoked. And, while dog attacks are serious, but there are many ways to avoid these kinds of bites. Common sense and diligence when confronting “man’s best friend” is an important manner of prevention. Teaching children how to act around them prevents bites. Responsible pet ownership is also important in reducing the likelihood of a bite. Also, dog bites can result in criminal and civil liability for pet owners, which is something that no one ever wants to encounter.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a serious dog attack that you believe resulted from the negligence of the dog’s owner, you may be able to hold them legally responsible. Kirk Bernard at the Bernard Law Group has been protecting the rights of personal injury victims, including victims of dog bites, for many years and knows what it takes to help injury victims obtain the compensation they deserve. Call the skilled Seattle dog bite injury lawyers today at 1-800-418-8282 for a free consultation.

Tags: dog bite, dog bite injury, puppy bites, responsible pet owners

2 Responses to “How to Prevent Common Dog-Bite Injuries”

1. Michael Powell says:

   January 15, 2010 at 09:30

   Hello dude, I really like your site. With the abundance of misinformation about this subject on the internet, it’s great to see some refreshing content. Keep up the good work!
2. lilly says:

   February 22, 2010 at 19:33

   good info.
   is tht by u doc.?
   by the way good info to stay alert from a dog