Dangers of Dogs

Dangers of dog

As evidenced by their attacks on other creatures, both wild and domestic, dogs can be voracious, aggressive, predators. Their sharp teeth and powerful jaws can inflict serious injuries; their sharp claws have powerful muscles behind them. Scratches from dogs are easily infected. Although confrontations between man and dog ordinarily stop well short of harm, human ignorance or stupidity can lead to severe injury from even the most well-tempered dog. Contrary to myth, barking dogs can bite a person who fails to recognize the warning. Likewise, a wagging tail indicates an excited state, which is not always a result of "happy" excitation; a wagging dog is not equivalent to a purring cat.

Some behaviors that people (especially people unfamiliar with dogs) might display could potentially evoke a predatory or aggressive response from a dog. These include (but are not limited to):

• Attacking a dog
• Attempting to take food away from a dog
• Threatening a puppy in the presence of an adult dog, especially its mother
• Looking a dog directly in the eyes, especially when on the same level of the dog (such as small children)
• Approaching a sick or injured dog
• Running away from a dog: the chase-and-catch instinct in wolves is not fully lost, and most dogs can outrun and overtake the average human
• Ignoring "Beware of Dog" signs: trained attack dogs, unlike most dogs, may attack an intruder without warning

Although most dogs are not inherently aggressive (unless they are feral, trained to attack intruders, threatened or provoked), it is important to remember that they are predatory by nature and instinct is something that never disappears. This is not to say that all of the above behaviors will always result in injury. In fact, some dog experts advocate acclimating a puppy to a removal of its food in order that its handler can, later in life, do so if needed (the dog is eating something dangerous, for example) without as high a degree of danger.

Small children are especially prone to provoking dogs, in part because their pre-ambulatory movements suggest similarities to prey that dogs instinctively attack. Also, young children may well unintentionally provoke the dog (pulling on ears or tails is common) because they do not know any better. Because of a dog's pack instincts, they may also attempt to establish a dominant position over a child, this should not be allowed. To avoid potential conflicts, children should be kept separate from any dog in the absence of adult supervision until the dog has shown its acceptance of the child in its midst and the child has shown an understanding of appropriate behavior.

Allan

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