Animal Health Matters: Examining dog bite behavior
Kids hugging dogs. A true expression of the human-animal bond. On the scale of adorable-ness, those pictures are usually at the high end of the scale.
Well, that’s what I used to think. Recently, our veterinary association sponsored a meeting that featured a companion animal behavior specialist. She spoke about body language in dogs and cats, with great pictures and visual aids to illustrate her subject.
It was her pictures and videos of kids hugging dogs that I remember most; even more so her careful observation and play-by-play of the body language demonstrated by the animal.
Her overarching message? Dogs don’t like to be hugged. Sure, some of them tolerate it – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they like it. Her analysis was that, while people enjoy and get an emotional boost from being hugged, for dogs that hug simply represents immobilization, stress and anxiety. In extreme cases this anxiety can lead to aggression and biting – a devastating situation for a little kid who just wanted to show a dog some love.
Confirming this analysis is a simple study made by another behavior specialist who examined 250 photos posted on the internet of people hugging dogs. Looking at the body language of the dog in those pictures, she concluded that 82% of the pictures showed dogs who were unhappy with the hugging situation. Only 8% could be considered pictures of dogs who were comfortable with being hugged.
What are those canine body language cues these specialists are referring to? They can be extremely subtle. Once you know what to look for, though, you’ll see them. These behaviors are listed on what’s called the “Ladder of Aggression,” from the initial, almost imperceptible, cues all the way up to the top of the ladder — an aggressive bite.
The initial signs of stress and uneasiness in a dog are usually very innocuous: yawning, blinking, and licking their nose. They turn their head away from you and avoid eye contact, creating what some people call the “whale eye” – where you can see the white part of their eye. Next would be the dog turning away from the perceived threat, followed by signs we more commonly associate with a fearful dog: head and neck lowered, ears pulled back close to the head, and staring at you with a stiffened body.
These are signals sent to the aforementioned “perceived threat” – the person initiating contact –from the dog. If that threat doesn’t go away — in other words, if the person still insists on petting or hugging the dog – what happens next depends on the dog. Some will try hard to wiggle away and escape, but others will snarl, growl, and attempt to bite. Now they’re at the top of the “ladder.” Some dogs climb it quickly, others slowly, and some never climb it all the way. But every dog perceiving a threat will show some version of this progression of signs.
Recognizing those early subtle signs of stress and backing off before they escalate is the key to preventing bites. Unfortunately, most adults are unfamiliar with reading these cues, let alone children who instinctively think every dog is friendly and wants to be hugged or petted.
On the other hand, there are ways kids and adults can gauge a dog’s willingness to interact. There’s never a foolproof way of knowing if a dog welcomes your attention, but generally if they have a relaxed jaw with an open mouth and half-closed squinty eyes with wrinkles at the corner, those are good signs the dog is okay with you petting him.
Just because the dog is okay with you petting him at first doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll want you to continue indefinitely, though. This is where “permission to pet” comes in. Give the dog three pets, then stop to see if they want some more. If they do, they’ll indicate this by nuzzling your hand or pawing at you for more. Three more pets, then stop again and see. Repeat this until the dog doesn’t want any more (or you get tired of petting this dog!).
Dog bites can unfortunately sometimes be a heartbreaking result of our interactions. But bites rarely come out of nowhere. Noticing those sometimes-subtle cues of stress and fear, and backing down before they escalate, can help ensure that our relationship remains a positive one.
Russ Daly, DVM, is the Extension Veterinarian at South Dakota State University. He can be reached via e-mail at[email protected] or at 605-688-5171.
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