Doggone Safe and APDT are pleased to offer this recorded webinar for dog trainers and dog behavior consultants on how to incorporate dog bite prevention education into dog classes and private consults. Every trainer and behavior consultant has many opportunities to help dog owners learn how to read dog body language, reduce stress and anxiety for their dog and increase safety for their children and others that the dog might encounter.
This webinar, presented by Doggone Safe President, Joan Orr covers the following topics:
Observation skills for the client
Dog body language
Key signs
Tools you can use
Proximity check
Reducing anxiety
Incorporating teachable moments into your classes
Demonstrations that you can do with dogs in class
Handling
Resource guarding
Be a tree
Puppy biting
Dog bite prevention in the community - how this can benefit your business
The Challenge will run from March through May 2013. This is by popular demand from presenters who have
requested to be part of the Challenge but schools want to book in March and April.
Doggone Safe challenged its presenters to visit schools and educate 50,000 children about dog safety during March-May. So far 52 presenters have pledged to educate over 30,000 children in six countries, six Canadian provinces and twenty four US states.
The Be a Tree Program
The “Be a Tree” program is a dog bite prevention presentation for school children. The program is delivered by Doggone Safe presenters, veterinary technicians, dog trainers, dog behaviorists, public health nurses, emergency medical services personnel, animal control officers, police officers, teachers and humane educators. Presenters use a teacher kit which contains large format photographs showing dog body language signs, games and activities. Program sponsors can purchase supplementary branded learning materials such as coloring books, paint sheets, a story book, a poster, stickers, bookmarks and fridge magnets. Over 700,000 children worldwide have experienced the Be a Tree presentation since 2004. Through the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge Doggone Safe intends to increase this number significantly.
Help Us Promote
We need your help with promotion! We would love it if you would go right now and click on the icons below to follow and like us on social media (especially our new Twitter and Pinterest):
Write a blog post about the Challenge
If you want to write about the Challenge in your blog, we have pre-written articles with images that you can copy, or edit. Our experts love to give interviews too!
Tell the Media
We have press releases that you can use as is or edit to include your information if you are a Be a Tree presenter. Visit our Media page
Doggone Safe offers some radio PSAs to help keep kids safe around dogs over the holidays. Radio stations in North America must devote some air time to PSAs. Contact your local radio station to see if they are interested in playing any of these.
Link to this information on our main website.
These dog bite prevention Public Service Announcements can be read live and some can be downloaded as recorded WAV or WMA files. Some of these are specific for the holidays and some are general for use any time. The WAV files have been professionally recorded, ready for radio play.
Download a zip file containing the PSA scripts and just the holiday PSA recordings in high quality WAV format, suitable for radio play.
Download a printable version of all scripts (holiday scripts are marked as such)
Download a zip file contained printable version of scripts and all recorded PSAs in WMA format. These are suitable for listening to with a computer or posting to a web site.
Download a zip file containing scripts and high quality WAV files for all PSAs (holiday and anytime)
Download or listen to individual PSAs produced by Doggone Safe and view each script
Thanks to Theresa McKeon and Brian McKeon for donating their time to creating the recorded PSAs
Listen to PSAs produced by Big Dog 92.7 in Regina, Saskatchewan
Thanks to Tracy Block of Big Dog 97.2 and Sally Cleland for their time in creating these. If other radio stations would like to air any of these, please contact Tracy Block for broadcast quality versions.
PSAs Produced by Big Dog 92.7
26 Stitches
Adopt a Classroom
Learn to Be a Tree
Relearn ABCs
Straight Facts
Strange Dogs
SVMA 100th Anniversary
PSAs and Scripts Produced by Doggone Safe
To download individual files right click and choose "save target as" to download.indicates holiday PSA
PSA1
Listen
Celebrations at Grandma’s house over the holidays are the stuff of fond memories. Noisy gatherings can make Grandma’s dog very anxious. Even the most docile pet may bite if provoked. Supervise!
Download high quality(WAV)
PSA2
Listen
Ho! Ho! Ho! A man in a red suit coming down the chimney may be very scary for the family dog. More dog bites occur during holiday times than any other time of the year. Supervise!
