An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure – Benjamin Franklin
D
achshunds are notoriously opinionated and tenacious – they are also quite “mouthy”. When humans fail to read and acknowledge their communication signals they have a innate tendency to enforce their opinions with barking and even biting – behaviors that have served them well when hunting prey often much larger than themselves. Dachshunds aren’t just more likely than other breeds to bite people – they are MUCH more likely. Dachshund owners need to be aware and prepared in order to protect their dogs and their dollars and especially their homeowners insurance. As we emerge from the pandemic we are going to find the world a dramatically changed place. People are much more concerned about threats to their personal safety. They are likely to resort to legal action in response to injuries from dog bites. Most of the legislation in the past decade concerns protecting the public from “dangerous dogs”. These dogs are typically large, strong, and capable of inflicting severe injury with a single bite. Many insurers will not cover them without additional protection. Because of the enormous media attention directed towards this problem many dog owners are unaware of the liability issues they might soon face with their smaller dogs – especially if they bite a child.
lineup Dachshunds are more than twice as likely as ANY OTHER BREED to bite a stranger. Most Dachshund bites will not require medical attention so Dachshunds have not been considered a major liability. But rapidly increasing costs of medical care, payouts per bite from Homeowners Insurance and the extra costs and concerns associated with bites to children, bites to the face and hands, and decreased public tolerance of any sort of biting mean Dachshund owners need to be especially careful about the serious implications of even “minor” bites -
especially if there is a documented history of a prior bite. The equation has become quite different. Let’s say the average cost of an Emergency Room visit for a minor injury dog bite is 500 dollars. If the decision is made not to go to the emergency room then that 500 dollars multiplied by ZERO equals ZERO. Insurance companies do not concern themselves with things that do not cost them. But the times they are a-changing… People are much more likely to visit urgent care or the
As a breed dachshunds are genetically endowed with behavioral breed traits that explain why they might be more willing to use biting as a strategy than other breeds. Dog bites do not have to be fatal to be expensive. It’s important for dachshund lovers to understand the important information so that they are able to avoid minor bites that can turn into a major hassle. I’m a devoted dachshund lover, but I’m also a Certified Canine Behavior Consultant and Certified Bite Prevention Educator – and it is distressing to me how illinformed we are about how much a dog bite can cost us. Sadly most of these bites are entirely preventable. Dachshunds are statistically much more likely than other breeds to bite people – especially strangers. In a study from the University of Pennsylvania of over 6000 dogs, Dachshunds were found to be more than three times more likely to bite people (both familiar and unfamiliar) than the so-called dangerous breeds (Dobermans, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Pit Bulls). If you take Chihuahuas out of the
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Dachshund Club of America Summer 2022
When the Bite is Worse Than the Bark by Dr. Theresa Nesbitt
