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Signs to be on watch for when a dog is about to act out
Justin Matthews reports
NORTH PORT, Fla. - A family in North Port is grieving the loss of their 6-year-old boy. Their family dog, who police say has lived with them since it was a puppy, attacked the boy so severely that he died from his injuries.
Fox 13 has learned the family has requested their dog be euthanized after this tragedy.
Even though investigators say the dog has no history of aggressive behavior, trainers say there can be warning signs when a dog is about to act out.
"Everyone knows the wagging tail, everyone's like, oh the dog is happy, well, that doesn't always mean the dog is happy, it means the dog is aroused. I've had dogs that have bit me and had wagging tails," said Ricardo Carde, the owner and master trainer of K-9 Solutions Dog Training.
He says there's usually a precursor before a dog bites someone, and there are definitely warning signs.
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"One of the more obvious ones is what we call a whale eye or a half moon eye, where you start seeing the white of the dog's eyes as if they're staring off," Carde said.
Dogs often try to move away, or their body language may get tight.
"You’ll see the dog tense up, jaw will get clenched, or they’ll start going from happy, open jaw to a tight closed jaw," said Carde.
A dog licking its lips can be a warning sign as well.
"The dog will start pretty quickly licking up around the jowl area, so those are some of the more classic signs you’ll see in your dog where they are uncomfortable. They’re warning signs, they’re saying, hey look, I don’t like what’s going on, I want to move away from this situation, and I’m going to do something about it, and doing something about it usually means a bite," said Carde.
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Trainers also say there is a difference between a dog being aggressive and a dog being reactive.
Carde says some of the sweetest dogs can be reactive in ways that may scare or hurt someone.
"Just because the dog bit doesn't necessarily mean it's aggressive. It's a reaction, what we call it, and reactivity can be numerous different things. It could be fearful, it could be aggression, it could be a high stimulus, so the dog is reacting to the stimuli," Carde said.
He urges people never to leave children with dogs unsupervised, no matter the dog's personality.
Like humans, dogs need space at times, so it's important to be in tune with that because they can react if they feel pressure.