Dogs bite more than four million people in the U.S. each year and more than 750,000 of the victims require medical treatment. Dog bites account for more emergency room visits than do skateboards, in-line skates, baby walkers and all-terrain vehicles combined.

Dog Bite Liability

The liability that dog ownership presents is a growing concern to American Family. Dog bite claim settlements continue to rise and, in turn, affect everyone's rates. Once your dog bites, the incident may jeopardize your property insurance, too.

Nationally, dog bite claims cost policyholders about $2 billion annually. Beyond the financial impact, dog bites often mean permanent injuries, trauma and sometimes death. The family often loses a beloved pet. Many people like dogs. People own about 50 million dogs in the U.S. -- about one dog for every four people or one in every three homes.

American Family and the insurance industry need your help to minimize dog bites. Tragically, many serious dog bites injure children, so it is important to teach them how to act around dogs.

If you own a dog or plan to get one, you should be aware of selection and training issues which could prevent dog bites.

Selection, Care and Training

Your responsibility as a dog owner begins before you bring a puppy or dog home. Selection of an appropriate breed, training and socialization are all important parts of dog ownership.

Research dog breeds and select a dog suitable to your family and lifestyle. Find out what the puppies' parents are like and how the puppies were raised.

The first year of a dog's life determines much of its adult behavior. Obedience school can be a valuable experience for your dog and its masters. You should be able to control your dog at all times.

Dogs benefit from training and socialization. Socialization means helping the dog learn how to act around your family, in crowds and around other dogs. Take your young dog to different places around people and practice training it on a tight leash.

Unfortunately, biting is a normal, instinctive behavior for dogs. This instinct is more prominent in some breeds of dogs than in others.

Construct an outdoor kennel sturdy enough to keep your dog in and keep other animals out. Give your dog some privacy -- a crate in the house or a dog house in the kennel.

Tips for Avoiding Dog Bites

These tips may help you and your family avoid dog bite situations:

• If a dog approaches, don't run or scream. Try to back against a tree or car. If you have time, climb on a car or up a tree. Then call for help. If the dog moves away, you can then move away carefully.
• Lie on the ground with knees tucked to your chest and a fist over each ear if a dog knocks you down. Remain very still and quiet.
• Staring threatens dogs.
• Be aware that about 80 percent of dog bites occur in the victim's home or at a friend's home. These friendly dog bites account for the majority of treated dog bites.

Children at Risk

Supervise small children when they're around a dog, especially when visiting a friend's home. In emergency room reports for dog bites, about 73 percent of children treated were bitten on the face, neck or head, while only 30 percent of the adult injuries from dog bites were on these areas of the body. Severe dog bite injuries occur almost exclusively to children 10 years old and younger.

American Family wants to insure safe households for everyone. If you want to be a dog owner, be a responsible dog owner.

These recommendations were developed using generally accepted safety standards. Compliance with these recommendations is not a guarantee that you will be in conformance with any building code, federal, state or local regulation regarding safety or fire. Compliance with these recommendations does not ensure the absolute safety of your occupation, business or residence. It is the property owner’s duty to warn any tenants or occupants of the property of any safety hazards that may exist.