pettalk
pettalk
lifestyle
dogtalk
dogtAlk
behaviour
behaviour
Dogs are our best friends,
and treating them in an
appropriate way will
ensure a safe relationship
without aggression
▲
Do you speak dog?
Look out for these signs in a dog’s body language to help you determine whether he is friendly
or if you should rather stay away.
Friendly dog
• Loose,soft,wigglingbody
• Earsbackandflat
• Mouthrelaxedandopen
• Wide,fullcircularmotioninthetailwith
the rear-end wiggling simultaneously
Text: Noleen Fourie | Photography: Shutterstock and supplied
Duncan Smuts with Honey,
his medical alert dog
▲
Text: Noleen Fourie and Samantha Walpole | Photography: Shutterstock
Making
friends
Staying safe when your best friend has teeth
22
A
ll too often we hear about people,
both adults and children, getting
badly injured from being attacked
by a dog. And often the dog gets the
blame, while he was simply trying to
communicate that his humans were making
him uncomfortable. This can be prevented
simply by learning the appropriate way to
interact with our pooches.
A dog-friendly meet and greet
One would think that approaching a friend’s
dog for the first time is safer than approaching
a stray dog in the streets. According to animal
behaviour practitioner Samantha Walpole,
sadly this is not always the case, and the
Animaltalk | August 2016
majority of dog bites occur in a home with
a known dog.
We are taught to ask permission before
approaching a strange dog; this is correct, but
what if the dog is saying “No, please don’t”?
Samantha gives the following tips on making
friends with a friend’s dog:
• First protocol when entering a friend’s
home is to ignore the dog completely. Keep
your greeting low key with your friend
(excitement and hands going out to hug
your friend could be too much for a dog
who is not comfortable with strangers).
Rather err on the side of caution and make
no attempt to engage with the strange
dog. Keep an eye on the dog with your
peripheral vision; no direct eye contact as
this can be perceived as a threat from the
dog’s perspective. Depending on where the
dog is, make sure he sees you approaching
– you do not want to startle a strange dog.
• Beveryawareofspaceandexitroutes.We
never want to corner a dog or remove his
exit routes if he is feeling uncomfortable.
Creating space and arcing around the
dog with your shoulders turned toward
the dog is ‘polite’ and non-threatening in
dog language.
Animaltalk | August 2016
Rather give this dog his privacy
• Analoofdisposition
• Barkingandgrowling
• Earspushedforwardandalert
• Hard,staringeyes
• Bodystiffandleaningbackwardorforward
• Freezestances
• Letthedogmakethechoicetocomeand
greet you. Do not encourage or coerce a
dog to come and say hello if he is keeping
his distance. Wait until the initial arrival
excitement is over.
• I f the dog comes up to you and nudges
you for attention, the polite way to give
him tactile affection would be to scratch
his chest or under his chin for a few
seconds. Do not pat the dog’s head or
bendoverhim.Ifthedogwantsmore,he
will remain with you and maybe nudge
some more.
• I fthedogwalksaway,youknowhedoes
not want more. Respect this. It’s not
personal!
• Donotapproachthedogifheissleeping,
chewing a bone, or playing with a toy –
he may be a resource guarder and not
approve of your invasion for fear of you
taking the item away. The dog may bite.
If you at any time feel uncomfortable in the
presence of a dog, listen to your gut! Politely
ask your friend to call the dog in a happy voice
and put him away. Safety first, for you and for
the dog (we let our dogs down when we place
them in a situation where they feel they have no
choice and react to protect themselves).
Dog-safety for
children
Just like us humans can get irritated with
one another, we also do things that our
dogs don’t like! Teach your children that
your dog will not enjoy it when they do
the following – this will go a long way in
preventing bites:
Do not interfere with
feeding time. Just like
us, dogs like to eat
in peace.
We teach our kids
not to steal others’
toys. We should also
not be stealing our
dogs’ toys! To build
tolerance in a dog
in case a child makes a mistake, the dog
should be trained to give up his toys for a
reward. That way he will willingly give the
child the toy instead of feeling possessive.
Keep your distance!
A dog might get
irritated with a child
who puts their face
in the dog’s face.
Teach your child
to respect Fido’s
naptime. No one
likes to be disturbed
while trying to catch
a snooze.
Invading personal
space is a big
no-no! Dogs should
never be stepped
on or climbed on,
and also no pulling
of the ears or tail is
allowed.
Source:
When Dogs Bite
Back. Download
your FREE copy
from coolmags.com
to learn all about
safe interaction with
your dogs.
