The Fear Factor

by Gina Mirault. Gina Mireault is a psychology professor and do trainer. She and her family live with a Golden Retriever and an Australian Shepherd, in Vermont.

Copyright the American Kennel Club, Inc., 2004. No portion of this article may be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder. Reprinted with permission from AKC Family Dog, Summer 2004, Volume 2, No. 1. To subscribe: http://www.akc.org

Photos copyright the Kerry Blue Terrier Foundation, 2003.

When children are taught how to behave around dogs, they are less likely to be afraid of them.

Children and dogs are often partnered in American imagery. The two are supposed to fit together as naturally as apple pie and ice cream. But children and dogs don't always make a good match. In fact, some dogs prefer to be alone rather than keep company with a child. And some children are downright petrified by the very creatures who have earned a reputation as "man's best friend."

Scaredy Cats

A wide range of fears are common among youngsters between ages 2 and 6. Children in this developmental stage think "magically" instead of logically, believing that "anything is possible" simply because they lack experience to the contrary. To a young child, being sucked down the bathtub drain is as real a possibility as getting wet in the rain. While adults may wax nostalgic about such childhood notions, magical thinking is at the core of childhood fears. After all, the same magical thinking that begets the Tooth Fairy is also responsible for the boogey man. Childhood fears are so common and pronounced that children may exasperate parents with their fear of the dark, separation anxiety, or distrust of the neighbor's sweet and slow-moving Golden Retriever, all situations that adults know to be safe.

A fear of dogs, specifically, appears to be relatively common among children, even among those who have a family dog. Developmental psychologists have found that young children do not necessarily generalize information from one con text to another. This means that a child may not apply his experience with the family dog to other dogs, as though the family dog i in a class by itself.

Of course, fear may also come from personal or vicarious experience. A child who witnesses, hears
about, or suffers a dog bite will often develop a fear of dogs as a result. As keen and vigilant observers of adults who in children's eyes are experts on everything from world history to plumbing, youngsters can also catch fears from their elders. Children actively bunt for information about the physical and social world and are primed to mimic all kinds of behaviors, from cooperative and aggressive, to funny and fearful. My son's first words were "good girl," which he had beard us say countless times as we praised our dog's tolerance of his clumsy toddler embraces.

An adult who behaves nervously around a dog is a conspicuous tutor, just as is one who is relaxed.
Adults can further add to a child's confusion by assuming that children have more understanding than they do. Many people rely on too simple explanations, or figures of speech for which the child has no conceptual framework. For instance, adults may casually refer to "putting a dog to sleep" or suggest that "it's raining cats and dogs." By default, children interpret these explanations literally, which can add to their sense of confusion and vulnerability.

Do Dogs Sense Fear?

Most childhood fears subside over time, as the child gains the experience to discern what is possible from what is impossible, and increasingly relies on logic. Few 10-year-olds still fear the bathtub drain. And fears outgrown can often be altogether avoided.

For example fear of heights poses little problem for a resident of Vermont, as there are no skyscrapers (unless one counts silos). But it's harder to avoid dogs in a culture in which about 50 percent of homes have them. And as it turns out, you wouldn't want to. Behavioral psychologists have shown that avoidance of a feared object actually maintains or even increases that fear. Avoidance results in missed opportunities for fear reduction, and since avoidance itself is reinforced by an absence of anxiety, it increases the cycle of avoidance behavior.

Furthermore, a fear of dogs actually can place a child at greater risk of being bitten. According to Patricia McConnell, an animal behavior expert and author of The Other End of the Leash, dogs can sense human fear and may respond with aggression. This is not because dogs are great mind readers or seek to dominate those who fear them. Rather, McConnell explains that "dogs are great observers of behavior. When a person's emotions change, their corresponding physiology changes too, as does their behavior." Dogs probably observe the physical manifestations of fear, including a tense facial expression, change in respiration (or holding one's breath), pupil dilation, and becoming stiff. McConnell explains that from the dog's perspective these human behaviors convey that there is something to be nervous about or something is wrong," and the dog attributes this tension to the fearful person who may then become the dog's target. A fearful child may scream, run, or hold their hands up high, any of which may signal the dog to give chase or jump up.

McConnell observes that in the last generation, dogs have moved from the barn into the household, so 'we expect better manners from dogs now," while not holding people as accountable for their (sometimes problematic) behavior around dogs. At the same time, the public has become enamored with working breeds such as Border Collies, Parson Russell Terriers, and Australian Shepherds, all of which are bred to be reactive to motion, sound, or smell. Ironically, dogs who are reactive and who have a low frustration-tolerance may be predisposed to interact negatively with children, since kids tend to be loud, move less fluidly, and make persistent and often inappropriate advances toward dogs.

