After discovering the extraordinary characteristics of the furry wonder, you may want to acquire one but are hesitating due to the misconceptions propagated by the uninitiated and those who detest the species.
Those people charge that 1) dogs bite; 2) they bark a lot; 3) they are smelly and infested with ticks, fleas, lice and mites; and 4) some breeds are ferocious. They are quick to malign dogs.
Bite
Dogs rarely bite humans. They may do so only when they are provoked or, in the case of security dogs, when ordered by their handlers.
The provocation may be intentional. Even so, most dogs would back off. Alpha dogs may charge at the provoker and bite.
Alpha dogs are the leaders of their packs. They are usually male, but sometimes we find female ones, too. Sex, size and age are not determinants of leadership. Energy fields and the vibes they emanate are.
There are two types of dog’s bites. One is equivalent to our pinch. When that happens, our skin may be slightly punctured or lacerated and bruised. The other one is the real bite. When it occurs, some muscles (flesh) are torn off and the bone underneath is fractured or even broken. The dog’s jaws and teeth are far more powerful than humans’.
Or the provocation may be unintentional due to ignorance. One example is throwing of soil into a dog’s eyes to scare him away. This is a fallacy. Again, most dogs would still back off, while the Alpha may charge at us.
The eyes are among the most important organs to animals. Without them, they would not be able to look for food, avoid predators and generally stay alive. Naturally, if they cannot find food, they will die. If they cannot see predators and quickly make themselves scarce, they will be eaten.
The genes related to the need to safeguard the eyes (as well as other vital organs) are still present in the dog.
Some dogs badly abused by their owners, or deeply frustrated because their needs are not met, may bite at the slightest provocation. Would we be kindly disposed towards all mankind and other living things if we were, to quote just one example, kept in chains day in and day out? Those dogs are not the culprits but their owners. There is no bad dog, only bad owner.
When we approach a house and a dog (or more) comes barking and bounding towards us, we stop, calmly turn so that we do not face the dog but present our side, and call the owner. As we would be a stranger to the dog, facing him is a confrontational posture. Presenting our side means we are not a threat. The dog will probably come near and continue to bark. We do not look into his eyes. Doing so means we are challenging him.
Some people may run away. We never do that. The dog will run after us. No human can outrun a dog.
Bear in mind that although dogs are wired to be friends of humans’, their owners and property come first. It is in their genes to protect both. The genes involved are suppressed in a few pure breeds.
On this score, we should also not approach a dog, such as a friend’s, when we meet him the first time. Let him make the first move. When he does, we make friends with him. But absolutely no patting of his head, please.
Dogs do not like to be patted on their head. Submissive ones may quietly bear with it. Dominant ones will growl or quickly move their head away, or both.
Dogs love to be gently scratched under their chin and along their back (from the nape to the base of the tail), and stroked on their sides, chest and belly. Gently caressing their cheeks with the back of our hand is also much welcome.
Bark
Most dogs bark only when they have to and when they are playing.
The breeds said to sometimes bark even when they do not have to include Beagle, Chihuahua, Miniature Schnauzer, Pekinese, Poodle (Miniature, Toy) and Terrier (Cairn, Fox, Silky, West Highland White, Yorkshire).
Dogs that bark a lot to the point of irritating do so when they suffer from intolerable frustration or unbearable pain. That is the only way they can tell their owners their predicament. So, blame their owners.
Of pests and odours
Dogs kept by caring owners are clean, and free of pests and odours. There are hundreds of different kids of products available for owners to keep their dogs in that condition.
Until dogs can go to a supermarket, pick up and pay for shampoo specially formulated to keep their fur clean and unattractive to pests, and bathe themselves, those kept by uncaring, irresponsible owners will stink to high heaven and host ticks, fleas, lice and mites.
Certain breeds are ferocious?
Not quite true. Aggressive dogs are the products of bad or improper handling from the time they were puppies. Some are even trained by their owners to be aggressive. Humans are at fault, not them.
Maligned
Whenever a mishap involving dogs and humans occurs and the latter get injured, the blame is always assigned to the former. Then, their entire breed is also condemned. And even banned.
But we get to hear the story only from the humans. And humans being humans, most, if not all, of those who actually have intentionally provoked the dog are unlikely to admit the fact.
There have also been reports of children and babies having being mauled.
Parents should never leave their children alone even with those known to be children-friendly, unless their children are old enough to know how to interact with dogs.
Babies have very sharp nails. When a dog gets close to a baby’s face, the latter may reach out to touch the former in the face and in the process scratch with his nails. If the baby’s nails make contact with the dog’s eyes, the latter will attack.
And dogs are very strong. Do not ever underestimate their strength. An average healthy adult human male may not be able to overpower even a dog weighing from around 20kg to 30kg or so if the latter is healthy and he really attacks.
