This is time we give to the dog to recover from both physical and mental stressors. This is done by minimising exposure to anything too exciting or stressful and instead enabling calm rest for extended periods of time. Since this is a temporary requirement, some adjustments in movement or resting areas and limiting human interactions would be ideal.

Imagine that the dog is a cup. And imagine that every time the dog gets excited or stressed, a little liquid is poured into the cup. The liquid represents chemicals generated in the body when the body is excited or stressed. Interestingly both generate the same chemicals in the body with the same end result. So all of it goes into our cup, as a single liquid, in our analogy.  Now think of everything the dog goes through in a day. There are several things that keep adding into the cup - being chased, meeting someone they love (excitement too fills this cup) or someone they are afraid of, health issues, hunger, construction and traffic sounds etc.  As the cup keeps filling, it reaches the brim and then when another drop of liquid is added to it, the cup overflows. This results in a bite! So when a dog bites, don’t start by examining the triggers. That is like analysing the last drop that went into the cup. That is pointless. Instead look at why the cup is full. Below is a list of “cup fillers” that you can use as a checklist to look at what combination of factors is most impactful on this dog.  The next step is to attempt to remove the “cup fillers” or reduce exposure to them. This is often the most effective, long lasting solution. In addition, a few activities are known to help “drain a full cup” - sleep, heavy meals, sniffing and chewing. A combination of reducing exposure to “cup fillers”, while enabling “cup draining activities” is powerful in bringing about change. Common Cup Fillers Poor health Chronic issues like old injuries, digestive issues, head aches, skin allergies, hormonal issues like hypothyroidism (these are hard to detect) At least a month or two after an acute episode like diseases, acute injury, surgeries like spaying etc. Fevers, infections, injuries, pregnancy related discomfort etc. Extremely stimulating environments that include a lot of traffic, loud noises like construction, heavy movement of people, lots of children etc. A lot of excitement like when food is about to be served or meeting primary caregivers, excited humans. Harassment like being chased, yelled at, physically teased etc.  Perceived competition around food, like eating in the presence of other dogs or humans walking by, not getting enough food to eat regularly etc. Perceived threat to self, like feeling stuck in a corner or narrow passage. Perceived threat to young ones like people approaching very small puppies. Mating season. Insecurity around humans that may result from a single human providing all aspects of care for several dogs. The presence of such a human can be a huge cup filler, especially when several dogs are around at the same time. Visual exposure to vehicular movement, especially for dogs who have picked up the habit of chasing bikes. Such dogs do not trigger as much if they hear the vehicle. It is visual sensory perception that is problematic for them. Even a perceived visual barrier between them and the vehicles can sometimes have a major impact, even if it is not a thorough barrier.

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Animals like dogs do not walk straight up to each other. They approach each other in a curve, so that they avoid unnecessary conflict with one another. We too can use this. If we see a dog on the street and prefer not to interact with the dog, it is better to walk past the dog in ‘a curve’. That can be achieved by crossing over to the other side of the road if possible, or if it is a narrow space, walk farthest away from the dog as possible and orient your shoulders slightly away from the dog. Turn your face away from the dog too.  If you are a dog lover, practise this a few times to see if you are able to walk past dogs without inviting them to come to you and then teach this to others in the community too, especially children.