There have been several dog bite stories on the news recently. These stories have several things in common. One is the severe damage the bites inflicted. Another is that, according to witnesses, the dogs bit without warning or provocation.

I have no excuse for the amount of injury these dogs caused. Injuries like these are not common. The majority of dog bites are quick and often do not break the skin or require a doctors visit. We are certainly more at risk driving our cars than we are interacting with dogs.

I do find it hard to believe the dogs bit without warning. I find it much more likely the dogs gave warning, but the humans did not recognize it. It is the simple fact that dogs and humans communicate differently. Since humans are supposed to be the more intelligent species, we should learn to recognize canine warning signals.

Dogs often use subtle "calming signals" to let us know they are uncomfortable in a situation. They may yawn, blink, sniff or turn their head away to avoid our gaze. Few people notice these small signs. (I highly recommend Turid Rugaas' book or video "on Talking Terms with Dogs-Calming Signals" for anyone interested in learning more about canine communication.) Perhaps the dogs in question gave some of these signals, but no one noticed.

If a dog has been telling you subtly to back off and you did not get the message, the dog must escalate his warning. This can be a growl or it maybe simply freezing and becoming still. A growling dog is giving a lot of vocal warning. This is good because if you have any common sense you now know there is a problem and can give the dog more space. You can deal with the problem later. The first thing is to diffuse the situation and keep everyone safe. Remember, growling is the early warning system. Do not punish a growling dog. He may bite you for correcting him or he may simply stop growling and go directly to using his teeth.

Dogs that do not growl, but just freeze before biting are more problematic. Most people do not notice the dog is suddenly still. This is the most dangerous situation. With this type of behavior, you can find yourself in in trouble before you realize it. I suspect these are the dogs that we think bite without warning.

Again, I am not excusing the behavior of these dogs. To bite and disfigure someone is not acceptable. However, maybe the dogs had been trying to tell the humans there was a problem and no one was listening.

Cissy Sumner of Best Behavior Dog Training is Vero's first Certified Professional Dog Trainer. If you have a training or behavior question, email Cissy at bbdogtraining@bellsouth.net. Visit www.pawprintsofverobeach.com for group training information. Private training is available by appointment.