Dog bites cause significant human injury and result in thousands of dogs being euthanized annually. Evidence-based prevention reduces harm to both people and dogs.
Dog bite prevention is both a public health priority and an animal welfare priority: biting dogs are typically euthanized, even when the bite was a rational response to an unrecognized threat. Prevention therefore protects people and dogs simultaneously. The most evidence-based prevention strategies address human behavior — recognizing warning signals, appropriate interaction with unfamiliar dogs, never leaving children unsupervised with any dog, and education programs that teach body language literacy. Punishing dogs for growling removes the warning without removing the fear, creating a dog that bites without warning — the opposite of safe.