Download high quality(WAV)
PSA3
Listen
Did you know that dogs talk to us all the time? A happy dog pants and wags his tail. A bossy dog has his ears forward, his mouth closed and his tail held high. This dog does not want to meet you.
Download high quality(WAV)
PSA4
Did you know that dogs talk to us all the time? A happy dog pants and wags his tail. A scared dog has his mouth closed and holds his tail between his legs, he may even be wagging it or backing away. Give a scared dog his space, he might be scared enough to bite or growl to get you to go away.
no recording
PSA5
Did you know that dogs talk to us all the time? A happy dog pants and wags his tail. A bossy dog stands tall, leaning forward with his ears forward, his mouth closed and his tail held as high as he can get it. This dog does not want to meet you, he wants you to leave his place and his stuff alone.
no recording
PSA6
Listen
If you are visiting a friend with a puppy and the puppy is too frisky and jumping , you should…
A. push the puppy away
B. pick the puppy up by the scruff of the neck
C. Be a Tree and stand still
The answer is C. Be a Tree. Trees are boring and the puppy will soon lose interest.
Download high quality(WAV)
PSA7
Listen
If a strange dog comes over to you, you should…
A. yell at the dog to go away
B. Be a Tree and stand still
C. try to make friends with the dog
The answer is B. Be a Tree. The dog will most likely sniff around you and move on. Never touch a strange dog.
Download high quality(WAV)
PSA8
Listen
If a dog is loose and barking at you, you should…
A. Be a Tree and stand still until he gets bored and goes away
B. run away screaming
C. try to pet him to calm him down
The answer is A. Be a Tree. Stand still and look at your feet.
Download high quality(WAV)
PSA9
Listen
Did you know that dogs don’t like hugs and kisses, especially from kids or strangers?. Your dog may tolerate many hugs before finally snapping.
Download high quality(WAV)
PSA10
Did you know that most dog bites to children are by a family pet in someone’s home and that hugging the dog is a common cause if these bites? Dogs warn before they bite and you can learn to speak dog and recognize the signs of a dog that is tolerating, but not enjoying attention from a child. Keep kids and dogs safe this holiday season, watch for signs of anxiety in the dog and intervene if you see them.
Doggone Safe is pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 Kids and Dogs photo contest. The goal of the contest was to promote images of safe kid/dog moments to provide an alternative to the "cute but dangerous" photos of kids and dogs that are popular on social media. We wanted photos that show a wonderful bond between kids and dogs, where both parties are safe and content and the dog is with the child by choice. We want to show photos in which both the child and the dog are happy, with no hugging, kissing, sitting on the dog or other actions that dogs generally dont like.
We are very grateful for the help of our terrific panel of judges, who had a very difficult job choosing among the amazing group of entries. Thanks to Judy Johns, Tula Asselanis, Lisa Kelderman and Susan Fishbein!
Congratulations to all our winners and thanks to everyone who entered! Click here to see the 65 photos that made it to the semi-finals out of the several hundred entries. Please share your favorites on social media to help spread our child/dog safety messages.
1st Prize: Dana Martin: Sadie and Amelia (also winner of the Grand Prize draw for an ipad from among the top 3 winners from each of our 2 photo contests)
Doggone Safe Canada is a strong partner to the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society. Through materials and monetary support from Doggone Safe Canada, the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society has a sustainable dog bite prevention program established in 10 schools and an outreach program in additional 11 schools.
Dog bite prevention education is cardinal in rebuilding a country- Liberia where nearly 85% of the population lives below USD 1 dollar per day and the means of accessing anti- human rabies vaccine is nearly impossible. Dogs are part of the family circle but suffered as the result of rabies and the dog meat trade. When there is an outbreak of rabies, killing had been the only easier and common method used by community people. This method failed to eliminate or reduce the spread of the deadly and neglected disease. In partnership with Doggone Safe Canada, the Liberia Animal Welfare & Conservation Society introduced the dog bite prevention program in various communities and schools in Lofa County, Liberia targeting mainly children- the main victims of dog bite. The program is making an impressive improvement in the fight against the spread of rabies and the killing of dogs as the mean of curtailing the spread of rabies. Today, as the result of LAWCS intervention, dog bite incident is drastically reduced in the communities where LAWCS is working and people continue to live happily with their dogs.
