NATIONAL DOG BITE PREVENTION WEEK 2015
It's nearing the end of the week dedicated to National Dog Bite Prevention, but it's worth posting several times a year to prevent any dog bite!
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How to teach your kids to approach unfamiliar dogs safely
It is important for adults to teach children how to safely approach an unfamiliar dog and how to protect themselves if they come in contact with an unfriendly dog.
According to the Center of Disease Control, 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, many of these involving children, with dog bite related injuries highest in 5-9 year old children. It is important to teach children how to approach dogs to keep children safe, to keep your pets happy, and to avoid becoming one of those statistics.
Many dog bites happen at home with our own dogs. It does not mean a pet is mean or aggressive, often; the dog simply becomes over-stimulated by the activity around it or becomes annoyed with continual harassment.
Approaching familiar dogs:
Teach kids how to read dog’s body language. Dogs use body language to communicate with us how they feel. What they like, what they don’t like.
Friendly postures include:
Ears forward
Tail wagging and held u
Relaxed body
Scared postures include:
Body lowered
Tail tucked between legs
Eyes avoiding yours
Threatening and potentially harmful postures include:
Lowered body
Hair on back of neck (hackles) standing up straight
Tail straight out
Growling
By teaching kids the three postures above, you can ensure that in most cases they will have a good impression on whether the dog is friendly and approachable or not.
Common mistakes that contribute to dog bites
· Do Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
There is truth in the old saying, let sleeping dogs lie. A dog that is suddenly awoken may become frightened and bite out of fear. Dogs are also more territorial and prone to aggression if they are feeding or chewing. Female dogs that are caring for their pups are also more likely to be aggressive.