Research has shown that children who have a pet develop better because they can form an emotional bond with the animal. In contrast to this "plea" for buying a dog, however, a large number of children are bitten by a dog (very often their own dog!) to such an extent that treatment by a doctor is necessary.
For a dog it is important to know its place (rank) within the family. The family forms, as it were, the "pack" within which the dog lives. In a pack there is a clear hierarchy in which the members of the pack determine their place (rank) in relation to the other members of the pack. To know his place within the family in which the dog lives, the dog must know which family members are above him (are higher in rank) and which are below him (are lower in rank). From a family member whom the dog regards as higher in rank, the dog will accept much more than from a family member who is lower in rank (in the dog's eyes). This is very natural from the dog's point of view; in order to work together as a group (wolves or dogs) to survive, it is important that everyone's role within the group is clear and that everyone abides by the natural rules that go with that role.
A dog does not see a child the way it sees an adult: children up to about 10 years of age will rarely be recognized by a dog as a superior. A precise age limit cannot be given because it depends both on the dog's character (how dominant or submissive he is) and on the child's behavior (how does the child behave towards the dog, how much authority can the child exude), as well as on the adults' behavior (how "high" do they place the child, as seen through the dog's eyes).
One of the rights that, according to the dog's nature, comes with being rank-holder is that you have the right to correct a rank-holder when they do not follow the rules associated with the rank-holder's role. In the dog's eyes, for example, it is completely "inappropriate" when a rank-lower makes dominant gestures toward a rank-higher. Dominant gestures include all gestures from above: hanging over the dog, petting its head and/or back, hugging (!) and the like. Also inappropriate is when a higher-ranking dog would want to take "prey" (food, bone, toy) from the higher-ranking dog.
Fortunately, it is not the case that every dog will correct every child who makes a dominant gesture or (takes) a toy from the dog with a bite. There are very many dogs that have a strong friendship with a child and are very accepting based on that friendship. But in the context of safety, it is very wise to assume that the dog does not acknowledge the child as a superior and that the dog therefore has the natural right to correct the child if the dog finds it necessary. Based on these principles, we recommend that you teach your children as early as possible to:
Never go to the dog themselves but only give attention to the dog if it comes to the child on its own initiative;
Only pet and cuddle the dog in a way the dog is comfortable with (i.e. never hug it tightly, do not pick up small dogs, never pull its ears, legs or tail etc.);
Playing with the dog only under your supervision and only when the child is old enough to do so. Suitable are then only games that cannot end in a power struggle, so no fighting and pulling games but search and retrieve games.
These rules apply both to your child's interaction with its own dog and to its interaction with a strange dog. Teach your child never to pet an unfamiliar dog unless with the owner's express permission!
Bite incidents can also occur as a result of fear/insecurity of the dog. Especially dogs that have had little or no exposure to small children as young puppies often see children as scary creatures. In the eyes of a dog, a small child is perhaps a different species than humans, after all, the movements, sounds and appearance are very different. In the process, young children often do exactly those things that dogs quickly see as threatening: running fast with small wobbly steps, waving their hands, making high-pitched noises, crying loudly and the like. For this reason too, in the interest of safety, it is important to teach your children the above rules as early as possible!
