People Going Face To Face With Dogs: Adorable or Dangerous?

Sometimes it feels like no matter what you say or do, there is always someone who tells you it isn't safe, it's not healthy, or it's not a good idea.

And if one of your friends or family members don't feel the need to tell you, there will certainly be scores of people on social media eager for their chance to set you straight (at least in their eyes).

A preface like that can only mean one thing, right? Yup you guessed it, because now it's my turn to step up and say:

"Hey, you people creating and sharing all of those "cute" and "adorable" photos and videos where someone is pushing their face into a dog's face... that's not safe!" 

It's a mouthful to say, I know, but it's important to say nonetheless.

The problem I have with these supposedly "cute" and "adorable" images is that they reinforce the mistaken notion that that this type of face-to-face interaction is an appropriate and safe way to interact with a dog. The more this type of interaction is seen, the more people get conditioned to view it as a normal (thus safe) thing to do with a dog. After all, look at all the social media comments saying, "Awwww... how cute!" and "That's so adorable!"

Generally speaking, face-to-face interactions with dogs is not an appropriate or safe thing to do, but I'm not trying to say that it's unsafe for all people, with all dogs, at all times. Ultimately, your safety is dependent on whether (at that specific moment in time) the dog will willingly accept that type of interaction with you... and I put heavy emphasis on the word "willingly".

All Dogs Are Different - Some Things to Consider

• Some dogs are less tolerant than others.
• Just because a dog loves your pats and strokes doesn't mean the dog will welcome other types of interaction.
• Just because a dog was okay with your face-to-face interaction previously doesn't mean he'll be okay with it the next time.
• Just because a dog lets one person have face-to-face interactions doesn't mean the dog will let others. 
• Just because a dog lets someone have a face-to-face interaction, it doesn't mean the dog enjoys it.

What I do emphatically want to say is that (A) people should not introduce themselves to a dog in this manner, and (B) children should never be allowed to interact with a dog in this manner at any time.

From my experience I have no hesitation in suggesting that, outside of obvious growling and menacing-sounding barking, the vast majority of people don't recognize or understand the 'warning signs' dogs communicate when they are stressed, anxious or fearful. So if you do not understand canine body language yet you want a close encounter of the face-to-face kind; in my opinion you are rolling the dice when it comes to having a safe interaction. 

"Much of the exposure to dog bite injury risk can be mitigated by providing appropriate education to well-intentioned but misinformed guardians and to the general public at large." ~ Janis Bradley (Animals and Society Institute - "Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions" Policy Paper - revised 2014). 

What's That Dog Trying To Tell You?

Examples of dog body-language that say "I'm not comfortable with what you're doing" include:

• Attempting to move away from you. 
• Turns it's head away.
• Avoids direct eye contact.
• Wide eyes (showing the whites around the outside edges).
• Yawns.
• Licks its lips.
• Panting.

Examples of dog body-language that say "I'm very uncomfortable with what you're doing - please stop now!" include:

• Raised lip.
• Shows teeth.
• Snarl or growl.
• Air-snapping of jaws.
• Freezes (a bite is imminent).
• Bite.

Keeping Children Safe When Interacting With Dogs

Statistics indicate that more children are bitten by dogs than adults and, in the majority of dog bite incidents, the dog was either the family's own dog or it was a dog that the victim knew (belonging to a neighbour, friend, other family member, etc.). 

The importance of this information cannot be over-stated, because it dispels any notion that parents can employ a more relaxed set of rules (thus allowing children to take more 'liberties') when interacting with a 'known' dog as opposed to a 'strange' dog.

As published in the Animals and Society Institute policy paper entitled "Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions (Revised 2014)": 

• 67% of injurious dog bites to children have been shown to be preventable by changing the child's or the caregiver's behaviour in interacting with the dog.
• One study about dog bites to children found that there was no adult present in 69% of the cases studied.
• A study in 2008 published in Journal of the American Veterinary Association (2008) found that parents generally lacked knowledge of factors that were likely to increase the risk of dog bites to children, even when they were supervising child/dog interactions.
  
  .