How do I teach children to be safe around dogs and street dogs?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Teach a few simple rules and practise them: never touch a dog without asking its owner or an adult; leave dogs alone when they are eating, sleeping or with puppies; if a dog comes close, stand still like a tree, arms folded, without running, screaming or staring; and tell an adult straight away about any bite or scratch.
Supervise young children with every dog, including your own: most serious bites to small children come from a dog they know, at home. After any bite or scratch, wash it with soap and running water for 15 minutes and take the child to a doctor or a government anti-rabies clinic the same day.
Why do children need to learn this?
Children are bitten more often, and their injuries are more often to the face.
WHO says dog bites and scratches cause 99% of human rabies cases, that children between 5 and 14 are frequent victims of bites, and that about 40% of the people who die of rabies are children under 15. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, which is why every bite to a child in India needs a doctor, quickly.
Most bites to young children are not from street dogs. A review of 277 children treated for dog bites at a South Australian children's hospital found that in children under five, 89.5% were bitten by a dog they knew and 92.5% of bites happened at home, with the head and neck the most common places injured. A survey of families with young children found that friendly contact such as petting, and taking things from the dog, often came just before a bite from the family dog. So the rules apply to your own dog as much as to the dog on the street.
What rules should every child know?
Short enough for a five-year-old to repeat. Practise them on walks, and keep reminding.
- Never go up to a dog you do not know, and never touch any dog unless an adult is with you. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
- Ask the owner first, then let the dog see and sniff you before you stroke it gently. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
- Leave dogs alone when they are sleeping or eating, looking after puppies, or guarding a toy or bone. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
- Stay away from dogs that are tied up, behind a gate, or in a parked car. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
- Do not stare into a dog's eyes. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
- Never take food or toys from a dog, even your own; call an adult instead. Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2017), Arhant C, Beetz AM, Troxler Jstudy
- If a dog tries to bite you, or you see a dog acting strangely, tell an adult straight away. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
What should a child do if a street dog comes close or chases?
Running and shouting make a chase more likely. Teach these steps by acting them out at home.
Stop and stand like a tree
Stand still and tall with hands folded across the chest. Do not run away, yell or scream. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
Look away
Do not look the dog directly in the eye. Let it sniff and lose interest. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
Put something in between
If the dog tries to bite, keep a school bag, jacket or bicycle between you and the dog. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
If knocked down, be a log
Curl into a ball or lie flat, cover the ears with the hands, and lie still until the dog goes away. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
Walk away slowly, then tell an adult
Once the dog loses interest, move away calmly and tell a parent, teacher or guard what happened, even if there was no bite. Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
How can a child tell if a dog is happy or worried?
Dogs talk with their whole body. Teach children the signs that mean 'leave me alone'.
| Relaxed dog | Worried or warning dog | |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes ASPCA (ASPCApro) | Soft, almond shaped, often squinting | Round, lots of white showing, or a hard stare |
| Mouth ASPCA (ASPCApro) | Open and loose, maybe panting | Closed and tight, lips pulled back, yawning or licking lips, wrinkled nose or teeth shown |
| Tail ASPCA (ASPCApro) | Neutral, loose wag from side to side | Tucked between the legs, held stiff, or wagging stiffly |
| Body and fur ASPCA (ASPCApro) | Soft, wiggly body | Stiff body, hair raised along the back, growling |
A wagging tail alone does not mean a dog is friendly. Look at the whole dog, and when in doubt, walk away.
What should children know about community dogs in India?
Most colony dogs are part of the neighbourhood. Children can live safely alongside them with a few habits.
Under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, street dogs are caught, sterilised, vaccinated against rabies and released in the same area, and a V-shaped notch on the right ear marks a dog that has been through the programme. An ear notch does not mean a child should touch the dog: the same rules about asking an adult, eating dogs and mother dogs with puppies apply.
The ABC Rules ask housing societies to agree feeding spots far from children's play areas, entrances and staircases, and to feed at times when children and older people are least likely to be about. Children should not feed street dogs on their own or try to pick up puppies; mothers protect their litters. If a dog in your area seems ill, aggressive or newly arrived, tell your society or the municipal animal birth control cell rather than letting children deal with it.
What do I do if a dog bites or scratches my child?
If Any bite, scratch or lick on broken skin
Wash the wound at once with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes, then take your child to a doctor or a government hospital's anti-rabies clinic the same day. World Health Organization
If Someone suggests chilli, turmeric, oil or lime on the wound
Do not apply them. India's national guidelines say such irritants are of no benefit and can damage the wound. National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
If You are worried about the cost
Anti-rabies vaccine and serum are provided free in public health facilities under the National Rabies Control Programme. National Centre for Disease Control
If The bite is to the face or head, or bleeding heavily
Go to the nearest hospital emergency department now. National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
If You know the dog
Tell the doctor whether it is a pet or street dog and whether its rabies vaccination is documented. The doctor decides on treatment; do not wait to see if the dog stays well before going. National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
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Questions owners ask
At what age can children learn dog safety rules?
- As soon as they can follow simple instructions, often from about three, with a lot of repetition and practice. Under-fives must still be supervised with every dog, because a review of children's bites found the highest injury rates at ages 0 to 4, mostly from familiar dogs at home.
Should my child run if a street dog chases them?
- No. Running and screaming can make a dog chase. Teach your child to stop, stand still like a tree with arms folded, look away and wait for the dog to lose interest, then walk away slowly and tell an adult. If knocked down, curl up, cover the ears and lie still.
Is it safe for my child to pet ear-notched street dogs?
- An ear notch means the dog was sterilised and vaccinated under the ABC programme, but it says nothing about the dog's mood today or whether its vaccination is current. Children should not touch any dog without an adult, and should never touch a dog that is eating, sleeping or with puppies.
Does a small scratch from a puppy need a doctor?
- Yes, see a doctor. India's rabies guidelines treat even minor scratches without bleeding as an exposure that needs assessment. Wash the scratch with soap and running water for 15 minutes first, then go to a doctor or a government anti-rabies clinic the same day.
How do I stop my child being bitten by our own dog?
- Supervise every moment they are together, give the dog a place to retreat where the child cannot follow, and teach the child never to hug the dog, take its food or toys, or disturb it while it sleeps. If your dog growls or stiffens around the child, get help from a qualified behaviour professional.
Keep reading
- A dog bit me, do I need a rabies injection?What to do after any bite, and the exposure categories.
- Is my dog safe with a newborn baby?
- How do I introduce my dog to our new baby?
- Dog bite rules in India
- What are the ABC Rules 2023?
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University: Dog bite prevention (fact sheet, 2013) (opens in a new tab)
- World Health Organization: Rabies: fact sheet (opens in a new tab)
- ASPCA (ASPCApro): Canine body language (PDF handout) (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site): Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023: G.S.R. 193(E), 10 March 2023 (opens in a new tab)
- National Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: National guidelines on rabies prophylaxis (2015) (opens in a new tab)
- National Centre for Disease Control: National Rabies Control Programme: objectives, components and free anti-rabies vaccine and serum in public health facilities (opens in a new tab)
- Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (2014), Chiam SC et al.: Retrospective review of dog bite injuries in children presenting to a South Australian tertiary children's hospital emergency department (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)
- Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2017), Arhant C, Beetz AM, Troxler J: Caregiver reports of interactions between children up to 6 years and their family dog: implications for dog bite prevention (abstract read) (opens in a new tab)