National Dog Bite Prevention Week (April 13-19): AVMA’s simple steps to prevent bites and keep people, pets safe

SCHAUMBURG, Illinois (April 10, 2025)—According to the latest data from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), 45.5% of U.S. households include dogs, for a total of nearly 90 million canine companions in the United States. While the vast majority of these dogs will coexist peacefully with us, dog bites remain a serious public health risk, with more than 4.5 million people bitten each year in the United States.

During National Dog Bite Prevention Week (April 13-19), a coalition of veterinarians, animal behavior experts and insurance representatives are urging people to understand the risks dog bites pose to people and other pets, and to take steps to prevent bites from happening.  

"Almost all dog bites are preventable, and prevention begins with education," said Dr. Sandra Faeh, president of the AVMA. "By learning about dog behavior and teaching kids how to safely interact with dogs, we can help protect both people and pets. Responsible pet ownership and respectful interactions are key to strengthening the human-animal bond and reducing the risk of injury."

Tips to prevent dog bites

Dogs can bite for many reasons, including resource guarding, illness, injury, improper care or a lack of socialization. All dogs, even well-trained, gentle dogs, are capable of biting when provoked, especially when eating, sleeping or caring for puppies. Therefore, it’s vitally important to keep both children and dogs safe by preventing dog bites wherever possible.

When it comes to dog bites, cases of bites to children are of particular concern. In fact, more than 50% of all dog-related injuries are to children, and for those under four years of age, those bites are often to vulnerable head and neck regions, which is why it is so important to never leave children unsupervised with dogs, even if they’re family pets.

The AVMA provides the following tips to prevent dog bites:

• Don’t ever leave children unsupervised with dogs, even family pets. More than 50% of all dog-related injuries are to children, and for kids that are under 4 years of age, often those bites are to the head and neck region.

• Make sure your pet is healthy. Not all illnesses and injuries are obvious, and dogs are more likely to bite if they are sick or in pain. If you haven’t been to the veterinarian in a while, schedule an appointment for a checkup to discuss your dog’s physical and behavioral health.
• Socialization - take it slow. If your dog has been mainly interacting with your family since you brought them home, don’t rush out into crowded areas or dog parks. Try to expose your dogs to new situations slowly and for short periods of time, arrange for low-stress interactions, and give plenty of praise and rewards for good behavior.

• Educate yourself in positive training techniques and devote time to interact with your dog.

• Be responsible about approaching other people’s pets. Ask permission from the owner before approaching a dog, and look for signs that the dog wants to interact with you. Sometimes dogs want to be left alone, and we need to recognize and respect that.

• Make sure that you always walk your dog on a leash and recognize changes in your dog’s body language where they may not be comfortable.
• Always monitor your dog’s activity, even when they are in the backyard at your own house, because they can be startled by something, get out of the yard and possibly injure someone or be injured themselves.

"We can help prevent dog bites by understanding what dogs need in order to thrive," said Victoria Stilwell, celebrity dog trainer and behavior expert. "Having a basic understanding of dog body language and teaching dogs how to cope and live successfully in a human world can help dogs and humans communicate more effectively with each other. This is best done using positive training methods that center on building dogs’ confidence while avoiding methods and equipment that cause pain or intimidate dogs into complying. How you teach a dog really does matter."

"Dog bite prevention is a community effort," added AVMA President Dr. Faeh. "And all members of the community—pet owners and non-pet owners alike—can play a role in ensuring safe, positive interactions with dogs. By giving dogs the space they need, keeping them healthy, and helping them feel confident through training and positive experiences, we’re not only protecting ourselves, but also safeguarding the wellbeing of our beloved pets."

For more information on preventing dog bites and National Dog Bite Prevention Week, visit AVMA.org/DogBitePrevention.