Dogs | Behavior and welfare | Evidence chain

FAQ

My dog growled at me — can I scold or punish it?

Do not punish a growl under any circumstances. The growl is the warning stage on the ladder of stress signals, and punishing it amounts to dismantling the alarm, so the next time the dog may bite without warning. Earlier signals include lip licking, blinking, head turning, turning the body away, yawning and scratching, followed by walking away, hiding, ears back and the white of the eye showing; if the dog is already tense all over, has stopped chewing, is staring at you and breathing shallowly, that is the last peaceful warning and you should stop immediately.

My dog has suddenly become aggressive and refuses to go upstairs — has it turned bad?

A sudden change in behavior should be treated as a medical problem first. Sudden aggression, suddenly refusing stairs or the sofa, suddenly biting at one part of the body, suddenly toileting indoors and sudden night-time restlessness should all lead first to ruling out pain (especially osteoarthritis, teeth, ears, intervertebral disc disease), endocrine disease, neurological disease and cognitive dysfunction, and only then to a discussion of training. Inappropriate toileting indoors is the same: test the urine first.

What should I watch for between my child and my dog?

Bite incidents occur mostly at home, are caused by a familiar dog, and injure the child's face and hands, so the principle is that a child of any age with a dog needs an adult present to supervise. Teach the child the "three do-nots": do not hug, do not disturb the dog while it eats or sleeps, do not chase it, and establish a do-not-disturb zone for the dog. A dog in pain has the highest risk of biting, so with children at home it matters even more to treat dental, ear and joint pain actively.