Police K-9 Magazine

There’s a widely held theory that in K-9, it is not a matter of if you get bitten, but simply a matter of when. As handlers and trainers, we spend a great deal of time concentrating on preventing unintentional bites. However, equipment fails, decoys make mistakes, and dogs have minds of their own — and sometimes they differ with us in our approach to training and how a particular scenario or exercise will unfold. The intent of this article is not to discuss the accidental “tag” that comes from a nip or a wayward tooth during play. What I am talking about is a full-out bite-and-hold that seems to occur for no reason.

It Happened to Me

Having recently been on the receiving end of a serious, unintentional bite while instructing at a workshop, I’ve had some time to reflect on this topic. During my brief post-surgical hospital stay, I had some time to think about the situation, along with the circumstances surrounding it. I realized then that while we talk at great length about bite prevention, typically there’s far less discussion about bite intervention. In other words, what should one do when the inevitable happens and someone is unintentionally engaged by a K-9, sans protective gear? Getting through a K-9 career without being bitten is about as likely as getting to your pension without getting into a street fight along the way — it probably isn’t going to happen.

My incident occurred while I was working with a team (not as the intended decoy) during a building-search exercise at a large training event. Although I like to think that I am fairly dog-savvy, the experience puzzles me to this day. Like most handlers and trainers, I’ve been bitten before at a much lower level. However, this incident was more serious, resulting in surgery and several weeks of recovery time. It was completely unexpected and unprovoked in nature, and I’ll probably always have unanswered questions.

Obviously, there is no good outcome stemming from an accidental bite. The one sure thing is that serious injury is imminent, and there will be some strong feelings — guilt, bewilderment and oftentimes, anger. What we need to keep in mind is that no one wants such a thing to happen, but it is an inherent possibility — even a probability — when working with dogs trained in aggression work. Following are a few things that can be done to minimize the impact on all concerned.

What to Do

The first thing to remember when you’re on the receiving end of a serious bite is to remain calm. As simple as that sounds, it is imperative that the person being bitten remains calm. The bite is going to hurt — no doubt about it, but yelling and screaming is not going to make it hurt less. In fact, such animation may serve to kick things up a notch on the dog’s end, which is not what we want to do.
In most cases, the person being bitten has little choice but to take it until the dog can be removed, either by command or physical means. Avoid taking any action that will kick the dog’s drive higher, which may result in him transferring the bite to other parts of the body, thereby creating additional injuries. While I have seen a person being bitten actually begin the process of removing the dog himself, doing so will, at best, be very difficult to accomplish. The best thing to do may well be to remain calm and wait for help.

The second critical move is to protect your hands and face. Make every effort to remain upright and not crouch over the dog. If the dog does release and you’re standing over top of him, he may come up to your face. If the bite is on an arm, keep that arm up, using your free hand if possible, to prevent the dog from going to the hand. Many handlers and trainers have been forced into early retirement after having their hand crushed in a bite.

Remain standing if possible. Obviously, that’s in the easier-said-than-done category, but try to stay on your feet. My experience has been that many dogs, if allowed to have all four feet on the ground, will use their body in a rearward tugging motion to drag a person. Such a move will result in greater injury and likely will make it more difficult to “out” the dog. Although it may be true that keeping the dog’s front feet off the ground will cause him to hold harder on the bite, allowing the dog to pull you around is likely to result in tearing. Also you will put your face and neck closer to the dog by going to the ground, and many dogs are more likely to transfer the bite if they have all four feet on the ground.

Have an “out” command. Although that should be a no-brainer, it is no secret that many handlers can get their dog to release only by physical removal. If that is the case, it may be a good idea to at least wear a hidden sleeve during any exercise, particularly if it is one that involves aggression work such as building or area search. If you’re working with a team you’ve never worked with before, inquire about their control level. I’ve been amazed at how many handlers have told me only when I asked that their dog is not okay with someone else (me) in the building during a search. Better to be safe than sorry.

Know how to do a choke-off. There is a major difference between a choke-off and a lift-off. The choke-off is a technique that quickly cuts off the dog’s air, making it nearly impossible for him to continue biting. Like most techniques, that one works better with some dogs than others. A lift-off often is used as a drive-building exercise and will, in most cases, intensify the bite. Know the difference and be able to administer a swift and certain choke-off in an attempt to minimize the duration of the bite. Remember, time on the bite is usually directly proportional to damage incurred. As a handler, if you do not know how to perform the choke-off technique, learn it. The day may come when you will need to perform it on someone else’s dog.

Make sure someone has a medical kit. Another no-brainer, but be sure there is at least a basic first-aid kit at any training venue. Although all K-9 cars should have a kit stowed, ensure that is the case. At bare minimum, have on hand supplies such as gauze pads, wraps, and a flushing/irrigating agent.

If away from home, make sure someone has access to EMS or knows where the nearest hospital is located. That may seem obvious, but sometimes waiting for EMS to respond simply compounds the problem — especially when the injuries are serious. Personally, I would much rather someone toss me into a patrol car and get me on my way to the hospital, but someone has to know where the hospital is (especially true when at a training event away from home).

Post-Treatment Advice

Once at the hospital, make sure your care comes from someone who knows what they’re doing concerning dog bites. Do not be afraid to question those who are caring for you. For cops, a serious dog bite is a potentially career-ending situation, so the utmost care must be taken regarding infection and musculoskeletal issues. If you’re not satisfied with the answers you’re getting, keep asking questions or request help from someone else until you are comfortable.

Take your medications and maintain your follow-up care. This is no time to prove your toughness. Take your prescribed antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications until they are gone. Again, the biggest post-treatment risk is infection, and the consequences of infection can be horrific. Your doctor will advise you on taking medications to prevent that — heed the advice fully. Sometimes taking medication and conforming to the rules that go along with it — such as avoiding sun or alcohol — stinks. However, doing so pales in comparison to losing a limb to infection.

Don’t expect a miraculous recovery. Dog bites are serious injuries that can inflict a lot of damage. You may incur muscle, nerve, or tendon damage in addition to extensive soft tissue damage and bruising. Do not push your recovery. Listen to your body to avoid setbacks that will keep you off the street longer or even permanently. Remember that if your injury is substantial enough to retire you from the job, it may well be substantial enough to retire you from activities you enjoy away from the job as well.

Take it slow but don’t stop. Remain as active as your body will allow to minimize muscle atrophy and to maintain flexibility. Sometimes a little pain is good and is a sign that your muscles are waking up again. If something doesn’t feel right, pick up the phone and call your doctor and ask him. That’s what he gets paid for.

Do not lay blame. That is huge. Although sometimes it’s easy to point a finger at a dog or a handler who has made a mistake, it’s likely that no one feels worse about your situation than the handler. Recognize that and be big enough to reassure him (especially if you’re in the position of a trainer) that these things happen and that you’ll be okay.

Get back out there. Once you’ve healed, get back in the field. If possible, debrief the situation with others who were there to see if something can be learned from it. Be willing to admit if you made a mistake or got complacent, and pass on to others what you could have done differently to avoid getting bitten. Most of all, do not allow the experience to prevent you from doing what you love to do.

Real, serious bites are an unfortunate reality associated with our profession. With a little preparation and foresight, hopefully their impact can be minimized as much as possible.

Ron Gunton has worked for the Mentor (OH) Police Department for more than 22 years.  He has been a K-9 handler/trainer for more than 12 years and works a patrol/narcotics K-9 also trained for SWAT applications. Contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .