Onus is on owners

Friday 7th March 2008, 1:15PM GMT.

ANIMAL Shelter animal welfare officer Lorna Prince said a bite or nip from a dog indicated a problem with the animal’s behaviour. In the week when Cruft’s dog show is televised and dog awareness is at its height she warned islanders to take care when getting one.

‘People often don’t know what they’ve got on their hands when they take on a dog as a pet,’ she said. The breed, temperament and habits of the animal should be thought about before a dog was taken into the home, said Ms Prince.

She said prevention was always better than attempting to cure a problem and that the Animal Shelter offered puppy training and dog-handling courses for pet owners. ‘We offer behaviour consultations and our advice is to seek help if your dog starts to ‘nip’, because this is a sign that there is a problem.’