TODAY'S TMJ 4, "Fear of Fido"

Able and I stopped at Channel 4 Live at Daybreak this morning to talk to weekend anchor Melissa McCrady about how to avoid getting bitten.

Here are the suggestions.

TODAY'S TMJ 4 Milwaukee, SEPTEMBER 23, 2007 "FEAR OF FIDO: How to protect yourself and your family"

Horrific attacks are rare and account for only a small percentage of bites, but threatening dog behavior is quite common In fact, the majority of bites are caused by overbearing actions of dog lovers and are entirely avoidable.

If you are threatened, always remain calm. Techniques to avoid getting bitten include taking a "mental martini," distracting advances by toss aside on item, and acting oblivious. Never run, squeal, flail, or act startled.

Evaluate dog's intent by reading his body English. Keep in mind his focus, vocalization, and the context of the encounter.

Mind your manners. Most bites are inflicted on dog lovers by dogs who should have been left alone. Demonstrate respect. Avoid picking up, kissing, hugging, "making friends" with reluctant dogs unless you are very familiar with the dog.

Socialize your children to dogs. Supervise and control interactions, keep dog leashed, and instruct children on "The Fido Four" -- don't pester, scream or scamper, and do ask permission to approach a dog. Rules can be modified as appropriate with familiar, trustworthy dogs and kids.

Set an example by being good neighbor. Keep your dog contained, controlled, and quiet. If your dog's behavior makes others uncomfortable address the situation and seek professional help to resolve it. Train you dog properly so he is bite-proof even in slightly stressful situations.

Australian Cattle Dog gets UD in Three Trials

Zaret's Cream City Huzzi Bear was my second obedience dog (after Tess, the husky), but "Huzzi" was my first UD. I bought her when she was 6 months old and instantly fell in love with her intensity and rock solid loyalty. Unfortunately, I wasn't an astute trainer and had no idea how to control her dynamite personalty. She was a great dog, but due to my ignorance of obvious sociability problems, Huzzi occasional showed aggression to strangers on her home turf. Unfortunately, a couple of people were bitten. Thankfully none were serious bites and I never forgot what that experience taught me: Never ignore, deny, or make excuses for antisocial behavior. Instead, work to increase the dog's level of self control through formal training )especially especially off leash control) and you'll reduce the level of aggressive tendencies in direct proportion.

Sadly, after earning her American and Canadian UD a year earlier, Huzzi suddenly went blind at the age of five from metabolic toxic retinopathy.

First UD Siberian Huksy in Wisconsin

I like to muse that I was a reluctant dog trainer. When I got Tess, a four-month old pet shop husky, I adored her. The affection for Tess was short lived. In fact, I soon hated her and her appalling behavior. My wise neighbor, Barb Maxwell, saved the day though, She did an intervention. Barb convinced me to train Tess and drove us to obedience school twice a week.

One of Tess's many aggravating traits was that she ran away. Husky people told me the breed genetically predisposed to 'off leash deafness.' Despite this, I continued training and when I was sixteen Tess became the first husky in Wisconsin to earn a Utility Dog title. Tess also won some Highest Scoring Dog in Trial awards and got her Canadian UD in three trials.

But the biggest thrill came years before when Tess started to listen, almost 100% reliably, off leash and I learned an important lesson. Pay attention to people who are successful and ignore people who confidently spread falsehoods such as "Huskies don't listen off leash."

Tess proved to be a splendid dog and lived to the age of 12. The adjacent photo is from 1975 as I struggle to keep five-month old Tess still for a split-second.