Dog attacks on the increase

Are dog attacks on the rise? Simon Goodall from Dog Guru says that this is the time of year that dog bites and dog attacks do go up. Usually in winter the incidents you get with aggressive dogs are few and far between due to the time of year. It is darker, less dogs are around and less distractions. However in summer it is all on as far as aggression is concerned. At this time of year when you go out for a walk with your dog it is unusual not to see a dog or a person. With aggressive or nervous dogs this is the main problem - there are just too many distractions around. 

Goodall who has 13 years of dog behavioural experience says that his business Dog Guru is flat out with aggression cases at this time of year. This is the time of year that people start to panic - they have 6 months of  weather like this and they can't take it much longer. There is the added stress of finances, christmas holidays and work not to mention if you have children weeks of holidays. 

So what can be done? Simon Goodall says that the main thing is not to panic. Getting help sooner rather than later is the main piece of advice. If you continue to leave it too long then you get to the point where it is that much harder to work with it. 

Simon Goodall says that all problems are fixable, it just depends on people's time and expectations. There are very few problems that can be fixed overnight but most issues within a few weeks can usually be dealt with. 

 

Simon Goodall is the director of Dog Guru www.dogguru.co.nz. Dog Guru has branches around the country and is New Zealand's largest dog training company.