The danger of dog bites is a largely unrecognized health concern. The number of dog bite injuries dwarfs the reported cases of mumps, measles, and whooping cough combined. Each year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs, 800,000 of them badly enough to require medical treatment. At least 60 percent of dog bites and 72 percent of fatal bites involve children. Children happen to be the most common victims of severe bites since their small size means that parts of the body (such as the face and neck) are a likely target if a dog should lunge and bite.

Knowing proper behavior, and teaching it to your children, can make encounters with friendly dogs all the more pleasurable, and it can save you and your child from injury if you should encounter a dog that is vicious.

6 Tips for Treating Dogs with Respect

Respect for dogs pays off. Of all the people who suffer a dog bite, about 70 percent are bitten by dogs they know. Children need to be taught to treat all dogs with respect:

1. Try to avoid startling any dog, even your own. If you surprise a dog that is sleeping or stumble over one, the dog may instinctively respond aggressively.

2. Respect a dog's "privacy." Teach your children not to bother a dog when it's eating, sleeping, chewing on a bone or favorite toy, or caring for puppies.

3. Teach children to treat a dog the way the dog expects to be treated. While some lap dogs are accustomed to being picked up and carried, most dogs respond poorly to being picked up––or to being dressed in doll wear.

4. Always supervise when dogs and children are playing. The overly excited dog and the overly excited child can both cause trouble for each other.

5. If a child sees a dog and would like to pet it, ask permission of the owner first. (Don't ever approach a dog that seems to have no master.) To greet the dog, show your child how to extend a fist for the dog to sniff before trying to pet it. Then pet the dog on the back rather than on the more sensitive head.

6. If a toddler or young child wants to pet a wiggling dog, kneel down behind the child and extend your fist along with hers. Your body will provide some stability so that she's not knocked over by a frisky animal.