[Taken from http://blogs.dogster.com/]
Even puppies who may seem harmless love to nip, chew, and chase small children which could be fun or frightening for both parties.Some dogs perceive direct eye contact as threatening. That might present a problem since many children are at eye level with them. You'll want to be close enough to all of them to intervene if there's a problem.
The interaction between a child and a strange dog can be an endearing moment that hopefully inspires these kids to make a dog a part of their family someday when they grow up. By taking simple precautions, everyone can end up with a smile on their face.
Tips for a child to approach a dog and his owner:
- Ask the owner if their dog is friendly and if they can pet their dog.
- Offer a back hand fist or hand out with fingers down.
- Let the dog approach the child to sniff.
- Pet a dog gently reaching from the side, not over its head.
- Ask to offer their dog a treat as dogs remember those who reward them.
- Refrain from screaming, yelling, running around a stranger's dog.
