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One of the goals of Doggone Safe is to help dog bite victims and provide support for families. The majority of dog bite victims recover well both physically and emotionally. In most cases the bite does not do serious damage and no-one thinks much of it. In some cases the emotional effects can be as serious or more serious than the physical effects. We are interested in knowing more about childhood dog bite incidence and the lasting emotional effects. Please help us out by taking this short survey about childhood dog bites as viewed from adulthood. We want your answers whether you were bitten as a child or not. If you were not bitten by a dog as a child, we want to know that too. In that case you will only have one question to answer and you will be done! Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the worlds leading questionnaire tool.
The coroner’s jury inquest into the 1998 mauling death of 8-year old Ontario resident Courtney Trempe produced a list of recommendations including some relating to the education of the public about safety around dogs and suggesting a role for the veterinary community. According the Canada Safety Council and the Health Canada more than 400,000 people are bitten by dogs each year, most of them children and most of them by the family pet or other familiar dog. Half of all children will be bitten by a dog by the time they are twelve. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians are well positioned to play a leading role in educating dog owners and the community about how to prevent dog bites.
On-Line Learning
Doggone Safe is a non-profit organization dedicated to dog bite prevention through education and it offers a number of resources to help others in this educational effort. One of these resources is an on-line course that teaches about canine body language. This course is beneficial in the following ways to veterinary technologists and other staff that handle dogs:
· Knowing the subtle signs that indicate a dog is feeling anxious may prevent technologists and other staff from being bitten. · The course will give technologists ideas about how to educate clients about dog body language and how to know when their dog may be getting to the point of biting. This may save a child in particular from a bite. · Knowing the subtle signs that indicate a dog is feeling anxious will help staff know when to reduce or change their intervention and when to try to calm the animal before proceeding. This could result in a better outcome for the patient and reduced stress for patient, client and technologist.
The course goes from nose to tail, discussing all the body parts and how a dog uses them to communicate. It covers communication signals ranging from the subtle “half moon eye” to the very obvious “propeller tail wag” using many photos and videos to illustrate.
"I have reviewed the on-line Doggone Safe Basic Body Language course and found it both informative and easy to use. The course would be appropriate for veterinarians, technicians and lay staff that are interested in learning more about fearful dog cues, and appropriate ways to approach unknown dogs." Teresa Hershey, DVM (former president, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association)
There is a free demo of the course and a link to the registration page at http://doggonesafe.com/basic_dog_body_language.
Educating Children
Doggone Safe administers the Be a Tree dog bite prevention program that teaches children how to read dog body language and act safely around dogs. More than 700,000 children around the world have attended a Be a Tree session. The program is supported by the Be a Tree teacher kit, which contains everything required to deliver the presentation.
The key messages of the Be a Tree program are:
- Be a Tree (stand still, fold in your branches, watch your roots grow and count to the highest number you know over and over in your head until help comes or the dog goes away) if a strange dog comes near, or any dog is acting too frisky or is bothering you.
- Dogs communicate with body language and we can tell if they are happy and want to meet or interact with us, or they are feeling anxious and want to be left alone.
- Always ask permission from your parent and the dog owner if you want to pet a dog.
- Meet and pet a dog properly. Pet only happy dogs.
- Respect a dog’s toys, resting place and bones.
- Dogs don’t like hugs and kisses.
- Don’t be afraid of dogs.
"Dog behavior is a field with more than its share of junk information, to the great detriment of dogs, their owners and the public at large. What an inspiration to see Doggone Safe do exactly the opposite: disseminate outstanding information. And, not only that, in an accessible manner to that group all of us want better to protect, children. Bravo!"
Jean Donaldson
Founder and Director
The Academy for Dog Trainers
Veterinary Community Support for Be a Tree in Canada
The Be a Tree program is supported by the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Veterinary Technologists, other provincial and the national veterinary technician/technologist associations. Dr. Bob Bellamy, former president of the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association described the Be a Tree program as “a visual, informative, interactive and entertaining presentation that requires a minimal amount of preparation and can be delivered effortlessly” (SVMA News, August, 2007). “The Be a Tree program provides a great topic and loads of materials, making the program an ideal community outreach program which can easily be delivered by veterinarians or their staff” said Nadia Vercillo, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association Manager of Communications and Public Relations (OVMA Focus, May 2008).
