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Dog bite prevention psychology

By Ty Brown

What makes a dog bite a human? If you can truly understand the psychology behind a dog bite you could be in a much better situation for dog bite prevention. Dogs bite for many reasons. Let me just highlight a few:

Prey Drive
Many dogs have a very pronounced prey drive. Prey drive is a natural drive that exhibits itself in many forms, but at its root, it is a desire to chase and subdue. Dogs will chase a tennis ball because of prey drive. Dogs will chase a cat because of prey drive. Dogs will chase a car because of prey drive. Police dog trainers harness a dog’s prey drive in order to train that dog to chase and subdue a person.

This same drive will sometimes cause a dog to chase a person. A running child or a jogger will sometimes kick in a dog’s prey drive and he will give chase. Sometimes the dog’s prey drive is satisfied with mere chasing, but the results can be disastrous if the dog follows through with his actions.

Please note, even though prey drive is utilized for police work and protection dog work it is not a ‘mean’ trait exhibited by a dog. It is merely a desire to give chase. Understand this and act accordingly when in the presence of dogs.

Defense Drive
All animals have defensive systems in place to protect themselves. Porcupines have quills. Some frogs secrete poison. Dogs use their teeth to bite. Dogs will often bite because they feel the need to protect themselves. What would cause a dog to feel this way? It could be anything from stepping on his tail, to inadvertently backing him into a corner, to positioning yourself in a threatening stance.

A dog who feels threatened may not bite an adult because of a sense of respect and a regard for the size of the person. That same dog, noting the small size of a child and lack of authority, might be inclined to bite a child who accidentally threatens him. People, and children especially, need dog bite prevention education with regards to what may be interpreted as threatening to a dog.

Possessiveness
Dogs can become very possessive of certain things like toys or food. Some of those dogs are willing to protect those objects with force. Dog owners must learn how to train their dogs such that their dogs know that possessiveness is not allowed. People, and children especially, interacting with strange dogs should never attempt to take a toy or food or a stick away from that dog. Remember this piece of dog bite prevention education: If you aren’t familiar with the dog you will not know if the dog has possessive tendencies. Don’t place yourself in a position to find out if that dog has possessive tendencies.

These are just a few of the main reasons why dogs bite and people are the victim of a dog bite. The bottom line is that dogs are animals. They are ruled by instinct, not reason. As such, dogs can be very unpredictable. Even though we have successfully domesticated the canine, we must still learn what dictates his behavior so that we can train him and avoid disastrous results, such as the dog bite. Understanding dog behavior is the key to dog bite prevention.