In order for children and dogs to interact within a pleasant and harmonious "pack" or family unit, you need to be "dog smart", provide training, and use common sense. Dogs are animals with biological needs and drives, and they think. Be sure to choose training, discipline and socializing approaches that are conducive to developing a pet with manners and respect.

It is important to supervise and monitor the handling of your dog by your children and their young friends (and everybody else for that matter!) Do not hesitate to teach other children how you want your pet treated. These experiences dictate your canine's perceptions and behaviors.

Learning is Never Erased, Socialize Carefully

Some puppies will handle your children and their friends without obvious problems. Others can be strongly imprinted in a negative way. Either of the following cases can promote behavior problems that can lead to puppies or dogs being unsafe when interacting with little people. If your puppy is exposed to a bully, it learns fear and may act defensively. If your puppy learns it can be pushy, it learns aggression is acceptable.

Hidden Dangers of Reactive, Luring and Click & Treat Training

A puppy or dog may not be able to distinguish when it should grab food from a hand and when it is not acceptable to take the food. If a canine snatches food from an unsuspecting child or person's hand a serious injury can occur.

In addition, some training techniques may use actions such as running backwards, speaking in a high and excited voice, clapping hands, etc. that create a "get it" reactive chase response from the dog. This kind of training builds excitement which engages the dog's prey drive, thus creating a fast reaction. What the dog learns is that when he chases a person, he gets rewarded. The dog will look for opportunities to repeat the action - which could be an innocent jogger, a person on roller blades or children on bicycles.

How is a dog going to understand the difference between training and daily interactions when manners are desired? These training methods do not teach manners and bites do happen as a result. It is not fair to dogs or those involved, especially to the children that love them.

Be an inteIIigent trainer. Utilize methods that recognize that canines do think and will provide training that promotes responsible behavior, respect and manners with considerations to their environment and needs. Your children and pets are depending on you.

Kids and K-9's Do: Do love your dog and be its best friend. Be kind to your dog, and do not tease it or be mean. Play with your dog and use safe toys in a safe way. Throw toys for your puppy to chase, not catch. Play quietly with your puppy to help it learn manners. Give your dog a treat after you get permission from an adult and put the treat in your dog's dish. Leave your dog alone when it is sleeping. Do Not: Feed your dog food from the table or from your hand. Give your dog unsafe toys such as squeak toys. The squeaker may come out and dogs do not learn play manners when they play with squeak toys. If a dog growls when playing, be still and call for an adult. Throw toys to make your dog jump up. Your dog can break a leg it it does not land properly. There is also danger if your dog catches a frisbee or hard toy - it could break teeth or even its jawbone. Scream or run to excite your dog, it will learn to jump on you and be mean. Hit or kick your dog, you may hurt it. If you hurt it or scare it, it may bite you. Let your friends break the rules if they are with your pets. Ever let your dog run loose. It needs to be in your home or fenced yard to be safe. Touch a dog or any other animal when it is sleeping.