I have no advise, other than trying to put in a social story that all dogs are not nice like puppy x. Some dog are dangerous. We don't go near a dog that is not ok with mom and dad.
I hope your friends son heals nicely. I was very sad to hear your news about him.
SCARY.
I have taught my kids to ASK BEFORE PATTING and if no owner is there, with dog on a leash, NO PATTING. I drummed it into them, over and over and all you can do is hope to God it sticks!!!
I myself got nailed by reaching over a fence to pat a black lab I had patted, before. He tore my finger open, and it could have been worse.
This is a subject that also concerns me, although since my kids are older, less impulsive and seldom in contact with dogs, I'm not super-worried.
Here are some online resources that might help -- basically underlining the social story's message through other media (video, coloring book).
http://www.k911dogtraining.info/dogsafetyarticle.html - basically a social story
http://www.hsus.org/about_us/our_global_family_and_affiliate s/national_association_for_humane_and_environmental_educatio n/dog_bite_prevention_resources_for_children.html - video "Preventing Dog Bites II" might be appropriate for some kids
http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/PETS_dogbite_colorpg.pdf - activity sheet to color, plus tips
http://www.dogsandkids.ca/activity_on_safedogs.pdf - another activity sheet to color, for older kids
http://www.westwinddogtraining.com/learningdogsafety/html/li ttle_ones.html - basically another social story which includes a great tip: "If the dog comes up to you, stand still. Give yourself a big hug and play TREE"
That's all I have time to dig up right now. I still hope to find a video or online games that are genuinely engaging!
I hate even posting this because it's sad, but of course I have a question to follow...
My DH just called and told me a friend of ours he works with--there 4 yr old son was attacked by a neighbor's friend's dog on Saturday...Alex had to get over 100 stitches and will need plastic surgery because most of the attack happened in the face area. They live next door to a little girl who is the same age as Alex and she came over to ask if Alex could come over and play...apparently when he got over there, he saw the dog and went to hug him and the dog attacked...it was the neighbor's friend's dog who was there visiting...apparently this dog has been there before and was at least somewhat familiar with Alex, and they said this dog has never done anything like this before...there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding what happened and what will happen with the dog, etc...but Alex is doing ok and is home from the hospital.
So now my question is how do I prevent this from happening to Mason...we got a puppy back in January and ever since Mason wants to hug all dogs...I have been talking to him over and over, we have written 2 social stories...one about how to pet a dog, and the other about not approaching a dog without asking first...the problem is it isn't helping...our dog is very gentle and doesn't even flinch when Mason comes to him...Mason is very rigid and loud and I know it can scare other dogs...when we walk our dog we used to walk by a house that had a big dog and Mason would run for him and the dog would get scared...the people assured us that the dog has never bitten, but you never know what a dog will do when it gets too scared...so I talked and talked and read him the social stories and he just wasn't responding, he would just get so excited and run for the dog...needless to say we changed our walking route!
But now Rob tells me this and I was just telling him last week, that we need to do something NOW about Mason approaching dogs...and this just makes it all the more real about what can actually happen!
Anyone have any ideas on how to kick this NOW?? I mean I am pretty familiar with most of the dogs in our area, and most of the people in our neighborhood know if they walk by our house Mason will come if he sees the dog. so they are helpful in either helping Mason approach the dog or avoid walking by!
But that doesn't help when we see other dogs at the beach or unfamiliar dogs, etc.
Any advice would help ease my once again worried mind!! And please keep Alex and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you so much!
The more I think about it, the more I think you should have one simple rule, for example say "Stop! Be a tree!" whenever your child sees a dog. If he follows the rule, he gets the reward of having the adult help him pet the dog or simply say hello to the dog if petting isn't feasible. If he doesn't follow the rule, he doesn't get to have contact with the dog.
