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S.A.F.E.:
An easy to understand child development chart showing how children interact with dogs at different ages.

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S.A.F.E
Developmental activity chart

Children pass through a variety of developmental stages. Understanding how a child learns is a key feature of Meeting Milo. We gear our information and resources to be age specific.

Parents benefit by knowing what they should and should not teach their child at a given age. However, we also understand that children develop at different rates. Some children may be capable of more advanced tasks, while other children may need to focus on foundation work for a little longer.
Lesson
Age
Dog Lessons
Parallel Example
Safety
Birth
to age 3
 Children need to be kept safe and the entire responsibility is on parents and guardians. Focus on education should be towards parents so they understand that children and dogs must be supervised at all times. A child of this age would not cross the street by themselves. It is up to the parent to take the child across and go with the child. The child is not left alone.
Automatic Response
Age
3 to 6
 Children learn automatic responses to all dogs, including their own. Always ask permission, let a dog approach, move slowly and so on. There is a split focus on educating both the parents and the children. Children need to learn methods, such as TREAT, and learn to do them consistently. Parents need to learn to avoid showing children potentially dangerous things, and should model appropriate behavior. Children need to know that patting a dog on the head is not done, and need to have clear messages from educators and from role models. Children still require constant supervision. The focus of programs at this age is the creation of clear guidelines to teach a child how to act. Child is given rules and assistance when crossing a road. Crossing guards help at busy areas. Parents of the younger end walk children across the road. Older end of this age, children learn to look both ways before crossing the road - still under supervision.
Foundation
Age
6 to 11
 Children are able to participate in more care and foundation work. The previous rules still are in effect, but the child is given more responsibility. They still require a parent or guardian to give permission before petting a dog. They can begin doing more of the care, and should be taught that dogs require care to thrive. Children are encouraged to promote the wellbeing of pets. Responsibility and understanding the position of others are the core areas. A child of this age should still look both ways before crossing the road. They should use crossing guards and parents when available. As they get to the older end of the spectrum, they learn to help others. They take a younger sibling's hand as they cross. As they prepare an after school snack, they make one for the younger sibling too.
Expertise
Age
11 onwards
 Each child is different in this group. Some children have a difficult time with complex reasoning, and never seem to develop it. Other children are well versed at abstract thinking and complexities. Depending on the mental maturity, children can often begin to assimilate training exercises with safe body postures and the understanding that all dogs are different. Children need to understand that just because their family pet tolerates something - other dogs may not. With some children, this expertise develops into specialized training ability, and possibly a career in animal care - all built on a foundation of safety protocol and care. At this age, a child may become part of the school's crossing guard program and assist at some intersections - children that have demonstrated sufficient mental maturity.

Unless otherwise specified, all content is copyright © 2005 Meeting Milo. Meeting Milo™ and the T.R.E.A.T™ acronym are trademarks of Meeting Milo.
IMPORTANT: Any interaction between adults or children and dogs is potentially dangerous. Click for our Safety Message
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