New Study Parents Want Dog Bite Prevention Education for Children

A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics concluded that dog bite prevention knowledge is poor in children, that formal dog bite prevention education is warranted and that parents desire such education for their children.

Cinnamon A. Dixon, DO, MPH, E. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, MD, MS, Kimberly W. Hart, MA,

and Christopher J. Lindsell, PhD. 2012. Dog Bite Prevention: An Assessment of Child Knowledge. J Pediatr, 160:337-341.

Abstract:

Objectives

To determine what children know about preventing dog bites and to identify parental desires for dog bite prevention education.

Study design 

This cross-sectional study sampled 5- to 15-year-olds and their parents/guardians presenting to a pediatric emergency department with nonurgent complaints or dog bites. The parent/guardian-child pairs completed surveys and knowledge-based simulated scenario tests developed on the basis of American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dog bite prevention recommendations. Regression analyses modeled knowledge test scores and probability of passing; a passing score was $11 of 14 questions.

Results 

Of 300 parent/guardian-child pairs, 43% of children failed the knowledge test. Older children had higher odds of passing the knowledge test than younger children, as did children with white parents vs those with  nonwhite parents. No associations were found between knowledge scores and other sociodemographic or  experiential factors. More than 70% of children had never received dog bite prevention education, although 88% of parents desired it.

Conclusions 

Dog bites are preventable injures that disproportionately affect children. Dog bite prevention knowledge in our sample was poor, particularly among younger children and children with nonwhite parents. Formal dog  bite prevention education is warranted and welcomed by a majority of parents.

Excerpts:

"Consequences of dog bite injuries can be temporary or lasting and include pain, disfigurement, infection, time lost from school or employment, fear, and anxiety. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistical data, there were >30 000 reconstructive procedures performed for dog bite injuries in 2009. Infections due to bacterial pathogens have long been described in dog bite wounds and are estimated to occur in approximately 16% of cases.8 A United Nations Children’s Fund–Alliance for Safe Children study reported animal bites to children as the number 2 cause for seeking medical care or time lost from school and work. Evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder 1 month after injury has been seen in over half of children who have been bitten by a dog.

These injuries place a significant financial strain on the US medical system. The annual cost for dog bites is estimated at $120 million for emergency services alone, of which children and adolescents account for >50% and government sources pay more than a quarter of the sums. Combining direct and indirect medical expenditures, dog bites cost nearly $250 million each year."

"Despite alarming injury statistics, children aged 5-15 in our sample population often lacked the knowledge to minimize the risk of dog bites and few had received formal dog bite prevention education. In this study, younger children and children with nonwhite parents had a greater knowledge deficit than did older children and children with white parents. We conclude that this may place younger children and those with nonwhite parents at greater risk of dog bites. The vast majority of parents in our study recognized the need for dog bite prevention education and indicated health care settings as appropriate venues for providing it. Our findings reinforce that dog bite prevention education should be included in injury prevention discussions with children and parents. Further research on this topic will be helpful in addressing this problem and discovering other strategies and interventions to reduce dog bite injuries and outcomes in children."

Read the complete paper

posted with permission from the publisher

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Is Your Dog Always Running Away

If youre experiencing issues with your dog always running away, there are numerous things to look at first. In this article I hope to first direct you towards things you can change and be sure you are doing, then hopefully direct you towards a way to keep your dog from needing to escape in the first place. Dogs escape for a few reasons, lets look at those first.

Dogs, like us, get bored. The difference is we can call up a friend and go out in the town or go shopping, fishing, or what ever it is we all like to do. Dogs are usually found stuck at home. Put your self in their shoes. If you were stuck at home ALL the time, wouldnt you look for ways to escape too? Now even if you were stuck at home all the time, you would still be able to watch TV, read a book, play on the computer, clean the house, and lots of other things. We can even eat when we want to eat. Dogs on the other hand are usually left with nothing to occupy them at all. Take away all the things you can do and think about how awfully bored you would be!

Dogs also have a lot of energy. They need ways to burn this energy. If youre not giving this to them, then yes, they are going to look for a way to do this themselves. Running away is usually what they come up with, only its a lot of fun because they arent having to pull their owner along behind them on a leash trying to go and do what they want. They can simply just go!

Not only do dogs have a lot of energy, they also have a mind. Their mind also needs a way to be stimulated. Think about a slow day at work and your just sitting there watching the clock. Arent you bored out of your mind? Dogs get this way too! Do something with them, anything! Play a game, training, tricks, interactive toys, anything to get them thinking! Save them from being bored out of their mind! If you dont, once again they will look for a way to save themselves, usually ending up in trouble or running away.

