ODESSA, Texas — The Midland Police Department are currently investigating a family dog attack that left a three-year-old boy with several bite marks all over his body. Situations like that can frighten any parent that has a family pet.
A dog trainer in Odessa offered his advice on how to ensure your kids and pups play nice.
“It's not super common, I'd say 20 percent of our calls are for aggressive nature dogs," Owner of Permian Dogs Training Keith Jankowski said.
Jankowski has owned Permian Dog Training for over 20 years. While he hasn't seen many dog attacks, there are lots of ways to prevent accidents from happening and promote the safety of a child. He said it all starts with understanding boundaries.
“Ideally, I instruct parents on boundaries, setting healthy boundaries with the dog and if you have small children in the house, it is it's hard to train the child, right," Jankowski said. "So it's in the beginning until the dog has, you know, exhibited just a base of normal behaviors, but pulling on the ears pulling on the tail, getting in their face dogs are opportunists and reactionary.”
It is extremely important that pet owners know the history of their dog and have a good understanding of what makes them unique before bringing them into their home.
“You don't know the background of that dog in a real quick temperament test and a behavior tests that we do when we first meet dogs tells us a lot," Jankowski said. "So, if the dog's been in a rescue, if it's been in a challenged environment, it's hard without some type of guidance and I know tell people to get on the internet and Google things if they're not willing to, you know, dive a little deeper into it.”
Sometimes behavior just comes with old age, but 85% of behavioral issues in pets can be cured with a healthy dose of activity and training. The rest comes from a slow and steady process of building trust.
"Really is so it would be the dog on a leash," Jankowski said. "With an adult that's paying attention to the dog's demeanor, even if it's a friendly dog, right. And starting with touching on the back, just on the back so there's not challenging them up near their head or face and slowly working yourself towards the head of the dog."
Once that trust is established, a bond can be built.
"They can't do it themselves, right," he said. "They can't rub their ears and it's a really great way to show affection. It's a real deep connection with the dog because only you can do it. And another dog can't do it, right, [so they] scratch their back or they can rub up against something or whatever. But rubbing their ears is a great way to start the bonding process."
The key with household pets is to realize that every animal is special, and they have personalities, just like people.
"People just think dogs 'Oh, they're social, they get along.' Some, some do, some don't," Jankowski said.
No matter how much you love your fur baby, it's important to remember that they have feelings too, and mutual respect is the key to everyone's safety.