More than 30 dog attacks and bites a day in Serbia

The problem does not start when a dog bites. It usually starts much earlier.

Serbia records a large number of dog attacks and bites on people every year. Publicly available data and media reports mention figures of roughly 12,000 to 15,000 recorded attacks and bite injuries a year.

Statistically, that means more than 30 cases happen every single day.

Behind every number there is a person, a child, a dog owner, a family, and also a dog whose behaviour has often been warning for months or years that there is a problem.

A DOG RARELY BECOMES A PROBLEM OVERNIGHT

A dog that attacked someone today was usually not a perfectly obedient dog with no behaviour problems yesterday.

Before a serious incident there are often signs that the owner ignores or misreads:

the dog growls at family members, will not let anyone near its food or objects, reacts uncontrollably to other dogs, lunges at the fence, chases people, cyclists or cars, will not let the owner control it, pulls on the lead and completely ignores commands when it gets excited.

The problem is that help is often sought only after the worst has happened.

„My dog bit someone. What do I do now?”

That is a question no owner should wait for.

LOVE FOR A DOG IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR TRAINING

Loving a dog means much more than providing food, water, shelter and veterinary care.

A responsible owner has to learn how a dog communicates, how it learns, what it is allowed to do through the owner's own actions, and where clear boundaries must exist.

A dog does not think like a person.

That is why one of the biggest mistakes happens when an owner gives the dog's behaviour human traits: „he is jealous”, „he is getting back at me”, „he knows he did wrong”, „he is only playing”, „he would never hurt anyone”.

Above all, a dog learns from experience and from the consequences of its behaviour. What it is allowed to do for months can become a pattern that is much harder to change later.

TRAINING DOES NOT START WITH THE „SIT” COMMAND

The essence of good training is not teaching a dog a few tricks.

The goal is to build communication between person and dog, so that the owner can control the dog exactly when it matters most.

A dog has to learn what is expected of it at home, on the street, among people, around children and when meeting other animals.

And the owner has to learn to recognise the dog's behaviour before it grows into a serious problem.

DO NOT WAIT FOR THE FIRST BITE

If your dog already shows aggression, threatens, growls, lunges or cannot be controlled in certain situations, do not wait for time to solve the problem.

Time on its own does not train a dog.

The longer unwanted behaviour is repeated, the more chances the dog has to reinforce it.

That is why training should not be seen as a punishment for a „bad dog”, but as an investment in the safety of the dog, the owner and everyone that dog will come into contact with during its life.