Child Safety with
Dogs
Summary: Having dogs in
our lives provides humans of all ages with tremendous benefits. The people who
are likely to make the most intuitive and talented dog handlers are those who
learn dog language in the early language-formation stage of brain development,
prior to school age. Thus the age when humans are at highest risk from dogs is
also the time we stand to benefit the most.
This is why child
safety with dogs is of paramount importance. Serious injuries (even death) can
happen to children if they get attacked by dogs, and, although this doesn’t
happen too often, the rate of these incidents is quite alarming.
It is the duty of
parents and dog owners to ensure the safety of children around dogs. You want your
children to have good experiences with dogs, and you want your dog or dogs to
have good experiences with children. This leads to the best potential in both
dogs and humans, and enhances safety. This takes work, but not necessarily the
work of actually owning a dog.
* * *
To read the newspaper headlines or watch television news
these days will scare you about what happens to children around dogs. But how
often does it happen? How likely is it to happen to your child? How likely is
your dog to do it? Most of all, what can you as a parent, child caregiver, or
dog owner do to prevent an injury to a child?
Not all dog bites to children are reported to authorities,
nor do we have any way to tally the total hours of contact between children and
dogs. We do have a good idea, though, that for the amount of time children
spend around dogs, the injury rate is low. The death rate is low to the point
of a death being a rare event. But one death is too many, and every injured or
traumatized child who could have been spared this damage is a lesson we must
take seriously.
Everyone responsible for the care of a child or a dog needs
to know some safety rules. Unfortunately these rules are not common knowledge.
Let’s hope this situation is changing. Experience of dogs is extremely beneficial
for children. It is worth making the effort to learn how to safely provide
children with dog experience in early life.
Dog Selection
Different dogs do well with different children. Breed is a
factor, but one misconception people have about breed is that it’s equivalent
to a “name brand” of a manufactured product. That isn’t the case. To put the
genetics of dog behavior in human terms (to the extent that such a thing is
possible), this would be like saying that all humans of the same category will
behave the same way.
Whether you’re referring to all cowgirls, all taxi drivers,
all people from a small town in West Virginia, or all Presbyterians, this
simply isn’t true.
Would you say all humans in the same family will behave the
same way? Have you ever known a family with several kids? How alike was their
behavior? Or perhaps you’ve not known a family with several kids but your own
family has mother, father, a sibling or two, mother and father’s siblings, your
grandparents, their parents and grandparents, and your cousins. How alike is
the behavior of these people? In particular, what things could you be sure they
would all always do or never do?
People are different from each other, even in situations of
close genetic relationships such as societies where people marry others from
the same small community. Dogs are too. But dogs don’t have the higher
reasoning power that humans do. Humans are capable of a great deal of learned
discrimination between right and wrong.
Though people blame dogs for doing what people think the dog
“knows is wrong,” the truth is that dogs do not know. They only know when you
are displeased.
Killing another animal is not murder when a dog does it.
Neither is killing a human. Dogs do not have the mental ability to comprehend a
moral code that, let’s face it, some humans have not mastered.
So, we have to make our determinations about which dogs to
choose for close contact with children on different factors than you would use
to choose a human playmate or caregiver for your child. And we can’t just go by
breed.
Though it does not guarantee a dog will be a good or bad
risk around children, breed is a factor to consider. For example, if a breed
has been bred to have a strong instinct to chase fast-moving animals and stop
them with teeth, you will need to 1) train the dog to behave safely around
children; 2) prevent children from playing wildly around the dog, especially
prior to reliably training the dog; and 3) closely supervise children too young
to always follow instructions when they are in contact with the dog.
Other types of dogs have behaviors that can be equally
concerning around children. When choosing a dog or deciding whether to allow
your child contact with a dog, you need to understand the normal behavior for
that breed or mix of breeds. You also need to know the particular dog and, if
the dog is not yours, know the owner.
