Safe Kids & Dogs Survival Guide

Information from Polite Paws Ireland E-Book on keeping dogs and children safe together. Written by Canine Behaviourist Niamh Lynch

Safe Kids & Dogs Survival Guide

All the information in the below guide is from Polite Paws Ireland. Niamh Lynch is a qualified Canine Behaviour and Training Technician. 

Kids & Dogs: A Match Made in Heaven?

Children and dogs are portrayed in media, movies etc all the time as this beautiful pairing. There are lots of benefits to having both dogs and children in our homes. There is some evidence to suggest that dogs help children develop more compassion, they can support children as they further the development of their social skills and can even help children with autism to cope with difficult tasks.

Socially and culturally our expectations of children and dogs relationships are quite intense! Their relationships are romanticised in movies such as Lassie and Homeward Bound. There are lots of canine support and companion charities who provide dogs to assist with children’s development both emotionally and physically. However, often we don’t really consider the dogs in these partnerships.

There is little research on how our canine companions feel about and experience these relationships. Certainly there are a lot more studies looking at the benefits children obtain from close relationships with dogs, but not so much the effects of these on the dogs!

Dog Bites: Who is at Risk?

There have been multiple studies carried out on evaluating and researching the data of dog bites. Questions have been asked such as: Who gets bitten? Who is more at risk? Where do most bites occur? From all of the data that has been collected, we can identify risk factors that may leave certain individuals more vulnerable to bites.

The research has highlighted that: Dog bites most frequently occur from a dog known to the victim; be it their own dog or a neighbour’s dog. Children under the age of 14 are more likely to incur a dog bite (49% of dog bites requiring hospitalisation are to this age range)*, with children aged between 5 and 9 years old at the most risk (28% of child dog bites)*

Male children seem to have a slightly higher risk of getting bitten*, and children in general are more likely to require medical attention from a dog bite*. They are also more likely to get bitten on the upper torso, neck and head, compared to adults who are more likely to be bitten on the arms and legs*. Dogs are also at risk from dog bites; dogs that bite are often euthanized or their welfare seriously compromised through further confinement, rehoming or isolation.

Why are Children More at Risk?

Underdeveloped Cognitive Function: Children have underdeveloped cognitive functioning meaning that their social skills, problem solving and co-ordination are different to those of adults. Children tend to approach people and animals face on and have smaller personal bubbles meaning they are more likely to intrude and make contact with others, including our pets.

Social Skills: Adults often turn away slightly when greeting and talking with other people (something you mightn’t have been aware of until now!) and rarely stand directly in front of each other for long durations. Similarly, pro-social dogs with good communication skills will often arc around other dogs and angle their bodies away before saying hello; they rarely ever face other dogs head on as it is considered inappropriate in the dog world.

Adults are also quieter and less chaotic in movement than children; you only have to spend a few minutes with children playing to know that it can go from calm to crazy in a flash! Because children are less predictable in movement and sound, they’re more likely to frighten, intimidate or worry a dog compared to an adult.

Clash of the Species

It's nobody's fault. By their very natures, children and dogs clash. They are both so different in their behaviours, and don‘t always enjoy how the other may behave. They are two different species, and both are made to do very different things, no one is to blame.

By highlighting these differences, we can get a better understanding of where conflict might arise, and we can arrange both of their worlds so that they are less likely to upset each other and cause distress. This doesn’t mean we isolate dogs from children or vice versa. Each family member can have a beautiful relationship with our family dog, it‘s just up to the adults to ensure there are safety measures in place so that we can all be happy and comfortable.

The key to reducing dog bites is in understanding dog behaviour, childrens’ behaviour and active supervision.

How Can We Tell When a Dog Might Bite?

How comfortable are our dogs in these relationships? Are the dogs seeking a break or feeling overwhelmed by the interactions that happen in the relationships? Are the children in these interactions at risk? How can we tell?

Dog Body Language. It’s important to learn how to read your dog so that you can see earlier subtle signs that something might not quite be right, and to understand how your dog is feeling. One of the things that is regularly discussed after someone has been bitten is the ‘lack of’ warning signs. Often, it is reported that the dog may have given a growl prior to biting, but that it felt unexpected.

The reality is, dogs are incredibly subtle communicators, and generally only use big signals such as: growling, snarling, snapping or biting when they’ve used other signs but they weren’t heard.

It’s understandable that you might miss the subtle stuff, we don’t see what we aren’t looking for! Let’s go through some of the more silent body language signs so that you can learn about other indicators that a bite may be en route.

The Ladder of Aggression

image from polite paws ireland showing the ladder of aggression for anticipating if a dog will bite. at the bottom is yawning, slow blinking and licking nose, the next step is turning head away, and then turning body a way, sitting and pawing. Next is walking away, after that is creeping with ears back, then crouched stance with tail tucked. Next is lying down with paws up, then stiffening up and staring, followed by growling, next is snap and finally a the top of the ladder is bite

What's the Context? The ladder depicts what behaviours we might see when our dogs are beginning to get uncomfortable with an interaction or situation. These behaviours are normal, and many of them can be seen in dogs who aren’t in tricky situations. In fact, we can see lots of these behaviours in dogs who are happy, or excited, or anticipating something pleasant! Context is key!

Happy Dogs?

Things to look for in happy dogs:

  • Tongue lolling out of the mouth, often at the side of the mouth.
  • Mouth open, but whole face and body relaxed.
  • If tail is wagging, it’s side to side (not up high) and the whole rear end might wag with the tail.
  • Ears will be forward and relaxed.

