The child and the dog are two living beings that can get along very well, but sometimes it happens that one of the two does not quite understand the other. When that happens, problems do not take long to appear.
What to do to avoid them? To do this, you have to ask yourself why my dog attacks children, know why you behave this way with them and what to do to get along with them, which is what we are going to explain to you next.
Why does my dog bite children?
The way dogs and children play is very different, since their body language is different. Therefore, one of the main reasons for dog attacks towards children is the bad communication from human to furry.
When a dog is being done something that it does not like, it will show its teeth, growl, turn its head, and even the hair on its back can stand on end. If these signals are not enough then it will attack. Therefore, the game between the two must always be supervised.
The child has a tendency to grab his tail and squeeze it tightly, kick him, pull his ears or paws, stare into his eyes, stick his fingers in his ears, eyes or in his mouth, and tease him a lot. These behaviors they don't have to be allowed, because the dog needs to be respected. Besides, none of us would like to be treated that way.
Taking this into account, another reason why the furry can be defensive is because he has already had a negative experience with the kids. When we are going to adopt one whenever we can, we have to inform ourselves about his past, since this way we can take the necessary measures to avoid problems.
What to do to make them get along?
Both the dog and the child have to learn to respect the other, but they will not be able to do it alone. So, it is very important that an adult person supervises them at all times. This person has to be very attentive to the signals, both of one and the other, to correct it in time.
When the child is old enough to begin to understand some things we must explain to him how he has to behave with the animal, respecting his body language and leaving him calm when he starts to get nervous. This way we can be sure that they will get along.
My dog has bitten a child, what do I do?
If it has bitten you do not scold him. As we have seen, the animal "warns" when it is nervous and restless. Attack is always last. When nothing else works, then attack. Scolding him for that would be very confusing, as he just wanted the boy to leave him alone. So it will always be better, of course treating the little one's wound with hydrogen peroxide, and let things calm down.
Later, or the next day, it is convenient for the dog to trust the child again and for this they both have to play. If the little human still feels fear or insecurity, we will give the furry -in his presence- dog treats or a ball to play with. In this way we will get him to associate the presence of the child with something positive (the sweets or the toy).
Dogs are peaceful animals. With respect and affection they can be one of the best friends a child could wish for.