Common Questions > Dog Proof your life!

HOW TO DOG-PROOF YOUR KIDS

1. Teach your children to treat dogs and other animals with respect. Never provoke a dog into growling, barking, lunging or otherwise acting aggressively.
2. Monitor your child's play with a dog. Tell children not to encourage a dog to chase them when they are playing.
3. Teach your children to avoid strange dogs. Teach them about a dog's strong sense of loyalty to his home, and that they should never enter someone else's property without an adult when there is a dog there.
4. Tell your children to ask before petting anyone else's dog.
5. Advise children not to run and scream around dogs because this triggers the hunting and chasing instinct.
6. Teach children to respect a dog's privacy. Children should never be allowed to bother a dog when he's eating, sleeping, or in his crate or special spot in the house.
7. Teach them that they should never try to take anything from a dog's mouth.
8. Tell children not to stare into a dog's eyes, since that is considered as a threat.

HOW TO KID-PROOF YOUR DOG

1. Spay/neuter your dog. Spayed/neutered dogs are three times less likely to bite.
2. Socialize your dog with children.
3. Never leave your dog alone with a young child.
4. Monitor your dog's play with children. Don't let them play too rough or play tug-of-war.
5. Give your dog a way to get away when he's had enough.
6. Never tie your dog. Children tend to tease tethered dogs.
7. Never leave your dog in an unattended situation where young children might come in contact with him.

American Humane Association