I did some more googling, and here's all the good stuff. More than anyone would need, but anyone interested can mix and match according to their child's needs and developmental level:
http://www.doggonesafe.com/see%20it%20quick%20reference%20ca rd.pdf - printable cards showing safe vs. dangerous dog body language
http://www.doggonesafe.com/calendar.htm - more pictures showing each dog in approachable vs. dangerous mood.
http://www.doggonesafe.com/speak%20dog%20downlaod%20page.htm - slide show with dog rules and dog body language pictures, including picture of "be a tree".
http://www.akc.org/pdfs/PBSAF2.pdf - info and activity booklet to color
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/DogBitePrevention/FamilyGui deDogSafety.pdf - detailed booklet
http://www.pbrc.net/poppysplace/games/livingsafe/living_safe r.html - drag n drop online game where you identify the dangerous elements of each picture.
http://www.pbrc.net/poppysplace/games/Likelytobite/likely_to _bite.html - another drag n drop online game where you identify the dogs that are likely to bite and why.
http://www.pbrc.net/poppysplace/games/PatDog/pat_the_dog.htm l - online game. Is the person ready to pat? yes or no?
http://www.pbrc.net/poppysplace/games/ColoringSheets/ColorIm ages/DogSafetycolorsht.jpg - coloring page with 6 dog safety rules
http://landofpuregold.com/fido.htm - treasure trove of coloring pages, each covering a different rule.
http://www.bowwowow.com/ - good coloring booklet under "fun pages"
http://www.kidsanddogs.org/kadierhymes.pdf - dog rules that rhyme -- easier to remember!
http://www.dogsafety.org.nz/dogsafety.nsf/wpg_URL/Kids-Dog-S afety-Tips-for-Kids-Index!OpenDocument - more rules in rhyme format
http://www.dogsafety.org.nz/dogsafety.nsf/wpg_URL/Kids-Dog-S afety-Quiz-Index!OpenDocument - online quiz
Wishing everyone a safe summer!
I have thought about telling him all dogs are bad like you said Tom...I just wonder how much damage is already done because I didn't start from the beginning.
Do you think I should just keep insisting on the rule of asking first and using good "manners" with the dog or should I just start enforcing not touching any dogs....maybe I could tell him because he hasn't been following our rules on how to touch and approach others dogs he can't touch any dogs for now...he might start to follow the rules a little more if he can't even pet our neighbor's dog who he adores...he is a retriever like ours and loves seeing them play together.
I work for a major insurance company and can't tell you the number of claims I've reviewed dealing with dogs, kids, the face, and plastic surgery. Most times the bites occur in the face because of the heighth of the child. And 9 times out of 10, when I review the claim, the owner of the dog says, "my dog is typically very gentle and nice and has NEVER bitten, ever". I personally don't trust an unfamiliar dog as far as I can throw it. We don't own a dog, and for this reason my kids tend to be afraid of them.....which is fine with me as I don't want them approaching most dogs anyways.
I feel it's extremely important to teach all children to be wary of unfamiliar dogs....even if they are a neighbors dog they've seen frequently. Many dogs are territorial by nature and have established a pecking order within their home. Individuals not within their familiar unit are not included in this pecking order and may be seen as threating.
I'm probably a bit jaded because of the number of incidents I've seen, and the severity at which they can occur. I know there are a lot of nice dogs out there and they can be good pets/buddy's for kids on the spectrum. However, personally, I think I'll stick with cats.
(PS) I also carry pepper spray whenever I'm out on a walk. You never know when it might come in handy; for dog attacks or whatever else.
That is scary. I watch my child like a hawk. My neighbor dog came in my yard grawling, showing teeth. I actually thought about shooting it.I am going to print up the worksheets you linked me to NorwayMom...thanks so much!! I think I need to redefine his social stories too. Thanks for the help all! Until it kicks in though, I guess it's Mason that is going to need to be on the "short leash", lol!
Wouldn't a video game be the best...I swear if I could turn everything into a video game I would have no problems!!!!! The first person to create a game where you can input the behavior or problem and then let the kids learn while playing with that problem will be my hero for life...any game creators out there willing to take that challenge, lol??
Thanks again!
I am a dog lover, or at least a retriever lover. Why not teach them all dogs, but yours are bad? Dogs are unpredictable and a kid who has trouble reading people's faces will probably have more trouble with dogs. As mentioned above, even familiar dogs can bite. Kids and especially ASD kids don't understand body language well enough to understand how to approach a dog. Another thing, there are a lot of people who are a little reluctant to admit their might bite.
just my 2 cents worth but I don't see anything bad coming from a kid not approaching a strange dog, where as approaching a strange dog can result in stories like this