LAWCS presently has 5 teachers volunteering as dog bite prevention presenters in their various schools and communities.
These volunteers were trained and empowered with dog bite prevention materials to conduct activities with their school children.
13,949 students were trained during the awareness program.
Below are the schools and number of students educated during the program:
Doggone Safe is giving away a case of 6 Doggone Crazy! board games to 11 non-profits to help educate kids and families about dog body language and safety around dogs. Eligible non-profits include dog shelters, rescue and animal control, child welfare organizations and schools (North America only).
The entry period ends on Oct 29, 2012 at midnight Eastern Daylight Time.
Who Needs Doggone Crazy?
Everyone who wants to play, have fun, and laugh out loud with their friends and family! Thats who! Doggone Crazy! is a "barking good time" - New York Post Holiday Gift Guide (Dec 18, 2003).
"Doggone Crazy! is the first board game in a long time to keep my kids attention...they played the game so much that I wasnt allowed to touch the game for review until the week-end was over." - Alyice Edrich - Editor-in-Chief - The Dabbling Mum - National Parenting Magazine
What is Doggone Crazy?
Doggone Crazy! is the first ever board game to empower kids with the knowledge they need to make safe choices around dogs. Kids can be doggy detectives, trying to figure out what the dogs are saying with their body language in the more than 100 photo cards. Created by dog experts, this unique game is loads of fun for kids and families. Parents and grandparents are choosing Doggone Crazy! for family play and educational value. Doggone Crazy! is for families with dogs and families who encounter other peoples dogs. Even dog savvy parents have said "I didnt know that!" after learning about subtle and little-known dog communication signals from the photo cards in the game. Kids just say "We all have fun!!".
"This game makes it fun for children to learn how to behave toward dogs, and how to understand what dog expressions and actions mean. Its a positive and reinforcing tool for enhancing child safety, reducing bite risk, and improving the human-animal bond." Karen Pryor, author of Dont Shoot the Dog and CEO of Karen Pryor Clicker Training (clickertraining.com)
What Can You Learn from Doggone Crazy?
Dog bite prevention is the goal of the board game Doggone Crazy! Children and families will learn about dog communication, dog behavior, dog safety for children and how to prevent a dog bite. Through fun activities, photographs of real dogs and puppies and question cards, Doggone Crazy! promotes education and child safety. Doggone Crazy! is not the same as Dogopoly or Monopoly, the Dog. Dogopoly and Monopoly, the Dog are based on the classic property trading game Monopoly, while Doggone Crazy! is a race around the board collecting bones and learning about canine communication. Doggone Crazy! has over 100 photographs of real dogs doing real doggie things. There are pictures of over 60 different dogs representing more than 40 different dog breeds. The free parent guide gives some information about dog training and puppy training to help teach dogs not to bite. Doggone Crazy! is a highly competitive game with lots of physical activity - even little boys will stay with the game until the end.
Doggone Safe has Be a Tree presenters in 47 US states and 10 Canadian provinces and 2 territories. Part of our goal during this years International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge is to have a presenter in every state, province and territory.
To help make this happen we have teamed up with Family Paws Parent Education to offer full scholarships to new presenters in the following areas of the US and Canada:
Nunavut Alabama Louisiana Nebraska
We will award 4 scholarships, one for each area. Please pass this on to your colleagues in these areas.
Click here for more information and to obtain the necessary application documents
The Scholarship
The chosen candidates will receive:
Be a Tree teacher kit (value $100)
1 Year free membership in Doggone Safe (value $25)
Access to Be a Tree training webinars (value $30)
Materials and training to become a presenter for the Dogs & Storks and the Dogs and Baby Connection programs from FPPE (value $650)
1 Year free license for use of FPPE materials (value $100)
Qualifications
This is NOT a random draw. You must meet the entrance requirements and be willing to sign license agreements with both Doggone Safe and Family Paws Parent Education.
