Kid and Dog Safety

One thing that worries me most as an owner is kids around my dogs. It's not that I'm against kids or that my dogs are vicious. In fact we purposely get our dogs use to the assaults from a young age by pulling on their ears, tails, lips, feet, fur and anywhere else a child might pull. Now don't go thinking I'm yanking them around by different body parts all the time.  How we get them use to it is:  while petting, we gently pull on something (leg, ear, fur, etc) and then quickly go back to petting. That way they aren't put in an uncomfortable spot and get rewarded for no reaction to the incident. I also tend to borrow friends' kids to teach my dogs not to jump on children (My friends don't seem to mind as their kids get to play with dogs and learn dog signs, so they are more prepared when they meet new dogs). This also aids my dogs because they get to learn kids equal good things (even if they invade their bubble).

It's the fact that most kids don't know how to read dog body language. They can't tell when the dog is nervous, anxious, scared, or just down right wants to get away. I don't blame the kids for not knowing, I blame the parents for not teaching, not knowing dog body language, or not heeding the owners warnings. Recently I watched a toddler run up to a dog and hug it. The problem with this is that the owner of the dog was trying to stop the kid and get the dog away, because the dog was very scared and trying to avoid the toddler. The kid's parents watched laughing at the child's assault on the dog, until the dog let out a warning growl. Then they tried to scold the owner for having "a dog like that in public." I spoke out at that point (as a trainer and a dog reactive dog I just can't stand when people are wrongly accused). I informed the parents that the owner was following every aspect of the law and it was infact them in the wrong. They didn't believe me at this point, so I proceeded to point out that if they couldn't tell by the dogs obvious attempt to go the opposite direction from their kid (and their dog), then they should have clearly seen the owner step in front of her dog and yell "stop she's nervous" before their child ran up to the dog. It's not fair to blame the owner or the dog in this situation, they tried to stop the assault.

It's become clear through my years of training that most parents and dog owners don't know the warning signs of dogs. If you don't know the warning signs then you might look at these following photos and go "how cute"

 

In all six of these photos the children are in danger of potentially getting bit because the dogs are put in an uncomfortable position. You can see some dogs trying to avoid the situation (looking away). You can also see the half-moon eye (indicator that the dog is uncomfortable). Now if you looked at these and thought with at least 1 of them "aww that's a sweet picture" or "I don't know what's wrong with this one," you may not have a grasp on dog body language. Don't feel bad it's more common than you think. That's why I created this post, so that you and your children can learn, when a dog needs to be left alone. By learning the warning signs of dogs you can avoid most bites. Now if you looked at all of these and cringed you might be a trainer (or have a wonderful grasp on dog body language)

The picture below is a great tool in trying to decipher doggy language

I know that one or more of these signs can go unnoticed. I usually keep it much simpler in my classes. I stick to the 3 major signs to look for. The first one is avoidance. This is where the dog will look away from the stressful situation. If the dog is looking away, don't force the dog into the situation. The second sign is lip licking (called tongue flick in the picture). This is where the dog is constantly licking their lips. This is a signal that the dog is overly stressed and is trying to calm down. Again do not force a dog into a situation if you see this, bad things will happen. The third and final sign to pay attention to is yawning. You may think the dog is tired, but that is not the case.  It's a calming reflex and informs us again the dog is overly stressed and needs to be removed from the situation. If these warning signs are ignored, the last step is for the dog to give a warning bite. The dog may or may not get skin, but if it does get skin it can be potentially dangerous for the child.

It doesn't matter how great a dog is with the child, every dog (just like every person) has a breaking point. Some dogs have a shorter fuse than others (just like people). That is why we want to teach our children to respect a dogs personal space

Below is another picture that can be useful in learning dog body language. It has a few more signals to help decipher dog body language.

Now learning all the signs may be a difficult task for some of the younger kids. However, you can teach a young child to generally respect a dog's space. By teaching your children to speak to dogs quietly (not yelling or squealing) that can help fearful dogs be comfortable. 

We want to also teach children to not run up to a strange dog. Just like you don't want your kid to run over to the creepy guy in the van handing out candy, you don't want your child to run up to a strange dog. That dog may be sick, it may be a service dog, it may be fearful, or it may be hurt and in pain. All but being a service dog, can result in your child getting bitten by the dog. If you child runs up to a service dog it can distract the animal from doing it's necessary job. Make sure that you and your child ALWAYS ask if it is okay to pet the dog. Just because the dog is out in a public place doesn't mean it's fair game. If the owner says "No" don't take offense, it's not you, it's their dog. 

I had a wonderful experience of a dad and his daughter at work one day. I would take one of my dogs to work on a regular basis at one point, because she has been the best help dealing with reactive dogs. I was talking to a coworker when a young girl ran up to my dog, but before she got to my dog the dad grabbed her hand and told her she had to wait to pet my dog until I gave permission. This little girl was down right adorable and shy. She kept whispering the question to her dad and in turn her dad would tell her "I don't know you have to ask her (pointing at me)." The child would then stare at me bashfully and the cycle would repeat. It took about 5 min for the girl to finally ask me "Pet dog?" She was so shy that was all that could squeak out. I smiled, thanked her for asking, and yes she could pet my dog. I also thanked her father for teaching his daughter this. He didn't believe that he was a minority of parents (at least in my neck of the woods) that taught their children to ask politely instead of allowing them to bombard my (or any) dog.

It is also important to teach a child to leave a dog alone while it is eating or chewing a bone. I can tell you as a child I learned this a hard way. Looking back I'm glad parents scolded me instead of our dog when he bit me. Luckily he didn't break the skin, and I learned to stay out of his space while he had his bone or food. I've seen many people blame the dog. You have to look at it through the dog's eyes. Would you want someone to come over and snatch the fork out of your hands? Or would you get uncomfortable if you were at a restaurant and the waiter stayed at the table and watched you eat your food? The same can be said for dogs. They don't want their bowls grabbed from them or to be stared down while eating just like you don't. And just like people they have different reactions; some may simply slink away and not eat, some may get angry and lash out.

Below is a wonderful picture of the "do's and don'ts" for young people to follow.

One useful teaching tool I have developed is I always teach the kids to relate to how the dog is feeling (just like I have done in this post and previous posts with you readers). It helps them (and you) understand the dogs point of view. If you use real life scenarios it can help the child understand. For instance: the scenario I gave you with someone snatching the fork out of your hands. You wouldn't like it, so do you think the dog would like it? By letting the child think about it, you can help them understand why we shouldn't do it other than mommy or daddy told them not to do it. 

Now children and dogs can coexist quite wonderfully. My littlest dog is a therapy dog and he loves visiting school children. In fact, he's better behaved around children than he is adults. One of our favorite times of the year is when a friend of mine invites us to her school. We get to help teach the children what is required to take care of dogs and how to greet dogs.

There are wonderful tools out their to help children and pets interact appropriately. The first thing you want to do is talk to a trainer if you are expecting a child. They can help you prepare. If your dog hasn't had any basic obedience lessons you will definitely want to sign up for one. You and your dog will learn commands that will help your pup learn boundaries and commands that will help him/her leave things that belong to the baby alone. If you are wanting to get a dog and already have children then go ahead and sign up for a training class even if the dog already knows basics. Training provides a bonding experience and if your children are old enough they can get in on the action. I always encourage parents to bring their kids to my classes and if the children are old enough (usually around 10 or older) a lot of parents will have them do most of the training.