Teaching Children how to greet a dog safely

Teaching your child how to greet dogs safely and prevent dog bites

I’ve often been on walks with my dog and have heard a Child’s plea to their parent to pet my dog and I’ve even seen children run straight up to my dog! For many children the idea of petting a new dog is very exciting, but for parents we are often unsure if we should allow our children to pet a new dog they’ve never met. What are the safest ways to pet a dog we don’t know? There are some steps to take to help make sure we are doing the right things should we decide to let our child pet a new dog.

Most dogs are friendly and will not bite but they need to be treated with respect. Dogs may become aggressive for different reasons such as: fear, frustration or protection. Children can be susceptible to dog bites for many reasons such as the fact that their fast movements can trigger a chasing prey response. The pitch of their voice is also higher and can sometimes startle a dog. Children are also shorter and are closer to the dog’s eye level and the eye-to-eye contact can make a dog feel threatened. Children may also pull tails or tease dogs making them uncomfortable.

A good approach to teaching our children to greet a new dog they’ve never met before is to understand how dogs actually prefer to greet each other. A good greeting is when two dogs meet by coming to each other in an arc, not a straight line, looking at each other then looking away, and then they move to smell each other. In other words they do not approach each other directly, face to face, and they do not make strong eye contact on the approach. So, the approach is calm, quiet, without eye contact and using smell. Dogs use their sense of smell to get to know you.

Here are the steps to take when greeting a dog.

1. Always ask permission of the dog owner. You can even go a step further and ask if their dog is comfortable around children.
2. Offer your hand, palm down for the dog to smell and allow the dog to approach you. Do not approach the dog first. If the dog does not want to greet you then leave it at that and do not approach.
3. Don’t stare at the dog, instead it is better to look at the dog and then look away. When you take your eyes off the dog you are signaling to the dog that you are not a threat to them.
4. Don’t pet the dog on top of their head; it is better to pet them on their chest or back.
5. Do not approach the dog from behind.
6. Do not scream or make fast movements; stay calm and quiet.
7. Do not kiss the dog or put your face near the dogs face.
8. Always observe the dog’s body language and watch for signs that the dog is uncomfortable.

It is a good idea to discuss these rules with your child before you are in the situation. Try practicing the steps too so your child can feel comfortable with the process. And make sure your child understands that it is never ok to run up and pet a dog without following these rules.

You can even take your child to a dog park and watch the dogs together from outside the fence. Observe how dogs greet each other and talk about it together. Being around dogs can be a wonderful experience for your child if handled properly.

Julie Lokhandwala is founder of webDogTrainer, LLC. and has created the Popular Online Dog Training Guide and Consultation www.webdogtrainer.com