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Happy National Pet Day! (April 11th) I couldn’t agree more with the saying on the above picture. In honor of National Pet Day, I thought I would share a picture of two of our pets, Lucky and Brandy. They are our CEOs (Canine Executive Officers) and are definitely a part of our family! This is a picture of them hanging out at their favorite place – the park.
50% of dog bites/attacks happen to children under 12. A lot of these injuries could be prevented by educating children about dog behavior. No one is suggesting not letting your dog interact with your kids or vice versa, just please be aware of the signs that your dog is, or may be, uncomfortable. Dog’s generally don’t like being hugged, some do and some tolerate it, but hugging is a primate behaviour, not a canine one.
The vast majority of dogs are absolutley solid around kids, nearly all the time, but it just takes one moment when the dog isn’t feeling well etc and it may react. Be aware of what your dog is telling you.
A good way to test this is the “5 second rule”. Pet/hug your dog for a maximum of 5 seconds and release. if your dog comes back to you for more, he is happy with the contact and we can repeat for another five seconds and then test again. If your dog walks away or turns his/her head away, he is disengaging and doesn’t want you to continue. Respect his wishes, we don’t always want hugged and would rightfully object or feel uncomfortable it this was the case.
Teach your kids this too. It is a good way to teach them how to interact with dogs and respect them. We should never force our dogs to do something they don’t want to do unless it is to absolutely necessary for their well being. Hugging doesn’t qualify in this category.
Watch for, among other things, your dog flicking his tongue when he is hugged, child sits on him etc. This is a fair indicator that your dog isn’t comfortable. Please refer to the picture below for warning signs that your dog may not want to be touched or bothered.
Thanks to Doggone Safe for the picture and Aunt Penny’s Pet Sitting for the information.
Excellent poster for kids – it shows what to do and not to do around dogs. It is very important to educate children on canine behavior and warning signs.
Many children love to kiss dogs, however it is important to teach them that there is a right way and a wrong way to do so. Most dogs do not like being kissed or touched on the face, while some dogs will tolerate it most do not and it often results in bites to the face or neck. This is a very cute and well done video by two kids on how to properly kiss a dog.