Knowledge

Dogs & Children:

Dogs are put down in large numbers, and the reasons/ excuses can be many: Fx, my dog is roaring at the children, the dog is biting ect.
Yes, dogs can be dangerous - all breeds, and more often than we think there is quite a good reason for this. Of course there are 'black sheeps' and some dogs are simply not trained at all. If you have a dog, that is just a little bit trained to behave well, it shouldn't cause a lot of trouble. Have you ever concidered that your child doesn't know how to interact with your dog? Or other peoples dogs?

In the relation children vs dog(s), we have a very strickt policy here in our house:
- smaller children should never be without adult supervision, when they are in the same room with a dog. The adult is the packleader (this should be the dogowner, but it is also a good idea if mom/ dad is present).
- babies on a play blanket shoul dbe left alone from the dog. The dog has NOTHING to do on a childs play blanket. It can easely and very fast go wrong, as the little baby has reflexes and will hold on to everything near it instantly - perhaos a very unforunate spot on the dog.
- a dog has to learn that it has lower rank than the child (the dog is not in charge over the child ect).
- children has to learn learn how to treat a dog as well: the child is not allowed to kick, hit, pull, punch, sit on the dog, put fingers in the eyes and so on... it is allowed to cuddle, snuggle, pet and so on. REMEMBER - if the child does thethings that are not allowed, it will do it to all dogs as well - and they might not like it!! So help your child AND your dog to respect eachother.
- when the dog is in its basket/ on its blanket ect., it has 'time out' and needs rest and to be left alone. The child has to respect this, and this is a learning scill that take a long time to learn, and needs to be practiced again and again.
- a child needs to learn the signals/ the language of the dog, and the only one who can teach that is the adult - the dogowner, as he/ she knows the dog best. Remember that this requires that YOU know how to read your dog yourself, so that you can explaine the child that when the dog does this or that, it means this or that.
- by very young children it is important that you don't pet the dog to hard yourself, but just do it gently, because small children can not figure out how to pet a dog like we do. Instead they will just hit the dog - not to be mean though, but simply because they don't know the difference yet/ they haven't figured out how to break 'the code' just yet.
It is no use to think, that when you have explained it to a child one or two times how to do it, then the child will know and remember. NO, it‘s also a learning scill like to learn how to eat with a fork and a knife, and everything else.... It cannot be said often enough, how significant it is that there is an adult present AT ALL TIMES , when children and dogs are together - for the child's sake, but indeed for the dogs sake as well!!
Remember that the only way the dog can say NO, is to roar or bite if the first few warning signs has not been understood!!
Would you ever forgive yourself if something happened, and it could have been prevented if YOU had been present - physicly and mentally?