Promote Your Practice
Doggone Safe offers supplementary materials to reinforce its safety messages and promote community education. These in include a postcards, magnets, stickers, coloring books, story books and classroom posters. These materials can be branded with your logo to remind parents and children of the safety messages.
Visits to schools, boy/girl scout groups, church and other groups provide a great way to gain recognition for your practice in the community. Dr. Bob Bellamy, former president of the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association said, "Dog bite prevention seminars have had an unexpected side effect. Without a doubt, DBP presentations have yielded more new clients than any initiative attempted by our office! In the the past two years new clients have increased by 30%!!!". Read Dr Bellamys article from the SVMA News.
Other Resources
The Doggone Safe website has lots of information, articles and downloads available and encourages the distribution of these. Use or copy any of the information or articles found at the Doggone Safe website as handouts, in newsletters or at websites, with credit given to the source.
Doggone Safe also maintains a website dedicated solely to the Be a Tree program. This is a good place to send teachers or parents who want to know more about the program (www.be-a-tree.com).
More Information
For more information about Doggone Safe, the on-line body language course or to order a Be a Tree teacher kit or other products please visit www.doggonesafe.com. For more information about the Be a Tree program please visit www.be-a-tree.com.
The holiday season is coming up and with it the inevitable spate of parties and family celebrations. These events are great fun for the people, but can be very stressful for dogs. Here are some tips to help keep both kids and dogs safe and happy during family gatherings
Holidays Are Stressful for DogsThe holidays are especially stressful for dogs due to changes in routine and the comings and going of visitors. Many dog bites happen at this time of year. When visiting a house with a dog, children should be taught not to approach the dog (even if the dog has been friendly on other occasions). If the dog comes to them they should stand still like a tree and let the dog sniff. Only if the the dog is wagging and panting and coming to them for attention, and parent and dog owners are supervising and have given permission, should a child touch the dog. Dog owners should gauge their dog’s reaction to visitors. If the dog is overly excited, barking or growling, cowering away, trying to hide or otherwise showing signs of anxiety or aggression, the dog should be kept separate from visiting children for the ENTIRE DURATION of the child’s visit. The dog should have its own place in a crate or another room with toys, a bone to chew on and its special bed or blanket so that it can be happy and comfortable and away from guests. Even dogs who seem happy with visitors should never be alone in the room with visiting children. No preschooler, toddler or baby should be allowed to be near your dog unless you personally also have your hands on the dog and can prevent face to face contact between child and dog and can prevent the child from hugging or otherwise bothering the dog. Greeting People at the Door Dogs should not be allowed to greet visitors at the door. This is for the safety of the dog and the visitors. Keep the dogs in separate room or crate until the visitors are settled and then allow the dog to say hello if appropriate. If you are not sure about your dog, then leave him confined or keep him on a leash. Make sure that the dog associates visitors with something good for the dog, such as special treats or a stuffed bone. Not the Time to Train the Dog If you do perceive a problem between your dog and visiting children - THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO WORK ON IT. It is not reasonable to use visiting children to help train your dog. Take preventative measures to ensure that your dog does not have the opportunity to bite and once the holiday season is over seek the help of a dog behavior specialist who uses positive reinforcement methods to solve the dogs problem. Family Gatherings Family gatherings at a relative’s house are the source of fond memories for many. The relative’s dog may not enjoy these events as much as the rest of the family. Noise, confusion and changes in routine are stressful for dogs. Even a normally calm and docile pet may become agitated enough to bite under the extreme circumstances of a boisterous family celebration. Supervision may be lax if each adult thinks that another is watching the children. Children are the most likely victims of dog bites in this situation. Doggone Safe offers the following tips:
- Put the dog in his crate with a bone or favorite chew toy, at least during the most hectic times – guests arriving and leaving as well as dinner preparation and serving.
