True or False a dog will show warning signs of stress before biting?
False, A dog will learn to mask the signs of stress such as growling and/or showing there teeth because of all the times the dog was corrected for this behavior. This has taught the dog to suppress the warning signs and not necessarily the bite. This type of bite is called "out of the blue", and because of this the owner needs to be aware of the approach ,body posture, and general communication that are likely to be interpreted by the dog. Some of the signs are direct eye contact with you and the tail standing straight up and its chest thrown out. The dogs legs are apart with the ears up and a low rumbling growl. The dog could also have its teeth showing by raising its lips in the front.
You want to learn these warning signs to assess the dog could be having a good day or not. If you can talk calmly, keep hands low and nonthreatening and avoid eye contact.
Don't move quickly or tower over the dog or yell or shout. This will only stress the dog more and could get you bit by the dog. A can recommend a book called "The art of raising a puppy" and look on page 144-150 for a discussion on dominant dogs written by Monks of New Skete, I sell this book on my web page www.bgoodk9training.com. This is a good book for everyone who loves dogs.
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