23
See page 22 for
tips on keeping your
children safe from
dog bites
A
t the age of three and a half years
old Duncan Smuts, currently 12
years old, was diagnosed with type
1 diabetes. This was extremely stressful for
Duncan and his family, especially considering
that he is a brittle diabetic – this means that
his condition is particularly difficult to control.
Dangerously low blood sugar levels are always
a concern, and that is where dogs can assist.
Animaltalk chatted to Duncan and his parents,
Greg and Jenny Ann Smuts, about his medical
alert dog, Honey.
How did it happen that Duncan got
paired up with Honey?
We considered getting a dog for Duncan for a
few years, but they were only available from
various associations overseas such as Dogs
for Diabetics (D4D), and were very costly. By
chance we came across Carien Meyer, a dog
trainer in Melkbosstrand, who was very keen
to assist us in training a diabetic assist dog.
Carien found Honey, a Golden Retriever who
she thought would be suitable for Duncan,
but unfortunately was not able to continue
with the training and handed over to Lucy
Breytenbach (Just Dogs Behaviour Services).
5
ways pets are
good for children
1
Pets can help improve your child’s
reading skills – those who are just
starting out might feel more comfortable
reading aloud to their pets.
Pets can get your kids away from
those computer and TV screens!
Playtime outside and dog walks can
provide that much-needed exercise.
Research has found that playing
with a pet reduces blood pressure
(this is great for adults too!).
Feeding and caring for a pet teaches
children responsibility for another
living creature. Always remember though
that children can be unreliable, and that
you as parent have to take the ultimate
responsibility for a pet.
Children who grow up with pets
tend to have stronger immune
systems and suffer less from allergies.
2
Your first best friend
In sickness and in health – pets are great for children!
3
4
5
16Animaltalk | August 2016
Animaltalk | August 2016
lifestyle
more info
When did Honey come home with you,
and was there an adjustment period? Do
you have any other pets who had to adjust
to a new dog?
Honey arrived in January after having been
spayed, and then the training alongside Lucy
began. We are still adjusting to having a dog
in the house who goes everywhere with us and
even sleeps on the bed, which was initially a
no-go! Our cat is also still adjusting to the new
member of our family.
What exactly is the dog’s job in the family?
Honey enjoys being with everyone in the
family, but at the moment her job is to be with
Duncan whenever he is around so that they
can develop a special bond. Eventually she
will pick up when his blood sugar levels drop
and alert him.
How has Duncan benefited from having
a service dog?
Duncan loves Honey and spends many hours
a week in discipline and scent training.
Would you recommend these dogs for
others who need them?
The training takes a lot of time and dedication,
and therefore it takes responsibility to continue
to work and improve the scent training. Honey
woke Duncan one Sunday morning by pawing
his face and his blood glucose level was low –
we can only hope that is the start of her picking
up future lows on a more regular basis. For
those parents who have diabetic children, you
will understand the lack of sleep due to testing
their sugar every night. This is the main reason
we got Honey – to serve as an early warning
system! So for that reason we would definitely
recommend them to take this on.
From Duncan’s side, he has never had a dog
before Honey. He loves having her around
and says that she keeps him entertained. He
especially enjoys the training work that he
must do regularly with Honey. This includes
training at least three to four times a day – and
additional training with Lucy (Just Dogs) four
times a week. Duncan agrees that with dogs
come a lot of responsibility, but that they also
play such a big role in a child’s life and helping
A child’s best friend
Many of us fondly remember the pets we
had as children. They were always there
for us – ready to lick away tears, to take
part in the silly games we played, and to
attentively listen to the important things we
needed to tell them.
According to research, kids experiencing
problems turn to their pets even more than
they do to their siblings. The research was
done by Matt Cassels, a PhD psychiatry
student at the University of Cambridge,
who studied the social and emotional
development of children between two and
12 years old. The study focused on children
with low cognitive skills and looked at these
children’s relationships with their family,
peers, teachers and pets. Cassels’ research
revealed that pets have profound and
perhaps unexpected effects on kids’ social
skills. Children in the study who faced hard
times – their parents’ divorce, tough home
lives or illness – tended to perform poorly in
school. But these kids were also more likely
to rely on their pets rather than their peers
for support.
“It is really surprising,” Cassels says. “They
may feel that their pets are not judging
them, and since pets don’t appear to have
their own problems, they just listen. Even
confiding in a journal can be therapeutic,
but pets may be even better since they can
be empathetic.”
Kids who bonded strongly with their
pets were also better in social situations,
helping others, co-operating, sharing and
interacting. Connecting with a pet bolstered
their ability to connect with people.
Source: mentalfloss.com
families deal with type 1 diabetes. Duncan
hopes to create awareness of medical alert
dogs in South Africa to help others, like him,
diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
17