Pups and Children


Ever truly wonder why fights break out at professional sporting events? Why that pitcher threw a heater at the melon of a left handed slugger or the gloves immediately hit the ice and fist a cuffs ensue in the middle of a hockey game? Well...sports are playing and playing is simply play fighting. Play fighting can lead to a real fight extremely quickly when egos and adrenalin begin pumping. Most parents don't realize the same goes for a pup when playing with their children.

At least once or twice a week we are contacted about a child receiving a bite wound. The scenario is almost the same every time. The caller describes a situation were a child is innocently playing with the family pup when, out of nowhere, the dog switches gears and attacks the child in a most aggressive manner. The parents are devastated and begin making plans to rid their family of this horrible beast, not realizing that Fido did nothing wrong. In fact, the parents or the human, in almost 100% of these cases, are the ones to blame. In this common scenario, the parents or the human must realize that the dog, at the moment of interaction, is play fighting. If the pup is not well trained or not well adjusted to this burst of energy that children have, the dog's NATURAL instincts will kick in and will begin to fight or correct the child. Again, this is normal dog behavior. If a human is not around to monitor this natural interaction, someone is going to get hurt—a child is going to get hurt.

Dogs love to play. In fact, dogs are the only mammal that will have the desire to play through their entire life—even up to their last hours. Children love to play—hell I love to play. Therefore children and pups playing together is a natural celebration of life. However, a savvy human, like a referee in a heated match, needs to ensure the energy stays PAWSitive and all players are safe.


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