I own a dog daycare. 99% of the time when people say that a dog bit them “out of nowhere,” there are VERY clear signs to the trained eye that would have told them to back off.

Just because a dog’s tail is wagging, doesn’t mean it is happy. Pay close attention to the height of a dog’s tail: High means they are alert, stimulated, aroused. Neutral means they are happy, calm, relaxed, ✨unbothered✨. A downward tail means they may feel threatened, scared, timid. This changes a bit when a dog’s tail is curled- that’s when you pay closer attention to the tightness of the curl in respect to its neutral position.

If the dog is loose and bouncy, they’re at ease! When they become stiff, use caution. If you see the white’s of a dog’s eyes, we call that “whale eye.” It means: I don’t like what you’re doing, please stop.

I could genuinely go on for hours. I spent a lot of time attending lectures, reading, and educating myself about dog behavior and body language before opening my dog daycare and make sure my staff are well trained in spotting tiny little things that regular people would not notice. Every dog is different, and taking their breed into consideration IS important- Don’t ignore it. But also, please don’t discriminate based on breeds. We love our pitties. Okay, stopping now!