Dog Bite Prevention

Our primary goal at Gumtree Greys is to help facilitate enriching and harmonious relationships between humans and hounds. While we appreciate there’s nothing more exciting than welcoming a new greyhound into your home, the transition can be stressful for them, and being mindful of their needs goes a long way to dog bite prevention.

Here are five key tips to help you create a safe and happy environment, minimizing the risk of dog bites:

1.Understand and Respect Dog Growls: Your Dog's Way of Saying "I'm Uncomfortable"

Good dogs growl! In the canine world communication is often subtle and easily missed by humans (a turn of the head, a flick of the tongue). Respecting, and responding to, a dog growl can avoid escalation to higher level behaviours like snapping/biting. 

Never correct or punish a growling dog, instead see it as an opportunity to better understand their comfort level and boundaries. By listening to their warnings, you can prevent potential dog aggression and build trust.

2. Create Safe Spaces: Why Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie Prevents Bites

"Let sleeping dogs lie" is more than just an old saying – it's a crucial aspect of dog safety. So many conflicts can be avoided by ensuring your dog has a safe place to lay down, where they won’t be approached or interacted with. This could be a bed, crate, or designated area where they know they won't be disturbed.

The use of dog gates and dog pens can be a great way to provide security, especially if you have other animals, young children, or even guests in the home.

For greyhounds rescued from the racing industry, common issues like sleep startle and resource guarding can make shared resting spaces risky to navigate. Always get to know your dog’s indvividual needs and comfort levels before inviting them up onto the couch or bed.

3. Manage Feeding Time: Ensuring a Safe Environment During Meals

Your dog doesn’t need assistance to finish a meal, nor an audience for a snack. Give them a secure space away from high traffic areas to eat - and save treats, puzzle feeders, and other high value food items for times they can be physically separated from other animals and young children. This helps prevent resource guarding in dogs.

Avoid outdated training methods for resource guarding that involve hand feeding and touching bowls while the dog is eating, as this can create frustration or insecurity and worsen guarding behaviours. Walking by at a distance and tossing high value treats while a dog is eating is a great way to create a positive  association with people nearby during mealtimes.

4.Teach Consent for Affection: Respecting Your Dog's Boundaries

Keen to show your dog just how much you love them via physical touch? Ensure all four paws are on the floor, and check before offering more. 

The best way to share affection is by calling your dog to you and interacting with them while they are standing. Check for consent by touching for a few seconds then stop and see if your dog enthusiastically engages you via soft eye contact, leaning towards you, or pawing (great, keep going!) or is still/stiff, looks away, shifts their weight away from you (time to stop). All members of the family, especially children, about dog body language and consent is vital for safe interactions.

5. Always supervise and separate young children

Dog and baby on the scene? Put an adult in between. Statistically, children under the age of five are most likely to be bitten by dogs that they know, and are most commonly hospitalised for lacerations to the head and neck.

You can lower the risks by limiting direct interactions between dogs and children who are too young to follow directions, and ensuring a trusted adult (who knows the dog well) is present and closely monitoring their comfort. 

Highchairs surrounded by dropped food, toys and playmats, and even nappy bins or change tables are common conflict spots for new parents and dogs adjusting to the arrival of a baby. We recommend making these spaces inaccessible to prevent problems. Getting into a routine of separation and implementing measures like baby gates and playpens in the early days goes a long way to setting the entire household up for success as toddlers become mobile. 

The takeaway? Majority of bites occurring within the home are preventable. 

The majority of dog bites that occur within the home are preventable. By understanding canine communication, respecting their boundaries, and managing interactions, you can build a strong relationship based on trust and respect with your dog, significantly reducing the risk of dog bite incidents.