To think learning how to behave around dogs should be part of the national curriculum

[Itsadogsworld]

I think schools should teach children how to behave around dogs, canine body language and so on. I think it would significantly reduce the number of children that end up in A&E each year due to dogs bites. I’ve seen some dreadful behaviour in my local park where children will run up to my dog and one child was continually trying to bear hug her own dog. Children clearly aren’t being taught this at home so I think they should include it in schools. I welcome your thoughts on this.

No such thing as a dangerous breed.
Really?
Because every time I read about a serious dog attack, i know which breed will be responsible without looking - a pit bull or a staffie, and i am very rarely wrong.

I’m always a bit of adults who say they don’t like children considering they were one once.

@Feelingconfused2020

Mouseonmychair

I'm amazed so many parents think it's my job to stop my dog from defending itself from them

Maybe the parents you refer to just understand the law better than you do. If your dog attacks a child it will be you who stands in court not the parent of the child.

I agree with you in principle, it is the dog owners responsibility.

But the fact remains that I can be walking my dog quietly in the park, on a lead, and a child runs up to the dog. Not child's fault, but at this point THE PARENT should say to the child stop.
The dog owner is then trying to put themselves between child and dog.

I have said to parent, please don't let your child run up to a dog. Parent smiles and says - they like dogs.

Parents must teach their kids no to do this. Just as they teach them not to run into the road. It is a life skill that seems to be entirely lost.

I give out free lectures to parents about teaching their kid to ask before they stroke a dog and telling kids that not all dogs like being stroked etc. If they do come and stroke my calm and soft dog, I then give them a lesson in how to do it, ie shoulder not face , don't touch the tail etc etc. And how they must never stroke a dog without an owner to ask. The parents usually say things like - I didn't know that.

Btw, I was having a picnic in the park. DH had our baby on his lap. A woman let her dog run right up to us and sniff the baby. Luckily the dog was almost smaller than the baby but that situation sums up most dog owners.

What difference does a child being trained in dog handling make when they encounter an out of control dog their size or bigger?

That poor boy in Wales had barely got through the door before he was savaged according to the news reports.

@OrangeJuiceAndNoodles

I don't see why people are so against the OP.

It seems sensible to at least cover it in an assembly or something, in the same way that they'd cover firework safety.

So many people are against OP because they think that that they are so entitled that humans should be the only living animal in the world except for some livestock kept in neat fields far away from humans. They forgot that the human race has evolved to be along side dogs and that they are part of how society was created.

Children should have an assembly once a year on how to respect other living things and how to understand dogs (ie keep away if they growl and not to grab at them). Unfortunately there are plenty of parents who can't teach this because they don't know how to act around dogs and will flap about making the situation worse and passing thier phobias onto the kids. Of course dog owners also need to ensure that their dogs are trained.

In the end people are people and some of them do not train etc their dogs properly and some parents let their children run up to dogs.

I think more dogs injure or kill children than the other way round.

So the most pressing problem surely is to stop the death and injury. (Apart from the poster who can't stand children!).

Surely compulsory training for dog owners would be the best approach?

Or something focused on that side of things.

Training the children will do nothing to alleviate things that result due to dogs not being looked after properly including being abused etc.

Btw, I was having a picnic in the park. DH had our baby on his lap. A woman let her dog run right up to us and sniff the baby. Luckily the dog was almost smaller than the baby but that situation sums up most dog owners.

Yep, happened to us all the time too. And now she's a toddler they run up and knock her over, despite her actively trying to get away, and when I intervene and inevitably get a bit shitty with the owner I'm told that I'm overreacting and 'he's fine, he wouldn't hurt a fly'. Well I don't know that and frankly when it comes down to it nor does the owner.

I was bitten by a family dog as a child, that got confused and attacked a group of 9 year olds at a neighbourhood party. No one predicted it and no one did anything 'wrong' except the dog. I had to have two operations and dealt with a nasty infection, and am still scarred at 30. Luckily it's my leg so easily hidden.

