The dog bit me on/in the leg

AnonymousSo does a dog bite me on the leg or in the leg - and does it matter.

Hit on the head: smacked in the face. Is there a rule here? No

slapped in / across the face. punched on the nose / in the stomach; kicked / shot in the ****, slapped on it; She hit me over the head (implies greater intent than "on the head," i.e., it was n

"on the leg" is better. The dog's teeth mainly damage the surface of the skin. More often we say "he was shot in the leg", because the main damage is in the interior of the leg, muscle or bone. I have seen both prepositions though.
"on the head" is correct.

"in the face" is correct. The reason is that the face is defined by an oval shape. Inside this oval are the eyes, no

AnonymousSo does a dog bite me on the leg or in the leg - and does it matter.

Hit on the head: smacked in the face. Is there a rule here?

All you have to go on is speaker preference, and that's dependent on the verb meaning, the body part, and the individual speaker. Penetration usually argues for "in", but it's n

The use of "in" seems to shift the focus from the type of injury to the location. I can't think of any location where "in" would not be allowed. There are, however, some locations where "on" would not be allowed, eg., "on the groin, on the stomach," although we might say "on the abdomen."

Of course "in" is almost always used for bullet wounds (penetration, as CJ says). "Stabbed" usual

Avangi"the dog bit me on the shin," deferring to A. Stars' lack of penetration.

I'm surprised anyone would think that a dog bite does not involve penetration. I assure you from personal experience that penetration is one of its main features!

Every dog has his day.