Here's chapter 4 (the last) acts of the panel discussion entitled: "The animal and the child be born and grow together-postural communication between the child and the dog - Zero risk does exist? . "We had already published the first chapter:" Being born and Growing Together ", the second:" Mature together: transition to adulthood "and third "Communication postural dogs and children"
As a reminder, this conference was organized by the City of Tarbes and Tarbais Kennel Club , and led by four veterinary behaviorists: Dr. Beatrice Laffite - Dr. Dominique LACHAPELE - Dr. Nicolas MASSAL - Dr. Lawrence ORDUNA, Dr. Christian FIALAIRE members of the association Zoopsy . Thank you to them for allowing this publication.
Sandie.
Chapter 4: Prevention of risks in the relationship between the child and the dog
Cohabitation of children and dogs is not safe and we will discuss the risks to the child in contact with dogs, and then consider ways of prevention.
What risks are they? We meet two risk categories:
• The health risks: the children will contract diseases
• The risk of accidents: the dog can injure children.
The health risks
Definition
They are represented by zoonoses are diseases or infections naturally transmitted to humans by animals and the dog here. This can be infections, thanks to bites or scratches. The saliva of dogs is naturally microbial poly and contact with a wound can easily infect it. The bite wounds are often anfractuous and lack of care in six hours, the bite is considered infected. Other infections, such as scratch disease or salmonella can reach children.
The animals can also transmit fungal infections (which are fungi) and most common is ringworm.
Finally, noise may pass our 4-legged companions to humans and infect the gastrointestinal tract such as pinworms or more rarely locate in areas more erratic: eyes when toxocariasis. In the south east, leishmaniasis can cause febrile syndromes in children aged 2-3 years. More mundane, the fleas on dogs biting children can come.
Mode of contamination
• through saliva during bites, scratches, or for infections by licking for worms digestive
• Direct contact for fungal infections, parasitic infections: smart, ringworm
• For the manure including bedding, sandboxes poorly protected in attendance dogs or simply by the family garden where the dog poops and can also be a playground for children.
Prevention
Prevention is achieved through:
• A basic and general hygiene including frequent hand washing before meals, snacks, after touching the dog ...). It must become a reflex for children because hands brought to the mouth are the primary source of infection in children.
• Control and disposal sites such as learning a specific corner of the garden the dog to relieve itself, the prohibition of animals in children's play areas and vice versa
• Finally, a deworming treatment and regular external parasites of dogs who live with children can limit these diseases. It is even wise to think about from time to time deworm children especially in case of chronic digestive disorders
The risk of accidents
Accidents in the relations between children and dogs will essentially bites or scratches inflicted by the latter on the former.
The news items are regularly there to remind us of them but we will see here that it only happens to others and not necessarily that we are part of the prevention of domestic accidents whose primary victims are children and that occur most often in the parental home or in places known to the child.
Of bites, the figures are few and the only data currently available are the records of hospitals or pediatric emergencies. Here, figures from a Canadian survey, confirmed by French and Swiss surveys tell us that the population is bitten most are children between 1 and 9 years, with a prevalence for the age group from May to September years. Most often, the biter is the family dog or a dog nearby, known to the child. The bite of a home and was caused by movement of the child to the dog, in the absence of adults in most cases.
Children are bitten primarily the face and hands.
What can motivate a dog to attack a child?
First, the dog may feel threatened and want to defend themselves. This is the case when it is frightened or in pain. It can also hurt if unintentionally hurt his body or control the dog can attack and defend to keep a privilege granted. The dog can be considered that the child goes too far and beyond its tolerance threshold. Finally, the dog can see the child or infant as prey and trigger a sequence of predation.
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© Lisa Marcel Isirdi - extract from drawing Vaudoo blog! |
We will resume these five items, define and seek ways to avoid them.
Fear
Fear appeared generally if the dog is startled or in an unusual situation in a closed environment (the escape is impossible). The fear then causes an emotional invasion in dogs that has no choice to defend themselves, as to attack the object of his fear. The violent emotional discharge that always accompanies a bite out of fear that the bite is always serious and decaying and ceases only when the dog can escape.
The emergence of fear in the presence of a child will most likely not in a dog or just socialized to children. Fear appears preferentially during stressful situations for dogs as brutal invasion of his sleeping place or a wake-up surprise.
To avoid this, we must always think of preventing the dog and ask him to approach. Force the contact with a dog while it is unable to flee can trigger a panic reaction. If you teach children to ask the dog to come, the risk of attacks will decrease significantly.
Socialize a puppy to children of all ages is essential before the age of 2 months and this socialization must be maintained until at least 9 months. Subsequently, frequent positive contact between the dog and children 2 will allow players to better know and better understand and accept the reactions of the other. We saw in the first conference the importance of "growing together".
Finally, although the reactions of fear of his dog can identify and prevent risky situations.
Pain or discomfort
Pain is another legitimate reason for a dog to attack. The bite will be designed to stop the pain (eg veterinary care) or to remove the suspected cause of pain. This is the case in dogs with osteoarthritis that can assault children to keep them at bay to prevent contact. The cause of pain can come from the dog's condition but also the behavior of children. Pulling hair, ears, tail is not pleasant for the animal and its tolerance threshold will be crossed.