I grew up with dogs, I know how to behave around them, but working dogs, in another European country, so a bit different. Not sentimental about them really. Of course you hold some affection for them but they are not equal to the human members of the family. I find it utterly insane the way some people in this country are about dogs.

@PeachesPumpkin

In this time of climate emergency, with the notable exception of assistance or working dogs, no one should be getting a dog as a pet due to their large carbon footprint. Dogs are a luxury the planet cannot afford.

Teachers are not there to raise children- that is the parents job. Teaching them about behaviour around dogs is the parents job not the teachers.
I have to say though my experience of dogs has been mostly negative with owners letting them run up to me barking, jump up scratching me, getting mud and dog snot on me, jumping over my picnics in parks and knocking over my children like skittles - making them scared of dogs.
In my view it is the dog owners who educating not the non dog owners.

You have children, you're in NO position to tell people not to have a dog because of its carbon footprint!

@Hippywannabe

How about parents do it?

Yes, this ^^

We should all teach our children that any animal can be unpredictable and that no matter how good (or bad!) the owner is at controlling them, they should always be wary.

My parents taught me this. It was never the school's responsibility.

@Itsadogsworld

I think schools should teach children how to behave around dogs, canine body language and so on. I think it would significantly reduce the number of children that end up in A&E each year due to dogs bites. I’ve seen some dreadful behaviour in my local park where children will run up to my dog and one child was continually trying to bear hug her own dog. Children clearly aren’t being taught this at home so I think they should include it in schools. I welcome your thoughts on this.

Yes because it’s all the kids fault that they get bitten and killed. How about we ban the ownership of dogs completely If your dog can’t not be dangerous in any situation involving children (hugging, stroking, teasing or even a young or special needs child being too heavy handed) then they shouldn’t be in public. It’s on YOU to control your dog and keep it away. A young child isn’t capable of killing no matter what but a dog certainly is.

I think pet owners should have to do a mandatory training course and have a licence to purchase/adopt an animal, obviously with the content varying according to the animal.
Not only to reduce attacks but also for animal welfare sake.

Definitely not.

Rather, we should teach children that dogs are a menace to society and should be phased out. Germ-ridden, risky, non-essential beasts. Am sick of dog culture, it's gone crazy. Dogs in shops, restaurants, airplanes.
Stop going along with things and think first.

It's down to you & every other dog owner to train your dogs properly.

If you can't trust your dog & think kids need training to make up your short comings, you are a shit dog owner & need to step up or re-home your dog to someone who actually knows what they are doing

Given that there are people who avoid dogs due to religious prohibition or allergies it will, thankfully, never make it to the already overcrowded curriculum.

My dog is a vicious knobhead I wouldn’t trust him with Poundland soft toy 😂
So I muzzle him with a proper leather and metal type muzzle he looks like Hannibal lectures lost child
Has wearing a muzzle stoped parents trying to let their kids wanting to smooth him and say hello
Has it fuck they seem to think the muzzle mean that they can still pet him because he can’t bite
He’s a lovely sweet dog in all other ways but can’t be trusted to turn quickly around strangers
I just wish they would all fuck off 😂

I think dog owners should be the ones responsible for teaching their dogs how to behave around children.

And what's so awful about a child bear-hugging her own dog, if the dog doesn't mind? Many like that sort of thing, especially larger breeds from small children.

Dogs should be trained, on leads, muzzled if in doubt and preferably not in parks with children. So sick of 'he's just being friendly' dog owners.

I’m a teacher and this would be my lesson on ‘dogs’ - don’t have one, avoid, they smell and dribble (sorry dog lovers). But could I teach lessons on how to behave around cats instead? That sounds like an awesome afternoon!

And on a serious note. As parent I will educate my own children on social behaviour, in school I will teach literature to GCSE and Al-level standard.