Dog selection includes where you get the dog. A responsible
source will take that dog back if at any time you cannot keep the dog. Getting
a puppy from an irresponsible person is a bad idea. This is the person you’re
trusting to know the dog’s genetics and that the animal can reasonably be
expected to turn out safe around your children. Don’t get a puppy from anyone
you don’t trust.
An adult dog is a better selection to live with young
children. Child behavior can permanently spoil a puppy’s ability to cope with
children and thus result in raising a dog who will be a danger to kids when
grown. A dog who has already formed a good opinion of children makes an excellent
choice.
Supervision
Experts agree that no child under school age should be left
alone with any dog for even one moment, no matter how gentle the child or the
dog. If the child or the dog is extra wild, the age limit for this supervision
goes higher. It tends to be higher in boys than in girls.
One reason for the age limit is that human brain development
doesn’t reach the ability to comprehend empathy until around 5 to 7 years of
age. This is when a child can internalize the concept that to do something to
the dog hurts the dog in the same way it would hurt the child if that thing
were done to him or her.
The younger child may give the right answer prior to
actually understanding the concept, but will experiment with the dog when not
supervised. This is normal child behavior. The younger child may also be able
to follow your instructions when you are supervising, but this does not mean
the child will be able to do so without your direct observation.
It is essential to supervise children under school age at
all times they are in contact with dogs.
Supervision means one adult for the dog and another adult
for the child. This may put a burden on parents, but it’s how you train a dog
and educate a child for a good future life – and it’s how you maintain safety
in the here and now.
The adult who is handling the dog needs to possess the skill
to control the dog as well as the knowledge to make each encounter train the
dog properly for future behavior with kids. The adult who is supervising the
child needs to understand safe child behavior around dogs and be teaching that
behavior to the child during each encounter with the dog.
Don’t be one of those parents, uncles, or grandmothers who
say “the child can do anything to the dog and the dog never reacts.” Do not
permit a child to “do anything to the dog.” That’s poor supervision of the
child as well as falling down on the job of properly teaching the child how to
safely interact with dogs. It will come back to haunt you. [See Children Need to Learn about
Dogs.]
Schedule and Other
Household Priorities
Is it safe for a child to be the one who walks a dog on
leash in the neighborhood of your apartment or condominium for potty outings?
Probably not. This puts the child out alone on a regular schedule that
predators can note. It also puts the child at risk of getting injured when
another dog attacks the dog being walked.
Of course if you have a fenced yard for the dog’s
elimination needs, a child can help with this part of the dog’s care much more
safely.
Exercise is not the cure-all that people are often led to
believe, even for people who do manage to provide it for their dogs regularly.
The wrong kinds of exercise cause dog injuries that can be expensive and
disabling. A dog who has been injured may become defensive with children, and
it’s often difficult to detect the injury in order to take care of it before
defensive aggression becomes an established habit.
The best kind of exercise for dogs combines moderated
physical activity with mental activity and positive experiences in the world
outside your home. It includes training class for all dogs, starting with puppy
class. A few small dogs may get by with several weeks of class timed carefully
to provide the right experiences at the right developmental stages.
Crates are helpful in raising dogs, but they are easily
overused. When this happens, a dog becomes unable to tolerate being confined in
the crate. Arranging the needed separation between the dog and children when
adults are not available to supervise – often including the times your kids
have friends over – is made more complicated if you can’t use a crate.
The maintenance costs of a dog tend to come as a surprise,
too. Dogs really do require veterinary care. A dog who doesn’t receive regular
veterinary care is not a safe companion for a child. The law holds owners responsible
for vaccinating their dogs against rabies. Your first major flea infestation
demonstrates the need for monthly flea preventive. Worm preventive is another
necessity.
Dogs get hurt by accident, they get sick, they eat anything
that doesn’t eat them first (either way is a problem), and they develop
complications from genetic physical problems. They need veterinary care for
these things. The expense that was put out of mind when acquiring the dog
typically turns out to be substantial.