Dogs need to get out of the house! Dont let them be locked up at the house ALL the time. Even if they are outside. Take them with you on errands, take them for a walk where they can go up to people and see others. Let them sniff the trees and go on an adventure! Schedule play dates with other dogs, if they like other dogs, or with kids if they like kids and you know some. Take them to the park if they are allowed. Sign up for some classes you can take them too. Getting them out will help prevent them from the need of running away.

Now, if you have done all the above and your dog is still running away, then perhaps he has a special place or thing he likes to do when he is out. Perhaps you should try to play detective and see if you can follow him. Maybe he goes to a certain persons house every day that has kids, lets him in, gives him left overs and loves on him all day before sending him back home. Maybe hes met a certain dog that he just loves to play with. If you are able to follow him and see where he is going, and you find that this is the case, you can try to set up a time with that person, or the owner of the dog, to have your dog come over and play.

Your dog could also just know of some great places to get food. Lots of restaurants tend to put food out in the dumpsters and such, perhaps hes found a great one with a lot of food to eat. See if you can find out where your dog is going, what hes doing there, and if there is anything you can do in your time with him to provide the same thing. He obviously loves this activity so much he escapes the yard to do it! Youll find a lot of dogs who escape tend to have a routine they do. Find out what that routine is.


Once you have looked into fulfilling all of your dogs needs, now you can look into ways to go about training your dog to stay in the yard. There are many things out there that can help. I am a huge fan of Don Sullivans Secrets to Training the Perfect Dog [DVD]. His system is awesome and I recommend it to everyone all the time. If your all about clicker training and positive reinforcement, this video is NOT for you. If treats and clicker isnt working in all aspects for you, if your dog is still pulling on leash, having ANY aggressive behavior, has separation anxiety, stealing food from table or kids hands, check out this video.

Don also has an amazing guide on boundary training to teach your dog how to stay in the yard! He even shows you how to take this training with you where ever you go, teach your dog to stay off the road, teach your dog to stay in your camp ground, and so much more! Don is an amazing trainer and its very obvious in his full packed DVD set. He teaches you how to get your dog off leash and reliable, and to come no matter what! His methods work fast too.

I know I kind of went off on this, but I absolutely love his system. I have it myself, I watch the videos all the time and learn more and more from them. I have used his methods in my training and have an excellent results. Check it out, it will be well worth the money!

If your looking for something else, check out the PetSafe Wireless Pet Containment System, PIF-300. I know a few people who have this and they have all had great luck with it. Its really easy to use, just plug it in. You should follow the training guide and such as well to be sure your dog knows where the boundary is. The training will also help you to eventually be able to take the collar off the dog and have them stay home. You can even take it camping with you and your dog will stay in the camping grounds. It lets you adjust how big of a circle they have to stay in, so it can be a very useful tool to use.

Hopefully I gave you some good tips and such and I highly recommend looking into both of those! I think with either youll be happy and your dog will be staying home in a short amount of time. No more worrying about them getting hit by a car.

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The Great Doggone Crazy! Give Away

To celebrate our announcement of the International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge for 2012, Doggone Safe will donate 2 cases of 6 Doggone Crazy! board games to the first 10 animal shelters, rescues, humane societies or other non-profit organizations dedicated to animal or child welfare who write on our Facebook wall making this request. Just write that you want Doggone Crazy! games and include a link to your site so that we can see that you are a charity or registered non-profit organization in Canada or the US.

You can sell these to raise funds, donate them to local schools or use them in your own programs.

Click here to visit our Facebook Wall

Click here to purchase the game from the Doggone Safe store if you do not qualify for the give-away. Makes a great Christmas gift!

If you havent heard of the The Doggone Crazy! board game, here is a video to show how it works:

Here are some testimonials about the game:

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

Doggone Crazy is a fun game that teaches children how to interpret the body language and expressions of dogs. I gave the game to my grandchildren and they enjoyed it immensely. The oldest taught the dog signals and appropriate responses to her younger brothers and then proceeded to instruct her parents as well. I think that this is a wonderful contribution toward understanding dogs better and keeping kids safer.- Stanley Coren, Author of "The Intelligence of Dogs", "How to Speak Dog" and "How Dogs Think."

