This week was dog bite prevention week. There are many, many things that we could discuss in the category of dog bite prevention, from how to socialize your dog, breed specific legislation, to reading dog body language. While I seem to enjoy the sound of my own voice (or writing?), I know most of you aren’t interested in reading a 50-page blog, so I’m focusing on simple tricks to teach your children how to prevent dog bites. Why do I focus on children, you ask? According to the AVMA website, each year more than 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites and at least half of those individuals are children. Children are the most common victims of dog bites, and they are most likely to become severely injured. No one wants to imagine a scenario where their child gets bitten or attacked by a dog. Many of you may think this happens most commonly from stray/roaming dogs, or dogs that belong to a stranger or acquaintance. Think again. Most dog bites that affect young children occur during everyday activities and interactions with familiar dogs. It’s easy to think that your dog would never bite you, or especially a child. As a veterinarian, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the line, “My dog would never bite,” right before it snaps at me. It’s important to remember that EVERY dog has a bite threshold. Here are some tips for teaching children to respect dogs and avoid bites. Ask before petting. If you approach an owner with their dog, ask permission before petting it. This is important even if the dog is wagging its tail and appears friendly. Never EVER pet a dog without asking first. If the owner says you can pet the dog, let the dog see and sniff you before petting. Keep it simple. Educate children at a level that they can understand. Don’t sit your 3-year-old down and give them a 30-minute tutorial on dog body language. Start by teaching them gentle behavior with their dog. Teach them that dogs have likes and dislikes. For instance, dogs do not like hugs and kisses. This is a major cause of facial bites in children. Be a tree! If your child is confronted by a strange, overly excited, or aggressive dog, teach them to “be a tree.” Show them how to stand quietly with their hands clasped in front of them and their head down as if looking at their feet. You want to teach them to avoid escalating the situation by yelling, running, hitting, or making sudden movements. If they are knocked down, you need to show them how to get into a defensive position by covering their head and neck and curling into a ball. Give your dog a safe space. Teach your children that if a dog walks away or goes to its bed or crate, that it is to be left alone. Dogs need a safe space to rest where the child never goes. Actually, I probably know a few mothers that wouldn’t mind having such a safe space from time to time. Children should understand that a dog has to want to play with them, and when the dog leaves, he leaves. Also teach your children to never approach a dog if it is eating, drinking, or chewing on something. Don’t tease a dog! Teach your children not to tease a dog by taking their food, treats, or toys or pretending to hit or kick. Also, it’s not cool to pull on a dog’s ears or tail, climb on top of them, or try to ride them like a horse. If it’s a smaller dog, don’t allow your child to drag them around. Dogs deserve respect, and your children need to learn boundaries. Avoid unknown dogs. If you see an unknown dog wandering around loose, try to leave the area and consider calling animal control. Don’t look a dog directly in the eye. This advice is not to be confused with staring at your dog lovingly in the eyes. This mostly applies to unfamiliar, aggressive dogs. As a runner, I have run into my fair share of aggressive and loose dogs. Usually it’s nothing a handful of gravel can’t cure. However, one of the first things I taught my husband about dog behavior was to not look such dogs directly in the eye. Many dogs interpret this as confrontational or asserting dominance. By comparison, looking at your spouse lovingly in the eyes is perfectly fine. However, giving a complete stranger a stare down is inappropriate, and a little creepy...unless they cut you off in traffic. The same goes with dogs! Be a responsible dog owner! This is one of the most important things you can do in preventing dog bites. Research your breeds and what would work best for your family ahead of time. Dogs or puppies should not be bought or adopted on impulse. Make sure your dog is socialized at a young age. Your dog should feel relaxed around other people and other animals. Train your dog to do basic commands like, “no”, “sit,” “stay,” and “come.” Walk and exercise your dog to keep it stimulated, and make sure you have a leash on your dog in public so you have control over them. I would avoid using retractable leashes if at all possible. There are many reasons NOT to use a retractable leash, including the fact that the length of such leashes allow your dog to get far enough away from you that a dangerous situation can quickly arise. I may even do a whole blog post on retractable leashes. One of the most important aspects of being a responsible dog owner is keeping your pet healthy and vaccinated against rabies and other infectious diseases. Keeping them on appropriate parasite prevention is also important. All of these things can affect how your dog feels and behaves. Most importantly, spay or neuter your dog! A lot of aggressive behavior and health problems can be avoided by simply spaying or neutering. I hope you found these tips helpful. If you are interested in reading up more on educating your children as well as other aspects of dog bite prevention, visit the AVMA Dog Bite Prevention website at https://www.avma.org/public/Pages/Dog-Bite-Prevention.aspx.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Jessica Stroupe, DVM
Archives
August 2017
|