In think dogs should be on a lead at all times when outside the house (unless a sheep dog). I don't trust any dog I meet after being chased, jumped on and sniffed on too many occasions.

@MaryLennoxsScowl

This morning the dog and I came upon a man and a toddler. The man said to the toddler, ‘Look, a doggy!’ and the toddler started to run at my dog. I said loudly, ‘No, don’t grab the dog,’ and the man just stood there. I called my dog to heel and said to the man that the dog isn’t good with being grabbed at. He never once took the kid’s hand or made any move to stop it running straight at a dog. The kid was safe because my dog is trained to come to heel. Fucking stupid bloke.

I have a big, black, working line German Shepherd.

You'd think the average person would keep themselves and their offspring a safe distance from an unknown one but nope, I've lost count of the number of little kids I've had to peel off her in full view of their parents.

@Draineddraineddrained

I've taught my daughter everything about "dog behaviour" that she needs to know, i.e that they are stupid, grossly unhygienic, potentially dangerous animals and she is not to approach one she doesn't know, what to do if one approaches her and is not swiftly recalled by its owner (as it should be), and that we will have one in our house over my dead body. She irritatingly still seems to quite like them 😆 but knows to behave defensively with strange dogs (and their frequently strange owners). But "dog body language"? Eating into school time no less? Get stuffed. Why should she waste her brain on learning the ways of bloody dogs when by rights she should never be within touching distance of one? It is the job of the owners to keep their dogs under control and away from my child, not her job to behave in such a way as to avoid being mauled.

And I'm sorry a bloody "school dog"? What's that, code for "head teacher too tight to pay for a dog walker/too sentimental to part from little Fido when supposed to be doing their job and trying to frame this needless distraction as a learning experience for the kids"? If I got a sniff of anything like that in my kid's school I would boot off like the World Cup, and I am actually not one of Those Parents by and large. People's kids should not be exposed to potentially dangerous animals at school without express parental consent.

Hurrah to you @Draineddraineddrained. You expressed my feelings exactly. I was jumped on by some stupid woman’s off the leash dog today, while walking home from the shops. She was too busy on the phone to notice till I yelled at her to get her dog under control. I suppose I’m at fault for wanting to walk down a footpath in peace .

I’d bring back dog licences, predicated on owners paying for training.

We need to stop expecting dogs to be anything other than dogs. Not toys. Not mini furry therapists. Not dolls to be dressed up. Not magic.

And everyone responsible for an individual who does not understand consequences (human or canine) needs to take all steps to keep that individual safe and to keep others safe from them.

Eg

We teach kids about road safety even though they don't drive.

And

We restrict speed limits around schools because we recognise that children may behave erratically there so there is extra danger.

It'd probably be a useful skill to understand basic animal body language - even if you don't keep animals. But tbh I see far far too many dog owners who don't have the first clue about the behaviour of their animal. Google 'babies and dogs' and you will see pages of images of babies near dogs that are blatantly very uncomfortable in that situation. If the pp's dog genuinely loves a 'bear hug' then they'd be the first dog I ever came across that did. At best I've seen them tolerate it. I have known many owners claim their dogs love something only to witness a dog that has learned to accept it.

A great start would be for all owners to understand the animal they are keeping.

@Tilltheend99

I think it should be compulsory for dog owners to be trained how to handle their dogs around children (and wildlife) and how to not abuse and neglect their dogs.

^^This. A 6 week course before you are allowed to own a dog and mandatory dog training classes once you've got one. Sorted.

This would be a really sensible idea. It doesn't have to be greatly in depth or cumbersome teachings, just basic advice and guidance a couple of times through their schooling on how to act around dogs and how dogs tend to think. Dogs are everywhere, they're a fact of life wherever you go in the uk. Kids are going to interact with them - even if they'd rather not at some point they'll be forced to by a person pushing it onto them or by a loose overfriendly dog. Understanding how to react could give kids some knowledge to fall back on, to keep themselves safer and reduce the risk of a situation being accelerated.