Canine safety 101: Kids in Montreal daycamps learning how to be safe around dogs

The City of Montreal is funding a new program that aims to teach children how to stay safe around dogs and avoid getting bitten.

Workshops run by Zoothérapie Québec are being conducted at day camps around the city throughout the summer. The organization received a $8,000 grant to host the initiative.

"A dog is attached in front of a store that looks cute, the children would want to pet it," said Régine Hétu, the clinical co-ordinator at Zoothérapie Québec.

"Sometimes children will approach dogs from behind or pet a dog [they've just met] for the first time on the top of the head."

Either of those approaches could be risky, she said.

The workshop's designers worked with veterinarians and behaviour specialists, looking for ways to teach children how to approach dogs.

The workshops​ are being conducted in conjunction with the city's proposed new animal control bylaw, tabled last month and expected to be passed by city council on Aug. 20.

Dog safety 101

In the workshops, children are first taught how to recognize the three basic emotions of a dog: aggressive, scared and happy.

The children then learn how to approach a dog safely: they must have permission from the owner and the dog, and they must present their hand in a safe way.

"They hide the thumb, show the top of the fist, and after they have to pet under the neck," Hétu told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.

Third, they learn how to react when a dog looks aggressive — what posture to take and how to place their bodies, hiding their face on the ground if they are near the ground, Hétu said.

The children then do role-playing, to practise these behaviours.

Some children meet a dog for the very first time in the workshop.

"This workshop helps them to get more comfortable," Hétu said.

Dog owner accountability, too

When the workshop leaders ask children if they've been bitten before, on average, about a quarter of children raise their hands, Hétu said.

Half say they were bitten by a family dog or a dog they already know.

"We teach them that all dogs have teeth; all dogs have a personal space. Even if it's your dog, you have to be respectful," she said.

Dog owners have a responsibility to keep children safe by keeping their pets on a leash at all times in public spaces, and especially, not being afraid to say no when someone asks to pet their agitated dog, Hétu said.

She recommends using the yellow-ribbon technique to warn people that your dog might bite.

"You put the yellow ribbon on the leash of the dog or harness, and that's supposed to show people that the dog is not really comfortable in social interaction," she said.

"I think if we act on prevention, we will reduce the risk of biting."