• Prevention workshops are being developed to teach the general public, and especially children, the behaviors to adopt in order to avoid dog bites.

  • Understanding the animal's language, respecting its desires, but also knowing how to protect yourself are some of the things you need to know.

Attacks in the street, games with children that go wrong… Dog bites are unfortunately frequent, at least 10,000 per year.

In recent years, workshops have been developed to teach the general public the best behavior to adopt in order to avoid such scenes, which are sometimes very serious.

Near Nantes, in the vineyards, Séverine Teresiak (via her association Dogizy 44) travels to families who call her to provide these training courses called "Pecram", or Program of education in the knowledge of the dog and the risk of bite accident.

"Before, dogs were wolves, so they're not necessarily always the nicest in the world," the young woman gently explains to Samuel, Lucas and Kylian.

These three brothers, aged 3 to 8,

Accompanied by her two stuffed animals, Séverine has one goal: to teach the little ones to respect the animal, to avoid "the explosive situations" that are already happening in the home.

First, you have to understand the language of their new four-legged friend.

“The dog barks, of course, but he sends us lots of other messages with his body, indicates the trainer to the boys.

When Mango wants to play, he wags his tail.

But when he is frightened, he has his back hunched, his eyes widened, or his lips raised.

Hence the importance for a child to carefully observe his pet before approaching it.

Present your fist before touching it

For caresses, moreover, it's the same.

Samuel and Lucas, the two eldest, have taken the bad habit of sometimes hugging Mango very tightly, to say hello in the morning.

"A dog that feels blocked is afraid, but since he can't leave, he risks biting," says Séverine.

He may also think that he is being attacked when his face is brought close to his head.

For the taste buds, we therefore prefer the back, the chest or the belly.

But before, it is recommended to "ask" the doggie, whether it's his own or that of a stranger in the street, his agreement.

“We put ourselves on the side, and we present our closed fist next to our head, shows Séverine on one of her stuffed animals.

If the dog sniffs or licks us, it's good!

Otherwise, it's because he doesn't want to, and once again, it's better not to insist.

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According to this trainer, no breed of dog is more predisposed to attack than another.

But a bichon or a rotweiler will not do the same damage... If despite the precautions, an attack occurs, there again there are tips to apply.

"We stick our hands to the body, we lower our heads, and we don't move", mimics Séverine, who suggests to the little boys, too, to "make the tree".

If the dog jumps on us and knocks us down, then it is recommended to “rock”.

"We stay on our knees on the ground, we don't move and we put our hands around our necks to protect them," explains the trainer.

We will become uninteresting which will push the animal to move away.

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  • Pays de la Loire