Gail Fisher, All Dogs Gym & Inn - The perfect place for pets and their people

Dogs don’t love being hugged and kissed. We humans do, and consequently often assume that our dogs must, too. While most dogs tolerate this behavior from their owners, and some even put up with it from strangers, a lot of dogs won’t. It is considered extremely disrespectful to invade a dog’s personal space, and dogs that don’t accept it may deal with such disrespect by being a dog—snapping at the face of the “invader.” This is a quick, open-mouth “tag”, an action designed to send a message, not to injure.

I’ve seen this action countless times. It is “dog discipline” comparable to a tap on the hand of a toddler reaching for an open flame. For example, a mother dog will discipline an obnoxious, pestering puppy, teaching him an important life lesson. She warns him with a meaningful look, then shows her teeth, and finally tags him briefly on the muzzle. This is what a normal dog does when it is being annoyed—a quick snap at the muzzle (face) of the other dog. The recipient of the “tag” learns: “Oops—I guess you didn’t like me being in your face. I better leave you alone.”

A normal dog has a clear system of communicating when he’s uncomfortable. He will lick his lips and nose, look away, turn his head away, and often pant (different from open-mouth, heat-related panting, with stress panting the corners of the mouth are pulled back). These are among the many signals we teach owners to watch for when working to rehabilitate dogs with behavior problems, including aggression. By responding appropriately, we can avoid putting the dog in a position to have to elevate his behavior with a snap.

We once got a flyer for a shelter’s open house. We’re happy to support shelters throughout the area, but I wouldn’t post this flyer. It advertised a range of events including “Kiss a Pit” for $1.00. I learned that a friend had volunteered her dog for this fundraiser, offering her wonderful, friendly mix of who knows what—but likely including some “pit type” along the way—to be “kissed” by strangers, including children. I suggested to my friend that she consider withdrawing her dog for two reasons: First, we don’t teach children to go up to a dog you don’t know and kiss it in the face. Rather, we teach them never to do this. And secondly, she should consider her dog’s feelings about being forced to accept strangers kissing him. What if he doesn’t want it? What if he tried to tell people that he didn’t like it, and they didn’t “listen” to his “language”? What if the only way he can make his point is to snap at someone—injuring a child? Fortunately, my friend (and the shelter) reconsidered and eliminated this activity.

The fact is, a dog doesn’t differentiate between a dog, puppy or human acting disrespectfully. The dog treats the human just as he would treat another dog that breaches the “rules” of polite behavior, ignoring the dog’s body language and warning signals. It is up to us to teach children (and follow this advice) not to put your face in the face of a dog you don’t know well and trust.

Apparently this lesson was never learned by a Colorado morning news anchorwoman. If you haven’t seen the video clip of the morning show of her being bitten in the face by a dog, it’s on YouTube. Throughout the brief clip, the dog is sending messages—lip licking, panting, eyes squinting, turning his head away. The entire time the newswoman in on the floor in the dog’s space, stroking him inappropriately on his head and muzzle and down his back as she leans into him (all impolite from a dog’s perspective). And when he turns away, she leans into him to give him a kiss (apparently). He snarled briefly (way too briefly for her to react to) and then snapped at her face—tagging her just as if she were an obnoxious puppy. Unfortunately, the human face is far more delicate than a dog’s muzzle. The result was a bite on her lip bad enough to require hospitalization. For this normal dog communication and normal dog behavior, this dog may well be killed. Sad—it’s not the dog’s fault.