Dog bites cause millions of injuries annually and often result in relinquishment or euthanasia of the dog. Effective prevention benefits both people and dogs, and centers on understanding canine communication.
Dog bite prevention is fundamentally a welfare issue for dogs as well as a safety issue for people. Dogs that bite are most commonly communicating that previous warning signals (lip licking, yawning, whale eye, lowered body posture, freezing) were ignored or suppressed. Training methods that punish growling create dogs that bite without warning — more dangerous, not less. Dog welfare before biting involves chronic fear or anxiety that goes unaddressed. Welfare-centered prevention focuses on: early socialization, positive reinforcement training, teaching children appropriate canine interaction, recognizing and respecting stress signals, and ensuring dogs have the ability to move away from uncomfortable interactions. Dogs that have bitten require behavioral assessment, management, and often professional behavioral rehabilitation rather than automatic euthanasia.