Many dog owners attribute human values and emotions to their dogs. They believe a dog can think, reason and behave inappropriately because he has ill feelings toward a person. We believe this is impossible. A dog views himself as a dog and us as other dogs. We are merely members of his "pack".
Dogs occasionally kill or injure children because of several differences between human children and puppies. Dogs are driven by instinct. There are about six of these drives. The one at work here is the "pack drive", which forces the dog to become a member of a pack and to establish his "pecking order" within that pack.
The difference between human infants/children and dogs is that when puppies or adult dogs are placed in a submissive position by a dominant member of the pack, they exhibit body language that communicates to the dominant dog that he has achieved his dominance. Human infants and children do not have this instinct and wouldn't know how to communicate their submission if they did!
If a child were to displease a dog, or when crawling away, screeching as babies do, the dog would react in a similar fashion. They pursue the infant or child, apply pressure, and wait for the submission with the stillness they recognize.
But when human infants and children suffer pain or discomfort, they react in an opposite fashion. Instead of becoming passive and motionless, they cry and thrash around. Their screams become louder as they receive more pain.
This communicates to the dog that he is not applying enough pressure, so he bites down harder. This frequently results in death for the infant or child, when he sustains a skull fracture or other injuries.
If infants could be taught to be still and quiet, such bites would not happen. The family pet's instincts are misunderstood. It behooves ALL pet owners to pass this knowledge on to others who own dogs. When dog instincts are understood, dogs will pose no threat to humans, be they infants, children or adults.
One of our students did not heed this advice and one day as her Irish Setter and infant child lay asleep on the sofa, the baby woke up, slid off the couch and becan crawling away, squealing with delight. The Irish Setter awoke with a start, heard the squealing and saw the infant scurrying away and bingo! he lunged toward the infant and instantly grabbed the infant in his mouth. It cost him his life. the owners, thinking that he had "turned on the child", took his life. the baby sustained a minor scratch. The owners then began to realize their responsibility,but the potential for repeat episodes was too great and they ended the dog's life.
reprinted from:
The German Shepherd Dog Review
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For example: When a puppy who is nursing bites his mother's nipple too hard, she will take his entire head into his mouth. She will bite down until the puppy lets out a yell and becomes completely still. She then knows that she is applying enough pressure to get his attention. She will hold this pressure for a moment and then release him.
To think that pets "turn on a child unprovoked" is rooted in folklore. ANY dog can be a danger to ANY child, because of the differing instincts each species possess.
(German Shepherd Dog Club of America magazine)
October 1994
by Nanci Takash, Secretary; GSDCA-WDA
