Every year, 150,000 dog biting incidents are reported by dogs in the Netherlands and some 6,600 people visit the Emergency Department of a hospital. There are, of course, adults who are bitten by dogs, but young children are by far the most frequently affected. And contrary to popular belief, they are bitten most often by their own pet.
Simple precautions can prevent a lot of trouble
Many adults think that only certain breeds or stray dogs will bite their children, but this is absolutely not true! In fact, of all the kids who have ever had a dog bite, most of these bites came from their own pet! Of course adults are also bitten by dogs, but in most cases it is really the small children who are the victims. The chance that a child will be bitten during childhood is up to 50%! It usually happens on the face or neck. Worst of all, once dogs have bitten the victim for the first time, they will probably do a little harder the second time, should it come to that again.
However, it doesn’t always have to be that way. By taking a few simple but important precautions, you can protect not only your own children, but also all other children and people who interact with your dog from his biting. You can also avoid legal issues if he was allowed to bite someone.
Never leave your young children alone with your dog
In many cases, a dog will bite a child because the child pats them too aggressively, startles them or irritates them in a similar way. For that reason alone, you should never leave your children alone with your dog without any kind of supervision! Another reason why dogs often bite children is because dogs often don’t know any better. For example, if a dog sees a crying baby or child, he will simply see a moving squeaky thing that can be played with, especially if he has yet to get to know the baby or child well. Only when children are 10-12 and know the dog well, it may be an option to leave your child alone with the dog from time to time! Only then are children mature enough not to do strange things, but of course there are always exceptions. It will also depend on the dog. Is the dog a bit more aggressive or gentle?
Always keep your dog on a leash
Of course, this does not apply if your dog is at home or in its own (fenced) garden. Only as soon as your dog comes into contact with other people, eg when you go to the vet or a shopping area, should he always be on a leash! The dog may be very well trained, people can always accidentally do things that the dog turns out not to be able to handle (such as accidentally scaring him), which will cause him to bite. Here, too, there is the danger that he will mistake playing children or babies for toys with which he can do what he wants.
Get your dog vaccinated on time
If your dog bites someone, the situation will get even worse if it turns out that your dog has not been properly vaccinated. This is also usually the first thing victims want to know, as well as the police (if they are called in). A dog should be vaccinated against parvo and Weil’s disease every year and every two years against distemper, infectious liver disease and kennel cough. In the Netherlands, no dog with rabies has been seen in recent years, but vaccination against this is certainly sensible if the dog goes abroad. Rabies is very contagious to humans! It is also advisable to worm four times a year with a good wormer. For example, tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms and annelids are common in dogs and can all be passed on to humans!
Train your dog
Dogs do not automatically know how to behave around people, in the house, or in social situations outside the home and you should never expect this from them! They simply have to learn it, just like children. The dog should never be hit during training. This only makes the dog afraid of people and can even behave aggressively in defense. Dogs learn much better through positive stimulation and reward. If you are unsure of how to train your dog, take him to obedience training. A trained dog is much less likely to bite, even in unpredictable risky situations.
As a final tip, give a dog plenty of opportunity to play and run as well. Then he is definitely calm when he needs to be!