Understanding Dog Bites: What Causes Them and How You Can Prevent Them
- Ruth Hegarty
- Apr 8
- 6 min read
Dog Bite Prevention Week: Why It Matters
Dog Bite Prevention Week is a time to educate, not shame. Every year, hundreds of thousands of dog bites occur in the U.S. - most involving familiar dogs in familiar situations. As a positive dog trainer who specializes in fear-based behavior (and most bites are driven by fear, not aggression), I want to shed light on what’s really going on when a dog bites, how to spot the warning signs & how to prevent bites from happening in the first place.
I also want to share two personal stories about my dogs - Jake and Shadow - that helped shape the way I think about dog bites and dog bite prevention.
Why Dogs Bite: It’s Not About Being “Aggressive”
Dogs don’t bite out of spite or dominance. Most bite as a last-resort communication tool, not a personality flaw. Some common reasons dogs bite include:
Fear or anxiety – Especially in dogs who feel cornered or threatened because when flight isn’t an option, fight is what’s left.
Pain or discomfort – Even the sweetest dog may lash out when they’re hurt. (I’m pretty cranky when I don’t feel well, too.) I have a client pup with quite a bit of medical trauma who bites when touched under certain circumstances.
Resource guarding – Protecting food, toys, people or spaces. Resource
guarding is prompted by a fear of losing an important resource. If your dog resource guards, contact a professional trainer with experience working with this behavior.
Overstimulation – When a dog becomes too aroused, they can act impulsively and get snappy. Overstimulation can be caused by frustration or be the result of intense play.
In other words: dogs bite because they feel they have to—not because they’re “bad.” As you’ll read further down, dogs do their best to warn of an impending bite.
Real Talk: My Dog Jake Bit Other Dogs
Jake was my beautiful lab/boxer/Dalmatian mix boy who became aggressive towards dogs after being attacked by another dog at the dog park. Because Jake hadn’t been socialized as a pup, when something happened to him, he struggled to bounce back so a single negative experience with another dog was all it took to completely change how he viewed dogs in general.
Jake was happy to avoid other dogs and just walk happily on his leash with me. However, when off leash dogs got too close, Jake attacked. With people, Jake had far more patience; small children could poke his face and he'd just take it. He gave people grace but he didn’t do the same for dogs.
This is why if you have a friendly dog off-leash, you want to make sure their recall is amazing. People often think if their dog is friendly all will be well, but that isn’t always the case. A friendly dog could lope up to Jake and Jake would still bite them.
Even though Jake’s behavior was aggressive, it came from fear, not meanness. Jake just wanted to be left alone by other dogs so he could live his life in peace. By the time Jake was a mature fellow, he could walk by other dogs and ignore them which made him, me and other dog owners feel much better.
If you have a dog-reactive or dog-aggressive dog like Jake, there’s hope! Reactivity can be reduced and sometimes eliminated with the right training.
Real Talk: My Dog Shadow Bit a Person
Then there’s my dog Shadow who was one of the most traumatized dogs I’ve ever loved. She was a strikingly beautiful blue nose pitbull who’d been bred by her previous owner at a young age. I am of the opinion that breeding pitbulls today is unethical regardless of conditions because pitbulls are the number one most euthanized dogs in shelters throughout the United States. (I adopted Shadow just days before her time was up). Unlike Jake, Shadow liked other dogs but was terrified of people.
If we took walks, Shadow lunged at anyone she saw. One day she lunged toward a police officer and, even though she was wearing her custom muzzle (from Mia's Muzzles) and we were a few feet away from him, he grabbed his gun and unsnapped the holster clip. As you can see, Shadow’s fear driven behavior was scary to others and to me.
I implemented all the measurements I could to keep Shadow and those around her safe. These included installing a safety gate to block Shadow from the foyer and people coming in the front door along with extensive house rules. However, as with all management everywhere, there will inevitably be a failure which is what happened one day when my friend Sandy came over for one of our wine and cheese evenings. Shadow knew and loved Sandy but it always took her a few minutes to realize our guest was a friend and not a foe. The protocol was for Sandy to come in and stay behind the gate until Shadow settled down then all would be well.
For some reason on this day, Sandy decided to reach her hand over the gate to Shadow and Shadow bit her hand. There was a tooth puncture and blood but no stitches were necessary. Sandy felt terrible and blamed herself for reaching over the gate but at the end of the day, my dog bit a person. The incident was upsetting all around and afterwards, much like Jake with the dog attack incident, Shadow’s fear-aggression toward people began to escalate.
So I began the long road toward some level of recovery for Shadow that included medication, training, new management protocols and yard time rather than walks. Unfortunately, I can’t say what the outcome would have been because not long after our work began, Shadow became ill and passed away days later at just four years old.
Shadow’s story is a tragic one because she never got her chance to move past fear and thrive in the world the way Jake did. For the short time she lived with me, she was happy and I loved her more than I can say. Shadow’s story is also a cautionary tale of the consequences of poor breeding practices and a society that allows dogs to be mistreated to the point of trauma-induced aggression.
Warning Signs: What to Watch For Before a Bite Happens
Dog communication is subtle so you’ll want to learn and study the signs of a potential bite situation. When you learn the signs, you can often intervene before things escalate. Some red flags to look for:
Turning their head or body and/or moving away
Lip licking or yawning
Stiff body, hard stare
Growling or air snapping
“Freezing” behavior before reacting
Avoidance or hiding
Also note that some dogs, Shadow for instance, do none of the above. If a dog has previously been punished for warning signs such as growling, they will default directly to biting because they have learned that their warnings won’t be heeded. Think of these red flags as your dog's early warning system. It’s not bad behavior—it’s valuable communication.
What to Do if a Dog Bites
Biting is a natural dog behavior and all dogs are capable of biting even if they never have in the past. Even with prevention measures in place, bites can happen as my story about Shadow demonstrates. Here’s what to do if you or someone else is bitten:
Stay calm – Try not to yell or run as the dog may chase you. If your dog is the biter, stay to exchange information with the victim.
Secure the dog – Move the dog a safe distance away and make sure they are contained.
Wash the wound as soon as possible – Use soap and water and check with your doctor if you think it may need stitches. Also wash the injury even if it's only a scratch. If you’ve been bit and the person didn’t stay to share their dog’s rabies information, definitely see your doctor right away.
Report the bite if required – Check local laws if you aren’t sure. If your dog bit someone, they would be the reporting party.
Get professional help – If your dog has a bite history or has bitten for the first time, consult a certified trainer with experience working with aggression cases for help.
Compassion Is Key
If your dog has bitten—or come close—it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means your dog needs more support, more safety and maybe a different way to cope with the world.
Jake, Shadow and my client dogs who’ve bitten have helped me become the trainer I am today. Their stories are reminders that behind every bite is a dog who’s scared, overwhelmed or in pain—and a human who can learn to help.
Final Thoughts: Let’s Shift the Narrative
Dog Bite Prevention Week isn’t about fear. It’s about understanding. The more we learn about canine behavior and body language - and the impact of trauma on our pet dogs - the better we can protect dogs and people.
If you're worried about your dog’s behavior, you're not alone—and you're not too late. I’m here to help. Book a free consultation. Let’s create safety and peace - for all dogs and their people.
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