Ask To Be Excused

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102 – March, 2023

By Sandy Weaver

“Any dog with teeth can bite.” This is a sentence on the American Veterinary Medical Association website in an article about dog bite prevalence and prevention. The article includes startling statistics:

• There are about 4.5 million dog bites a year in the United States

• Around 800,000 of those bitten require medical attention to treat the bite wounds

• At least half of the dog bites each year involve a child, and children’s wounds are more likely to be severe

Those involved in the sport of dogs aren’t somehow magically protected from dog bites. Conformation dogs are far more likely to be socialized and trained than the average dog, and that does tip the scales more towards safety for participants and spectators. And yet, biting incidents do occur at conformation events.

If you show your dog or dogs, read this article. All of it. Because as the AVMA says, any dog with teeth can bite, and if a bite happens at a show, the consequences for the dog(s) and owner(s) are swift and stark. No one wants a dog bite to happen and no one wants to be in the position of trying to get a disqualified dog reinstated. Keep reading to be mentally prepared for the worst, so that “the worst” will be less likely to happen to you.

First, a bit about bites: canine behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar created a way to assess the likelihood of repeat biting behavior by a dog that has shown aggressive behavior:

Click here to read the complete article
102 – March, 2023

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=257881

Posted by AnthonyA on Mar 10 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.