Doggone Crazy! is a great game and an important tool for dog bite prevention education. I will support it any way I can  Dr. Clayton MacKay - Veterinarian - Former president of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association; Former president of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario; Former president of the American Animal Hospital Association

A must-have gift...- Melanie Deveaux - Host of Windsor Now CKLW AM 800

Everyone should go out now and buy Doggone Crazy! for their kids - Keiley Abbat - Host of Canine Companions - CHML AM 900 Radio - Hamilton ON

Its a great game! - Jack Dyson - Retired Vice President - Irwin Toys

The described and/or pictured dog postures, movement patterns and specific situations do an excellent job of teaching the child what to look for, what to avoid, and most importantly how to defuse a possibly dangerous situation. I recommend it highly without reservation.    Dr. Ed Bailey, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Animal Behavior University of Guelph

My grade 3 class experienced the Doggone Crazy! game first hand. They were absolutely enthused about it. The game taught them responsible behaviour to not only reduce  the chances of their being bitten, but also, it showed them how to enhance the relationship they have with their dog. I hope other children will get the chance to learn about canine safety in an interactive way by playing Doggone Crazy!    Kristina Brcic - Milton ON - Grade 3 teacher

This game should be in every school.  Retired Superindendent of Curriculum - Halton Catholic School Board

The kids are having a lot of fun with it.  Debbie Boycott - Brookville ON - Grade 2 teacher

The game is very educational and my family enjoyed playing it.   Dr. Ross Dawson -Milton ON - Veterinarian

[I] really enjoyed it (so did my niece - who played it a lot!) Dr. Sue Kilborn - Veterinarian - Ottawa ON

It was lots of fun. Christine - Age 9

My grandchildren love this game. They play it all the time. Jackie Rosart - Grandmother - Burlington ON

I think this is a great site and a great game and it is amazing that you made this game. Leanna - Age 12

I played your game and it is so cool. I think that all kids should play it to learn about what their dog is thinking. Ashley and Nicky - age 9 and 11

Since writing this book, I have been referred to many Dog Bite Prevention programs  and I must say with all honesty that I think your site and the idea of a board game to teach kids the importance of dog safety could be one of the most effective programs Ive seen. Karen Delise - Author of Fatal Dog Attacks (www.fataldogattacks.com)

I want it for Christmas. Cam - Age 8

Doggone Crazy! is an excellent game and a significant contribution to the future welfare of the dog industry . Dr. Don McKeown - Cofounder - Professional Animal Behaviour Associates - London ON

I have to tell you that your Doggone Crazy game was one of the highlights of our holidays. The girls opened a couple of things on Christmas Eve and one of them was a joint gift of Dog Gone Crazy. We played that night with their grandmother, which was a perfect inclusive and involving game to play, during that anxious evening before the big day. Since being back in Toronto, the kids have played many times and we have played as a family. We are a family who loves to play games. So, we may not have been a big part of your holidays, but you have been a big part of ours! Susan Bishop - mother - Toronto ON

The kids were thrilled to come and tell me that they did a tree on the beach and made a strange dog go away. Cathy Vanderheyden - mother - Atlanta GA

My grandchildren have insisted on playing Doggone Crazy! every day since I gave it to them as a birthday present. Barb Cooper - grandmother - Campbellville ON

The kids opened the package when they came home from summer camp yesterday.  It was in perfect condition.  They loved it!  They immediately played a game before they would even considerstarting to unpack their suitcases.  Then they spent most of the evening telling me all about what to do when an aggressive dog approaches (something about a tree) and about what Fiji is thinking at that moment based on her expressions.  Good stuff. Henry Raud - father - Pickering ON

We finally had a calm evening together last night where we were able to play it and we had a blast.Beth Wheeler - mother - Marblehead MA

Doggone Crazy! is an excellent game and a significant contribution to the future welfare of the dog industry. Dr. Don McKeown - Cofounder - Professional Animal Behaviour Associates

My grandchildren love this game. They play it all the time. - Jackie Rosart - 

Grandmother

I love your game! Its the best...my dad, my mom, my sister and I played. We all loved playing your game. It taught me a lot about dogs and how to act around them. Rachel - Age 10

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 Clickertraining

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“Your Dog Doesn’t Love You” and Other Soundbites

#AFO2014

Hi Mia,

Last week I had the pleasure of traveling to Olomouc — which I learned to pronounce like ‘all um oats’ — the 6th largest city in the Czech Republic. I was there to participate in Academia Film Olomouc (#AFO2014, Trailer, Twitter/Facebook), an international science film and science communication conference in its 49th year! AFO blew me away and left me wanting it to be 2015 so I could go back already!

AFO featured science communication galore with international and short documentaries as well as panels and talks between scientists, government and the general public. I arrived and immediately caught a great panel on What is Science Communication with Jack Lewis (Twitter), Karl Byrne (Twitter), and Jennifer Gardy (Twitter) -- who has the most entertaining website I’ve ever seen.

