You might have read recently about the increase in dog bites to children. Studies have shown that the number of family dog bites has increased significantly since the start of the first lockdown. This is obviously a very worrying trend, but there is much we can do to keep kids and dogs safe and happy together.
Let’s take a look at a few images of kids and dogs I found online. We can’t tell much about the context from this photo, but there’s still a lot to unpack! Firstly, the dog’s body language. The dog has a tightly closed mouth, the ears are low and back and the dog may well be quite stiff and frozen in the body. All these signs tell us this dog is uncomfortable and the child is potentially in danger. The dog is also sat down (as opposed to standing and able to move away) and the child is standing over the dog’s rear end. If this dog becomes stressed, he may feel unable to get away and feel the need to bite to protect himself from the perceived threat.
Kids and Dogs
It may seem obvious, but NEVER let a child sit on a dog like this. Even if you have a very tolerant dog, it only takes them being in pain one day for them to snap at your child. Far safer all round if the kids are never allowed to do this. Encourage kids to respect dogs and their bodies like you would encourage them to respect other children and their bodies. Kids learn a lot about how to treat other people by watching us.
If you are a parent or guardian caring for kids and dogs together, I’d recommend learning as much as possible about canine body language. Learning to recognise when your dog is starting to become uncomfortable means you can change the situation before your dog feels the need to escalate their behaviour. Check out our in detail post on body langauge here to get started.
Let’s have a look at another image of kids and dogs.
Body Language Deep Dive
What’s your first impression? Here’s what I see. This Yorkshire Terrier is averting her gaze from the baby and we can also see the whites of her eyes (often called ‘whale eye’). The dog’s face and body are both pointing away from the child (allowing her to move away quickly) and the head is dipped. All of these behaviours tell us that this dog is uncomfortable in this situation.
So what can we do in this situation to allow the dog to feel safer and more comfortable? Firstly we can make sure the dog always has a way of easily leaving the situation. This little yorkie is trapped between a large toy and a crawling baby. Moving the toy out the way would allow the dog to move away from the baby more easily. We never want our dogs to feel trapped in a situation with a child. Dogs are animals, who like us, can go into a fight or flight state when scared. If we remove their option for ‘flight’ ie. just walking away from the situation, a dog can become aggressive and even bite. Always make sure they have an escape path when interacting with babies and children. You can learn more about preventing dog bites to children on our blog here.
What we can also see in this image is that this is a very young child, probably under one years of age. We obviously cannot expect babies to handle dogs appropriately. At this age, they are very ‘grabby’! Given the age of the child and how uncomfortable the dog looks, I would be looking to change this situation if I were in the room when the photo was taken. An easy way of knowing whether your dog is comfortable in a situation is to give them the option to leave and see what they do. If you give your dog an out and they don’t choose to return, then they were not comfortable in that situation.
Happy Kids and Dogs
Previously, we’ve looked at images where the dog was uncomfortable in the interaction. But what does it look like when your dog is comfortable with a child?
In this image, we have a black Labrador puppy sitting on a child’s crossed legs on the floor. The pup has his back and front legs flopped over and there’s no tension in his body. His ears and eyes look soft but alert. The mouth is closed with no tension wrinkles. This puppy looks pretty relaxed! What I really like about this image is that the child has her hands back and isn’t preventing the puppy from leaving the situation if he wants to. Always discourage children from hugging dogs. To a dog it just feels like a restraint and can make them very uncomfortable, potentially even aggressive.
I would be happy for this interaction to continue with adult supervision. Both the child and the puppy look content! Of course we always want to supervise kids and dogs, but this is especially true of puppies. Whilst adorable and often enchanting to a child, puppies are typically mouthy (with very sharp teeth) and jumpy (with very sharp nails). Accidents and minor injuries can happen very easily and quickly with excitable kids and puppies, so active supervision is essential.
What Next?
- Download your free guide ”Can I stroke that dog?’ A guide to doggy body language for kids and parents by signing up to our email list here
- Our first Ebook ‘A Safe and Happy Home with Baby and Dog’ is coming soon! Keep your eyes peeled across our socials and website for more info!