Trainer teaches kids dog safety
The Daily Mail
Aug. 3, 2009

Campers with the Village of Coxsackie Summer Recreation Program ended their summer program in McQuade Park with a lesson on dog safety with dog trainer Horace Jones last week.

Jones and his team of dogs and handlers-in-training from Haile Dog Training showed the children how to greet strange dogs and protect themselves in the event they are attacked by a dog.

The dogs used in the demonstration are enrolled in Jones’ training programs and had completed a command training course. They were kept on short leashes held by handlers at all times.

Before beginning the demonstration, Jones asked that the children be mindful of the dogs.

“Dogs are living beings just like we are,” Jones said.

Jones asked Arianna Ashby to show her fellow campers how to properly greet a dog. Ashby approached one dog with her hand in a fist extended before her.

“If it sniffs your hand you gently lift your hand and flip it very slowly,” she said as she opened her fist and turned her hand over.

She told Jones that a dog’s owner should always be asked if someone wanted to pet the dog.

Jones told the children that no one should put their face up to a dog’s face. He said that even a well-trained dog or a known family pet can become excited or jump up suddenly.

Jones also taught the campers how to protect themselves if they do encounter a strange or vicious dog.

He said people should stand “like a tree” if a strange dog starts running toward them.

The children all stood up with their arms by their sides—like trees.

“Don’t look at the big, mean scary dog because if you look at the big, mean scary dog he might think that you want to fight him,” Jones said.

Jones asked the children to curl up on the ground with their hands over their necks.

Jones had his handlers lead their dogs around the line of children who were curled on the ground.

These dogs were more interested in sniffing and drooling near the children, causing the children to laugh, but, Jones said, other dogs might try to bite a person on the ground.

“We don’t want the big, mean scary dog to grab your neck or your face, so we have to make sure we cover up,” he said.

Although the day’s lesson was geared for the campers Jones conducts programs for adults and their dogs, as well.

Recently, he trained Cheerio, Gov. David A. Paterson’s Maltese.

Jones and his team finished the demonstration by showing the children how the dogs could follow commands for stopping, staying and coming on command.