Dog Bite Classifications

Level 3 bite

Well known veterinarian, dog trainer, and behaviorist Ian Dunbar has developed a six level system of classifying bites, in order to make discussions of biting behavior more consistent and understandable.

Why is the relevant?  When an owner calls me and frantically says their dog has just chased and bitten a neighbor, I often discover the horrible
bite was actually only a scratch.  I feel good being able to tell the owner
that while we need to lower their dogs Predatory Behavior, their dog has a fairly soft mouth.  Many dogs have a predatory or high chase impulse
because it is normal dog behavior,  and yes, it can be counter conditioned or modified.  
Teaching your dog to use soft jaws on humans is the most important thing you can teach your dog.  Playing Tug with appropriate rules such as Take it and Leave it and playing the Claw are good ways of giving your dog feedback on his bite pressure.

Ian Dunbars Bite levels are as follows:

Level 1 Bite – Harassment but no skin contact. This is the

so-called snap. Don’t kid yourself. A snap is an intended

“air bite” from a dog who did not intend to connect. He

didn’t just “miss.” It is a lovely warning signal, telling us that

we need to identify his stressors and either desensitize

him or manage his behavior to avoid exposing him to the

things that cause him undue stress.

Level 2 Bite – Tooth contact on skin but no puncture. Again,

this is a bite from a dog who didn’t intend to break skin,

and a warning that this dog is serious. It’s a very good idea

to remove the dog’s stressors at this point, before he graduates

to the next level.

Level 3 Bite – Skin punctures, one to four holes from a

single bite (all punctures shallower than the length of the

canine tooth).

Level 4 Bite – One to four holes, deep black bruising with

punctures deeper than the length of the canine (which means

the dog bit and clamped down) or slashes in both directions

from the puncture (the dog bit and shook his head).

Level 5 Bite – Multiple-bite attack with deep punctures,

or multiple attack incident.

Level 6 Bite – Killed victim and/or consumed flesh.

Join us for a fun practice session at Back Cove today 9:30 am

With so many clients busy with Easter plans, we will not be meeting at Tommy's Park today for classes.  I returned from my vacation late Thursday evening all refreshed and quite excited about teaching everyone the "Switch Over" today.  However we did agree to not hold Outdoor Adventure or Feisty Fido as many of you do have plans for the holiday weekend.

Digger at Back Cove is being rewarded for an
alternate behavior.  But he really wants
to chase this bike!

For fun, KT and I will be at Back Cove Trail 9:30 am today to practice our dogs emotional control if anyone would like to join us!  We always park towards the right side of the parking lot.  Have your dogs Yellow CBC Bandana on so we can find each other!  Hope you can join us!

For next weeks classes, we will stick to the schedule.

                 

                  Outdoor Adventure meets next week at: 

4/30/11   Falmouth Community Park, Located on Winn Road, just north of the Fire House. 

                  Feisty Fido meets next week at:

 4/30/11 Payson Park, Portland  (class starts at 11:00 am)

Play

While still in Florida having a wonderful time with my family, I will be completely honest, I totally miss my 3 pups back in Maine!  I know they are in great hands as my intern KT is giving them lots of love and exercise.

What do I miss the most?  Play!!  I love to play Tug as they love this game as much as I do -- maybe even more!  Sophie, my scottie use to grab your hand often, but has learned to have better control where she puts her teeth.  Annie my terrier is determined to hold on, even if I pick her up off the ground, she is a terrier to the core.  While Pablo loves tug also, he mostly loves to be chased, we play tag in the basement often.  It took me a while to catch on but he taught me that when he stares at me and lowers his head, then bolts, it means "you're it".

All the dogs will drop any tug toy with a happy "leave it" cue.  While I did reward with food while teaching this cue, now the reward is continued play or affection.  I also recommend play as a way to distract dogs in many different situations.  Like when Sophie used to chase people who turned their back as they walked to the door,  I used fetch as an alternative behavior just as the person moved.  She had been practicing chasing and nipping for 5 years,  so I will need to reinforce her alternative behavior for a long time, but using play is a win win for both of us -- even my kids are good with it!

So if you haven't taken time to play your favorite game with your dogs I hope you find time to play today!

Class Schedule for Spring Break

Lure Reward

Hope everyone enjoyed some of yesterday's Spring like weather!  I want to confirm that we do have classes tonight 4/13th, as well as Small Dog Socialization tomorrow night 4/14th.  There will NOT be any Manners classes or Outdoor Adventure Classes from 4/14th through the 21st. as I will be heading to Marco Island for some fun with the family!

Justin and Baden

Justin did have the screw taken out of his tibia yesterday as the incision continued to drain.  He is resting comfortably at home and should not have anymore issues with his knee.  Yes, this means no water for Justin while in Florida, but hey it could be much worse and he knows that!  Thank you for all the prayers and good wishes!

I would like to remind you while we do not have formal classes, please practice Daily Emotion Control exercises with your dog while in your home and on your walks.  Using "Be Still, Wait, Watch me, Sit (for longer periods of time), Here, Come, Leave it, All Done, Settle, Heel, Down and any other cues you would like to practice.  I promise if you have your dog work for his meals, you will have a dog with better emotional control.

Have a Great week!

Adolescent Dogs

Avoiding Behavior Problems
I often here clients say "my pup was such a good boy, but now that he is nearly 2, he doesn't listen"  Adolescent dogs may become more confident, begin to ignore you, become hyperactive, be increasingly shy with guests and even lose their social skills.  What can you do?  Here are a few ideas to help your well behaved pup breeze through the teenage years. 

