Hector
Well-Known Member
Copy & pasted from facebook from vet page. In today's dog bite news...this is definitely graphic, so skip the video if injury/laceration is hard to watch. The dog walks into the studio on leash with a handler; the reporter touches his back; he bites the reporter's wrist. I'm sharing this to emphasize that:1. Some dogs simply do not want to be touched, at all, in any way, especially by unfamiliar people. Certainly not on the head, but for many dogs being touched on any anatomical site - the back, the side, the chest -- is a trigger for self-defense. Most of us don't walk around stroking human strangers at will, and we should extend the same courtesy to dogs.2. Stresses accumulate ("trigger stacking" is another term often used). In this case the stressors are obvious - strange place, strange people, crowding, lights and heat. It's no wonder that television studios are common contexts for dog bites. This would be a good time for the handler to gently offer food, and for everyone else to give the dog space.3. A wagging tail does *not* necessarily indicate willingness to be touched/petted. It basically indicates the dog is interacting -- but not the emotion behind the interaction. As always, look at the context. If your own dog is wagging her whole body as you walk in the door, she would probably appreciate a pet. If a large, unknown dog is being walked into a crowded TV studio wagging his tail, he's probably worried. [If this is being shared, comments are from Facebook.com/reisnervetbehavior ]Edit: Thank you to Giovana Toccafondo who was kind enough to translate that the woman in the video is explaining the dog had problems with his back, which was treated in some way by a veterinarian. "The reporter touched his back to show where the lesion was. So the muscle atrophy could also be explained by his spinal problem. Or it could be a case of pain-induced aggression." -- very important information.