- Assign one adult to be in charge of the dog, to watch for signs of stress and protect from unwanted attention from children.
- Signs of stress include: The dog yawns or licks his chops.The dog shows the white part of his eye in a half moon shape.
- If the dog shows any of these signs, then he is worried and wants to be left alone. Put the dog in his crate or in a room away from the guests with a favorite chew toy or bone.
- If the dog licks his chops, yawns or shows the half moon eye when a child approaches or is petting him, intervene immediately and ensure that the child cannot access the dog.
- Do not allow visiting children to hug the dog. Dogs don’t like hugs and kisses. Even if the dog tolerates this under normal circumstances he may not tolerate this from strangers or in a high stress situation with lots of noise and people.
- Other signs that the dog does not welcome attention from children (or adult) guests include the following:
- The dog turns his head away, walks away or tries to hide under furniture.
- The dog freezes and becomes very still, with his mouth closed. He may be staring intensely at the person who is bothering him and may growl. This dog is a few seconds away from a bite.
- The dog growls or raises the fur along his back.
- Assign one adult to supervise each baby or toddler with no other tasks expected.
- If you have multiple dogs, consider kenneling them, crating them or keeping them in another room during large gatherings.
- Supervise at all times.
Download our handout with a summary of tips for parents and dog owners Articles:Visit our article library for some articles about keeping kids and dogs safe during the holidays. Scroll through the list looking for those articles marked with a candy cane. Download the Doggone Safe Holiday Press Release with more tips Members:Doggone Safe Members: Download the Doggone Safe Holiday Press Release that you can edit to send to local newspaper, radio and TV media to promote your business and disseminate our safety messages. Join Doggone Safe.
The Challenge will run from March through May 2013. This is by popular demand from presenters who have requested to be part of the Challenge but schools want to book in March and April. Doggone Safe challenged its presenters to visit schools and educate 50,000 children about dog safety during March-May. So far 52 presenters have pledged to educate over 30,000 children in six countries, six Canadian provinces and twenty four US states. The Be a Tree ProgramThe “Be a Tree” program is a dog bite prevention presentation for school children. The program is delivered by Doggone Safe presenters, veterinary technicians, dog trainers, dog behaviorists, public health nurses, emergency medical services personnel, animal control officers, police officers, teachers and humane educators. Presenters use a teacher kit which contains large format photographs showing dog body language signs, games and activities. Program sponsors can purchase supplementary branded learning materials such as coloring books, paint sheets, a story book, a poster, stickers, bookmarks and fridge magnets. Over 700,000 children worldwide have experienced the Be a Tree presentation since 2004. Through the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge Doggone Safe intends to increase this number significantly. Help Us PromoteWe need your help with promotion! We would love it if you would go right now and click on the icons below to follow and like us on social media (especially our new Twitter and Pinterest):    
Write a blog post about the ChallengeIf you want to write about the Challenge in your blog, we have pre-written articles with images that you can copy, or edit. Our experts love to give interviews too! Tell the MediaWe have press releases that you can use as is or edit to include your information if you are a Be a Tree presenter. Visit our Media page
PRESS RELEASE
Media contact: Joan Orr | joanorr@doggonesafe.com | 877-350-3232
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doggone Safe Dog Announces the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge
Campbellville ON Feb 2, 2013 – Doggone Safe today announced the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge. It challenges its presenters to visit schools and educate 50,000 children about dog safety in a single month. The Challenge is to celebrate Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 19-25, 2013). Non-profit Doggone Safe has presenters in 17 countries, 11 Canadian provinces and 43 states in the USA.
Dog bites to children are considered to be a serious public health problem by public health agencies and veterinary medical associations worldwide. Statistics show that most bites are by the family dog or other dog known to the child. “Experts agree that public education has an important role to play in reducing dog bite risk to children, and the Be a Tree program is one of the ways Doggone Safe is contributing”, said Teresa Lewin, vice president and cofounder of Doggone Safe.
