Dog bites: Ask Me Anything with Carri Westgarth PhD

Zazie and Kristi are joined by Prof. Carri Westgarth to answer your questions about dog bites, how to avoid getting bitten by a dog, and what to do if you have been bitten by a dog.

We talked about:

• Why dogs bite
• How to use management to keep people safe from dogs
• How to keep children safe from dog bites
• What to do if a loose dog charges you
• How to regain trust if your own dog has bitten you
• The difference between predatory behaviour and fear aggression
• The systemic factors that can make a difference to the prevalence of dog bites, and why education is only part of the answer
• Why Breed Specific Legislation isn't the solution to dog bites
• And more!

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Sophia Yin's video with loose dogs (correction: it was in Australia) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhm36dDFrk4
• The Care for Reactive Dogs website https://careforreactivedogs.com/
• Zazie's email list. Sign up here: https://companionanimalpsychology.kit.com/a88e8d1a2a

Books by Prof. Carri Westgarth:

• The Happy Dog Owner
• Dog Bites: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (co-edited with Daniel Mills)

Books by Zazie Todd PhD:

• Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy
• Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog

Professor Carri Westgarth is Chair in Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Liverpool with a passion for understanding the relationships we have with our pets. With a background in animal behaviour and dog training she has trained in veterinary epidemiology and human public health. Her research interests focus on the implications of dog ownership for human health and wellbeing, but also how owner management of their dogs can impact dog welfare. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used to tackle her primary research questions of how to improve population health through the promotion of dog walking, and how to prevent dog bites. Her expertise on understanding and changing the behaviour of dog owners is sought by many organisations wishing to prevent dog bites and promote ‘responsible’ dog owner behaviour, such as her work as a consultant for Royal Mail. She is also a Full Member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and founder of

Send us a text to say hello!

Support the show

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of, and now on staff with, the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online classes. She is also a northern anthropologist.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat.

Instagram BlueSky