Something to chew on

So apparently it's National Dog Bite prevention week, according to mom. Hmph. Seems funny to me how all this attention goes toward us dogs when people are the ones always snapping at each other! We canines generally have a reason behind our bite as well as a lesson......I haven't seen how people help teach each other anything through all their growling and snapping! But, I admit I don't understand humans much at all, so I'll stick to what I do know.

What I can honestly say is that children, followed by the elderly, are the most frequently bitten by dogs.....I'm not sure about humans. Mom says this is statistically true, though I can understand why. Take kids for example. Have you ever noticed how high their little voices are? I sure do, and I don't know why, but makes me tingle all the way to my tail and I can't help but get anxious! And then they move so fast and run away basically begging me to chase them down! These are things my instincts simply can't ignore despite all of mom's efforts to calm me down. I give her credit, she tries! And I'm glad she does because I don't really want to hurt anyone, but some feelings are simply beyond my control. The worst is when I'm already barking for people to go away and they still try to pet me.....arrrrg! Humans are so hard to train! That's where I find the older people are worse. But one other thing that upsets me with children is when they stare into my eyes and come at me, which is easy to do because they're often the same height as me. I don't know many dogs who like that because it's very intimidating and makes us feel like we have to defend ourselves! And then they throw their little arms around my neck and I'll do anything to get out of that kind of situation!

Don't get me wrong, I personally have never bitten any kids, but I have snapped at one once and I did give a little nip to the neighbor.....I hate that guy! But maybe it's best if I explain a little about how we dogs communicate compared to you people. For one thing, enough of the "blah blah blah" already.....we don't understand much less care about most of what you're saying! We talk with our actions and our feelings. We watch how you move and act as well as sense your emotions, which says so much more than words ever could. You want to be my friend? Don't come at me, staring down and desperately trying to pet me like we've known each other for years! And don't be all nervous and scared and quickly pull your hand away when I move. If you come on too strong I'll feel attacked and if you're insecure I'll get nervous and scared. Feeling thretened or frightened are the two biggest reasons we bite!

We're really just looking for a little respect and understanding. For one thing, let me come to you on my terms......sniff, sense your intent and decide if I like you. You don't have to pet me right away, stare at me or try to grab me; let me come on my own time! Don't act all excited to see me or scared of me because it makes me suspicious and then I get defensive. Try to learn how we talk so you can understand what we're saying. An example would be growling, which I thought was a pretty obvious way of saying back off! But there are other things that can be warning signs to you that we're not happy. A stiff body and head level with the shoulders is a way of saying I'm unsure, anxious or prepared to defend. My tail is almost always tightly curled so it's not as good of a sign as with a lot of other dogs, but if a tail comes up straight and fast when you approach then that means the excitement level is going up and it may be too much to handle and turn into an anxious snap. I do loose my curl when I'm scared and my tail tucks under me, so please understand that if you keep pushing me I might feel trapped and bite out of fear. A wagging tail also doesn't always mean a happy dog! A big, high wag is good but a low, fast wag could mean trouble. We can't tell you how we feel so watch our body, out tails, and even our ears and eyes. I put my ears back when I'm not happy and a very intense glare means I will get my message through to you! Don't stare back or I'll want to bite! That's just the way we communicate.

I'm of course speaking for all dogs here. I personally just feel the urge to nip when I'm out in the yard and strangers are getting me riled at the fence, or when people leave my house. I realize that I'm very anxious and I don't like getting so stressed so I become angry to block out that feeling. (It also makes me feel tough!) Buddy, Negrita and KaChing don't seem to care as much about respect from humans so I've never really seen them try to bite, but I'm very sensitive about it and I know many dogs are. We listen to our moms and dads as best we can and I'm glad they work so hard to teach us not to bite because that's important: we honestly don't like doing it! But it helps when people give us space and teach children how to respect us so we can respect them in return.

I know this is a pretty brief guideline to understanding how we tick and how to get along (especially since humans don't learn very quickly), but I hope it's a start! At least it may give you something to chew on.......speaking of which, I could use a treat......

Kiara Faith