Sometimes it simply isn’t possible to safely provide your
children with a family dog. It is quite feasible, though, for a child to have
positive dog experience with dogs belonging to other people.
Safety with Other
People’s Dogs
The safest neighbor dogs for your child to be around are
dogs trained to work with children, such as therapy dogs. The handler needs to
be working with the dog and a knowledgeable adult supervising the child.
An essential safety rule for children with any dog is to ask
the responsible adult for permission before approaching or touching the dog. If
there is no adult to ask, leave that dog alone.
Many dogs instinctively protect territory. This can include
a vehicle the dog is sitting in, a yard the dog is confined in (with or without
a real fence), a tie-out in front of a business while the owner is inside, or
on leash with the owner.
The same dog who might be safe for a child to pet when
properly directed by the owner may bite when approached in a protective
setting. Children make this problem worse by deciding that a dog who barks over
a fence is a “mean” dog who “deserves” to be teased. Soon the dog is
particularly protective against children in that situation. The child who gets
bitten may be another child, not the one who did the teasing.
Teach your children to leave dogs alone when they are behind
fences, on tethers, or in vehicles, even when they know the dogs and have
previously gotten the owner’s permission to pet the dog. They need permission
and the presence of the owner every time. And of course teach your children
never to enter a yard occupied by a dog in order to retrieve a ball or other
item.
The safety requirement of not entering the dog’s yard
applies whether the yard has a fence or not. Electronic containment systems can
pose safety hazards for children who enter the dog’s yard, and tie-outs have
gotten many children badly injured. To keep children safe from your own dog,
never leave the dog in an unfenced yard on a tie-out or in an electronic
containment system unless you are out there to protect the dog from wandering
children.
It isn’t safe to leave the dog outside alone even behind a
fence, if children are able to reach the dog over or through the fence. A
double fence arrangement that separates the dog and the people with a buffer
zone between the two fences increases safety.
Safety also becomes an issue when your child visits the home
of a friend or relative who has a dog, or you take your dog to visit where a
child lives. Here the same rules apply as anywhere else, including the rule of
no child under school age ever alone with any dog for even one second. Whenever
a child is in contact with the dog, a knowledgeable adult needs to be in
control of how the child behaves.
Do not count on other people’s kids, no matter how sweet they
might be, to treat your dog properly. The vast majority of the stuff kids do
that ruins dogs’ ability to tolerate children is due to lack of knowledge on
the part of the children, the parents, and the dog owners. The dog cannot tell
you the child’s behavior is giving the dog pain or fear. The dog can only try
to get away from the child, or if unable to do that, try to make the child back
off.
Roaming Dogs
Dogs roaming outside their owners’ property need special
mention, because serious injuries and deaths to children have resulted from
this situation. The owner tends to be unaware of what the dog is doing on these
outings, or to assume the dog’s behavior when loose will remain harmless.
At first the owner may not know the dog is getting out. If
you become aware of a neighbor’s dog getting out of the yard but not behaving
aggressively, notify the neighbor immediately. If the dog is behaving
aggressively and is loose, call the authorities immediately.
There are many cases of children injured by wandering dogs,
and even some deaths. Roaming dogs commonly injure or kill other people’s dogs
and cats. Too often, these dogs have been leaving their yards over a period of
time, the owners know it, and no one has reported the owners. Don’t let this
happen in your neighborhood.
If you own a dog who leaves your yard, change the situation.
You probably think your dog would never hurt anyone or their animals. What most
people don’t realize is that the more the dog leaves the yard, the farther the
dog will venture and the more aggressively the dog will defend the territory
where the dog is roaming and marking. Roaming dogs also form packs that commit
aggression the individual dogs might not commit alone.
The damage from an attack by several large dogs can be
fatal. Roaming dogs in rural areas where leash laws may not apply will do the
same things dogs in the city do.
