Spring has arrived and she is showing her teeth!

Somehow I managed to forget that April doesn't just bring rain, it brings dog bites. We have had 3 bites in one week here at the ranch. On the news, there were 4 dogs shot after attacking some kids in SLC. The paper had a story about a girl bit by a neighborhood dog.

I don't know the cause, but spring brings out the worst in otherwise normal dogs. Last year, I had a policeman tell me that there are more dog bites in the spring than the rest of year combined.

One of my biters is just plain mean and isn't welcome back here at any time. The other is a rambucious dog that has been here a hundred times. She has always played too rough, but I would not have suspected her of biting.

So, if you are out enjoying the weather, really keep an eye out for dogs this season. If you own a dog, these are my suggestions:

Get the dog out for some exercise. A physically exhausted dog is a happy dog and not a biter.

If your dog is aggressive in any way, at any time, get help. Aggression is not something that a dog will 'get over', 'grow out of', or 'is just part of being a dog'. It is a problem that will only get bigger and bigger. There is a point of no return. And as much as I hate the idea, if your dog is a biter, you will have to euthanasia your pet.


I look back on the fights and bites I have had here. And when you think of the total number of different dogs we have here everyday, it is a very small number. There was always a warning behavior that I should have come down on hard, before it got to the point of biting.

The big punishment around here, is a time-out in their run. Works great on the dogs, doesn't work as well with my kids, though. If I put a dog in the run for about 10 minutes while every other dog gets to play; I will have a very polite dog when they do get to play.

So let's be careful out there, spring can have a really big set of teeth.