Article Title: Dogs And Kids.
Author: Valerie Dancer
Dogs and kids can live together harmoniously, if the situation
is properly understood and carefully handled.Friendships
between dogs and kids are both wonderful and character building
for the children.
Most dog bites inflicted on kids are by the family pet, or a
neighbours dog. It is not that the dog is aggressive, it is
just that Mums and Dads do not understand that children, and
particularly babies, act very differently to adults, and it is
this unusual behaviour that upsets the dogs.
My own children were brought up with German Shepherds,
supposedly well know as aggressive dogs. The dogs were fairly
anti-social to strangers but to the family they were totally
trust worthy. I like to think that it was because I taught the
kids to behave properly around and towards the dogs.
When dogs and kids are living together it is the kids that need
to be taught to treat all dogs with the greatest respect, and to
understand that dogs are not toys. As soon as babies are
crawling they need to be told to be kind to the family dog.
Puppies are never too young to learn, neither are babies. If
you have just acquired a new puppy do not let it chew you or
play nip, good training for when it is a fully grown dog.
Dogs protect all things that they care about, whether that be
the house, their diner, the car, their bed, kids have to
understand to leave dogs alone at certain times or certain
places. Some dogs are, by nature, herding dogs, so these may
chase a child if it runs away. This could excite the dog to
attack.
Some dogs would get defensive if they are cornered or have some
one standing over them. Kids should be taught to not scream,
cuddle the dog tightly or pinch them. It should be remembered
that as a dog gets older it could become less tolerant, so the
family dog that has always been so good with the kids suddenly
nips a child. Old dog get deaf so cannot hear a child
approaching, so may nip out of surprise. It is not the dog's
fault!
Kids need to be told to never approach a strange dog, without
asking permission. If the dog is out without it's owner leave
it alone.
To always approach in a steady quiet manor.
No teasing, yelling, hugging, pinching, pulling or chasing.
Always leave mothers with young alone.
Never try to stop a dogfight!
If you are approached by a strange dog, stand still; let the
dog sniff you, no wriggling fingers, put them in your pocket if
you have one.
Do not stare at the dog, and never run away.
If the dog is barking or growling, slowly walk away, keeping
the dog in view.
Be sure your kids understand the difference between your own
dog and a strange dog.
It is wise to never leave a baby or very young children alone
together, no matter how well you think you know the dog.
This all sounds a little forbidding but dogs and kids really
can have lots of fun together.
About The Author: I have owned dogs for 42 years. Learning to
train from my mother who trained to county level. Over the
years I have found that the old ways of training are not always
the best, that praise is the best form of training, and the
younger the dog, the easier it is to train.
http://www.dogtrainingproblems.biz