The risk of aggression by a roaming dog thus dramatically
escalates. If your dog gets out once, well, accidents can happen. There should
be no second time. Move the dog into the house; build a better fence; do
whatever it takes.
Teach your children never to approach a roaming dog and to
avoid running, waving arms, threatening the dog, or screaming. When possible,
the child needs to move calmly away from the dog to a safe place. Your local
animal welfare or other interested organizations may have a presentation to
teach children some safe maneuvers to use.
Neither the neighbors nor the authorities can adequately
manage someone else’s dog. That’s why owners are held legally responsible for
the actions of their dogs. In some communities the owner can go to prison in a
case of neglected dog management that results in serious harm.
Lawsuits over these matters tend to go heavily against the
dog owner who fails to control the dog. As a result, insurance companies now
refuse coverage to certain categories of dog owners. Sometimes the only real
solution for an owner who cannot control the dog is to give up the dog.
Unreasonably restrictive laws on dog owners are being passed
because of irresponsible behavior by some dog owners and the failure of
enforcement to make these people accountable. When you stand up and make that
report, you not only protect the children in your neighborhood, but you also
protect the responsible dog owners and their dogs.
If you are the one with the roaming dog and your neighbor
comes to you and tells you about the problem, this person is doing you a huge
favor. Take advantage of the opportunity to correct the way you are managing
your dog, before someone gets hurt or you get hit financially as well as with
the possible loss of your dog.
Whether you are a dog owner, a parent or a concerned
bystander, please do what you can to put a stop to people leaving their dogs to
roam. It causes many serious injuries to humans – especially children playing
outdoors or walking to and from school – as well as damages to our animals that
include injuries, temperament damage from traumatic attacks, and deaths.
When in Doubt
If your dog has shown any form of aggression toward a child,
it is time for expert help in person. The most reliable expert to consult is a
veterinary behavior specialist. This is a veterinarian who is board-certified
in the specialty of behavior.
You’ll want to start with a visit to your regular
veterinarian, since the dog should be medically checked for physical problems
that can be involved in aggression [See Changes in Behavior with
Physical Causes]. Your regular veterinarian is the one to ask about finding
the nearest veterinary behavior specialist.
Do not delay seeking expert help in person immediately for
this problem. If you are not sure it’s really that serious, discuss it with
your pediatrician and your veterinarian. People tend to discount an aggressive
incident, even when a child is injured, because these things only happen once
in a while rather than every day. As a result, in most cases where a child is
seriously hurt or killed, there was considerable warning first, but people did
not act on it.
A child who continues to abuse a dog needs professional
help. Ask your pediatrician for a referral. It is urgent.
If you need to give up a dog because the dog has become
unable to tolerate the child, your best course is to get the expert help to
determine what went wrong. This allows you to make a good decision about
whether or not to get another dog, as well as how to handle another dog so the same
thing doesn’t happen again.
Well Worth It
Having dogs in our lives provides humans of all ages with
tremendous benefits. The people who are likely to make the most intuitive and
talented dog handlers are those who learn dog language in the early language
formation stage of brain development, prior to school age. Thus the age when
humans are at highest risk from dogs is also the time we stand to benefit the
most.
We want our children to have good experiences with dogs, and
we want our dogs to have good experiences with children. This leads to the best
potential in both dogs and humans, and enhances safety. It takes work, but not
necessarily the work of actually owning a dog.
Responsible breeders and those training dogs for such jobs
as therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs and assistance dogs appreciate the help
of careful parents to give their dogs the right belief system about children.
Your children can receive the dog contact they need while helping top dog
breeders and trainers properly prepare their top dogs.
It’s also a wonderful way to introduce children to
meaningful volunteer work. One way to locate these dog people is through the
volunteers who operate dog clubs in your area. Many of these clubs and their
contact people may be listed by state at the American Kennel Club website.