The requirements as as follows:
Dog-Related Experience Requirements:
Dog training and/or behaviour consulting experience, 5 years or more.
Commitment to continuing education.
Commitment to positive-reinforcement based training methods.
Provide 2 professional references (veterinarian, professor, dog trainer, dog behaviour consultant).
List professional certifications/qualifications related to dog training/behaviour.
Public Speaking or Teaching Experience Requirements:
Comfortable and experienced at teaching or speaking to a group.
Provide 1 reference that can attest to speaking ability.
List professional certifications/qualifications related to teaching/lecturing.
Other Requirements:
Join FPPE presenter yahoo group
Sign the FPPE license agreement
Pay license fee after the first year ($100 per year) if you wish to maintain the license
Collaborate well with others
View the 9 online pre recorded courses
Go through FPPE guidebook
Own your own laptop computer and projector capable of playing PowerPoint presentation with videos. Be familiar with the use of this equipment.
The coroner’s jury inquest into the 1998 mauling death of 8-year old Ontario resident Courtney Trempe produced a list of recommendations including some relating to the education of the public about safety around dogs and suggesting a role for the veterinary community. According the Canada Safety Council and the Health Canada more than 400,000 people are bitten by dogs each year, most of them children and most of them by the family pet or other familiar dog. Half of all children will be bitten by a dog by the time they are twelve. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians are well positioned to play a leading role in educating dog owners and the community about how to prevent dog bites.
On-Line Learning
Doggone Safe is a non-profit organization dedicated to dog bite prevention through education and it offers a number of resources to help others in this educational effort. One of these resources is an on-line course that teaches about canine body language. This course is beneficial in the following ways to veterinary technologists and other staff that handle dogs:
·Knowing the subtle signs that indicate a dog is feeling anxious may prevent technologists and other staff from being bitten.
·The course will give technologists ideas about how to educate clients about dog body language and how to know when their dog may be getting to the point of biting. This may save a child in particular from a bite.
·Knowing the subtle signs that indicate a dog is feeling anxious will help staff know when to reduce or change their intervention and when to try to calm the animal before proceeding. This could result in a better outcome for the patient and reduced stress for patient, client and technologist.
The course goes from nose to tail, discussing all the body parts and how a dog uses them to communicate. It covers communication signals ranging from the subtle “half moon eye” to the very obvious “propeller tail wag” using many photos and videos to illustrate.
"I have reviewed the on-line Doggone Safe Basic Body Language course and found it both informative and easy to use. The course would be appropriate for veterinarians, technicians and lay staff that are interested in learning more about fearful dog cues, and appropriate ways to approach unknown dogs." Teresa Hershey, DVM (former president, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association)
There is a free demo of the course and a link to the registration page at http://doggonesafe.com/basic_dog_body_language.
Educating Children
Doggone Safe administers the Be a Tree dog bite prevention program that teaches children how to read dog body language and act safely around dogs. More than 700,000 children around the world have attended a Be a Tree session. The program is supported by the Be a Tree teacher kit, which contains everything required to deliver the presentation.
The key messages of the Be a Tree program are:
Be a Tree (stand still, fold in your branches, watch your roots grow and count to the highest number you know over and over in your head until help comes or the dog goes away) if a strange dog comes near, or any dog is acting too frisky or is bothering you.
Dogs communicate with body language and we can tell if they are happy and want to meet or interact with us, or they are feeling anxious and want to be left alone.
Always ask permission from your parent and the dog owner if you want to pet a dog.
Meet and pet a dog properly. Pet only happy dogs.
Respect a dog’s toys, resting place and bones.
Dogs don’t like hugs and kisses.
Don’t be afraid of dogs.
