“Be a Tree” – there’s more to it than preventing dog attacks

This week (20-26 May) is International Dog Bite Prevention Week. 

For most of this month I’ve been out and about trying to educate kids and their parents as to the best ways to keep themselves safe around dogs.

For all their laws and regulations regarding the correct care and training of dogs, the Swiss are more interested in banning dog breeds than educating humans about safety around dogs. I was amazed to learn recently that the canton of Geneva has banned 15 dog breeds and keeps dog owners and their canine pals on a tight leash while doing nothing to educate the greater public how to behave around dogs. In all respects they hold the dog owner responsible, without considering that dog bites are usually a last resort for the dog and the unwitting actions of humans (dog trainers included) can provoke an attack when we disregard the warning signals a dog tries to communicate to us.

One in two children will experience a dog bite at some time in their childhood, and while most of these, more than 80%, will require no medical attention, many could have been prevented as most bites are by a family dog or a dog that is known to the child.  The best way to keep a child safe is to be vigilant as parents and teach the child how to act around dogs.

All dogs bite – it is a key behavioral characteristic of the species – but most do so only if they consider they have no other choice.  A dog bite is nearly always the result of some form of provocation and occurs only after the dog has sent out a plethora of warning signs of which we humans are either unaware, or chose to ignore. 

In the late 80’s, as a young parent, I got to experience firsthand what can happen when our ignorance gets in the way of common sense. My son, Simon, then aged 4 years and our 3 month old Siberian husky, Zak, were playing together in the kitchen while I prepared the dog’s dinner.  I placed the bowl on the floor next to the puppy and turned back to tidy things away. With my attention elsewhere my son decided to try taking the dog’s bowl away, an action he had seen me do as part of the dog’s training (an action I now know is unnecessary and provocative). Zak growled defensively, enough to cause me to turn to see what was going on. I still have in my head the image of Simon’s hand holding the bowl, and the puppy, body tense, ears flat back, eyes wide, tossing warning signs out like sparks from a fire. Before I could react Zak struck with an open mouthed punch to Simon’s face. A razor sharp puppy tooth from his upper jaw punctured the skin just above Simon’s right eye and the lower jaw teeth penetrated to the left of Simon’s mouth.  It was a level 3 bite on Ian Dunbar’s Dog Bite Scale, but one that could have been much worse had the puppy held on or closed his mouth. 

The dog just wanted to be left alone to eat his dinner in peace, and he did what any puppy would do to a litter mate who got in the way. After consultations with the vet and the doctor, it was Simon who decided he wanted to keep his puppy and so began my education in appropriate training for puppies. But really the dog was doing what came naturally to him, it was we humans who needed the training.

As a result of this, and other incidents I have experienced with dogs over the years, I now take every opportunity I can to educate anyone who will listen on how to be doggone safe.

Doggonesafe is a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to dog bite prevention through education. They have a brilliant program called “Be a Tree” that goes well beyond dog bite prevention into interpreting dog body language and the appropriate ways to respond to what the dog is saying. The program begins by informing children that they have all the tools they need to keep themselves safe right inside their head, and goes on to illustrate how they can use those tools to read the signals a dog might be sending and to respond appropriately. Large poster sized photos of each tool and a number of dogs in various attitudes show the children the signs to look for. Ears, eyes, muzzle, body, tail – soon become a mantra reminding children that these are the parts of a dog they need to read to find out how a dog is feeling.

Be a Tree pose - how to respond to an unknown dog on the loose.

Learning how to behave around dogs is really about following a few simple guidelines:

• Always “Be a Tree” if an unfamiliar dog approaches you or a dog you are playing with becomes over excited
• If you are on the ground, or a dog knocks you down, roll up like a hedgehog, be a rock!
• Always stay calm and quiet when a dog comes near you – if you squeal he may think you’re his prey
• Always watch for signs of how a dog is feeling : ears, eyes, muzzle, body, tail
• Always ask your parent or caregiver first, before approaching a dog showing friendly body language
• Always ask the dog’s owner if you can pet the dog
• Always let a safe dog check you out first, let him sniff your fist
• Always walk away from a dog you think might be unsafe
• Always leave dogs alone who are sleeping, eating or who have puppies
• Always tell an adult if you see a dog behaving strangely
• Always remember, you might like hugs and kisses, but dogs don’t. They do like it though if you gently stroke their neck or chest.

The other day I met up with one of the first children I taught to “Be a Tree”, and I was delighted at the calm way in which he stood – tree-like – as I passed by with both dogs. My poodle knows this boy well and went up to greet him. Instead of crouching down and giving Blue a hug like he might have done some months ago, this 6-year-old quietly stroked Blue along the side of his neck and Blue nuzzled in for more.

Beau, who is still learning how to behave around children, sat quietly a short distance away and watched. The boy’s quiet calm even extended to him, as normally the exuberance of children with their flailing arms and high pitched squeals, as they go about playing their games, sets him on full alert - hunting mode, but not this time. This time I am sure he saw the child for what he was, a small human offering up affection dog-style.

For every child who learns how to behave appropriately around a dog, and practices reading  the signals that dogs are continually exhibiting for us, the closer we move towards keeping all children safe and I am sure the dogs will appreciate this as much as we will.