Doggone Safe administers the “Be a Tree” dog bite prevention program for school children. The program is delivered by Doggone Safe presenters, veterinary technicians, dog trainers, dog behaviorists, public health nurses, emergency medical services personnel, animal control officers, police officers, teachers and humane educators. Presenters use a teacher kit which contains large format photographs showing dog body language signs, games and activities. Program sponsors can purchase supplementary branded learning materials such as coloring books, paint sheets, a story book, a poster, stickers, bookmarks and fridge magnets. Over 700,000 children worldwide have experienced the Be a Tree presentation since 2004. Through the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge, Doggone Safe aims to increase this by at almost ten percent.
“I love ‘be a tree’ (and ‘be a rock’). Its the best of its kind. This information has to get out there”, said Jean Donaldson – Internationally recognized dog behavior expert, award-winning author and director of the Academy for Dog Trainers.
For more information about the Challenge, to become a sponsor, to book a presentation for your school or to register as a presenter please visit the Doggone Safe website at www.doggonesafe.com.
About Doggone Safe Doggone Safe is a non-profit corporation registered in Canada and Ontario, and in the US is a 501(c)(3) registered charity. Doggone Safe is dedicated to dog bite prevention through education and dog bite victim support. Doggone Safe has members from around the world. Educational programs offered by Doggone Safe are Be a Tree™ (for school-aged children), and online courses about dog body language and occupational dog bite prevention.
2295 Mohawk Trail Campbellville ON Canada L0P 1B0 877-350-3232 www.doggonesafe.com
Making it Worse?We are asked this question quite frequently: What should I do if a dog chases me or my kids while we are riding our bikes? Most adults assume that if they have good speed they can outride a dog. A cyclist in our area was badly injured when dog ran down a farm lane barking at him. He sped up to try to get away from the dog, lost control on the gravel shoulder and fell off his bike. The dog sniffed him and walked away. Avoid a ChaseKids on bikes should never assume that they can ride faster than a dog can run, because most likely they cant. If confronted by a dog while riding a bike, the best thing to do is to stop and if there is time get off the bike so that the bike is between you and the dog. The main motivation for the dog is the chase and when there is nothing to chase the dog will lose interest. If the dog does catch a moving cyclist this could result in serious injuries both from the fall and from the dog, whose natural instinct is to bite and shake prey that it has caught. It is best to defuse the situation by removing the dogs motivation to chase. Some people have been told that they should get off the bike, but keep moving so as to keep the bike between them and the dog. This movement will just keep the dog interested longer. It is best to stand still even if the dog circles around the bike to investigate Here is a video that shows the wrong thing to do if a dog chases you while you are riding a bike. Notice that when the cyclist moves the bike to try to keep the dog on the other side of it, this just makes the dog more interested in him. As soon as he stops moving the dog loses interest.
Here is a video that shows the right thing to do. Notice how much less interested the dog is when the cyclist stands still, compared to the previous video, when he kept moving around.
