Tag: dog and child safety

Dog Behaviour, Dog Training

Ask The Dog

Joanne Hinds

My latest book is out, called ASK THE DOG. What made me write this book? Many things; my now 4 year old son, the adults that go straight up to dogs and stroke without asking because they are ‘dog lovers’, the people that have had dogs for years but are missing the subtle body language that dogs display, when they would prefer to be left alone, the number of children that try to come running up to us, when I am out with a client and their dog and of course the many cases I deal with where dogs have bitten.

Ask the dog by Joanne Hinds cover page mum and son asking a owner and the dog whether they are happy to be stroked

Children below the age of 15 account for a high percentage of all dog bites, with the most vulnerable group being kids around 5 or younger, with this group at higher risk of being bitten in the face and are more likely to require hospitalisation than older children. Nearly 90% of the dogs are known to the children that are bitten. Children unfortunately do not recognise canine emotional expressions like growling for example, very well and sadly boys seemed to recognise fearfulness less in dogs.  These are the many factors why I felt it was important for me to help educate children, parents and people in general, on how to recognise when dogs are saying they do not want to be touched.

Now let’s think about it, how much are we touched on a daily basis by known or unknown people? If we walked down the street stopping and physically touching people unsolicitedly, we would not only get some strange looks and make people feel uncomfortable but we might get someone shouting at us or worse. Now think about how much we physically touch and handle dogs. You could be having a BBQ for your friends and family, and as the family dog (big dogs in particular) moves from one room to the next, it may have been touched by at least 80% of the people in the room, just on the way through. Little dogs can often move away quicker but people often pick them up instead which makes them feel uncomfortable, vulnerable and threatened. Not many dogs like being picked up, an indication of this can be when they start licking your face repeatedly, ears back we like to call this the “Kiss to dismiss” which is often the dogs attempt to stop the interaction, see the following article on this https://www.familypaws.com/kiss-to-dismiss-not-all-licks-are-the-same/ by Family Paws Parent Education, they have some excellent information on keeping children safe on their website too. Yes there are some dogs that are on top of you licking you repeatedly because they do like being close but others only do this when you grab or hug/restrain them as this is not normal in the dog world, you don’t see dogs hugging and stroking each other.

Now it’s not just children that this book is aimed at, its for adults too, we are human and designed to read human behaviour, so we often miss when a dog doesn’t want to be engaged with. It’s a credit to many dogs that they don’t bite, many use the subtle signals like lip licking, turning a way and moving away to indicate that they do not want to be approached, and it’s only when these signals have been missed over and over that they have to use bigger displays like barking, growling, snapping or biting to get their message across more effectively. These behaviours are no different from us shouting, lunging or hitting at someone that made us feel uncomfortable too. The common thing I am told is my dog is so good, he tolerates anything we do to him and my response is but is that fair?

ASK THE DOG is about giving dogs the choice to interact or not, giving them the choice to say “No”, to keep people safe and to be mindful that dogs do not always want to be petted. It encourages children to make sure any dogs they encounter are happy to be stroked, and how to recognise signs that a dog may not want to be approached. The message is delivered in the form of a poem. With colourful, eye-catching illustrations to draw in younger readers and help to underline the points made in the text. 

Available in paper back and Kindle Ebook, get your copy today on the following link https://amzn.to/2Kg6sRY and help me spread the word so more people are kept safe.

Bye for now.

Dog Behaviour

What Dogs Like

Joanne Hinds

As some of you may know, I have recently published a children’s book called “What Dogs Like“, a story in rhyme with an important safety message on bite prevention. Nearly 80% of dog bites are from the family or a friends dog. Written as a read-along-rhyme with informative illustrations, “What dogs Like” helps educate young people as well as their parents, on how to behave around their canine friends.

What inspired me to write this particular book was a few things; my little boy, the news with headlines like “family dog attacked out of the blue” and the many uncomfortable pictures/videos shared on social media on a daily basis, with children sometimes laying on, picking up or maybe even hugging their dog, with the dog using as many signals as possible to indicate it is not comfortable.

Firstly it is very rare for dogs to just bite out of the blue, unless there is an underlying medical condition, dogs give many subtle signals way before they growl, bark or bite. It’s a credit to the majority of dogs that most tolerate us as adults let alone younger children who are often unpredictable and are learning and investigating the world themselves, which often includes poking and prodding the family dog. I work with many dogs that have bitten or are close to that stage and their owners are often shocked that it has happened, commenting that they felt like it came out of the blue, but then when we go back through the dogs history, there has been a number of times the dog had been indicating its fearful, frustrated or just uncomfortable. Even if your dog appears to be ok, tolerates the children and hasn’t ever reacted negatively, does not mean they are comfortable.

It’s time for parents to help educate children and themselves and be an expert on what their dog and others are trying to tell us. Recognising the many subtle signals dogs use, way before they have to even growl. Lets all work together at reducing bite statistics to an all time low in children (and adults)!

Signs to look for:

  • Dog avoids children (not always as obvious with your own) often taking its self into another room when others visit
  • Pulling head back, turning away or backing off, ears back
  • Showing the whites of their eyes cautiously glaring, looking unsure
  • Yawning when not tired
  • Constantly panting
  • Tongue flick when no food is present
  • Hard eyes like they are concentrating or just staring
  • Tense Stiff Body and Tail, with mouth often closed

Common times these behaviours are displayed:

  • When being picked up
  • When approached especially when resting, eating or playing with a toy
  • When patted on the head
  • When being cuddled and restrained
  • When being dressed up
  • When being handled
  • When punishing them
  • When being forced to do something they don’t want to do

What to do:

  • If you have real concerns, seek a qualified dog behaviour advisor please see the following link to find yours http://capbt.org/findabehaviourist.php
  • Always ensure your dog has somewhere they can retreat to, where they will not be disturbed.
  • Pair the arrival of children with something that the dog doesn’t normally get, a tasty toy or chew but again ensure they have this where they will not be disturbed.
  • Help your dog out, if they are giving any of the above signals, redirect the child away from the dog, so the dog does not have to resort to growling, barking or biting to make the child go away.
  • Teach children the rules:
  1. When eating, resting and sleeping leave the dog alone.
  2. Dog must stay on the ground (No picking the dog up!).
  3. Adults manage unwanted behaviour in the dog, not children (No telling the dog off).
  4. No touching the dogs collar, no leading them around by it or pushing the dog around.
  5. Stroking must be on the dogs terms; ask the child to call the dog over, if the dog comes it probably is happy to be stroked but if it doesn’t come forward, leave the dog alone.
  6. When stroking the dog pause and see if the dog wants to move away, if they don’t carry on stroking.
  7. Stroking must be from collar to tail on the side or a scratch on the chest.
  8. If the children want to engage with the dog, let them hide a few treats or the dogs toy (if he is comfortable with that), around the house and get the dog to “find it”, always under adult supervision.

The Family Dog does some great videos to help children on appropriate behaviour around dogs see stopthe77.com

“What Dogs Like” is available in both paperback and digital in many online book stores follow the link to order yours now http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-001099911/What-Dogs-Like.aspx