If you’re a dog owner, you have a responsibility to control it and prevent bites to friends and others who come onto your property. Even a small bite can lead to infection and may require medical care. While dogs can be unpredictable, you can reduce the chances that your canine friend will be considered dangerous. Even though your home insurance will cover these expenses, you want to prevent the issue in the first place.
Train the Dog
It’s important to train your dog from the beginning. If you get a puppy, it will be easier to teach them not to bite people. However, you can work with an older dog and socialize them as well.
Let your dog get used to being around people of all ages. Have friends pet your dog and talk to it so that it isn’t afraid of people. Help it get familiar with dogs, cats and other creatures as well so that it won’t be aggressive.
Make sure your dog learns obedience. If it responds immediately to your commands, it will reduce the risk of biting someone. A dog that follows your commands without question will stop whatever it’s doing and obey.
Monitor Your Dog
Even if your dog is naturally good-natured and likes people, pay attention to signs that it may not feel well. An animal that is sick or scared is more likely to bite if bothered.
If you notice signs of aggression where there have been none, it can be an indication of health problems even if the dog is showing no other symptoms. You should take it to a vet for a checkup.
You can also take your dog to a trainer to have them work with it. They will recognize signs of abuse or other problems that may have occurred before you got the animal. It may require some specialized care and treatment for the dog to learn to trust people again.
Consider Dog Personality
Some dogs just don’t like people or they are trained to be guard animals. Know your dog’s personality and make adjustments as needed.
If you don’t have a dog yet and are planning to get one, think about which breeds are best. If you have people with kids visit your home or neighbors with kids, you’ll want to find a dog that is known to like children.
Rescue dogs make wonderful pets, but you must learn about them before you leave them unattended or where they can reach visitors. You never know what an animal has been through in its life, so you must remain cautious.
If you’re getting a dog or already have one, talk to your Salt Lake City property insurance agent about coverage. Make sure you have enough liability insurance in case you should need to file a claim. While you want to do everything you can to prevent the situation, you must also be prepared in case you should ever need to file a claim for a dog bite case.
