Keeping Children Safe Around Dogs

By Dr. Maria Krenz, DVM

Owning a pet is a very rewarding experience. Making sure your pet is trained and exhibits appropriate behavior around humans, and does not pose a risk to members of the community is part of the pet ownership experience.

Dog bites are a serious safety problem in the United States. There are around 4.7 million dog bite victims each year in the United States. The average bite victim age of humans is 15-years-old with the highest incidence being boys 5 to 9 years of age. This shows that children are especially susceptible to bites. Statistics show that 61% of children are bitten at home, and 77% of dogs belong to the family or a family friend. Most children are bitten are in the face or neck.

If you have a child, it is your responsibility to teach your children appropriate behavior around pets. If you have a dog, it is your responsibility to make sure your pet is trained and obeys local leash laws.

Some basic rules to teach your children when interacting with dogs are:

Strange Dogs:

  1. Always ask permission before approaching a strange dog.
  2. If the dog is jumping or excited it is not safe to pet.
  3. If the dog is standing or sitting calmly, you can slowly approach and let it smell your hand and then pet it on its shoulder. Avoid petting a dog on its head.
  4. If you are approached by a loose strange dog, stop playing, running or screaming and slowly walk away. If the dog approaches you freeze, and do not stare into the dog's eyes. If the dog starts to jump on you, curl up like a turtle putting your hands behind your neck and yell for help.

Familiar Dogs:

  1. All dogs can bite! A dog is more likely to bite when it is scared, sick, eating, has puppies, sleeping, playing rough or is untrained.
  2. When playing with your dog you should never: Let it pull on your clothes or fingers, allow your dog to chase you, make your dog jump up for things, play tug of war, wrestle or tease your dog.
  3. Safer games to play are: Fetch, make sure your dog lets go and doesn't pull at the ball or stick, teach your dog tricks, teach your dog to jog with you on a leash.

Many accidents can be prevented through proper education. All dogs can learn proper behavior. Older pets may take a little longer to learn.

 

Disclaimer: This written content is meant to be educational and is not medical advice. Always consult a veterinarian about medical advice for your pet.