Tag Archives: dog training

Education is Key to Preventing a Dog Attack

A sad story with impact and hopefully with lessons for all of us.

In November 2021 a boy aged 10 was savagely mauled to death by a dog in South Wales.  I am not going to post the child’s name, as I have not asked permission to do so, nor is it relevant, however reading this very sad story made me realise that what WolfeEdu is setting out to achieve, by educating people especially children of how to share a safe space with a dog could prevent such an attack.

The Dog "B"

The dog was a troubled, 15-month-old, very large, 8-stone American Pitbull “type” called “B” ( for article purposes and out of respect we are not using his real name).  “B” in my opinion should have been responsibly passed over to a trained handler or euthanaised to avoid such a tragedy from happening. 

 

 

 

B had shown severe aggression towards other dogs.  His original owner had stated that “I’ve tried my best with him, I have other dogs and cannot put them at risk”.  And that he was “great with people”. 

 

 

 

I’m not here to speculate whether he was telling the truth or not, as the dog may well have shown no signs of aggression towards humans prior.  However, being the size of dog, and the “type”, showing aggression towards other dogs, alarm bells should have been ringing LOUDLY.

 

 

 

So “B” was mistakenly rehomed.   

 

 

 

In the short time that the new family had owned B it had attacked a cat, and an adult and lunged at a child. More clear signs that this was a disaster waiting to happen.

Then on this very tragic day, a 10-year-old boy was playing with a friend outside his house and decided to go back to his mate’s house.  This is where the event took place where he was savagely and violently attacked and sadly killed

Things Could Have Been Different

Now I have no idea exactly what happened, I can only imagine from the articles that I have read; therefore, this is only written out of assumption below are possible reasons why the dog attacked this child.

  • One scenario could be that the boy showed immense fear towards the dog and therefore omitted energy that the dog recognised as danger and attacked.
  • The boy could have approached the dog and didn’t understand the body language and the signals the dog was giving off, as he had never been taught, the dog was unable to flee and therefore his only option was to fight.
  • The dog did not show any prior signals or warn the boy. Due to mismanagement and poor treatment, these may not have been listened to in the past, so he has learnt to skip A & B and go straight to C which is attack!
  • The dog was extremely territorial and protective, and his instant reaction was to attack. Resource aggression can be reversed if done correctly, should your dog show any sort of resource aggression, it is important to contact a qualified Canine Behaviourist or Dog trainer.

The dog and the boy were allegedly unsupervised. Dogs should be supervised at all times when children are around no matter what breed. If you cannot supervise them then the dog should be removed from the vicinity and put into a safe, comfortable environment where they will not be disturbed.

I can surmise all the scenarios that happened and there are many more, but to be entirely honest I don’t know. So, the above is pure speculation.

What we Know is....

If this little boy was able to read the signs or even if the owners recognised that this dog was showing aggressive behaviour, then this may not have happened.  Education is so important to all, to keep us safe, keep our children safe and keep our beloved pets safe.

 

So as much as you love your dog be honest with people, and ensure they are not around others if they show signs of being uncomfortable, especially around children.  If you do have people coming around to your house give them a quick character reference of your dog and tell them how to act to ensure that everyone is comfortable and safe.  If your guests or the dog seem agitated, then put your dog in a safe secure comfortable room away from people or ask your guests to leave. 

 

Do not be afraid to offend by not letting your child go around to someone’s house if you feel that their dog may cause harm to your child.  If you suspect the dog to be volatile or unsafe do not allow your child around there.

You wouldn’t let your child go around to someone’s house if you knew that there was domestic violence there, would you? So do not let your child go to someone else’s house if you suspect that the dog could show signs of being unpredictable or aggressive in any way.

 Ensure you know who is at the house, not just the people but the animals as well, it is your responsibility.

Make your child aware of the dangers but do not instil fear.  Give them the skills that they need in case they are nervous around dogs and equally overly confident.

More education is required, and WolfeEdu recognises this.  The dog is not a human it doesn’t understand English, it understands commands and tone but cannot speak a specific language.  

 

Therefore, we need to understand the dog, we need to recognise the signs when a dog is exhibiting distressed or anxious behaviours!  You cannot rely on the owner alone to tell us this we have to be able to read them for ourselves. 

 

Wayne David, the Labour MP for Caerphilly, said: “There needs to be an examination of the Dangerous Dogs Act to see if the law needs to be strengthened.”

 

But there also needs to be education, people break laws!  Education to every single one of our children to prevent any future attacks!

Other Blogs you may like to read...

Not Everyone Loves Dogs

April 2, 2023 No Comments

Not everyone loves dogs!  I know, I know, hard to believe but not everyone loves dogs, and even harder to believe that not everyone loves

Read More »

Bulgarian Mountain Dogs

March 19, 2023 No Comments

I have been so very fortunate to go on a fabulous trip to Bulgaria last month and I will be completely honest I wasn’t disappointed.

Read More »

Children and Dogs

February 19, 2023 No Comments

Simple steps on how Kids should act and interact with dogs Many children do not know how to interact with dogs some are overzealous, and

Read More »

The 5 Commands that all Puppies should be Taught from Day 1!

