Recent months have seen a number of high-profile dog attacks, and an expert has shared some of the key signs people should look out for that could help prevent future incidents
In a recent study, participants were shown short videos of real-life interactions with dogs. The researchers found that humans were able to recognize playful and neutral behavior from dogs, but poorly identified aggressive behavior.
Animal behaviorist and trainer, Rachel Salant, at Veterinarians.org, said: "More often than not, there are subtle precursors to behavior occurring that are missed, which leads to escalation and ultimately a potentially dangerous situation that could have been avoided had the earlier signs not been missed.
"As an example: if a dog bites a child, chances are good that the dog gave many warning signs in the seconds, days, or weeks leading up to that behavior occurring. Has the child been approaching the dog, touching the dog's face, pulling the dog's hair, climbing on the dog, teasing the dog with food, etc?
"Has the dog been trying to retreat from loud crying or fast/unpredictable movements of the child? Perhaps it seemed like the dog was tolerating it all well and taking it in stride, but chances are there were probably some warning signs that were missed.
"It's always helpful to understand the context of the situation as well as the dog as an individual."
Rachel has shared four potential signs that a dog is uncomfortable or becoming aggressive:
- A dog that is trying to retreat from a situation
- Is stiff/avoiding eye contact
- Has his tail tucked/has tail rigid/has hair standing on end/ears pinned a certain way
- Making certain vocalizations