"Dog behavior is a field with more than its share of junk information, to the great detriment of dogs, their owners and the public at large. What an inspiration to see Doggone Safe do exactly the opposite: disseminate outstanding information. And, not only that, in an accessible manner to that group all of us want better to protect, children. Bravo!" Jean Donaldson Founder and Director The Academy for Dog Trainers
Veterinary Community Support for Be a Tree in Canada
The Be a Tree program is supported by the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Veterinary Technologists, other provincial and the national veterinary technician/technologist associations. Dr. Bob Bellamy, former president of the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association described the Be a Tree program as “a visual, informative, interactive and entertaining presentation that requires a minimal amount of preparation and can be delivered effortlessly” (SVMA News, August, 2007). “The Be a Tree program provides a great topic and loads of materials, making the program an ideal community outreach program which can easily be delivered by veterinarians or their staff” said Nadia Vercillo, the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association Manager of Communications and Public Relations (OVMA Focus, May 2008).
Promote Your Practice
Doggone Safe offers supplementary materials to reinforce its safety messages and promote community education. These in include a postcards, magnets, stickers, coloring books, story books and classroom posters. These materials can be branded with your logo to remind parents and children of the safety messages.
Visits to schools, boy/girl scout groups, church and other groups provide a great way to gain recognition for your practice in the community. Dr. Bob Bellamy, former president of the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association said, "Dog bite prevention seminars have had an unexpected side effect. Without a doubt, DBP presentations have yielded more new clients than any initiative attempted by our office! In the the past two years new clients have increased by 30%!!!". Read Dr Bellamys article from the SVMA News.
Other Resources
The Doggone Safe website has lots of information, articles and downloads available and encourages the distribution of these. Use or copy any of the information or articles found at the Doggone Safe website as handouts, in newsletters or at websites, with credit given to the source.
Doggone Safe also maintains a website dedicated solely to the Be a Tree program. This is a good place to send teachers or parents who want to know more about the program (www.be-a-tree.com).
More Information
For more information about Doggone Safe, the on-line body language course or to order a Be a Tree teacher kit or other products please visit www.doggonesafe.com. For more information about the Be a Tree program please visit www.be-a-tree.com.
International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge Educates 16,000 Kids
Kids Being Trees in Bermuda
Campbellville ON June 6, 2011 – Presenters around the world from non-profit Doggone Safe educated more than 16,000 children about safety around during Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 15-21, 2011). Events took place in eight countries, seven Canadian provinces and twenty six US states.
Half of all children are bitten by a dog and most of the time the biter is the family dog or another dog known to the child. Dog bites can be emotionally and physically scarring for a child and can cost the dog his life. “Dog bites are preventable and we are very proud of the efforts of all our presenters as they work hard during Dog Bite Prevention Week and all year doing community education to help reduce the risk of dog bites to children”, said Joan Orr, president and cofounder of Doggone Safe.
The “Be a Tree” program is a dog bite prevention presentation for school children. Children learn that a happy dog pants and wags his tail loosely, while an anxious dog may show a half moon of white in his eye, yawn, lick his lips or turn away. A dog that does not want to meet them has his mouth closed and may hold his tail and body stiff, or wag his tail slowly. They learn how to let a dog approach them and how to pet it safely, after asking permission. They learn to avoid dangerous situations with dogs and how to Be a Tree if a strange dog approaches them or any dog is bothering them. To Be a Tree they stop, fold their branches (hands clasped in front), watch their roots grow (look at their feet) and count their breaths in their head until help comes or the dog goes away. The Be a Tree program is fun and interactive with a goal to empower and not to frighten children.
Diane Kamitakahara, principal of Earl Grey School in Calgary Alberta said, “Thanks so much for the presentations. They were great and very well received. One of our teacher’s daughters who is in grade 1 here had an encounter with an excited pit bull at the dog park the weekend after your presentation. She did exactly like you instructed and the dog backed off and went away. Her mom was amazed.”
For more information about Doggone Safe, to become a sponsor, to book a presentation for your school or to become a presenter please visit the Doggone Safe website at www.doggonesafe.com.
About Doggone Safe
Doggone Safe is a non-profit corporation registered in Canada and Ontario, and in the US is a 501(c)(3) registered charity. Doggone Safe is dedicated to dog bite prevention through education and dog bite victim support. Doggone Safe has members from around the world. Educational programs offered by Doggone Safe are Be a Tree™ (for school-aged children), and online courses about dog body language and occupational dog bite prevention.
PSAs Produced by Big Dog 92.7
indicates holiday PSA
