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| Photo: Profotosession / Shutterstock |
By Zazie Todd, PhD
I don't know near you, merely some of the photos of dogs together with children I run into on social media brand me experience uncomfortable, fifty-fifty spell others uncovering them cute. The argue is nosotros misjudge the risks of domestic dog bites, together with immature children – oftentimes amongst their faces at the same summit every bit the dog’s oral cavity – are at the greatest run a peril of domestic dog bites (Davis et al 2012).
I’m non talking near staged photos, where nosotros tin assume the lensman together with bring upwards are both acquaint together with keeping a unopen eye. I’m thinking of the everyday photos people get got at home. We don’t know if at that spot is anyone else inwards the room laid upwards to intervene, whether the interactions pictured are mutual events, or even, inwards some cases, why someone hasn’t already stepped in.
But the payoff of a static photograph is it gives us fourth dimension to think near what’s going on. Here are iii things to comport inwards heed when supervising immature children amongst dogs.
1. Don’t assume a familiar domestic dog is safe
One report establish 72% of children who get got been bitten past times a dog were bitten past times a domestic dog they knew. Amongst children aged 0 – 2 years, the figure rises to 88% who were bitten past times a familiar domestic dog rather than an unfamiliar domestic dog (Reisner et al 2011).
Of course, children in all likelihood pass to a greater extent than fourth dimension amongst familiar dogs, merely that's non the whole story.
When a domestic dog is familiar, people are less probable to perceive the domestic dog every bit a risk. One report establish that when parents were shown photos of dog-child interactions, many of which were considered risky past times experts, parents were less probable to tell they would intervene if they idea the domestic dog together with kid were familiar to each other (Arhant et al 2016).
It’s of import to yell back whatever domestic dog tin bite.
The bottom business is that fifty-fifty when a domestic dog is familiar, you lot get got to supervise dogs together with children carefully. That agency existence unopen plenty to intervene if needed.
2. Don’t allow pocket-size children approach a domestic dog that is resting
The same report of children who were bitten past times dogs establish that, for children nether vii years old, the bites oftentimes occurred when the domestic dog was resting together with was approached past times the child.
H5N1 unproblematic takeaway from this is to non allow immature children approach a domestic dog that is sitting, standing or lying still. One possible argue this is risky is that it takes away the dog’s selection inwards interacting (see how to pet cats together with dogs and the correct to walk away).
Children tin live on noisy together with unpredictable and, without important to, they tin easily scare or wound dogs.
Instead, if the kid wants to interact amongst the dog, assist them telephone band the domestic dog over. If the domestic dog chooses non to come, that’s fine. If the domestic dog does come, assist instruct the kid how to pet the domestic dog nicely.
It may live on surprising that this is a mutual scenario for domestic dog bites, merely MD Ilana Reisner et. al. write,
“The recognition that ordinary or ‘everyday’ interactions tin Pb to bites is an of import pace towards their prevention.”
3. Don’t assume the domestic dog is happy together with relaxed
It takes practise to larn to read a dog’s trunk language. Some of the signs of fear, anxiety together with stress include licking the olfactory organ or snout, turning the caput away, sniffing the ground, together with a lowered trunk posture. (For to a greater extent than signs, run into how tin I tell if my domestic dog is afraid?).
Unfortunately, people oftentimes assume dogs are relaxed together with confident inwards interactions amongst children fifty-fifty when they are showing signs of fearfulness or anxiety – together with dog owners are worse than non-dog-owners when it comes to making this error (Demirbas et al 2016).
Even when people recognize at that spot is a run a peril they produce non necessarily modify their demeanor every bit they believe it won’t occur to them (Westgarth together with Watkins 2015; run into my interview amongst MD Carri Westgarth for more).
When it comes to taking attention of petty ones, it’s of import to pay attending together with non assume the domestic dog is okay.
Conclusion
These are many factors involved inwards domestic dog bites together with these are non the alone ones, merely they are of import to know: don't assume a familiar domestic dog is safe, never allow a pocket-size kid approach a domestic dog that is resting or keeping still, together with larn to read trunk linguistic communication rather than assume the domestic dog is relaxed.
None of this agency nosotros should piece of job out negative comments on people’s personal photos of their domestic dog together with child. We weren’t inwards the room at the fourth dimension of the photo, together with at that spot is likewise much negativity inwards the Blue Planet every bit it is. But nosotros tin part goodness information together with then to a greater extent than people larn what to await for.
And it’s upwards to us to intervene if nosotros think there’s a run a peril of a bite.
Let’s consider the photograph inwards a higher identify amongst these iii points inwards mind. Imagine that instead of existence a professional person photo-shoot, the scene is unfolding inwards forepart of you lot at home. What produce you lot see?
The domestic dog together with kid are familiar to each other. The kid is crawling towards the domestic dog spell the domestic dog is lying down. Notice the dog’s olfactory organ lick.
If you lot were supervising an interaction similar this, would you lot intervene?
For regular deconstructions of domestic dog seize amongst teeth incidents, you lot tin follow pet people to follow inwards 2018. And subscribe to to larn to a greater extent than near how to get got happy dogs together with happy cats.
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Zazie Todd, PhD, is the writer of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy
. She is the founder of the pop weblog , where she writes near everything from grooming methods to the human-canine relationship. She also writes a column for Psychology Today together with has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article inwards 2017. Todd lives inwards Maple Ridge, BC, amongst her husband, 1 dog, together with ii cats.Useful links:
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You mightiness also like: Educating children reduces risky demeanor around dogs together with moral panic near domestic dog bites inwards the medical literature.
References
Arhant, C., Landenberger, R., Beetz, A., & Troxler, J. (2016). Attitudes of caregivers to supervision of child–family domestic dog interactions inwards children upwards to half dozen years—An exploratory study. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications together with Research, 14, 10-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2016.06.007
Davis, A. L., Schwebel, D. C., Morrongiello, B. A., Stewart, J., & Bell, M. (2012). Dog seize amongst teeth risk: an assessment of kid temperament together with child-dog interactions. International magazine of environmental question together with populace health, 9(8), 3002-3013. doi:10.3390/ijerph9083002
Demirbas, Y. S., Ozturk, H., Emre, B., Kockaya, M., Ozvardar, T., & Scott, A. (2016). Adults’ powerfulness to translate canine trunk linguistic communication during a dog–child interaction. Anthrozoös, 29(4), 581-596.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2016.1228750
Reisner, I. R., Nance, M. L., Zeller, J. S., Houseknecht, E. M., Kassam-Adams, N., & Wiebe, D. J. (2011). Behavioural characteristics associated amongst domestic dog bites to children presenting to an urban trauma centre. Injury prevention, 17(5), 348-353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ip.2010.029868
Westgarth, C., & Watkins, F. (2015). H5N1 qualitative investigation of the perceptions of woman someone dog-bite victims together with implications for the prevention of domestic dog bites Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications together with Research DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2015.07.035
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