A dog can be a wonderful addition to a family - a child can hold extremely deep feelings for for their dog that they’ll always remember. And with 4.8 million pet dogs in Australia, there's a lot of opportunities for that to happen. Yet many dogs are in fact anxious and don't like much human interaction, and many of us don't understand the basics of dog behaviour, putting us, in particular our kids, at risk of being bitten.

Sally speaks with nationally accredited canine trainer, Anna Tasker. As a mother of two boys, Anna is keen to instill an awareness of social responsibility in the next generation of dog owners. Anna also shares her insights into dog behaviour so we can improve our relationship with this most loyal of human friends.

After listening to this episode, you may have a better understanding of how the dog in this photo will be feeling. (Note the closed mouth, wide eyes, leaning slightly away from the child...).

www.pawpower.com.au

Anna also mentions the Story Dogs programme for kids learning to read: storydogs.org.au

Producer and presenter Sally Cusack
Copyright: PBB Media and Sally Cusack 2018

First aired on 99.9 BayFM Byron Bay on 23 July 2018.

Image by Picsea from Unsplash.com.

Further reading/viewing:
https://ppgaustralia.net.au/DominanceTheoryPositionStatement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDZ17DImoo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ND3suK1y8