I want to first apologize for the lack of newsletter yesterday. We lost power the previous evening and did not have it fully restored until much later in the day. Because of this I am making today’s newsletter a bonus free episode.
This is a topic I have written about and discussed often, but it is always worth repeating. The first and most important thing to understand is that most bites happen out of fear and not aggression. It is easy to tell if an aggressive dog is dangerous and ready to bite. They’re snarling, growling, baring teeth, with their back hunched, and their hackles raised. A fearful dog it is harder to tell. They whimper, crouch, move away, and sometimes even loose their bowels.
Interesting note on that last part. This is something that happens to humans as well if our heart rate gets above 175. At an elevated heart rate our bodies go into full on fight or flight mode and shutdown all unnecessary functions which includes holding our waste in. As dogs’ nervous and endocrine systems aren’t that different from humans it makes since that they have a similar response to danger.
Dealing with a skittish dog is something I have had to do on several occasions, and the first and most important rule is to keep yourself safe. As I mentioned above the fearful dog can turn into an aggressive dog in the flick of a tail and a fearful dog might not give nearly the warning an aggressive dog does before a bite. When a fearful dog turns aggressive it is likely because they see fighting as the last resort and only recompense left to them to eliminate the perceived danger.
The important part about that is perceived danger. That is what any person dealing with a skittish dog needs to understand. That dog perceives you as a danger. As a threat to their safety, comfort, and well being, and the skittish dog wants one thing and one thing only. For you to go away.
In my line of work sometimes I can’t go away. I am there to take dogs outside and to give them food. Now food can be left down and the dog can come to it in their own time, and messes can be cleaned up so it isn’t the absolute end of the world if I can’t get to them but it does create more work in the future. If I do feel a dog is so skittish that I am in danger of getting bit I will message my client, apologize, and tell them I will work with their dog to get them out on future visits but for this one it is neither safe for myself or good for their dog’s stress level.
I have never had that happen. I have always managed to get the dog outside. Sometimes it is as simple as grabbing their leash and saying their name. Something in the familiar object and my knowledge of their name ends all fear and they are ready to go out. Other times I have a much longer road to walk.
What that entails is first and foremost understanding that to the dog you are the danger. You are the one who knocks. So, stay away from the dog. Give them their space. Treat them like a cat. Give them time to come to you. The best thing to do is to get down on their level, do not face them head on, don’t make eye contact, and toss treats to where they are.
When dogs or any mammal is under duress the last thing their body wants is food. Remember, the body is shutting off blood flow to unnecessary parts and reserving it for large muscle groups. In moments of heightened stress getting a cookie is the last thing on the body’s mind.
Stress and fear work in funny ways though. Simply going through a doorway into another room or being a few feet away from the stressor can reduce it to the point that treats become desirable, and if you can get a dog to take a treat ten feet from you then you can get them to nine feet then to eight and so on and so forth until they are eating from your hand. The key is to move as little as possible, keep silent, and let them come to you.
Getting a skittish dog to first accept me and then outside in a fifteen minute visit time frame is one of the hardest challenges I have overcome in my line of work, but you’d be surprised how quickly emotions can be changed when the proper steps are taken. Owners of new rescue pets that come home skittish will have a slightly less degree of difficulty given their luxury of time and that they can live with their dog until it is ready to live with them.