Film awards went to More Than Honey, a story about decimated bee colonies and its implications, Monthlies, a coming of age story about teen girls facing a “new period” of their lives (menstruation), and a number of other films. I am now obsessed with the Canadian program The Nature of Things, and I recommend that everyone check out two of their episodes: Lights Out!, exploring how the type of light we are exposed to at night can cancel the benefits naturally triggered by the absence of light, and Wild Canada, featuring wildlife photography at its best (with bears doing bear-things that only a mindful photographer could capture).

I gave a presentation following a screening of the 2010 Horizon program, The Secret Life of the Dog (online here). I think this was one of the first programs to look at the growing field of canine science, and since then many other programs have covered the many studies in our field (like the NOVA special that aired recently, Dogs and Super Senses).

In the presentation, I cautioned that media outlets often oversimplify canine research findings. Instead of reporting, “This is what the research found,” the media often puts a spin on the findings that doesn’t necessarily follow from the research itself. I gave an example of this oversimplification and mis-selling of research over at Dog Spies in the post, ’Don’t Sell Your Dog Short.’

You and I often have this conversation because at Do You Believe in Dog? we try to walk the line between simplifying research, but not oversimplifying or misrepresenting. What concerns me the most about media oversimplification, is that the conclusions they draw tend to reify stereotypes about dogs, and it’s almost as if the research were never done.

The comic Science News Cycle (via PhD comics) that you shared with me is a great example of what were talking about. It shows how research findings can gets twisted and convoluted through the process of translation and dissemination. In the comic, the researcher finds that, “A is correlated with B, given C, assuming D and under E conditions.” These findings are then interpreted by the media and news organizations, and ultimately the researchers grandma in the cartoon ends up wearing a particular hat to “ward off” A. The takeaway: research translation can spiral out of control, and the resulting "content" might have no bearing on the research itself. Not good!

(PhD Comics, Copyright Jorge Cham)

I’m looking forward to hearing from our next guest blogger later this week who will present her new study on a highly contentious topic that is often oversimplified by the media. What could it be??? ;)

Till later!

Julie

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Tip of the Day Teach Kids to Be a Tree So a Dog Goes Away

Dogs are stimulated by movement and noise and children are known for their movement and noise! Still, it is possible to work toward and achieve positive and comfortable relationships between dogs and kids.

One of the most valuable skills that children can learn is to stand still and “Be a Tree” if a strange dog comes near them, or if a dog is bothering them or becoming too frisky (even their own dog).

Here is how to Be a Tree:

1. Stop
2. Fold in your branches (hand folded in front)
3. Watch your roots grow (look at your feet)
4. Count your breaths in your head until help comes or the dog goes away

"Trees" are boring to the dog and the dog will just sniff and then go away. No matter what the dog does, just stand still, avoid eye contact (by looking at your feet) and stay quiet.

You may have heard of other versions of being a tree involving moving hands up under the chin or under the arm pits and/or looking at the sky. We have done experiments and have consulted with many experts and have concluded that the Doggone Safe way to Be a Tree is the safest and easiest for kids to actually do. For more information on the reasons for this please click here.

Here is a video that shows how this works. (Please note that other videos that YouTube might display after these videos are chosen by them and may not be related to us or our messages in any way)

And another one. Notice that as soon as the person stops moving the dog loses interest. Please note that this video is for illustration purposes to demonstrate how well being a tree works with a frisky dog (using a teenager and a well trained dog). This is NOT a safe game for a child to play with a dog. If your dog gets too frisky and overly aroused, the kids should Be a Tree and then you should intervene and redirect the dog to another activity where he is no longer around the children.

Practice, practice, practice

It is not enough just to tell your kids about this, they need to practice it in a low stress environment to have the best chance of being able to do it under real life conditions if a dog threatens them. One way to practice is to play the Doggone Crazy! board game. Another way is to play role playing games where everyone takes tuns pretending to be a dog and the others practice being trees when the dog comes near them. You can also practice this with a stuffed dog. If you have a puppy or a small dog, you may be able to play with the real dog. Every one moves around and when the dog comes up to them they assume the tree position. The adult says the dogs name before he gets to the child and gives the dog a treat (or better still, clicks and gives the dog a treat). This way the  dog is rewarded for keeping all his feet on the ground around the kids. He will soon learn that when the kids do the tree that no-one is going to move or play with him anymore and he will see this as a cue to stop chasing or trying to play.

With a larger dog or a very frisky dog, start with the dog on a leash. Approach one of the kids in the game, the child will be a tree and you will say the dogs name, ask him to sit and give him a treat. Repeat until the dog automatically looks at you and sits when he sees a kid being a tree. Keep things calm with the kids. It is not a good idea for them to run around and get the dog all riled up.

