Dog Bite Prevention for Children and Families

We represent people after a dog has bitten them, so it may seem odd to spend a page on prevention. It is not: the injuries we see in children are frequently the ones that were most avoidable, and the circumstances are remarkably consistent.

What is different about children

Children are not small adults in this context.

They are bitten by dogs they know. Family dogs, relatives’ dogs, friends’ dogs. The stranger-dog-in-the-street scenario is the one people prepare for and not the one that usually happens.

They are bitten on the face and head. A consequence of height and of how children approach dogs — face to face, at eye level, leaning in. The same bite that would catch an adult on the forearm catches a child on the cheek.

They miss the warning. Dogs signal discomfort long before they bite — stiffening, freezing, turning away, lip-licking, showing the whites of the eyes, a tucked tail. Adults often miss these. Children almost always do.

What actually reduces risk

Supervise properly, which is not the same as being present. Most incidents happen with an adult in the room. Supervision means watching the interaction, not being nearby while looking at something else.

Teach the dog’s signals, not just the rules. “Be gentle” is less useful than “when a dog goes stiff or turns away, that means leave it alone.” Children can learn this young, and it generalises to every dog they will ever meet.

Protect the dog’s space. Most family-dog bites happen around resources and rest — eating, sleeping, a favourite spot, a toy, or when the dog is cornered or unwell. A dog that can always leave a situation rarely has to escalate.

Ask before approaching any dog, and then let the dog approach rather than reaching. A dog that does not come forward has answered.

Do not leave a young child alone with any dog. Not a breed rule. Any dog.

What does not reduce risk

Choosing by breed. This is worth being direct about, because the belief is widespread and it actively misleads people.

Florida law now agrees: since October 1, 2023 no local government may regulate dogs by breed, weight, or size, and dangerousness is assessed by what an individual animal has done. The predictors of a serious bite are whether the dog is restrained, supervised, socialised, secured and well — not what it looks like.

The practical harm of breed-based thinking is that it teaches a family that their dog is the safe one. That assumption is present in a great many of the cases we see.

Assuming a dog that has never bitten will not bite. Almost every dog that bites had never bitten before. Florida’s statute reflects this — an owner is liable regardless of a dog’s prior history, precisely because a clean record predicts nothing.

For visitors and guests

If your child is going somewhere with a dog, it is entirely reasonable to ask how the dog is with children and whether it will be separated. Most owners take that well. An owner who does not is telling you something.

If a child is bitten

Get medical attention, and go even if it looks minor — facial wounds and hand wounds in children warrant proper assessment, and infection is the common complication.

Then: the first 24 hours.

One thing specific to children under Florida law worth knowing: the “Bad Dog” sign defense does not apply to a child under six, whatever was posted.