We all know that this year the cases of stray dog bites as well as pet dog bites has increased in India. Do you know exactly who is behind this? You are wrong. It is not the dog. It is us- we humans. I Know this sounds a bit triggering and some of you might want to leave the page but trust me, read through the end and you will understand why I said what I said!
All the dogs that turned aggressive whether a pet or a stray, the biting was actually not premeditated by them. It was created by a human. For example, an owner wants his pet dog to be a guard but doesn’t have proper knowledge on what to do? And compares aggression with guard instincts which is absolutely wrong. Pet Parents often end up giving too much affection and treating a dog like a human which is wrong, and this causes a dog to remain under fulfilled and become aggressive out of pent-up frustration or developed nervousness and insecurity. Sometimes people on road hit a stray dog or tease or abuse the dog, in this way the dog loses trust on humans which is what makes the dog become defensive. Sometimes a female who recently delivered pups in your neighborhood acts aggressively towards you because before getting her trust you try to grab the puppy. In this case, the female turns a bit aggressively which is normal for the mother to protect her litter from unknown people.
The main guru mantra for this is what I always practiced since I was a child but didn’t understand that how to term it? But then I came to know about Cesar Millan’s term of NO TOUCH, NO TALK and NO EYE CONTACT which I found similar to what I did and accepted that guru mantra. So, whenever you meet a new dog or a dominant dog or a fearful dog, just follow the mantra of No Touch, No Talk and No Eye Contact.
No Touch: – The first thing what people or dog lovers want to do when they see a dog is to go and pet/touch him. But dogs do not introduce by shaking hands or saying, ‘what is your name?’ What they do is, they sniff. The nose does the introduction part. And they feel the energy being projected by you. Some happy go lucky dogs might do nothing but they too get excited which can also turn into a playful bite which can cause harm. And if the dog is nervous, fearful or tense and dominant, he will bite you or will run away from you. Instead of touching just let the dog smell you while you are facing sideways with your body relaxed and once, he does his introduction then you can invite him in your personal space and can share your affection calmly if the owner of the dog permits.
No Talk: – We get so excited by seeing a new dog that we start making sounds and start talking to a dog as if he is a baby of human, but it is a dog and not a human. Please honor the dog being a dog and not human. Don’t become selfish. Before you love your dog, he expects leadership from you i.e., to Guide, Direct & Motivate him to be a well-balanced and fulfilled dog. So always remember to be a leader before becoming a lover. A dog which you approach for the first time is unsure or nervous about your presence and tries to smell you, but you suddenly start making sounds which actually spooks the dog and makes him bite you or hide from you. So be quite and calm while the dog is smelling you and if you are scared of the dog just ignore, don’t face the dog and focus on your breathing, because our breathing keeps us relaxed and when tensed or scared, we stop breathing normally and that, a dog can sense because it’s a way of projecting weakness which can trigger a dog to snap.
No Eye Contact: – Eyes are the important source of expressing feelings and emotions, but sometimes when meeting a new dog or when encountered by stray dog, we give them eye contact with either a scared energy or by excited energy. But we can trigger wrong behavior by looking the wrong way. It can actually be a signal that you are challenging him, if the dog is dominant, nervous, insecure, we can start a fight which can be very bad. If the dog is nervous insecure and chooses fight the bites could be very bad from such dogs as they get nervous and scared and they don’t have control over their intensity because of fear of being attacked. If a dog barks at you or run towards you, don’t run, just be where you are and follow the Mantra of No touching, No Talking and No giving Eye Contact.
If a dog tries to charge at you directly then if you have a bag, stick or a book, then keep it in front of you, not to harm the dog physically but just to protect yourself and make yourself look bigger especially, delivery guys are getting bit, they can use their helmet to use as a guard and stand firm on the ground and try being calm, relaxed and assertive and again keep taking deep breaths. Wait until the dog moves away then only move otherwise if you move before the dog moves in a confrontation then you will become the weak source of energy and the dog can snap at you.
So next time if a dog bites you don’t blame the dog but understand what the main problem behind the aggression is and always follow the Guru Mantra while meeting a dog so that you will prevent a dog bite from happening in the first place!
Written by – Aakash Shukla Founder – Dog Mantra and Dog Behavior Expert
