24/12/2025
'TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY......UNTIL SOMEONE GETS BITTEN IN THE FACE.
And it was likely entirely preventable.
Sorry to come across all grinch-like, but this is the season for dog bites. Read on to learn how to prevent them.
1️⃣ ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDE AND EXPECTATIONS OF YOUR DOG.
Most dog bites happen to someone known to the dog (i.e., a family member).
Many dog bite cases seen by professionals are a first incident that caught those involved completely by surprise.
They thought their friendly and tolerant dog would never bite.
Indeed, some dogs are a lower risk than others. But expecting a dog to NEVER bite is like expecting a person to go through their whole life without saying 'no'.
Everyone and every animal has a threshold. Some have far higher thresholds than others. But thresholds are not fixed. They fluctuate.
Bites are unfortunately too often the first behaviour people notice that reveals their dog is not as tolerant as they were yesterday.
Don't take your dog's tolerance for granted.
2️⃣ NO FACES NEAR FACES
I must have told my young nephew this 10 times across three hours on Monday when I visited my stepmum (who has two dogs).
A high percentage of dog bites are directed onto the face of a person. More often than not, this gives us clues as to what that person was doing immediatly prior to being bitten.
Children tend to have strong face-face orientation and a reduced sensitivity for proximity that others may find inappropriate or invasive.
Dogs as a species generally find face-face (especially head on and up close) threatening, with the threshold for perceived threat to be far lower (increased sensitivity) when the relationship is new or unstable.
When we see so many adult humans miss warning signals in dogs, can we expect young children to spot them too?
Warning signals include;
🎄 Angling the head away
🎄 Ears pulled back
🎄 Lip licking, yawning, tension in the face- especially in the muzzle (the mouth will often close tightly).
🎄 The whites of the eyes will often show (caused by the dog angling their head away whilst keeping their eye on the person and carrying increasing tension in their face).
Putting faces near or into faces doesn't enable an easy perspective to observe warning signals, nor does it give you much time to move away/ avoid should you see warning signals.
The safest thing is to is to not put faces near faces.
Proactively drill this saying into kids (nicely) until they start to remember.
3️⃣ STOP PICKING UP THE DOG / PUPPY
On my morning walk yesteday, I walked parallel to a family with two dogs for about 5-10 minutes. In that time I saw a young child pick up a small (ish) dog about 10 times.
The dog started running ahead and the child followed. The dog stopped to sniff something and the child opportunistically caught up and picked the dog up again.
If I were that dog, at some point I'd say "ENOUGH!" or "WILL YOU JUST F**K OFF!".
Running away didn't work for that dog, so how else can the dog communicate that they don't want to be picked up constantly?
A dog may be more quick to lose tolerance if they are stressed, tired, hungry or sore, and generally behaviour change (including reduced tolerance) is the first clear indicator people notice of a dog feeling any of these things.
Let's encourage children to not treat dogs like objects. Some adults will benefit from remembering this too.
Everyone should treat their dogs as though they were a Great Dane. Stop picking them up all the time!
Your dog has legs, they can move themselves around. Your job is to learn to communicate with your dog so they understand where you want them to move to, such as off the sofa, away from the christmas tree etc.
Interactions should be consensual.
🎄 Invite the dog to come over for attention.
🎄 Take 'no' for an answer (the dog doesn't respond to the invitation).
🎄 Interact with the dog without restraining them or blocking/ boxing them in. The dog should be easily able to move away.
🎄Stop the interaction after a few seconds, see if the dog wants to move away, settle down or asks for more fuss.
Excitable children and those who are enjoying the novelty of having a dog around them (visiting family with dogs, new dog brought into the family) are often at a high risk of invading that dog's space and doing so persistently.
Set clear boundaries, helping children learn to respect animals beyond forced cuddles.
4️⃣ LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE
How would you like someone going up to you and giving you a cuddle when you're in a deep sleep?
How would you like someone physically removing you from your resting spot without verbally inviting you to move first?
Dogs get tired. Especially at Christmas when their routine is disrupted by increased activity within the home and often longer, family walks.
Tired dogs can be startled or grumpy.
Make sure your dog gets plenty of rest and that they are left to rest in peace.
5️⃣ RESOURCE GUARDING IS NORMAL BEHAVIOUR (to some degree!)
It's normal in dogs and many other species, including humans.
Take my Christmas present off me unexpectedly and I'll probably express how rude that was. Request for me to pass it over so you can have a look, and I'll likely oblige.
Forcefully taking food items or an object your dog has found off your dog increases the risk of resource guarding behaviours.
Let your dog rip the used wrapping paper up, or trade any items of concern for treats.
Ensure guests know to leave your dog alone if they are eating (food or a chew), and to leave you to deal with any problem behaviours.
If your dog is thought to be a resource guarder already, give them something enjoyable to do away from a resource laden context- such as when the family is opening presents.
6️⃣ STOP TELLING THE DOG OFF
I meet a lot of dogs who get shouted at a lot. A stressful existence for both dog and people involved!
At family gatherings, young children can mirror adult behaviour and other adults may also be involved in responding to the dog.
Before long- everyone is telling the dog off.
I'm not suggesting that dogs should be allowed to do what ever they please and we just ignore undesired behaviour.
My dogs have boundaries, and boundaries can be communicated with kindness.
If you have not spent the time teaching your dog what you'd like them to do, it's not very fair to shout at them for doing something you perceive to be wrong.
It's likely too late to teach your dog to settle on a mat or on their bed while you all eat Christmas dinner, not jump as guests arrive, not steal newly opened presents- more so if they have a history of doing that undesired behaviour!
Manage the environment- give your dog something enjoyable to do elsewhere. Ideally behind a barrier nearby, so your dog is not isolated (unless they can relax whilst being shut away somewhere else).
7️⃣ BE PROACTIVE
All of the above can only be achieved if you are proactive.
🎄Communicate guidance to guests in advance.
🎄Manage the environment and consider utilising barriers if you are cannot supervise or trust someone else to.
🎄Supervise (simply observe, pay attention) to interactions.
🎄If in doubt, get them out. Ask the human involved to adjust their behaviour - should you have time. Recalling the dog away is often the quickest solution.
Christmas can be chaotic. Booze is often involved, the environment is full of resources and things that smell delicious to dogs!
Things can get loud, people want to switch off, relax and fully enjoy the moment....... and that is unfortunately why so many dog bites happen at Christmas.
