Kids, Dogs and Nannies OH MY! Dog Safety for Nannies & in home child care providers.
Family Paws announces the first National teleconference for Nannies about safety issues between kids & dogs. Beginning in November this teleconference will cover topics relevant to those caring for children in homes with and without dogs. Our goal is to raise awareness through education about canine behavior and body language to decrease the risk of dog bites and injury with familiar and unfamiliar dogs in any environments. (http://www.familypaws.com/communication)
Cary, NC (PRWEB) September 19, 2004 -- According to the Center for Disease
control and prevention (http://www.cdc.gov) it is estimated that as of 2001 there were
67 million dogs in homes as pets. Each year there are almost 5 million reported
dog bites. 800,000 victims require medical care with 400,000 of them being
children. Statistics indicate 77% of reported dog bites involve the family dog.
Children between the ages of 5-9 are the most common victims with a
significantly higher percent being boys. (http://www.dogbitelaw.com)
As a canine behavior
consultant I am contacted frequently about dog bites that happen while parents
are not at home. Considering the rules for the dog while a Nanny or babysitter
supervise the children is often overlooked. I hope to change this.
It is
important that anyone caring for children in homes with dogs has an
understanding of some basic canine body language and behavior. Learning the
signs and signals dogs use to indicate stress or conflict help to decrease the
risk of a dog bite.
The dynamics change whenever someone new is in the
home. Kids act a bit differently and the dog may react to things differently as
well. This is true also when new children come into the home to visit. Thinking
and planning ahead about where the dog will be when kids friends visit or while
the children are supervised by someone other then their parents is important.
Management, obedience and constant supervision are just a few things that must
be considered to decrease the risk of an unfortunate miscommunication between
dogs and kids. Even good dogs may bite when they have reached their tolerance
after other subtle communication fails. Learning how to prevent miscommunication
between kids and dog is the way to keep everyone safe.
Family Paws
offers Safety Paws for Nannies (http://www.familypaws.com/nanny-teleclass/ ) and child care
providers to increase safety and fun between children and their family
companions. Dogs are wonderful additions to families but we must remember that
they are animals and communicate in their own way. Learning how to recognize the
subtle signals of dogs and having a plan for what to do if they indicate stress
can help create a safer bond and prevent heartache for all.
Want to
begin learning now? Great! Go to http://www.familypaws.com/communication
Jennifer
Shryock is a Canine behavior consultant in Cary, NC. She is the owner of Family
Paws Canine behavior consulting services specializing in safe kid & k9
interaction. To learn more about Jennifer visit: http://www.familypaws.com/aboutus/about_jen.html
To
learn more about our teleconference visit http://www.familypaws.com/ds-online/
Or contact us by phone
at 919.961.1608
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/9/prweb159540.htm