[Judi W]

I'm going to put in a very important thing here. When I said the respect must be two sided, that means you do need to realize that dogs can and many do enjoy interacting with children (not all dogs are "kid" dogs) but..... (this is a big but) they are not a child's toy. Hugs are out. They are not welcomed by dogs. Although many dogs accept hugs, they still do not like it and anything like an extended hug is truly offensive to them. When you teach your daughter to be kind to the dog, you need to teach her what to do that the dog considers kind. A gentle pat on the head will suffice. One of the reasons for children being bitten is that they too often get in the dog's face and that is exactly where they are when hugging. Hug your momma, hug your poppa, hug your teddy, but do not hug the dog. Signs of affection must be mutually satisfying. For a dog, a simple pat on the head and the words "good dog" can mean the world. A hug is uncomfortable for them and not received as affection but rather insult. There are many things a dog must accept that they certainly would rather not, however if it is supposed to be affectionate, it should be viewed by the dog as such. As I said, children do not have the status to enforce hateful things upon a dog and should not attempt to do so.

You must please teach your child that there are certain times when the dog should not be bothered and also that the dog is not a toy. Her interactions with the dog should be things that the dog enjoys or the dog will hate to see her coming and you will be in the soup as far as a happy family is concerned.