Biting the Hand

What risk is involved if your dog ‘snaps to attention’

Nothing is more disturbing than when a dog bites one of its own family. The family always faces an immediate dilemma. Should they keep the dog or part with it? If they keep it – will it bite again?

The dilemma is so traumatic because most of the time the dog is a wonderful family pet. The emotions are very similar if the dog is aggressive to visitors. With visitors, the chance of and injury and resultant litigation become a serious concern.

The first, and the most important, matter when considering your future with an aggressive dog is the risk of the aggression occurring again.

How much risk is involved in living with an aggressive dog depends on the age of the dog, the frequency with which the aggression occurs, the age of its victims, the style of house the dog and owners share and the lifestyle of the owners.