Teaching your child
how to greet dogs safely and prevent dog bites
By Julie Bjelland
Lokhandwala
For many children the idea of petting a new
dog is very exciting, but for parents we are often unsure if we should allow
our children to pet a new dog they’ve never met. What are the safest ways to pet a dog we
don’t know? There are some steps to
take to help make sure we are doing the right things should we decide to let
our child pet a new dog.
Most
dogs are friendly and will not bite but they need to be treated with
respect. Dogs may become aggressive for
different reasons such as: fear, frustration or protection. Children can be susceptible to dog bites for
many reasons such as the fact that their fast movements can trigger a chasing
prey response. The pitch of their voice is also higher and can sometimes startle
a dog. Children are also shorter and are
closer to the dog’s eye level and the eye-to-eye contact can make a dog feel
threatened. Children may also pull tails
or tease dogs making them uncomfortable.
A
good approach to teaching our children to greet a new dog they’ve never met
before is to understand how dogs actually prefer to greet each other. A good greeting is when two dogs meet by
coming to each other in an arc, not a straight line, looking at each other then
looking away, and then they move to smell each other. In other words they do not approach each
other directly, face to face, and they do not make strong eye contact on the
approach. So, the approach is calm,
quiet, without eye contact and using smell.
Dogs use their sense of smell to get to know you.
Here are the steps to take
when greeting a dog.
1. Always ask permission of the dog owner. You can even go a step further and ask if
their dog is comfortable around children.
2. Offer your hand, palm down for the dog to smell and
allow the dog to approach you. Do not
approach the dog first. If the dog does
not want to greet you then leave it at that and do not approach.
3. Don’t stare at the dog, instead it is better to look
at the dog and then look away. When you
take your eyes off the dog you are signaling to the dog that you are not a
threat to them.
4. Don’t pet the dog on top of their head; it is better
to pet them on their chest or back.
5. Do not approach the dog from behind.
6. Do not scream or make fast movements; stay calm and
quiet.
7. Do not kiss the dog or put your face near the dogs
face.
8. Always observe the dog’s body language and watch for
signs that the dog is uncomfortable.
It
is a good idea to discuss these rules with your child before you are in
the situation. Try practicing the steps
too so your child can feel comfortable with the process. And make sure your child understands that it
is never ok to run up and pet a dog without following these rules.
You
can even take your child to a dog park and watch the dogs together from outside
the fence. Observe how dogs greet each
other and talk about it together. Being
around dogs can be a wonderful experience for your child if handled
properly.
Julie Lokhandwala
is founder of webDogTrainer, LLC. and
has created the Online Dog Training Guide and Consultation www.webdogtrainer.com