How to Behave
Meeting of a dog and a human is not that simple. Relations that might happen are far from being the same. Emotions are very often more complex and different from just a human smile or a dog's tail wag. There are grown humans that would like a contact with a dog that will often make a mistake. There are children who usually instinctively want to approach a dog, they should be taught how to do it. There are humans who do not want a dog in their proximity, and some who are even afraid of them. Last, but not the least, there are dogs, some that will gladly approach humans, some that will do it only if it is in tune with basic dog encounter rules and some that are afraid of humans. Timid dogs should not be touched. You should respect owners wishes if they are not letting you approach their dogs. Do not be offended by it, they probably have a good reason for it. There is also encounter of owned dogs which has its own etiquette – dog's etiquette.
Having in mind that dog communication is different from human, it would be good to know how to act in certain situations to avoid inconvenience or safely get out of inconvenience. It is important for humans to follow the rules when meeting a dog because it is the only safe and right way to do it. Besides, in certain circumstances, dogs can threaten with a bite and it is important to learn what to do, how to act, if such situation occurs.
By teaching yourself, and your child, you will prevent a bite or uncomfortable situation and change dog attacks statistics, especially the ones that include babies and children who were bitten by dogs, which show that they are ones who get bitten most often. Children should be taught to live with dogs. That does not mean you should own one, but they will certainly meet them in their childhood, and throughout their life, so it is important – whether you like dogs or not – to know how to act around them.
Human fear of dogs should be respected. You cannot make someone not to be afraid of your dog – even if you are certain that it does not have any intention to bite. We cannot make and force humans to expose themselves to stressful situation in order to overcome fear of dogs. Education conquers that fear and such individuals will be in more ease with dog encounters in time. Education is needed with dog owners as well, who must know what proper upbringing is.
