Protect Small Children and Kids from Dog Bites

Aggressive Dog Common Sense Techniques

Kids under age 12 are bitten by medium to large sized dogs most often followed by children under the age of 5. Often times the dog knows the child, many serious injuries have occurred.

Early Education is the key - Understanding dog instincts and small children will help enlighten you to BEWARE when a dog is giving aggressive signals.

Inherited Temperament: Science revealed unchangeble traits in dogs dating back thousands of years, it's simply how they think.

In the Genes: A dogs actions are instinctive by nature. Certain situations cause these instincts to kick in unless changed by constant social skill training which must be kept up consistently.

Bad Breeders: Some intentionally breed dogs with no concept of behaviorial which are unsuitable dogs with poor temperaments for breeding. These dogs often are unpredictable or have illnesses and/or physical defects which affect behavior.

Instincts and Training: Largely based on reactions to their perceived territory and levels of tolerance. A responsible breeder always instills "good temperament" when selecting breeding stock.

Past Experience: Dogs who've had several scary moments in the past with children, then it's likely to be on edge when children are about, often aggressive behavior resurfaces. However, a trained socialized dog (especially from an early age) handles stressful situations in stride. Socialization training creates much less fear in a busy family environment with noisy and unpredictable children around.

A typically reported scenario in a child bite case...

A very young child, usually under 5 sees a cute dog they approach it. The dog may not want to be petted so instinctively the reaction is a warning growling/snarreling. This warning signal if not followed often results into a bite.

FACT: Dogs will bite given the right circumstances.

Their behavior isn't the same as ours and can't always be predicted 100% of the time, even if proper social training is followed strictly and they've always shown good behavior in the past.

Different Types of Warnings: Growls, shows teeth, snarls should alert you to immediately take action by removing the dog to a safe area, a crate works best. Few dogs bite before some form of warning is given. If there's an available escape the flight instinct kicks in and most dogs will walk away. However, this can be considered a form of warning too.

Sudtle warnings for instance, a stiff body or hair standing up.

Dogs instinctively set up an invisible "fight or flight" boundary around themselves as their safety zone. The size of this boundary depends on his level of confidence and tolerance. This may be fear aggression and the dog gives itself a wider area than a more stable one.

Predatory Instincts: Running, playing, screaming kids can trigger an instinctive prey reaction. Children who wrestle with dogs unknowingly encourage them to use their teeth and provoke a bite. Dogs equate this kind of play with littermates or other dogs where using teeth is allowed. Startling a sleeping dog or an attempt to pet while eating may also bring dangerous reactions from the dog.

Rules of Thumb: If you have a dog or are thinking of getting a dog/puppy, here's what can be done to prevent dogs from attacking children:

"Take your time when looking for a dog. Research, do your homework, learn the differences in the various breeds and choose one that best suits your lifestyle"

"Be honest about the amount of time and work you're willing to invest in a dog. If you don't have time to raise and train the dog properly, don't get one!"

"Consider postponing the purchase of a dog, especially a large one, until your children are at least 6 years old."

"Never leave any child under the age of 12 unattended with any dog or puppy. So keep supervision a strict rule in your household."

"Babies and toddlers should always be kept higher than the dog and keep your young children off the floor when there is a dog in the same room. This is to make sure that the dog (that sees the world in hierarchy) sees your children as a leader and not a littermate which it will boss around, push over, growl at and even bite"

"Educate and involve your children in your dog's care even if they are small tasks - for example your child can instruct the dog to sit before you put the food bowl down, help brush and groom the dog with you holding the collar, attach 2 leashes to your dog so that your child can hold onto one too. This level of involvement from an early stage will help the dog build a positive association with your children"

"Avoid giving your dog items that it can get possessive over with children around such as pig's ears, smoked bones, rawhide, dog toys etc. It is very important to train your dog to allow things to be taken away from his mouth by trading higher value treats for the item first"

"Obedience training and socialization are an absolute must for a dog that will be spending time with children. Remember that a dog will act according to his instincts if he doesn't receive proper training or if that training isn't kept up through regular practice. The dog needs to be taught to obey commands under all conditions no matter how distracting. Just as responding to the command to "come" could save the dog's life someday, an immediate response to the command "leave it!" could save a child from serious injury"

"Children need to be taught how to be respectful to dogs. They need to learn what kinds of games are appropriate, how to touch the dog properly, how to interpret the dog's body language. Avoid wrestling, spanking, kicking, ear pulling, pony-riding, tug of war, fur grabbing, toy hitting, rough play and chasing."

"Telling the toddler to stay away from the dog just isn't enough! Your children may be too young to understand, so it will be up to you to physically supervise them and protect them from potential harm. Remember that young children do not recognize when they may be in trouble. Adult supervision around children and dogs is absolutely critical. Small children should never, ever be left alone with any dog, no matter how reliable the dog has been before."

"Buy your dog from a reputable, responsible breeder who puts priority on good temperament plus health and consistently produces dogs that excel in those areas. Choose a breeder who's experienced and willing to guide and advise you about care and training throughout their lifes."

"Teach your children how to behave correctly and safely around dogs and to respect them. In order to promote a healthy relationship between your dog and your children, educate your children about the way they should treat a dog - for example dogs should be petted softly, stay away from food dishes, toys and bones and not to startle the dog especially when it's sleeping."

"Remember that what your dog tolerates from your own children may not be tolerated from someone else's. You need to take extra safety precautions when other children visit and make sure that the children obey your ground rules."