Since it is National Train Your Dog Month, what better time to review a new online dog training course designed for pet owners who want to train their dog at home! The course is called Cyber Dog and its unique design lets you choose what you want to work on and in what order. The teaching is done mostly using illustrative video online with access to a real live teacher, informative articles and online classroom as required. The Cyber Dog course teaches you how to use clicker training, which is an exceptionally powerful and effective way to train. Doggone Safe recommends clicker training because of its effectiveness and ease of use and most importantly because it is a safe way for kids to train. The first part of the course is called Start Smart and involves fun games to teach you how to have good clicker mechanics and how to deliver treats efficiently. After you have mastered these skills you are ready to start training your dog. You can then move on to any one of the modules: Within each module there are various skills. Some skills are part of more than one module. There are 10 different skills to teach your dog. Each of these is presented in the course using a set of four videos. Each video teaches a more advanced version of the skill than the one before. As you progress through the course you video tape your training sessions and send them in for your teacher to assess. You will work with your teacher and others in your group to improve your skills, discuss problems and find solutions together. Virtual classroom sessions are held regularly so that you will get the full attention of a world class clicker trainer. The course is well-organized, yet provides a high degree of flexibility for the individual student. The instructional videos are excellent and show step by step how to train each skill. The videos are short and show real training with clicker training done right. If things are not going perfectly the trainer changes her strategy to make sure the dog succeeds. The trainers in the videos, who are also the teachers of the course are all outstanding and anyone would be fortunate to be able to work with any of them. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to develop a strong bond of love and respect with their dog, who wants a well-behaved, happy dog and/or who wants to involve their kids in training the dog. Click here to find out more or register for the course Here is a video that explains the course: Home based study is a great way to learn since you can work at your own pace and you can control the distractions that your dog will need to work with. It is also essential for your dog and especially your puppy to get out into the world and meet other people, dogs and animals. Be sure to include social experiences as a key part of your dog training.
Doggone Safe is giving away a case of 6 Doggone Crazy! board games to 11 non-profits to help educate kids and families about dog body language and safety around dogs. Eligible non-profits include dog shelters, rescue and animal control, child welfare organizations and schools (North America only). The entry period ends on Oct 29, 2012 at midnight Eastern Daylight Time. Who Needs Doggone Crazy? Everyone who wants to play, have fun, and laugh out loud with their friends and family! Thats who! Doggone Crazy! is a "barking good time" - New York Post Holiday Gift Guide (Dec 18, 2003). "Doggone Crazy! is the first board game in a long time to keep my kids attention...they played the game so much that I wasnt allowed to touch the game for review until the week-end was over." - Alyice Edrich - Editor-in-Chief - The Dabbling Mum - National Parenting Magazine What is Doggone Crazy?Doggone Crazy! is the first ever board game to empower kids with the knowledge they need to make safe choices around dogs. Kids can be doggy detectives, trying to figure out what the dogs are saying with their body language in the more than 100 photo cards. Created by dog experts, this unique game is loads of fun for kids and families. Parents and grandparents are choosing Doggone Crazy! for family play and educational value. Doggone Crazy! is for families with dogs and families who encounter other peoples dogs. Even dog savvy parents have said "I didnt know that!" after learning about subtle and little-known dog communication signals from the photo cards in the game. Kids just say "We all have fun!!". "This game makes it fun for children to learn how to behave toward dogs, and how to understand what dog expressions and actions mean. Its a positive and reinforcing tool for enhancing child safety, reducing bite risk, and improving the human-animal bond." Karen Pryor, author of Dont Shoot the Dog and CEO of Karen Pryor Clicker Training (clickertraining.com) What Can You Learn from Doggone Crazy?Dog bite prevention is the goal of the board game Doggone Crazy! Children and families will learn about dog communication, dog behavior, dog safety for children and how to prevent a dog bite. Through fun activities, photographs of real dogs and puppies and question cards, Doggone Crazy! promotes education and child safety. Doggone Crazy! is not the same as Dogopoly or Monopoly, the Dog. Dogopoly and Monopoly, the Dog are based on the classic property trading game Monopoly, while Doggone Crazy! is a race around the board collecting bones and learning about canine communication. Doggone Crazy! has over 100 photographs of real dogs doing real doggie things. There are pictures of over 60 different dogs representing more than 40 different dog breeds. The free parent guide gives some information about dog training and puppy training to help teach dogs not to bite. Doggone Crazy! is a highly competitive game with lots of physical activity - even little boys will stay with the game until the end.
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After the terrific response to the first International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge, we have decided to do it again for 2012 and hopefully every year thereafter. If you havent heard about this, it is a challenge from Doggone Safe to its members and presenters, to educate as many children as possible in celebration of Dog Bite Prevention Week (May20-26, 2012). We are making a two changes for 2012 based on feedback from teachers and presenters. These are as follows:
