As many of you know I work in rescue and more so from my rescue work which then impacts in my training role is children and dogs, and mainly, when things go wrong. So often these things could have been avoided.
Teaching our children how to appropriately interact with a dog, learning when to stop & learning when the dog is saying no is so so vital.
Arming your child with basic dog body language from an early age could make all the difference in the child’s future choices especially around when a dog is saying.
Here is a great game that every child should be taught.
3 second-hand game.
This is a game where the child pets the dog, appropriately, for 3 seconds then remove their hands completely from the dog.
This then gives the dog time to figure out what option to choose next and is a great time to teach your child some basic body language.
If the dog chooses to step away, that ends the game. The dog is clearly saying no more and removing themselves from the situation. If the dog leans into the child, climbs on them, or starts nudging them, this is a clear invitation that the dog would like to continue with the contact.
Then you repeat the game!
Some dogs will accept touch but aren’t always fully comfortable with this.
A waggy tail is not always a happy tail. If the tail wag is wagging but a slow, stiff wag, or if the tail is wagging but the body/bum of the dog isn’t wagging as well, it’s safe to say the dog may not be too comfortable.