Bites: Pre, During, Post & First Aid
“Working with dogs, you are bound to get bit. It isn’t a matter of if, it is a matter of when.”
Pre-Bite
When a dog bites, the most common response of dog owners is “Oh NO! I had no clue my dog was going to bite.” Clearly, unlike humans dogs don’t normally verbally tell you they are uncomfortable in a situation. But their actions speak louder than their words and by being aware of a dogs warning signs we can reduce dog bites.
As trainers, we can see a bite before a dog is ready to bite and see the signs, but as a caution for our team we wanted to give you some pre-bite warning signs so you know what to look out for.
Here are 5 of the most common pre-bite signs…
1) Yawning, licking lips and avoiding eye contact…
Just because a dog is showing these signs doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to bite. These are sometimes signs of clear discomfort. Discomfort is a pre-bite sign. Things normally escalate from here, but these are some signs that a dog is uncomfortable.
2) Hackles standing up
Initially when a dog feels threatened or on edge, you can see the fur on their spine line start to stand up. This isn’t a tell-tell sign that the dog will bite. However, it is a sign of nervousness and of general discomfort which can be a pre-bite sign. If you see this, watch out.
3) Growling, snapping or showing teeth…
Normally when a dog is about to bite, the growl that you will hear will be a low one. This may be paired with the showing of teeth. Dogs do this when they are put in a bad spot and are really uncomfortable. This is a sign that a bite could be right around the corner.
4) Rigid Body
What does a happy dog do? They MOVE! When a dog is happy every part of the dog is moving. Their tale is wagging, their head is moving, their butt is wiggling, etc. When a dog is not happy, sometimes they do the OPPOSITE of move. They get REALLY still.
If you are ever working with a nervous dog and they get really still (you mostly see this with fearful dogs, aka, fear-biters) this could be a sign they are about to snap. Normally the snap is very quick.
5) Seeing the whites of their eyes (Whale eye)
When you can see the whites of a dogs eyes, this is normally always a bad sign. When a dog feels threatened they don’t normally take their eyes off the threat. By not taking their eyes off the threat, regardless of where the threat goes, you can normally see the whites of their eyes.
More times than not, this whale eye is a precursor to a bite.
TIP: How to avoid fearful dog bites
We don’t work with overly fearful dogs but lots of times when working with mildly fearful dogs and having to get hands on with the dog, you have to make sure the dog can’t bite you. So what we suggest is to hold tension over the dogs head on the leash while pulling forward and then try to pet the rear of the dog. So that way if it bites, you can pull the dog forward and not get bit.
During or Right After
If you get bit, which is bound to happen eventually, there are a few things you need to do. Getting bit isn’t fun and can often be emotional and painful.
If you do find yourself getting bit, do these things immediately.
1) Stand your ground if possible.
Rather than moving away from the dog, stand your ground and try to correct the dog. More on correcting in a bit.
2) Shout and say “No” loudly and firmly
When a dog bite happens, correcting the dog verbally is a big deal. We want to firmly mark the bad behavior the dog is doing with a verbal correction. Most of the time, with most dogs, your loudest and firmest “NO” will be enough to deter the dog.
3) Correct the dog for the behavior is possible
If the dog is on the leash, give the dog a harsh correction on their collar. If the dog is wearing their remote collar, correct the dog using that. If neither of those are there, use your body to correct the dog, use your binder if you need to, etc. Protecting yourself is first. Use what you need to in order to correct the dog and protect yourself.
4) If the bite is bad and you are emotional, remove yourself or the dog from the situation.
Post-bite, often besides being physically hurt, you are often emotional. Removing the dog from the situation to care for yourself and to cool down is a good idea. BUT, you don’t want to do it too soon because if the dog bit you, it clearly wants you to go away. So we do not want to reinforce the dog for biting by letting the dog go away.
5) Make sure the owner does not coddle/check-on the dog until much later
After a stressful time like a dog bite and a stern correction, lots of dog owners would want to coddle and make sure their pup is okay. Of course we want the dog to be okay but we don’t want the owner to check on the dog too soon, because this could be a reinforcer for the dog biting.
6) If you need to, apply first aid, go to hospital, etc.
First-Aid For Dog Bites
Dog mouths are nasty. Dog bites are more nasty. Caring for yourself should be done right after a dog bite if it happens to break the skin.
Assuming the dog bite isn’t so bad you need stitches, follow these 7 steps below.
1) Press on the wound gently to cause some bleeding to help flush out as much bacteria as possible.
2) Wash the wound with mild soap and water.
3) Slow the bleeding with a clean cloth.
4) Apply over-the counter antibiotic cream if you have it.
5) Wrap the wound in a sterile bandage. Keep the wound bandaged and see your doctor.
6) Change the bandage several times a day once your doctor has examined the wound.
7) Watch for signs of infection, including redness, swelling, increased pain and fever.
Hospital
If the wound is bad enough and you know you’ll require stitches, do your best to get cleaned up quickly and get to the ER quickly. Dog bites that require stitches need to be cleaned our really well and flushed before stitching.
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