(HealthDay News) -- Although often labeled man's best friend, a dog's instinct may tell him to bite to protect himself around those he doesn't know -- especially excitable children.
Here are a few tips from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to keep your children from provoking dogs:
- Stay away from dogs you don't know. Children should never run up to pet a strange dog, no matter how friendly it looks.
- Never approach any dog -- even a dog you know -- who is eating, sleeping, or with its puppies.
- Do not run and scream around a dog.
- Be still if an unfamiliar dog approaches you, and let it sniff you and see you before you try to walk away.
- If a child is playing with a dog, make sure an adult is around to supervise.
