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It is bite prevention week!!  Most dog bites are inflicted on children, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that more than 50% of bites are to children.  Most of these bites are imposed on children between the ages of 5 and 9.  Whereas I believe dogs should be taught to interact appropriately with children, and must be socialized (an article to come).  I think it is imperative for parents to educate their children to ensure safety.

Unfortunately, dogs don’t speak English or better yet “Human” they have a very intricate language of their own based on minimal vocalizations and A LOT of body language!   Unless people study dog behavior, most people simply don’t understand the interworking of dog body language and behavior.   The majority of people think they recognize dog language, but in truth they just don’t comprehend the intricacy of it.

Top Myths People mistakenly Pass on about Dog Behavior

• 5.  Dogs Like to Be Hugged
• 4.  Dogs Like it when People Get in Their Face
• 3.  Dogs Like Being Pet Over the Top of Their Head
• 2.  Dogs Like to Be Pet by Several People at Once

And the #1 Myth

• 1.  A Wagging Tail Means the Dog is Friendly

 

5.   Myth Explained:  Dogs Like to Be Hugged

• Dogs do NOT hug each other in the wild!  When one dog grabs another dog it is usually a sexual or dominant advance.  Dogs also do not generally like restraint, and hugging feels a lot like restraining movement.
• Sometimes, hugging can cause panic and panic can lead to aggression.
• Children love to hug, especially cute fluffy dogs, and although some pet dogs may be taught to tolerate or even like hugging; not all dogs do!  I believe children should be educated and should not be allowed to hug dogs that they don’t know.  This keeps them safer than expecting all dogs to tolerate what they consider a rude and aggressive behavior.

4.  Myth Explained:  Dogs Like it when People Get in Their Face

• Dogs do not get into each other’s faces without the intent of starting a fight, or a rigorous game of play.
• Staring a dog in the eye, is an aggressive challenge to a dog, and when it comes from someone they feel is more of a beta or lower in the pack status, it can create aggression and possibly a bite.
• I have often seen children lean in and try to kiss dogs in the face or on the snout, which can be extremely dangerous if it is done to the wrong dog!
• When dogs become aggressive with each other, they often bite each other in the face, and this is the same reason many children get bitten in the face.
• Good dog behavior dictates to keep children out of their face!

3.  Myth Explained: Dogs Like Being Pet Over the Top of Their Head

• Quick movement over the top of a dog’s head can be scary.  Even if your dog tolerates you petting him over the top of the head, he may not trust everyone else who reaches above him.  This quick movement can look like aggression to a dog and some dogs might retaliate with a nip, a growl or a bite.
• Dog’s prefer to see the hand that pets them.  Petting in the middle of the chest is often well tolerated by most non-aggressive dogs.

2.  Myth Explained: Dogs Like to Be Pet by Several People at Once

• Being pet by more than one or two people or children can be overwhelming; dogs don’t know where the hands are coming from and the mob mentality can be scary!  Children often move quickly, and when you get several of them together sometimes there is slight competition and even faster movements.
• Even a tolerant dog can be overwhelmed by several hands coming at and around them and touching them.
• Dogs prefer to see who is petting them, I recommend one at a time to keep your dogs fears at bay.

#1.  Myth Explained:  A Wagging Tail Means the Dog is Friendly

• This misinformation makes me cringe, because I know and understand dog behavior and the intricate weavings of “a wagging tail”.  There are so many things that a wagging tail can communicate and some of them are fear and aggression.
• Did you know an extremely high, erect, fast tail wag often indicates aggression?  The vast majority of biting dogs are wagging or were just prior to the bite.
• Extremely low tail wags and tails that wag in between the legs can signal fear and apprehension.
• It scares me when adults tell children “it’s okay because he is wagging”.  There is so much more to dog behavior and understanding postures and tail wags than that!  Situations and breed can dictate variances.

I have worked with Service Dogs almost my entire dog training career, and I have seen it all.  Children who hug, kiss, grab, swipe at, run toward and pet in packs.  I know that children have no understanding of dogs and dog behavior.  They do what they would want or what makes them happy.

Children must be taught.  Thankfully when I have dogs in public, I can see the danger signs before the parent or child.  However I can say I have taken dogs straight from shelters that I basically don’t know out into public for training and socialization.  Don’t let your child be the guinea pig for how a dog tolerates rude behavior!

Other Important Tips:

• Children should never bother sleeping animals
• Children should never touch animals that are eating or chewing a bone etc. or playing vigorously with a toy
• Children should never lay on dogs
• Children should never run toward or after dogs
• Children shouldn’t pick up dogs they don’t know
• Children should never be left unattended with dogs, especially small children and even with dogs they know.  Situations can change rapidly, and bites can scar a child for life.

Teaching children to respect and understand animals is imperative.  Even if their pet dog loves all of the things I have mentioned, their best friend’s dog may not tolerate it from them.  Or, a stray or neighbor dog may not tolerate what it considers rude behaviors from an unknown child.

I believe it is essential to teach dogs AND children to love and respect one another and then monitor their activities together!

 

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6 responses to “Top 5 Myths about Dog Behavior and how It Relates to Our Children”

1. Fay writes:
   

   Thank you for the information and straightening out the misinformation about children and dogs.

   Appreciate it!

   [Reply]

   @ May 21st, 2011 at 15:43
2. Rosie writes:
   

   Thank you for this – really good advice for children, dogs and their friends !

   [Reply]

   @ May 22nd, 2011 at 03:36
3. Nat writes:
   

   Thanks Chet,
   What a well written article. Being a dog trainer myself I encourage my clients to be respectful at all times to our canine companions especially the children. They make great dog handlers when taught how to handle appropriately. I too cringe when I see pics of children hugging dogs.
   Again thanks for a well written article. Keep up the great work. we don’t live in an ideal world yet but infor like this is important to make changes.
   Cheers

   [Reply]

   @ May 24th, 2011 at 05:45
4. Rick writes:
   

   Not only children, but most adults don’t know how to approach a strange dog. Most think that simply holding out a hand to smell will do the trick but not for every dog. Good article as it applies to kids but grown ups need the same information for their own safety.
   Happy training.

   [Reply]

   @ May 26th, 2011 at 17:00
5. Brian writes:
   

   Everything is right on and especially when you get to your important tips.
   I personnally can relate to the litle ones not being near a dog while they’re
   eating and not being attended to at the same time. My daughter to this day
   caries a scar under her left eye from a dog that I just had to have when I
   was younger and truly uneducated about being a parent with child and what I
   thought was a man’s type dog. Lesson learned at unfortunately my daughter’s cost of nearly losing her eye, cause of my ego and ingnorance. Today is totally different and I again am grateful for your Blog info.

   [Reply]

   @ June 10th, 2011 at 10:12
6. Tim Grover writes:
   

   I agree with Rick that this is also the sort of thing many adults need to learn more about – it’s amazing how some handle dogs that they want to befriend or settle.

   [Reply]

   @ June 16th, 2011 at 21:36

My #1 Dog Training Tip

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