A Summary of Ian Dunbar’s Bite Scale
Its important to determine the dogs level of bite threshold.
All dogs (even the most mellow ones) have a bite threshold. Given the right circumstances, a dog will revert to biting once a certain level of stimulation has been surpassed. A bite threshold is, therefore, the quantity and level of intensity of triggers necessary to evoke a dog to bite.
Does the dog who resource guards charge anybody who enters the kitchen or just when people attempt to grab their food bowl? Does the dog with a history of biting children charge when the children are playing nearby or when he or she is cornered with no escape route? Dogs with a low bite threshold are dogs that are more likely to bite with little provocation, and therefore, are deemed more dangerous, especially if the low bite threshold is accompanied by poor bite inhibition.
On top of this, worthy of consideration is whether the dog emits any warning signals before biting. A big mistake many dog owners inadvertently make is punishing dogs for growling or air snapping. This potentially leads to dogs that bite without warning, which makes them more of a liability. We want dogs to growl because thats their warning system that may help prevent a potential bite.
Bite Threshold
A bite threshold is the quantity and level of intensity of triggers necessary to evoke a dog to bite.
Finding the right professional for the job is the most important factor in rehabilitating a dog.
Behavior modification for dog aggression requires a high level of expertise. The ideal professionals are those that focus on the observable, quantifiable behaviors emitted by the dog rather than applying labels and adjectives as to why the dog behaves in the way it does. There are also considerable risks when outdated dog training philosophies with no foundation in science are utilized; these often include the use of confrontational or aversive methods.
A study published in the Journal of Applied Animal Behavior Science has demonstrated that confrontational training methods such as staring down dogs, striking them, or intimidating them with physical manipulation, have little effect in correcting improper behavior and can elicit aggressive responses.
Several completed surveys revealed that confrontational methods such as hitting or kicking a dog when performing an undesirable behavior, growling at the dog, alpha-rolling the dog, staring the dog down, or grabbing the dog by the jowls and shaking them evoked an aggressive response from at least 25% of the affected dogs.
Its important to work with professionals that are well-versed in using humane, force-free behavior modification.
Dog owners play an important role in successful rehabilitation.
Observing the Level of Bite Inhibition
How much pressure is exerted by a dogs jaw when a dog bites plays a very important role in whether an aggressive dog can be rehabilitated successfully. Truth is, if a dog has bitten in the past and caused a great degree of damage, there is a greater concern for protecting the owner and the family. This places even more pressure on the professional helping to rehabilitate the dog, considering that it is difficult to ensure 100% reliability when implementing behavior modification.
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When a dog bites or engages in other aggressive acts against people or other animals what is an owner to do? Do they accept the dog is vicious and allow it to be put down? Coquitlam’s legal counsel, Heather Bradfield, told me the city prefers to work with all dog owners to try and find ways to ensure their pets won’t pose a safety hazard to the public. But when they can get no compliance and the public’s safety is at risk they have to seek an order to destroy the animal. However, she aded there are few dogs that have been formerly labelled “vicious” in Coquitlam but their owners have taken steps to ensure the public’s safety. Steps like never allowing the dog out without a muzzle, working with a professional dog behaviourist and in one extreme case, where a pit bull cross was actually given the court approval to be put down, the dog’s owner resolved the matter with a peace bond with the city setting out what he would do so no one was ever hurt by the dog.