Times-Advocate, 1999-02-03, Page 13Crossroads
Exeter Times -Advocate
Wednesday,February 3, 1999
Bad dog or bad owner?
By Kate Monk
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
EXETER — People have a tremendous amount of
influence over dog behaviour.
"A person could get the best dog in the world and
destroy it in a month," said Kate Fletcher, a dog trainer
in Hay. Twp.
A dog's personality is developed from the early days of
life with its siblings.
"When a puppy is part of a litter, in order to get what
they want in a group environment, they have to push
their way through. If another puppy doesn't want them
there, it will respond with a growl or body language
saying, 'No you don't, it's mine.' "
When puppies come into a home environment, there's
a whole new set of rules and behaviour that was appro-
priate in a litter isn't necessarily acceptable in a home
setting.
"If a person allows that behavior to continue, the dog
thinks that's OK and they don't know any better. Dog
obedience classes teach the owner how to take charge
in a meaningful way," Fletcher explained. "It's so subtle
but letting the dog know this is not a litter. I am not a
litter mate. I am over you."
Fletcher said some owners deliberately try to make
their dogs aggressive but others may not be aware of
the factors that lead to problems with dog behaviour.
"People have a horrendous amount of influence (on
dogs)` and don't even realize they have it," she contin-
ued. •
, Dog bites and attacks are serious and can occur for
two' reasons.
A dog that bites out of fear will assume a defensive
position with the tail between its legs, its ?ars back and
a low -throated growl.
"It's so apprehensive because it receives the wrong
sigifeti Tor 's'o` tbfig' it doesn't Know what you want,
Fletcher said. "A lot of fear biters are abused or the
owner didn't know .better or didn't understand the
behaviour of the dog."
She advises a person to not "back the dog up" but to
take the non-dominant position. A person should stop
and retreat without making eye contact
Dogs will also_bite if they are defending their territory.
If they are on a leash, they tend to think that leash area
is the area (and people) they need to protect. The same
is true of a dog on its property or an area it believes is
its responsibility.
"A person would be foolish to approach," Fletcher
advised. "Owners need to let people know there's a
dog."
In this situation, Fletcher also suggests people take a
non -threatening stance and back away from the dog,
not run or wave their hands in the air.
Fletcher takes dog attacks seriously.
"When I hear about aggressive dog behaviour it's so
difficult because these people (handlers) have probably
never spent time with their dog to understand what it's
doing," Fletcher said.
People also tend to blame the breed of dog rather than.
the owner. Different breeds have different personalities
and need a different treatment or environment, Fletcher
explained.
For example, terriers are hyperactive while Siberian
Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes are mouth -oriented
breeds and are always moving because they've been
created to run with sleds, Fletcher said. •
"People buy these breeds and put them in an apart-
ment. What are they going to do with all that pent up
energy? It's like having a hyperactive child. They're
going to find something to do and it. may not be what
you want," she said.
"People forget about mental fitness," Fletcher
explained. "If a dog can't do what it's meant to do, men-
tally they aren't stable."
She encourages people considering dog ownership to
investigate different breeds. People run into problems
cvith spur of the moment decisions or buy a specific
breed because it's popular at the time without consider-
ing how it will fit into their lifestyle.
Mutts and cross -breeds are not necessarily better than
purebreds. It depends on what those breeds that are
created and the temperament of those breeds and what
their purposes are.
"Most people who breed dogs are very careful of their
temperament. The whole purpose of being a breeder is
to improve the. breed because you love the breed," she
said.
Fletcher also said there's no rule that larger dogs are
more dangerous. In fact, small dogs tend to be more
assertive because of the difference in size between them
and people.
"There are more bites from small dogs than big dogs.
You hear about the big dogs because they do more
damage in a short period of time," she explained.
People often allow small dogs to bite because it does-
n't hurt and don't report the bites which allows the dog
to believe biting is OK. It may not hurt an adult but it
could harm a child.
Owner -based legislation
Fletcher believes legislation should place more
emphasis on the owners.
"I am for very strict•owner legislation. If your dog does
something, you should be held accountable big time and
you should not be allowed to get another dog for a cer-
tain length of time," she said.
If they are allowed to own another dog, they should be
required to take an obedience training course because
"if you didn't do it right the first time, you're sure not
going to do it right the second time."
"Breed -specific legislation is foolish because it's not
the breed. It's the owners socializing the dogs, whatever
breed (they own)," she said.
Owners of the stronger breeds should' be particularly
careful about how they handle the dog.. Problems with
Pit Bulls or Rottweillers also stem from. the owners,
Fletcher said.
"A lot of people that have these dogs are not suitable
owners. If they can't get this breed they'll get another
one. It's the way the owner behaves. They'd have a
killer Chihuahua," she said. "I've met some wonderful
pit bulls (but) the breeds get jumped on instead of the
people." •
Fletcher also believes there should be strict penalties
for dog owners.
"I think having a dog that is vicious or if you're negli-
gent the penalty should be quite something, we're talk-
ing jail. It's just as criminal as getting into a car drunk.
You have a potential problem that people ignore and it's
very serious," Fletcher said.
While Rottweillers have been in the news lately,
Fletcher said they are actually a very stable breed and
make up one of the largest percentage of rescue dogs
and therapy dogs.
"I'd hate to live i,n a world without Rottweillers," she
said.
Fletcher said more than two years ago she predicted
there would be troubles over Rottweillers because of
their size and power and the fact they are naturally pro-
tective. But poor handling can make these dogs danger-
ous, just like any other breed.
In some municipalities, bylaws state a "vicious" dog
must be muzzled. Muzzling a dog will do two things,
according to Fletcher. For some dogs, a muzzle makes
them almost give up, theirspirit is down. She has seen
some dogs be unable to walk — almost as if they have
no purpose.
But it can cause anger in other dogs to the point
where the dog becomes obsessive with removing the
muzzle and will retaliate against the person holding the
leash.
Rehabilitation possible
Even if a dog has been abused or is behaving inappro-
priately, chances are good it can be rehabilitated if
treated properly.
Fletcher has trained 1,500 dogs in obedience classes
over the past nine years and can count on one hand the
number of dogs who couldn't be cured of their bad
behaviour because of their environment or because
something was "mentally wrong with the dog."
"Sad to say, dogs cari get to a point where I can't do
anything," she admits, adding some dogs have to be
quarantined or euthanized because of their behaviour.
Obedience training plays a big role in building a good
relationship between a dog and its humans.
Fletcher says she loves to see the change over the 10 -
week course when the owners go from thinking their
dog is a "pain in the neck" to "this is a neat dog" to a
bond that's formed by the end of the class.
"There's nothing else that pleases me more," Fletcher
said.
"Most people with dog problems haven't experienced
it and don't know how good it can be," Fletcher said.
It's very frustrating because I can't imagine life without
a dog."
"Being a dog owner is a privilege," Fletcher said.
Page 11
When a dog enters a home, it must learn that the
behaviour that was acceptable in a litter is not neces-
sarily good in a family.
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Are you insured?
Homeowners liability insurance covers a home-
owner if their dog Mites someone on their proper-
ty, according to Shawn Murray, The Co-operators
Insurance nianager of media and government
relations. Generally people have $1 million incur
anee to cover such a situation.
The coverage of tenants depends on the circum-
stances. If it was found the tenant behaved in an
irresponsible way, he or she would be named in
the law suit. However, if a landlord hadn't main-
tained a fence and that led to the dog attack, the
landlord could also be sued, Murray said.
If a dog is off the property and bites someone, it
fails under the civil suit category and generally
there isn't insurance to cover that situation,
Murray explained.
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