According to canine behaviourist, Samantha Walpole, vice chairperson of the Animal Behaviour Consultants of SA (ABC of SA) there are several important rules to follow to prevent children being bitten by family pets.

Control and management

 “Never leave the child or baby alone together with the dog or puppy,” says Samantha.

“If you’re going into the kitchen to prepare dinner, make sure the dog and baby or toddler are physically separated by a barrier such as play pen, baby gates, or a puppy pen.

“Don’t segregate them by putting the dog outside; they should still be with each other, so they can habituate and build a relationship without bouncing on each other’s heads.”

Learn body language

This is a critical rule when a caregiver is with a child and a dog, according to Samantha, because internationally,

80 % of dog bite victims are children under the age of 12 years and have a caretaker at least 2m away.

“A dog’s body language is easy to learn, but many dog owners don’t understand the basics of doggie language.  Take the time to learn basic dog language – you will then be equipped to know when your dog is saying ‘please stop/give me space’ or ‘yes I want more.’”

“If the caregiver doesn’t recognise the signs (such as blink; yawn; licks nose; turns head away; turns body away; walks away; freezes; closed tight mouth), the dog will elevate its request with a growl.

“If still ignored, the dog may be placed under enough pressure whereby it air snaps and finally bites.  These signals can happen very quickly, so it is important to know your dog.

“Watch out for early discomfort signs so you can intervene and change the context long before a dog may feel the need to bite.”

Why you shouldn’t ignore a growl

Many people only listen to the dog when it growls – and then they reprimand the dog.  This is a dangerous mistake, she says.  “There’s a saying among canine behaviourists:  punishing a growl is like taking the batteries out of a fire alarm system.  You’re effectively cutting out a critical part of the dog’s warning process.  If it is punished for growling, it will stop growling and go straight to the next step and snap or bite.”

Address the cause of the dog’s discomfort

If the dog is displaying discomfort from a child’s attentions, this needs to be addressed very quickly.  It may not like the child touching it and feel nervous or afraid, which is a potentially dangerous situation.  This is the time to call in an animal behaviourist,” says Samantha.

However, she warns that the industry is unregulated, and it is important to approach a reputable, qualified person.

 “There’s some scary stuff out there,” she notes.

“It’s the same with Dr Google; you can either get great advice or outdated, dangerous advice.”

“One can change a dog’s negative emotional thought process to a positive one through specific exercises.”

Hugging and kissing

“Many people don’t like to hear this, but dogs do NOT like to be hugged or kissed,” says Samantha.  “Your dog may be one who loves to come up to you and nudge you or put its head in your lap, but if a child comes up and throws its arms around its head to kiss it, that child has a very high probability of being bitten.”

Conclusion

“Prevention is the key,” Samantha emphasises.  “Parents and caregivers must be proactive, not reactive, because it’s too late if we are reacting.  You don’t want to ‘wait and see.’ Rather, you want to set the dog and the child up for success, which will protect the dog, and protect the child.

SIMPLE TRICKS TO TEACH YOUR CHILD

Constructive interaction between a child and dog is a caregiver’s safety protocol. If a child is too young, she recommends using control and management/separation as described above.  As they get older, there are little tricks that can be incorporated:

• Teach the child to reward the dog with a treat instead of hugging and kissing. Or let the child kiss its own hand and wipe it on the dog’s back, away from the dog’s face.
• “Be like a tree” – If a dog becomes over-excited when children play, their prey instinct can kick in and they may chase the child and could end up biting their ankle or worse. Teach the child to ‘be like a tree’:

o             Stand very still and pretend its feet are the roots of the tree.

o             Tuck its arms next to its body

o             Look away from the dog

o             Be boring

The dog will lose interest because this play has become boring.

Samantha Walpole is a qualified canine behaviourist and can be contacted on 083 775 1400, or

sam@bethedog.co.za.

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