It's 4am and I can't sleep. I've been lying awake for hours thinking about a situation we had yesterday at Petsmart, and how I wish I could have handled it differently.
I happily took Mia shopping for a new collar and some teething toys. This wasn't her first trip to the store; she's delightfully perused the toy section with us numerous times. Upon entering the store this time, however, a small child who looked to be no more than two seemingly came out of nowhere, bounding gleefully toward Mia squealing "nice puppy!"
Mia, being a Lab and loving everyone before she even meets them, excitedly welcomed this tiny visitor. The child, not knowing any better, lunged at Mia and shoved her hands in her face to pet the nice puppy. Instinct kicked in and I pulled Mia's leash to ensure no harm came from the situation, but the child lunged again. Despite my attempts to tell the child to be careful and let Mia come to her, she continued to flail like a typical toddler, keeping Mia quite overly excited and unable to calm.
This little girl's parents didn't once call to her, come get her, or correct the situation. In fact, I didn't know where her parents were at all. When I realized this, I corrected Mia and proceeded to walk away from the girl. Recollecting now, I wish I had actively sought out her parents so I could educate them (and their daughter) on how to approach a strange dog properly.
Lucky for this little girl, she chose a friendly pup to lunge at. Had she taken those actions with another dog, the situation could have been far worse. Granted, I would hope most dog owners wouldn't bring their pooches to the store unless they were properly socialized, but this isn't always guaranteed, especially if the dog owner doesn't know how his/her dog behaves around small children.
What upsets me is that these same parents, who are nowhere to be found when their tiny tot is fan dangling around strange dogs, are the ones that sue dog owners when their dogs attack. What they fail to realize is in most cases, these dogs are acting in self defence to what they see as a threatening situation. I'm not condoning dogs who attack, don't get me wrong, but the number of dog attacks can be significantly reduced with proper education.
Dogs communicate using body language. If another animal or human lunges toward them, they can see this as a threatening behavior, and react accordingly. Just like humans, dogs need to learn trust. If your child suddenly decided to run up to me, for example, and start smacking her hands across my face to "pet" me, I certainly wouldn't like it... so why would a dog see it any differently?
Teach your children to approach strange dogs properly. NEVER assume the dog is friendly. When approaching a dog, allow him to calm before offering your hand, palm down, to sniff and explore as he wishes. This is how he gains trust. If he seems to accept you after this, gently pet him, but do not move forward. Let him come to you. NEVER pet an excited dog, even if it is a happy excitement. You are rewarding him for this behavior if you do so, and it encourages the skittish, unpredictable behavior.
It is proper etiquette to ask the dog owner permission to greet the dog before taking any action. The dog owner knows his/her dog best, and will allow the greeting if he/she trusts the dog to behave properly. In my case, it is extremely frustrating when strangers reward my dog for being overly excited, because they haven't asked my permission to greet her. I will grant permission, with ground rules that they allow me to calm my dog before she is greeted. Unfortunately, this rarely occurs. Sadly, it is mostly other dog owners taking these actions.
Using proper etiquette is not only rewarding for you and the dog, but it is also an important safety measure, especially for small children. If you are unsure on how to teach your children these techniques, consult a professional, or do not allow greetings until such time the child can learn properly.
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