Educating Children Reduces Risky Deportment Around Dogs

Dog security educational activity for children works, according to a systematic review of existing research.

By Zazie Todd, PhD

The CDC estimates that 4.5 meg Americans are bitten past times a Canis familiaris every year. Children are at high risk, together with bites to children are oft to a greater extent than severe than those to adults. Bites to the caput together with cervix are to a greater extent than mutual than for adults because children are smaller.

When immature children are bitten past times a dog, it is typically indoors together with past times a Canis familiaris they know or alive with, oft when the kid approaches a Canis familiaris that is lying downwards or stationary.

The best ways to learn children nigh dogs are investigated inwards a systematic review of the literature past times Jiabin Shen (University of Alabama at Birmingham) et al.

The review focussed on cognitive together with behavioural interventions aimed at children (such every bit how to deport some dogs), rather than management interventions aimed at parents (such every bit close supervision of dogs together with children).

Some of the interventions involved showing videos to children or using reckoner programs, spell others involved a existent Canis familiaris for children to interact with. They took house inwards a multifariousness of settings including the children's classroom, hospitals, together with academy laboratories.

“The results showed that interventions convey a moderate outcome on improving children’s security cognition some dogs,” write the authors, “and a relatively large outcome on promoting condom interactions betwixt children together with dogs. Video-based interventions were most effective inwards the improvement of security knowledge, spell instruction with alive dogs was most effective inwards increasing children’s condom behaviours with dogs.”

The behavioural measures differed from written report to study, only included visits to emergency because of a Canis familiaris bite, whether or non the kid went to pat an unfamiliar dog, part plays, together with acting out deportment inwards a dolls house. Knowledge was also assessed differently inwards each study, only typically included yes/no questions nigh Canis familiaris safety, oft with pictures.

It’s interesting that effects on children’s deportment were larger than those for children’s knowledge. This is a surprising finding; inwards the champaign of wellness promotion, it’s to a greater extent than mutual that people know they bespeak to alter only don’t genuinely alter their behaviour. For example, people mightiness know smoking is bad for them only non orbit upward smoking.

Only some of the studies looked at deportment changes, together with the authors country these studies tended to last improve designed, together with potentially also had improve interventions. But it could also last that it’s easier to learn immature children appropriate deportment some dogs rather than knowledge.

The authors reviewed studies of Canis familiaris seize with teeth prevention together with selected those that met sure enough character criteria, including having a command grouping together with beingness specifically focussed on Canis familiaris seize with teeth prevention with 0 – eighteen twelvemonth olds. 12 papers were included inwards the concluding review, together with nine inwards the statistical meta-analysis.

The studies included inwards the review took house inwards the US, UK, Canada, Australia, together with ane inwards China. The authors country programs developed inwards the West are all the same relevant to other countries to some extent, inwards that all children become through the same developmental stages. Therefore programs designed to learn age-appropriate cognition volition all the same last useful.

However, spell the master copy guide chances inwards the West is pet dogs, inwards developing countries street dogs are the to a greater extent than mutual drive of bites. This is peculiarly serious because of the guide chances of rabies. So adaptations to the programs to reverberate the origin of guide chances would last necessary.

Although the newspaper did non await at management interventions (such every bit fencing), the authors recognize these are also an of import constituent inwards preventing Canis familiaris bites. In the instance of (incredibly rare) fatal Canis familiaris attacks at that spot are oft multiple preventable contributing factors, including the isolation, mismanagement together with abuse of dogs.

The authors also highlight a work with the “poor character of evidence inwards this field.” They country this is a full general work inwards pediatric injury prevention. Other meta-analyses inwards the champaign of human-animal interaction convey also highlighted problems with the character of evidence,  including on dog walking behaviour together with the role of animal-assisted therapy to aid adolescents with psychiatric problems. As the champaign grows, hopefully nosotros tin strength out await frontwards to to a greater extent than high character research.

The skilful tidings is the interventions did improve children’s interactions with dogs. Earlier travel has establish parents would welcome to a greater extent than educational activity on Canis familiaris security for children  This written report shows that wider availability of educational activity for children on how to deport some dogs would last a really skilful thing.

There’s some useful advice on preventing Canis familiaris bites at stopthe77.com.


Zazie Todd, PhD, is the writer of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the founder of the pop spider web log , where she writes nigh everything from preparation 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, with her husband, ane dog, together with ii cats.

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Reference
Shen, J., Rouse, J., Godbole, M., Wells, H., Boppana, S., & Schwebel, D. (2016). Systematic Review: Interventions to Educate Children About Dog Safety together with Prevent Pediatric Dog-Bite Injuries: H5N1 Meta-Analytic Review Journal of Pediatric Psychology DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsv164
Photo: Vasil Syniuk (top) together with Grezova Olga (Shutterstock.com).

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