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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>Subject:</B> good article on
letting others pet your dog (or not)<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
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<P>How to let kids pet your dog | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas |
Life/Travel<BR><BR>How to let kids pet your dog<BR><BR>11:34 AM CDT on Friday,
June 27, 2008<BR><BR>By LINDA LOMBARDI / Associated Press<BR><BR>"Can I pet your
dog?"<BR><BR>Most of us want to say yes. A good neighbor lets children pet his
dog, right?<BR><BR>AP Photo/Jon Way<BR>Myles Blane, left, gives a command to
Trixtan as dog trainer Amy Robinson gives instructions.<BR><BR>"People want to
be nice," says Colleen Pelar, dog trainer and author of "Living with Kids and
Dogs... Without Losing Your Mind." ''But by being nice to<BR>people we're
sometimes not nice to our dogs."<BR><BR>Many people don't recognize the subtle
signs of stress in dog body language. You may not realize that your dog
tolerates being petted by strangers but does<BR>not enjoy it.<BR><BR>"If we
don't see that, we're going to be blindsided on the day that's more stressful,
when four kids come over and your dog snaps," says Pelar.<BR><BR>There's
certainly no need to panic about the odds of a dog bite. In her book "Dogs Bite
But Balloons and Slippers are More Dangerous", trainer Janis Bradley<BR>gives
statistics showing that more emergency room visits can be attributed to
accidents with furniture or footwear than interactions with dogs.<BR><BR>But no
matter how small the chance is — no matter if it's just a snap and not even a
scratch — you know how bad you'd feel if it was your dog. So follow<BR>a few
simple rules, and understand some basic elements of canine body
language.<BR><BR>•Most kids know to ask the owner if it's OK. But, Pelar
emphasizes, "Then you have to ask the dog."<BR><BR>Some experts suggest having
the child putting out a closed fist or a hand with palm upraised, others say
just stand there. But all agree: let the dog decide<BR>whether to approach the
child. Don't hold a dog still in your lap for petting, and respect the dog's
decision if it turns away or moves behind the owner.<BR><BR>•If the dog does
approach, observe the body language. Don't concentrate on the tail, it can be
hard to read. Pelar says, "I tell people that if they're<BR>looking at the tail,
they're watching the wrong end of the dog."<BR><BR>Instead, the mouth can give a
lot of clues. A dog that's licking lips, panting excessively, or yawning, is
showing that he's not comfortable. These are<BR>oral self-soothing behaviors
much like sucking your thumb, says Pelar. In contrast — opposite of the common
maternal fear of the teeth showing — if the<BR>dog's mouth is open, that's a
sign that it's relaxed.<BR><BR>•Pet a dog under the chin or along the neck or
side, not the top of the head.<BR><BR>Pelar explains this to children by saying,
"Avoid the sensitive eyes and ears." This is easy to understand, and the result
is that they avoid the blind<BR>spot on the top of the dog's
head.<BR><BR>•Encourage children to pet slowly, rather than rapid patting. "Slow
motion like in the movies, every kid understands what that means," says trainer
Amy<BR>Robinson, whose DVD "Drool School" teaches dog safety to
children.<BR><BR>•You can also do some advance training to prepare your dog for
social interactions. Although children should be told not to pull ears or tail,
sometimes<BR>they're too quick to stop. So do desensitization exercises with
your dog by touching or very gently pulling ears and tail, and then praising
him. (Robinson<BR>says she doesn't use food rewards for this, so that the dog
doesn't see children as a possible source of treats if they touch him in those
spots.)<BR><BR>•Aside from watching out for your dog's comfort level, you may
want to be prepared to gently educate. When explaining to children how to
approach a dog,<BR>see it from their point of view.<BR><BR>"How would you like
some strange person to run up to you, squeal, grab your face and give you a big
kiss? They get that, they understand that when you put<BR>it in those terms,"
says Robinson.<BR><BR>•If you have to say no because your dog's showing a
stress-related behavior, take the opportunity to point it out. And on both
sides, try to understand<BR>that it's not a judgment on the child or on the dog
if this just isn't the right moment.<BR><BR>"If the owner says no, that's no
reflection on the child's behavior," says Pelar. "That person is not saying that
you're not kind to dogs. They're saying<BR>that my dog's not comfortable. And
that's OK."<BR><BR><A
href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/lifetravel/stories/062808dnliv_kidsanddogs.448e46b1.html">http://www.dallasne<WBR>ws.com/sharedcon<WBR>tent/dws/<WBR>fea/lifetravel/<WBR>stories/062808dn<WBR>liv_kidsanddogs.<WBR>448e46b1.<WBR>html</A><BR>©
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