Not all dogs react to human fear the same way, and many factors contribute to a dog's response. McConnell says, Some dogs are oblivious to human fear. Other dogs are highly reactive, especially breeds that were bred to respond to movement or action. Other dogs become fearful themselves and cower or hide." Similarly, some dogs respond with obvious aggressive cues, such as raised hackles or bared teeth, which McConnell describes as "the headlines of dog aggression." But other dogs become still and stiff with a tense mouth, and may be mistaken as calm when in fact they are poised to bite. People shouldn't assume they know how a dog is going to respond, especially an unfamiliar dog. Instead, adults should pay attention to and correct their own behavior so as to maximize positive interactions with all dogs they encounter, and teach children to do the same.

Stepping In

One of the most common interventions in fear reduction is unfortunately also one of the least effective using logic. The use of logic to assuage fear has two strikes against it. First, young children do not always think logically. Remember that fear of the bathtub drain?Second, fear defies logic. A fearful child is unlikely to be reassured by being told "The dog won't hurt you" any more than a fearful adult would be by being told that a large snake is not poisonous.

Instead, a child's fear can be reduced with a little common sense, sensitive intervention, and education. To achieve the latter, the AKC Public Education department has embarked on a campaign to teach children to behave safely around dogs. Knowledge is power, and children who feel prepared when encountering dogs in a variety of situations can face them with increased confidence and decreased anxiety. These children may be less likely to produce cues of fear, and therefore less likely to have negative interactions with dogs.

The AKC advises children to greet a dog only after getting permission from the dog's adult handler, and to proceed by offering the back of a closed fist for the dog to sniff, followed by stroking the dog under the chin or on the chest. There is a natural human tendency to pet a do on the head, but McConnell says that dogs rarely interpret pats on top of the head as friendly gestures. Being stroked on the head is not within the ancestral language of dogs. They don't do it to each other and are likely to misunderstand this as a threatening gesture.

When encountering loose dogs, children should either 'make like a tree" (shown below) by remaining still and wrapping their arms tightly about themselves, or put their hands in their pockets, while looking away from the dog, and slowly walking away. The dog will likely sniff the child and quickly lose interest. The child can also throw an object like a hat away from herself to divert the dog's attention. (See sidebar.)

McConnell also advises that adults not pressure children, especially fearful ones, to pet dogs. "Petting a dog is not necessary,'' she insists, ''despite the social message that says kids and dogs must greet each other." However, if a child's fear is excessive and is interfering with his ability to enjoy an outing, walk, or a family reunion, for example, some specific techniques borrowed from behavior therapy can assist in the child's fear reduction. The goal of these techniques is not to have the child like dogs, but rather to reduce the child's fear of dogs.

Behavior therapists recommend gradual exposure of the child to a known-safe dog (e.g., a therapy dog) in a fail proof, safe situation. A gentle, well trained dog that is on-leash and in a down-stay position can minimize the threat for a young child, while an adult demonstrates appropriate ways to approach and touch the dog. Keep the interaction brief, and let the child decide how close she wants to approach and when she's had enough. Help the child read the dog's cues during the interaction. For example, if the dog rests his head and closes his eyes, it is a good opportunity to point out that the dog is relaxed and enjoying the attention. If the dog becomes restless or begins panting, explain that the dog may be stressed, and no longer wants to lie still for a visit. A dog who is working, playing, sleeping, or eating is not available for petting, and children should be taught to respect the dog's space and current activity.

Some children and dogs can be served well by adults who model careful and appropriate behavior that ensures safety and engenders trust, both of which can eventually give rise to joy-or even love.

AKC Child Safety Resources

Teaching children safe behavior around dogs helps them build better relationships with all animals. Positive interactions with dogs require that a person interprets the animal's methods of communication, understands when he is open to contact and when he is not, and knows how to handle encounters with unfamiliar dogs. With that in mind, the AKC Public Education department created Safety Around Dogs, Your Safety Begins With You! The program includes a 14-minute video and an activity booklet that teach children how to properly greet a dog, what to do when they see a loose dog, and how to understand a dog's body language, among other topics. The program is designed for children from kindergarden through grade 6, and is free to educators. Schools and groups can go to http://www.akc.org/news/safetyvideo.cfm to request a copy, and to arrange a visit from a Canine Ambassador. It's a great way to teach children how to behave with dogs so that they can enjoy them.

The DON'TS of Dog Safety:

• Don't stare directly into a dog's face.
• Don't pet a dog on top of the head.
• Don't run from a dog.
• Don't approach an unfamiliar dog.
• Don't throw objects at a dog.
• Don't bark at or tease a dog.

The DO'S of Dog Safety:

• Do ask permission to pet an unfamiliar dog.
• Do offer a closed fist first, then pet the dog under the chin or on the chest.
• Do move calmly and quietly around a dog.
• Do respect a dog's physical space and activity.
• Do "make like a tree" (right) if approached by a loose dog.
• Do let a dog approach you before trying to interact with him.

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