Dogs And Children: Safety Tips | Dogalize
Accidents may happen when dogs and children are around. When dogs bite, often parents say “It came out of nowhere.” Well, that’s simply not true. Dogs always give warning. We only have to learn their body language to catch subtle distress signals and to recognize children’s dangerous behaviors. Here are some tips to safeguard your children while playing with dogs.
Play Area – Keep children and dogs in an open area where the dog has the option to move away if it feels uncomfortable. Dogs that feel cornered are more likely to exhibit a fight response as they are unable to flee the situation should they need to.
Dogs’ General Body Language – Dogs that have a loose tail, back, eyes and mouth are exhibiting a more relaxed body posture. Dogs that have a tight mouth and stiff body posture are telling you and your children that they are uncomfortable and you must step in by calling the dog away or telling the children to give the dog space.
Children’s Behaviors – In general, what you you wouldn’t do to a human, don’t do it to a dog. Behaviors such as pulling at a dog’s ears or tail, or sitting or lying on a dog, are not appropriate.
Dogs’ Stress Signals – These signals are usually missed by most parents. These are the “invisible” signals, as they can be misinterpreted as something else.
– Yawning
– Licking lips
– Turning away
– Quick and shallow panting
–Whale eye (frowning, worried expression, like the dog in the picture)
–Growling
–Showing of teeth
If you’re curious about any news concerning dogs and other animals’ lifestyles, visit www.dogalize.com!
Federica Lauda
Source: lifewithdogs