Advise me: How do you teach animal safety?

[brigid]

When I say “how do you teach animal safety,” I’m looking for specific stuff YOU PERSONALLY have done to teach children how to be safe around animals. I have some basic ideas, but I also want to teach my kid to be WARY of strange animals and CAUTIOUS around strange animals, without being terrified of them.

Here’s the sitch. We don’t have any pets. None.  My in-laws, who live five minutes away from us, have no pets. We don’t really visit people who have pets. So Niko doesn’t really see animals except at the zoo or on t.v. or when he’s walking with us and the animals are on a leash and the situation’s pretty controlled.

When he encounters animals THAT way, we (the adults with him) touch base with the people with the animals, say hello, admire the animal (ok, the dog. It’s always dogs.), and then ask if Niko can say hello and pet them. People either say yes, or they say no. If they say yes, we encourage Niko to come closer to the animal. He hesitantly touches them, adorableness happens, the end.

So far so good, right?

We were visiting some friends of ours, and they have cats. Some of the cats are totally cool with ANYBODY touching them, petting them, hauling them around, etc. They’ll rub up on you for hours. Others are… not so much. One of them bit Niko. Not a bad bite, not at all, didn’t even break the skin, but it alarmed him at the time and he’s been talking about it nonstop ever since. (he’s also claiming a kitty kissed him, and that he played megablocks with a kitty. So, you know.)

On the ride home, Nesko and I talked with Niko about how sometimes animals are scared so they bite or scratch. So when he meets an animal he needs to be careful and not touch the animal unless he asks first. We want him to be careful, but we don’t want him to be AFRAID. Does that make sense?

How do you handle this? What do you recommend?

Technorati Tags: parenting, pets, toddler

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Comments

[waldo]

I think at his developmental stage the best thing you can do is 'drill and kill' the 'ask first then touch if it's okay'.

You may want to increase his exposure and 'practice' of this at petting zoos or pet stores.

He may be ready to learn the idea between "pet" and "wild" and that we can touch a pet, but not a squirrel/bird/duck because it's wild.

Thus far, despite his tendency to talk a subject into the ground for weeks, he doesn't seem the sort to let one bad experience mar him for life. So I'd just look for additional opportunities for him to have more positive experiences and the cat bite will fade into the background.

Hey kid... wanna touch my ferret? :p

[sidheblessed]

To me, the most important thing in teaching animal safety is to let the animal approach you first. Using the example of bumping into someone walking their dog, I'd ask permission of the owner, as you already do, then I'd ask the dog's name and have Niko call them, while kneeling at the dog's level (if applicable), while next to you, instead of walking toward the dog. If the dog wants to be petted, he'll come over and Niko can then give him a pat on the shoulder or chest. Don't let him pat a dog he doesn't know well on the head as this is very intimidating for dogs (they can't see the top of their head, so they can't see what your hand is doing) and can cause fear aggression. Usually they just pull away but it can cause bites in some dogs, especially if they're not used to the clumsiness of children. Also, teach Niko that if a dog pulls, walks or runs away to not push the issue: that's their way of saying "I don't like that, push off." Let him know that dogs won't understand him if he wanders after them, trying to explain what he wants to do. They'll only know they told him to push off and he hasn't. Also important to not let him ever stare a dog down or look a strange dog directly in the eye for too long. Dogs see that as a direct challenge. Most dogs will just look away but some will take up the offer of a fight. it's the canine equivalent of a glove slap.

As for cats, similar rules apply. Most cats like it best if you sit calmly and mind your own business while they decide what they think of you. Once they've gotten used to your scent and have decided you're ok, most cats are very friendly. As with dogs, if they pull or move away, that means no and no means no.

It's also important to teach Niko how to say no to animals. I've found the best way with dogs is to fold your arms, put your feet together and stare up at the sky, standing stock still. Being ignored like that sends a very clear message to a dog that their behaviour is not approved of. It's also a good technique to use when confronted with an annoying or slightly aggressive stray dog. It's a non-threatening way of diffusing the situation that basically means "I'm not here to fight but I don't like that."