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Dog owners need training too

By Linda Gibson (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-12 08:02

If you are one of the Beijingers who owns one or more of the almost 1 million dogs living in the city, the news that most of the 200,000 people who have been bitten were the dogs' owners should raise the hair on the back of your neck. According to those numbers, a dog owner in Beijing has a one in five chances of being bitten.

This suggests that dog owners are doing something wrong. Before lecturing Beijing's dog owners about the error of their ways, allow me to establish some credentials.

I spent five years running my own pet-sitting business. If there isn't such a service here yet, there will be.

A pet-sitter visits the dog owner's house while the owner is absent, usually at work or on vacation. During these visits, the sitter walks the dog, feeds it, exercises it, plays with it if it's so inclined, cleans up if it has made a mess, fills up the water bowl, gives it medicine if it needs it, runs it to the vet in an emergency and generally stands in for the owner.

As a pet-sitter, I've walked dogs of every size and breed, including Great Dane, pit bull, Labrador retriever, Doberman, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, terrier, poodle, pug, Chihuahua, English mastiff, Swiss Mountain dog, collie, Husky and every variety of "mystery breed," dogs whose lineage is so mixed there's no telling what's in them.

The only dog that ever bit me was my own. And, as usual in these cases, it was my fault. I tried to remove a piece of candy from her while it was in her mouth. My first mistake was failing to train her to drop whatever she had in her mouth upon command. The second mistake, of course, was trying to take it away from her while she was in the midst of enjoying it.

Now, how can you avoid being bitten by the animal who shares your home?

The dogs most likely to bite are unneutered males. For several reasons, getting your dogs spayed or neutered is the most responsible thing you can do as a dog owner. For your safety, it may be essential if you have a male dog.

Dogs that are chained up also are statistically more likely to bite. If they feel threatened and can't run, they'll bite.

Dogs that weren't well socialized as puppies to be accustomed to people tend to be fearful. A fearful dog is just as likely to bite as an aggressive dog.

Dogs that have been carelessly bred or who have health problems can also be biters. This type of dog is most often found in pet stores, who get their animals for the least amount of money possible from backyard breeders who don't know or care what they're doing.

Dogs that are new to your household have a tendency to bite. If you've had your dog for less than 60 days, you're more likely to be bitten.

Dogs whose owners don't educate themselves about how to train the dog present a greater risk than the calm, well-mannered dogs belonging to owners who take the time to train them.

Finally, a pack of dogs - two or more - is always riskier than a single dog. We all know what people can do when infected with a mob mentality. That happens to dogs, too.

If you also have a child in your household, it is critical to choose a healthy, well-socialized dog and train both the dog and the child about how to behave with each other.

All this takes a lot of time and money. But in return, you'll enjoy a friendly, affectionate, loyal pet, one who will drop the candy when you tell her to instead of clamp down on your hand.