Dogs and children

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• Even friendly and calm dogs will bite if provoked. The safest thing to do is keep dogs away from young children.
• Keep a close watch on your dog when your new baby joins the family.
• Ask friends and relatives to keep their dogs away from your child.
• Always supervise children around dogs.

The dog most likely to bite a child is not a strange dog. It is the family dog, or one the child already knows well. Ear-pulling, tail-tugging and investigative habits of children can cause even placid, friendly dogs to react.

• 40% of attacks take place in the house or backyard.
• 30% of attacks happen at the homes of friends and neighbours.

Dog bites can be serious. One and a half thousand people a year are so badly bitten they need surgery – three out of five of these patients are children under 10. Some children are scarred for life, especially if they are bitten on the face. Children can also suffer serious cuts and heavy bruising.

When dogs bite children

Dogs are likely to bite if:

• approached when eating
• startled by sudden movements
• woken suddenly
• they’ve been cooped up in a hot car
• cornered
• jumped on
• climbed on
• they are looking after puppies.

Preventing dog bites

Keep them separated

• Keep dogs away from babies and young children.
• If dogs and children must be in the same place, always supervise them.
• Keep a close watch on dogs when a new baby joins the family. It’s safest not to leave your child alone with a dog.
• Ask friends and relatives to keep their dogs away from your child. Make sure you and the dog’s owner are both present if you want to introduce your child to a dog.

Things to teach your child

Children learn best by copying what adults do. If you treat dogs respectfully and cautiously, it will help them learn to do the same. Young children need constant supervision when in contact with dogs.

Tell your child:

• Never approach an unfamiliar dog, even if it looks friendly.
• Never run screaming from a dog – it might encourage the dog to give chase.
• Never yell at or surprise a dog, not even the family pet.
• Dogs don't like it if you pull their tail, grab their fur or try to sit on them.
• Leave dogs alone when they are sleeping, eating or looking after puppies.
• Let a dog see you and sniff you before you pat it.
• Pat a dog gently on the back, not on the head or the nose.
• Be still like a tree and look at the ground when a strange dog comes up to you.
• Roll into a ball and lie still if a dog knocks you over.

Things to teach your dog

• Obedience training is essential for all dogs, regardless of breed, size or age. A few weeks of dedication and patience will make your dog well behaved and easier to control.
• Teach your dog to obey commands from all the family and to respond to ‘sit’, ‘stay’ and ‘come’.
• If your dog is taught, encouraged or bred to be a guard dog, keep it away from children.
• If you're bringing home a new baby, give the dog something of the baby's to sniff first. Try a baby blanket or a piece of clothing the child has worn.
• Try giving the dog a treat while you're breastfeeding or changing the baby, so the dog comes to see these as good times and doesn't resent the attention your baby is getting.
• Give your dog lots of cuddles and love.

What kind of dog?

You can find out which breeds to avoid and how to choose the breed that will best suit your living arrangements by talking to your local vet or contacting organisations such as:

• Petcare Information and Advisory Service
• the RSPCA in your state.

You might even want to wait until your child is older than five before introducing a dog to the family, as school children are much better than toddlers at learning rules about how to behave around dogs.

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