Nov 30 2009
Kabir Singh says we’re barking up the wrong tree
Reports of dog attacks and irresponsible dog owners have hit the newspapers once again – why does this problem never go away?
I was invited to write this blog because 65 of Singapore’s 55,220 dogs (that’s 0.12% to be precise) were involved in dog attacks in 2009. The media has now latched onto this and Singaporeans are up in arms. Make no mistake – I think 65 dog attacks is something we need to look into. But let’s not sensationalise the issue or perpetuate a senseless witch hunt.
Several people have written to the press, calling for stricter dog laws and harsher penalties against errant dog owners. Some have advocated targeting specific breeds such as the Rottweiler, Doberman, German Shepherd – the so called “dangerous breeds”! In my view, there is little sense in this approach since the statistics show that the smaller, “gentler” and “milder” breeds are just as likely to be responsible for such attacks.
So what do we do?
In my experience, dog attacks occur for two reasons: poorly trained dogs and poorly trained owners. Harsher penalties address neither of these causes – education does.
We should mandatorily educate all current and potential dog owners on their legal and social responsibilities. They should all be made to attend a comprehensive course (online perhaps?) to educate them on key issues of responsible dog ownership. They should complete this course before they are allowed to license their dog and would then have little excuse for ignoring their responsibilities.
We should also require all dogs to be obedience trained. Dogs must then undergo a nationally administered basic obedience test with their owners, to prove that both owner and dog are a competent team. There is no sense in training the dog if the owner is incompetent to handle it. Educating dogs and their owners must go hand in hand.
As a volunteer dog trainer for the last 12 years, I have seen my fair share of problem dogs and irresponsible owners. Almost every time someone walks into our Club with an aggressive, uncontrollable or a “problem” dog, we inevitably found that the owner simply never understood how to handle his dog properly. If both he and his dog were properly educated, there would be no “problem” dog to speak of.
There is little doubt that a problem exists – a serious one. The statistics show that the traditional approach of increasing penalties, and targeting specific breeds of dogs has not worked well for us. Quite simply, this is because the problem lies more with the owners than the dogs. Unless and until we force dog owners to understand their responsibilities and to behave responsibly, the problem is not going to go away.
I say resist the traditional knee jerk “we’ll fine, jail and cane you” approach and give compulsory education a chance. You may not get results overnight but the eventual returns will be well worth the investment.
Kabir Singh is president & director of training at the German Shepherd Dog Club of Singapore.
4 responses so far
Hello Kabir,
I absolutely agree. It is time people step up and learn how to handle dogs or any animal for that matter. Hence why we have taken upon ourselves to to this very thing at. Fining does nothing other than conflict people and there opinion of government and local laws when all government it trying to do is mitigate a reasonable level of risk assessment to its local community. We send our children to school to learn, we send out tradesman to learn how to use tools, we take driving lessons to learn how to drive a vehicle but no one learns how to truly handle a dog and understand them. This is critical if you are going to have a harmonious life with your animal.
So in short please accept my sincerely thanks for writing a LOGICAL RESPONSE in your blog.
Warmest Regards
Kris & Tonia Kotsopoulos.
I had triained many dogs and the BIGGEST problem is always the owners and not the dogs. Usually if proper training starts early for both dogs and owners. there is almost zero chance we will have a “problem” dog. Like what I always share with my customers – “If you treat your dog like a human. you dog will treat you like a dog”.
Silvanus Koh is the Training Director of Merlion-K9
While it is a pity anything needs to be mandated, it is apparent a problem exists and I agree with Kabir that many owners do not understand their dogs. Owning a dog is a huge commitment and teaching people to handle their animals correctly would save both the dog and the family a significant amount of grief. As to those people who “don’t have time” to invest in a dog, the answer is simple – don’t get one in the first place. Owning a dog is like having a child, it is hard work, can be expensive, and is incredibly, incredibly rewarding.
Keeping dogs as pets can be compared to having children. If parents do not give unconditional love to their children, do not teach their children acceptable social behaviour and do not allow them to socialize with other people, there is greater possibility that the child would grow up insecure, ill-behaved and unable to relate with others. Similarly, if dog owners are not familiar with the basics of dog ownership, responsibilities and training, and their dogs have not been trained with some basic skills, we run a greater risk that the dog may behave in unacceptable ways, including attacking others. Educating dog owners in the area of basic dog psychology, would help them to better handle and control their pets, and hence, minimize the likelihood of dog attacks.
I love my dog, a well-behaved, trained GSD, but am pained at all the obstacles imposed by the various AVA regulations on the breed.