As an AKC Canine Ambassador, my Airedales, Neisha and Kate, help me teach children to be safe around dogs. We visit schools, camps, Girl Scout troops, and libraries to teach children about being safe around dogs.
In most parts of the country, there are serious problems with loose dogs, and most of the children that I talk to are afraid of dogs. Some have been chased by these dogs and knocked down. I talk to them about how to be safe around dogs, about never approaching a loose dog, about telling an adult about a loose dog so the adult can call for help for the dog, and what to look for before approaching a dog. Using advice from another Canine Ambassador, I tell the children to be sure they can see a collar attached to a leash held by a person, or more briefly Collar - Leash - Person and I get the children to chant those three words so that they will remember to look for the collar, the leash and the person.
I tell the children that when they see a loose dog coming towards them, they need to stand still and “be a tree.” And I tell them not to stare at the dog, but to look to the side or down at the ground. I tell them about a time when I was a child and two St. Bernards loved to chase me when I rode by on my bicycle. I tell them how I learned to stop, be very still and firmly tell the dogs to "go home!". I tell them how that worked for me and helped me get over my fear of dogs that were not mine.
I tell the children that when they see a loose dog coming towards them, they need to stand still and “be a tree.” And I tell them not to stare at the dog, but to look to the side or down at the ground. I tell them about a time when I was a child and two St. Bernards loved to chase me when I rode by on my bicycle. I tell them how I learned to stop, be very still and firmly tell the dogs to "go home!". I tell them how that worked for me and helped me get over my fear of dogs that were not mine.
I demonstrate how to ask permission to pet a dog (as long as it has a collar, leash and person) first with a toy stuffed Airedale and then with my dog. I show them how, after asking permission to pet a dog, to determine if the dog seems happy to be petted by the child. I teach them to make a fist, and let the dog sniff their closed fist, and I teach them how to pet the dog under its chin or on its chest.
Then I let them approach my dog one by one. They are always so cute, and at one visit, a child who had been knocked down by a loose dog was one of the first children to approach us. The dog stands quietly, and lets each child approach her, sniffs their fists, and lets them pet her. When a child forgets to pet under her chin and reaches over to pet her head, the dog's nose does just what I had demonstrated with the stuffed Airedale: she follows their hand with her nose making it impossible for them to pet her head because she is so busy sniffing their hand!
When every child has had an opportunity to pet the dog, we relax with her, usually by sitting on the floor around her with one child at a time stroking her, rubbing her belly, giving her a treat, or just talking to her. The dogs love this part of the visit, and often initiate it by lying down so the children can rub their belly. The children love giving Neisha treats because she has a very soft mouth and they never feel her teeth. My job is to make sure they don’t overdo the treats.
All too soon, our visits are over. I give each child two AKC coloring books, one about safety around dogs and the other about responsible dog ownership, and a bookmark with reminders about caring for a dog. Then we pack up and head home..
All together, each session is a great outing and a great experience. The dog that I take to the session seems to enjoy doing this as much as I do.
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