Good Behaviour around dogs
|Everyone can contribute to dog safety, and keeping human – dog interactions pleasant and rewarding for us all.|
These Good Behaviour Tips don’t replace any legal obligations you may have, but will help dogs, dog owners, and everyone else get along well together.
For dog owners
- Always ask permission from a dog’s owner before approaching or petting a dog
- Pat dogs on their chests not on top of their heads.
- Wait for a dog to sniff your hand before you pat it.
- Supervise your children at all times when a dog is nearby.
- Don't let your children hug or kiss a dog or approach an eating or sleeping dog or one with puppies.
- Don’t act excited around a dog or run away, ride, or play noisy games, close to a dog.
- Do not force anyone who is afraid to pet a dog. (People afraid of animals sometimes make a dog uneasy and more likely to bite).
- If you are intimidated or annoyed by a dog, politely explain your concern to the dog’s owner and ask them to control it perhaps by putting it on a lead.
- If you are going to visit a property where you know there is a dog contact the owner first and ask them to restrain it.
- Remember that you are legally responsible for your dog, and you must take all reasonable steps to ensure it does not injure, intimidate or annoy anyone.
- Keep your dog under control at all times. Keep it on a leash when outside of your property. Don’t let your dog approach other people without their permission.
- Ensure that your dog cannot leave your property without your knowledge.
- Pick up your dog’s faeces and dispose of them in a bin.
- Socialise your puppy or adult dog so that it knows how to interact with children and other dogs.
- Listen courteously if anyone complains about your dog, and try to find ways to stop the behaviour they’re complaining about.
- Understand that some people don’t like dogs or are afraid of them, and have the right to be ‘dog-free’.