 

Dogs can also display other signals that we might note as discomfort if seen in other contexts. For example, dogs might fold their ears back at the sides of their head when they see you arrive back home after an absence, but they’ll also often show other happy behaviours alongside that too. We take our information from as much as we can see.

three images showing dogs with comfortable and happy body language. australian shepherd with ears forward, open mouth, soft, relaxed face, facing forward towards the owner. a black labrador retriever with ears  forward, open mouth, soft, relaxed face, tongue loose and relaxed, staffordshire bull terrier with open mouth, ears forward, and soft relaxed face
Discomfort. When dogs are in situations they find uncomfortable, they display body language to share this, and ask for space. We call these signals ‘distance increasing behaviour’, as they are requesting space when they do them. Things to look for:
  • Tight mouth with wrinkling at cheeks where the mouth is pulled back, mouth may also be closed.
  • May be panting or lip-licking at times.
  • May yawn wide, ears remaining back.
  • Ears back, forehead wrinkling with tension.
  • Whites of eyes may be on display, sometimes slow blinking.
  • Tension through body, sometimes one leg may be pulled back or bent at knee joint.
  • There will be less ‘wiggles’ and wide tail wags. Instead the tail may be tucked under or low, and our dogs may seem listless or flat.
image showing dog body language of dogs showing discomfort. mixed breed with head lowered, ears back, tucked tail, tight muzzle and lip lick. chihuahua with ears back, furrowed brow, tucked tail, leaning away, tense body, tight and closed mouth. staffordshire bull terrier with ears back, tongue flick and tension in face and tight muzzle. golden retriever with eyes half-closed (slow blinking) and ears lowered and back
There are lots of situations that may cause our dogs to feel worried or concerned about what is happening. Visiting the vet, being hugged, having their personal space intruded upon etc, the list goes on!
So, the big question is; What do we do when we spot signs of discomfort in our dogs?
This is such an important question, and how we respond may influence future interactions between ourselves or our children and our dogs.
Move one or both away from each other. The first thing to do is move one or both away from each other, and give your dog the relief they are seeking. You don’t need to scold or reprimand either one. They’re both behaving normally and it’s an adults job to keep both safe. The second thing to do is review what happened and what conditions led up to the interaction. This is where we can improve the living space to accommodate more separation and safe-spaces, increase our active supervision of interactions, and teach both our children and our dogs some skills that can support a safer environment for them.
Active Supervision
Being able to read dog body language and pick up on their subtle cues is just one piece of the safety puzzle. We need to be aware of what appropriate supervision looks like, and what we can do to improve the situation if we feel it is not quite there in terms of management.
Bites happen when:
  • Signals aren’t recognised and acted upon.
  • Kids are left alone with the family dog.
  • We believe our dog won’t bite... all dogs bite under certain conditions. 
House Rules. It can be a good idea to include rules about the dog in the house rules, for example:
  • Feed your dogs away from children - Have a physical barrier such as closed door in between. (This includes treats like chews or other food that the dog has to eat over a length of time.)
  • Do they have toys or food? Don’t approach or take their stuff!
  • No climbing on or leaning on our dogs.
  • Their bed / pen / resting space is off limits for touching or going close to!
  • Petting your dog? One hand enough, two hands too rough.
  • The 3 second rule; count to 3 whilst petting the dog, then put your hands behind your back. What happens?
Make the space safe. Always give your dog an escape route; leave a door open or access to a crate or pen and allow the dog to leave should they need to. Children can still participate in their care without having to touch or hug the dog.
Baby gates, crates and pens are all management tools. Use these when needed to keep the dog and child safe and separated.
The gates allow for the dog and baby to freely move about their respective spaces, but they can also gain relief from the other by moving away from the gate. Gates and barriers also allow for us to temporarily put our attention elsewhere, knowing that our dogs and kids are separated and safe. Use these when you can’t actively supervise.
Quiet time is fine to share space with the dog, energetic playing should be separate until dog has skills to manage. Placing yourself as a barrier between children and dogs is one way of monitoring child / dog interactions; - you’re right there watching and monitoring body language, and can intervene should you spot any of the discomfort or body language signs.
Teach Kids Skills
Kids can learn some vital behaviours that will help keep them safe. Dogs are attracted to and indeed by become more excited by:
  • Squealing
  • Jumping
  • Running
  • Crying
  • Waving arms
We can teach children to stand still and go quiet when a dog approaches.
Should the dog knock a child over, we can also teach our kids to keep themselves safe:
  • Curl up into a ball
  • Wrap your arms around your head
  • Wait for an adult to come get you
Teach Dogs Skills Too!
We can teach our dogs to do lots of behaviours that will support your dog and kids relationship.
  • Comfort with confinement
  • Four feet on the floor
  • Provide them with stress busting activities to help combat the challenge of living with children.
  • How to settle on cue
  • Hand targets for moving them.
  • Teach them that folded arms = sit
  • Loose lead walking will help with management when out and about with the family
  • Come when called - helps get them out of trouble!
  • Comfort with collar grabs - quickly get a hold of your dog in an emergency
Appropriate Supervision
In our lives with our kids and dogs, we would be aiming for Level 4 or 5 of the 5 types of supervision. It can be really hard trying to monitor these interactions on a day to day basis which is why baby gates and previously mentioned management can be so helpful.
this is a chart showing the five types of supervision for adult supervision their child with their dog. number one is absent, the adult is not in the room with dog and baby, toddler or child. number two is passive, the adult is in the same location but distracted and not watching. number three is reactive, responding after the dog or child is too close. number four is proactive, already planning and preparing safe seperation. Number five is active, full and interactive adult supervision
We hope you learned a lot from this information! Please visit Polite Paws Ireland for the full e-book this information is taken from, and please feel free to email info@politepaws.ie if you have any further questions.
young child with border  collie climbing a tree together

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