Finally, the failure of the living space of the dog may cause discomfort and stress. The intrusion of a child into the dog's basket or a child who comes to the bowl of a dog who eats are intolerable situations, even for a normal dog.
Prevention requires vigilance here by the owners as to the physical health of the animal and the detection and effective management of chronic pain. A regular checkup is recommended for older dogs.
The other aspect is the education and supervision of children. Teach them not to hurt the dog to respect their physical integrity is as important as teaching a child in school not to bite his comrades.
Finally, the sleeping dog, in a place back in the house, should be denied access to children and any other person. Similarly, the dog will eat alone in a room where no one will bother him.
Deficit of the own
Hyperactivity and lack of self-checks in a dog is an additional source of danger in case of cohabitation with children. A dog that is not controlled well, does not control his body and can shake, scratch and bite in the excitement but without intent to assault. The dogs are nice but brutal, that hit and hurt the teeth by playing. The excitement is usually caused by lack of control, the risk increases if the dog is in contact with unruly children and poorly controlled themselves.
Prevention is achieved here by a good acquisition of the own checks before the age of 2 months (leaving the pups in contact with the mother or other adult dogs) and then by an interview in the adoptive family, with regulation by adult dogs or humans. It will ask children not to over excite a puppy and teach him to stop on command.
For control of the bite, pulling games popular with children and dogs are banned because they do qu'appendre the dog to squeeze harder, which could aggravate a possible bite.
Again the presence of adults is essential to avoid and prevent overflows.
Control the dog
This chapter has already been widely discussed in the previous conference, so I'll just clarify some points. We have seen that the adult dogs had an educational role and control of juveniles. An adult dog may feel entitled to also regulate the behavior of children and allow them to continue or to bite them and asked them to stop. This is the case when a coalition of adult dog parents deal with children. The dog is then hierarchically superior to the children and thought himself authorized to punish.
This can also be generated by ethological misinterpretations that would place the dog in the center of family organization (Sleeping central demand feeding the dog, ....) or for example by leaving a young child alone reprimand or correct an adult dog
The best prevention here is to install from the beginning the dog in a consistent and stable family respecting the codes of the species. Think about how the dog out before scolding the children not to force him to take a stand and finally, teaching children from an early age to respect the dog and decode the signals, including signals of threat. Once the dog growls, it must teach children to break contact and future seek help from an adult.
Predatory aggression
This aggression is fortunately the rarest because it is by far the worst and most dangerous. It can only appear in a dog that has never been socialized to stage a child he meets. The dog can then consider the child as a prey and trigger a predatory aggression whose purpose is the killing of the prey to its consumption, which makes its extreme seriousness. The sequence is typical, and dogs will be on the lookout during movements of the child or baby and will pounce on the previous like a cat on a mouse.
To avoid this, we return again on compulsory socialization of the dog at all stages of childhood, from infants to preteen child through the stadium walker and learning to walk.
In any case if you recognize these behaviors on a dog when children are present, the physical separation is imperative and immediate if it is the family dog, a replacement knowingly or euthanasia should be considered.
Conclusion
In summary, prevention of dog bites on children through:
An early socialization, three months before, and maintained at least until 9 months of the dog at all stages of childhood
Positive contacts with children regularly throughout the life of the dog (attention to the exclusion of dog house for reasons of hygiene when children are small, which might, for lack of contacts lead to a de-socialization of the dog )
A good acquisition of the own dogs
Education for children with good manners with dogs and learning canine communication signals
A permanent control of the relationship by adults regulators dog's behavior but also children and interactions between the two
This implies constant vigilance: one should never leave a child of young age (under 5) and a dog only active surveillance (be prepared to intervene if necessary). It's the same with swimming pools or toxic household products. And as a 5 year old child may not know swimming, five years before, it will not effectively decode the signals emitted by the threat of dog
Finally the last word you heard several times tonight and without which no relationship is sustainable and harmonious. This is the mutual respect: ask the dog to respect the child but also for children to respect the dog. It's just common education.
Some tools to help dogs live peacefully in contact with children:
• The kennel clubs are valuable allies for owners of dogs in education
• a good knowledge of dog behavior allows a user guide ("Guide dog's behavior" to Eyrolles)
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• For children, educational tools Truffaut, just ... ©, BD small Swiss child-friendly as the year of kindergarten, the Blue Dog interactive Cdrom © Belgian and designed for smaller children, from 2 years. It is available in French (translation by Catherine and Dominique Mege Lachapèle).
• Finally, for parents and teachers, from your vet or the site of Zoopsy (http://www.zoopsy.com ), you can find documents specific to the relationship between children and dogs.
And if you manage to apply everything we have said tonight, the biggest risk you'll take your children and your dog will live a beautiful love story.
To learn more about:
Lisa Marcel Isirdi and drawings: see his website 's blog Vaudoo!
Dr. Beatrice Laffite, Dr. Dominique LACHAPELE, Dr. Nicolas MASSAL, Dr. Lawrence ORDUNA, Dr. Christian FIALAIRE
