Let’s talk about young children and dogs

Let’s talk about young children and dogs.

All children and dog interactions must be 100% supervised by a responsible adult. Even a few seconds of unsupervised interaction can result in tragedy.

Always ask an owner if their dog likes children before going in to pat any puppy or adult dog.

Teach the children to speak softly and slowly and gently pat the dog on the shoulder when greeting. Count 1, 2, 3, 4 as they pat and then ask the child to stop, and see if the dog wants more. If the dog turns their head to look away or gets up and moves then this is the dog or puppy saying I don’t want any more pats.

If you have a toddler it’s best to get down with your toddler so you are not towering above an unknown dog, as some dogs get scared and don’t like hands coming from above. It can be very intimidating, more especially when its a stranger.