Urgent warning over dogs’ behaviour during hot weather – you & your family could be at risk
DOG owners have been warned of a surprising factor that could affect how your dog behaves.
When the sun is out and the temperatures are high, dogs are 11% more likely to bite, according to a new study – but why?
Dogs are 4% more likely to bite on hot days, and 11% more likely to snap at you if there’s a high UV index.
And they’re not the only animals who become more aggressive when the sun is shining – human murder rates rise when it’s hot as well.
Monkeys, rats and mice also get more snippy when the temperatures are stifling.
The authors of the study looked at temperature, sunshine and pollutant levels in eight US cities.
They said: “We conclude that dogs, or the interactions between humans and dogs, are more hostile on hot, sunny, and smoggy days, indicating that the societal burden of extreme heat and air pollution also includes the costs of animal aggression.”
But if it’s a rainy day, dogs are much less likely to bite you, according to the studies.
One pet expert shared tips on how to keep kids safe and know if a dog is about to attack.
Canine behaviourist Debby Lucken has revealed how hounds use their bodies to tell us they are stressed or uncomfortable.
The 42-year-old founder of Kids Around Dogs, which helps families train their pets and live in harmony together, said: “Learning the language of dogs is essential.
“Dogs communicate with us all the time. They tell us whether they are happy, sad, angry and more, just like us, but it’s vital to remember they don’t communicate in the same way we do.
“Everyone, including children, should be able to recognise some canine body language to make sure their dogs are not getting too stressed out and uncomfortable so that dog-related injuries can be prevented.
“Here are some tips for families to help them navigate the summer holidays, considering the well being of both their kids and their dogs.”
Firstly, Debby, from Poole, Dorset, suggests keeping an eye out for any of the following signals which can indicate stress.
Lip-licking when there is no food around, yawning when not in bed, and shaking their body off when not wet are all signs of discomfort.
Scratching for extended periods of time when there is no clear health issue, or giving “puppy eyes” with the whites very visible, could also precede a pounce.
Another perhaps surprising way for dogs to let us know they are uncomfortable is by giving us lots of “kisses”.
This usually happens when we move very close to them or when we pick them up.
They might repeatedly lick us to make us turn our head away or even move away completely, which, when you think about it, works very well.
Debby said: “Generally speaking, these signals serve as initial ways of telling us how they feel and asking us to stop what we’re doing.
“If we don’t listen, or we don’t recognise the signs, they will have to step up their ways of speaking to us.”
This can include moving their ears back as if pinning them to their head, or lowering their body to the floor.
Crouching down to make themselves smaller is also a sign, as is tensing the body up as if frozen with their mouth closed.
“Many dog owners mistake this for a smile, but really it is tension,” Debby said.
When these signals fail, dogs will then move on to more obvious ones, such as growling or baring their teeth.
If a dog gets to this stage, it means they are very uncomfortable – but they are still trying to politely tell us to go away or stop what we’re doing.
Debby said: “Should your dog growl, please refrain from telling them off as they are merely delivering a warning.
“In fact, if we don’t listen to those warning signals or if we tell them off, dogs will have little choice but to step up the conversation and they might resort to biting.”