Having a puppy doesn’t have to be hard, but more often than not we make it that way, especially for an inexperienced owner!  

Here you will understand the importance of teaching your puppy 5 simple commands starting from the moment you bring him or her home!  

Puppies are a blank canvas, everything they have learned is by natural teachings by the litter and from their maternal mother in their first few weeks of their lives.  

When you receive your puppy between 8 – 12 weeks everything they have learnt, everything they know, is what its mother and siblings has taught him/her.  Therefore, it is vital not to take a puppy away from its litter prior to 8 – 12 weeks.  

At 8-12 weeks a puppy knows how to be a dog around its canine family, it has no idea of how to integrate into the human world.  We expect them to seamlessly fit into our lives without realising how many hours, days, months, and years of effort and work is needed to be put in. 

 Imagine being given a baby and expecting him/her to walk straight away, to know its 5 times table without going to school or sitting and eating nicely around the dinner table without being shown.  It just wouldn’t happen there would be carnage everywhere!  A puppy is the same principle, it needs to be taught with kindness, love, given clear boundaries and positive reinforcement.

A grown dog has emotions and feeling equivalent to that of a 2 ½ year old child, but we expect so much more from them! 

WolfeEdu firmly believes that we can shape our dogs and if they have unfavourable behavioural traits then it is highly likely to reflect poor training, negative influences & bad experiences etc….  

From jumping up, stealing food, not coming back on command (poor recall), destructive behaviour, barking, whining, biting, separation anxiety, fear, aggression, mental shutdown ohhh the list goes on, we cause it all!!

One thing a dog craves is a leader and that leader is you!  When owning a dog, you instantly take on this challenge whether you like it or not and are therefore responsible for your dog’s behaviour.

If you have a child, as a parent, you naturally become their leader and you take responsibility for their good and bad points!  Now look at your dog from this perspective and you should now feel the responsibility to help educate them into being the best possible dog they can be teaching them all the right things to the best of your ability! 

 If we stay focused on these 5 simple commands in the first 6-12 months then you may just have a happier puppy who will turn into a magnificent, obedient, adolescent dog that others admire.

Yes you will have other challenges, but they will be lessen if you start teaching your pup these 5 commands when you bring him/her home! 

The 5 Commands that all Puppies should be Taught from Day 1

Sit,  Lie Down, Stop, Wait, Come That’s It!

 

  • Sit – This is the one command I think most dog owners use whether it is sitting before they eat their meal, sitting on the pavement at the side of the road ready to cross, or sitting attentively waiting for your next command!  As soon as you get your dog to sit instantly the dog’s eyes are on you, focused and waiting for the next instruction! Such a powerful command! 
  • Lie Down – Lying down normally comes next after your dog has mastered the sit.  Lying down grounds your dog and forms a larger surface area anchor point, your dog is less likely to be reactive and impulsive!  By grounding your dog and being able to stay in this position for a period of time until released will serve you no end!
  • Stop – A visual and verbal command can save you and your dog when he/she is at risk or something unfavourable happening.  STOP if your dog has sighted another dog, bird, deer, small child, cars, any moving object and makes a run for it.  STOP will instantly break their attention from that potential hazardous situation.  

Many people who have sight hounds (examples of sighthounds Lurcher, Greyhound, Afghan, Suluki, Borzoi etc..) have experienced this – Your dog has gone slightly out of the control range, and he sees movement you frantically call them back but there is no point as they are off, there is no stopping them!  If you have a clear stop command this can be the difference from loosing your dog for hours on end (or worse) to stopping them before the event has happened!

  • Wait /Stay – Waiting is extremely hard for any dog and is a potentially life saving command/trick.  Visually and verbally, do not overuse the voice but use concise clear command.  Start with on the lead close training and do not introduce distance until he/she has mastered not breaking the stay.  This will also serve you with dogs who jumps up, runs to the front door barking ferociously every time the doorbell goes and at feeding time! 
  • Come -Recall, how many people cannot exercise their dog safely off the lead? Too many!  How are many people’s dogs never allowed to stretch their legs and explore safely without the constraint of a collar and a lead?  If your dog has a good recall, then many problems are resolved!  Your dog will lead (excuse the pun) a happier life, and so will you as you will have utter control over your dog, always keeping him/her safe!  

 

These 5 simple commands are easy, but it is also easy to become a nag!  DO not desensitize your dog from you voice by using the same command repeatedly without a result and reward, do not use your dog’s name over and over again otherwise they will simply switch off! 

 

Clear concise commands – start small do not go out into a wide-open space and let your dog off the lead and expect him/her to come back!  This will take months of training start in the house, in the garden, on a long training line etc, and once you are comfortable in a secure safe environment for example a dog park or fully fenced field only then should you let your dog off the lead.  Please ensure safety to you, your dog and others in your vicinity are paramount!

 

Always acknowledge and reward good behaviour positive reinforcement is a key training method that is kind and works!

 

(If you enjoyed his article and would like to provide feedback, add a comment or require additional information,  please fill out the form on the contact page).