It Works!

Here are some testimonials from people who have found being a tree to work in a real life situation with their kids:

Jake jumped back (the dog followed barking) and Jake snapped into the Tree pose so fast I thought Id seen him turn to stone. I couldnt believe he actually thought to do it - it had been over a year since weve had time to play Doggone Crazy. The dog immediately stopped barking, jumped back into his blankie and further trouble was thus averted. Beth Wheeler, Marblehead MA

One day my [4 year old] son was outside playing, those dogs were in their house, I was standing in our doorway watching Thomas play. Suddenly the back door to the house behind us opened and out flew the dogs. The male spotted Thomas immediately and charged him, clearing the fence easily, Thomas saw this and began to run for me. I yelled immediately for him to STOP and stand like a "tree". Thankfully Thomas did both, for the dog stopped, looked around and then headed back over the fence to his own yard. Another call went out to animal control, and a big hug to my son. Kerry McDonald, Pembroke ON

As an Animal Behaviourist who has testified in numerous court cases as a designated "expert" witness in the field of canine aggression in Ontario, I came accross some information relevant to Doggone Safe when reviewing material for a recent case. The parents of a young child credited this program with saving their [3 year old] daughters life when she was confronted by a large, aggressive acting dog. According to them, had they not taught her the principles outlined in the Be a Tree program, the results of their daughters incident with this dog could have been disastrous. This account should tell you everything you need to know about the efficacy of Doggone Safe. Kerry Vinson, Animal Behaviour Consultant, Roseneath ON

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Hours Away! Steve White and Nicola Rooney Inaugural Working Dog Alliance Conference

 

Hi Mia,
This is clearly not an announcement for you. Instead, it is an internet broadcast that the first Working Dog Alliance Australia Conference is almost here, Nov. 4-5 in Sydney!

You and many others have put months into this initiative, and tomorrow (or your today!) people involved in every aspect of working dogs will come together to share ideas, network and learn! Attendees to include working dog breeders, trainers, handlers, veterinarians, facility managers, research scientists, advocacy groups and government representatives.

I want to make sure everyone knows what’s happening, and how they can follow along!

Conference dates: November 4-5, 2013 Australia time ;)

Conference Twitter Hashtag:  #workdogs13  
Twitter hashtags are awesome because anyone can follow along with the conference, even if you aren’t on twitter! Hear that, mom? ;) 

Conference Program: Click here  

What Should People Expect at the Conference? 

If I didn’t have to go watch the New York City Marathon I would profile each of the excellent conference speakers, but I have to go watch people mash their feet up, I mean, do an awesome job running so many miles!!  

Heres a taste of what people can expect from the keynote speakers at the inaugural Working Dog Alliance Australia Conference: 

KEYNOTE
Welfare of working dogs and its impact on performance: research so far
Nicola Rooney, University of Bristol, UK

Rooney has a PhD in dog behavior (I’ve read her work on play behavior many times) and for the past 14 years she has headed a team studying working dogs (see her bio for specific areas they’ve covered). So many factors can affect working dog performance, and welfare -- defined and measured -- can play a huge part. 

(Source: Rooney)

Border Patrol Dogs Need to Sniff: Here in the States, the Penn Vet Working Dog Center also prioritizes welfare in terms of performance. They list dehydration as a common hazard for working dogs. A recent (and ongoing) study with the Sarita Texas checkpoint Border Patrol agents examines the effect of different hydration strategies on dogs working in hot and humid conditions. The Sarita checkpoint averages 95°F in July with around 84% humidity. Eep!

They are examining different hydration strategies like water delivered orally, an electrolyte solution delivered orally and a subcutaneous electrolyte solution. No data released yet on which fluid best impacted parameters like core body temperature, search behavior and activity and looking forward to more! Maybe this will come up at the conference? Penn Vet Study details here.

KEYNOTE
Your dog ain’t so special
Steve White, ProActive K9 & Seattle Police Canine Unit USA
 

White and McConnell Seminar

Excellent title. Steve White covers a lot of ground, from working dogs to companion dogs (he recently gave a seminar with Patricia McConnell in Chicago). Steve is a Military Police Working Dog Handler, has presided over the Seattle Police Canine Unit, and is a consultant for K9 academies around the world. His hands-on work is a big deal. 

Here is Steve in action, combining clicker training and scent work and discussing the 8 rules of Punishment.





Enjoy the conference everyone!

Julie

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International Dog Bite Prevention Challenge Expanded for 2013

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

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Doggone Crazy! Board Game Give Away

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.

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