You let your children play with the dogs of friends, families, and neighbors never thinking that they could sustain a dog bite. Even when the dog seems to get angry or upset, you know that you can handle the situation by just taking your child away from the dog for a few minutes, and then everything will be fine. And you’re not alone. Many parents allow their children to grab and pull the fur of dogs, to hold onto their tails and to smack them because the children are tiny, and everyone assumes the dog won’t mind. After all, a child is just a child. Unfortunately, the truth is that this is not always how it happens and many children re bitten by dogs each year, some sustaining fatal injuries, and many other sustaining permanent injuries and scarring. These child dog bite incidents are completely avoidable if you put the right tools into practice early on.
Teach your child how to interact with a dog. This includes teaching them how to pet a dog with an open palm, to never hit a dog or any other animal, and to never grab the dog’s tail or ears.
Teach your child to stay away from dogs and other animals when the owner is not around to provide guidance on interactions. This is critical once your children can understand what you are saying to them.
Don’t forget that asking the dog owner if your child can pet their pooch is only half the equation. Gauge the dog’s receptiveness by calmly approaching it yourself to see what its reaction is.
Teach your child how to act when they are afraid of a dog or when a dog begins to behave aggressively towards them. Standing still and looking away from the dog can diffuse a bad situation quickly. Just tell your child to be a tree.
Teach your children that the same rules apply to the dogs of friends, neighbors, and family as they do to dogs owned by strangers. Safety rules don’t go away simply because you know the dog. In fact, they may be even more critical in this situation since your child is more likely to take their safety for granted around a dog they already know.
You want your children to be safe at all times, and you can give them that safety by keeping them in sight, in mind, and away from dogs they don’t know.