Have you stopped rewarding good behavior?

Many of us become so busy with our lives, we incorrectly assume that when our pup is 9 or 10 months old and has finished Manners I we are done raising him.  Unfortunately, you are just getting started!  Have you begun to assume he knows all the rules of the house?  When was the last time you used a Lure/reward technique?  Have you continued to help him see guests and strangers as a source of good things?  Does he have polite greeting skills, or is he beginning to become rude because he hasn't practiced in a while.  Do you say "come", then close the door and allow him to continue sniffing?  If so, what does "come" mean to your dog?  

Behaviors that are not practiced will fade, in addition, bad behaviors that become routine are much harder to break.

Regular Play Sessions

While it is not necessary for your dog to like every dog he meets, it is essential that your dog grows up to have good bite inhibition (soft mouth).  Offering your dog continued opportunities to play with a few friends each week is crucial to this development.  Continuing to hand feed and only reward when a soft mouth is used will help your dog mature with good bite inhibition.

Greeting Guests 

Many clients contact me with a similar concern: that their adolescent dog is become progressively desocialized toward unfamiliar people and strangers until eventually they become intolerant of all but a small inner circle of friends.  If your dog is beginning to shy away from guests, bark, lunge or nip at guests heels as they leave, consider taking extra steps towards positive associations with guests and strangers.  

Socialization, Socialization, Socialization

Socialization

Puppy Socialization is extremely necessary for you to be able to continue socializing your adolescent dog; even into adulthood.  If you are not able to offer your young dog regular opportunities to meet new people and dogs, you may consider hiring a dog walker, take walks with friends who have calm dogs or spend time on the weekend walking the streets of Portland with a pocket full of treats.  You may need to have a party of some kind so you can have guests in your home and help your dog remember how to greet people politely. Consider taking a Canine Good Citizen Class with your young dog to keep their social skills a focus as he grows.  Young and old, all dogs need to practice their socialization skills.

Very similar to humans, dogs have their favorite friends and may want to avoid playing with dogs they have just met.  They may even snarl at a new acquaintance, yet, given time, these two may learn to trust and eventually play.  Although we hate to admit that our dog may have been in a few scuffles, it is somewhat natural for dogs to have physical altercations.  This is when owners begin to avoid all contact with other dogs and their socialization comes to a halt.  Now, the less your dog is socialized the more likely he loses his communication skills and the more likely he is to fight.

Avoid these behavior problems with continued use of Positive Training techniques and continued socialization with both new people, dogs and environments.  If you would like to do this with us, consider taking our Outdoor Adventure Class!

Great Small Dog Socialization Class!

Thanks to everyone who participated in last nights Small Dog Socialization Class at Tender Touch Veterinary Hospital last night.  What a success!

All the pups are showing improved social skills not only with each other and the older dogs, but with the humans as well.  Their continued socialization allows them to rebound from scary situations, read other dogs body language and is clearly evident in the more play that is going on during the class.

Annie

My old girl Annie was too tired for her normal walk this morning, she is happily sunning her self on the side walk and made it clear to me she had no intentions of going anywhere else.  She has always been a big part of helping young dogs learn better emotional control without any serious reprimands.  In fact she has been with me for 10 years, I adopted her from a Small Dog Rescue group when I lived in Michigan 10 years ago at the age of one.




So Glad to hear many of you are taking your pups with you many places, helping your dogs learn about their environments is a big part of socializing them.  Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

Forming Habits

Did you notice your dog chose to potty on the deck, patio, or step with this latest snow storm or rainy day?  Many dog owners feel this setback in behavior with potty habits even in older dogs.  Rain is simply a negative reinforcer to some dogs, in other words, they want to avoid it, hence they potty as close to the door as possible.

What can you do?  Give your dog continued feedback so he will chose to make the right choice.  Is it that simple?  Often it is, because we know that those who have a support system to help change their behavior are far more likely to succeed.  So be your dog's support system and remind them when they go out the door to go to the designated area to potty, especially if it is raining.

Following with verbal praise for making the right choice is a great way to support your dog and increase the behavior you want.  Positive Reinforcers such as food and praise are essential to modify behavior and form new habits.

IAABC Conference - Life Changing

Many of you know I was in Rhode Island for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants Conference, and loved every minute of it!  

The IAABC conference was not only enjoyable, it was very educational!  It was fabulous to meet  many dog enthusiasts, but also professional horse, cat and bird trainers. The IAABC representatives were very friendly and wiling to share their knowledge to the conference attendees.

Victoria & Judy
IAABC 2011 conference 

I am excited to share with you the many Positive Behavior Modification methods our profession has not only identified but are scientifically proven to work on many different species.  Demonstrations included working with the fearful/anxious dog, the reactive dog, the best methods to obtain emotional control, why emotional trauma is more harmful than physical trauma, integrating dogs into the "cat" only house and much more!

Special Attendees included: Bob Bailey, Dr. Nick Dodman, Brenda Aloff, Victoria Stillwell, Karen Pryer and many more, were incredibly inspiring and leading edge on how behavior modification can be used on many species -- from dogs to humans -- as agreed by behaviorists and psychologists alike!

Did you know the first behavior modification methods used on the mentally handicapped were demonstrated by animal trainers using reinforcers and shaping methods?  The Breland's, Marion and Keller, as well as Bob Bailey and of course BF Skinner all had a hand in this program.

I am so looking forward to sharing new and fun positive techniques with you!