Warning as ‘hyper’ dogs are a danger to your children on Christmas – here’s how to tell if your pet is about to attack

“HYPER” dogs can be a danger to your children on Christmas, a pet expert has revealed.

Dog behaviourist Nanci Creedon has revealed how to keep your family safe this festive season over fears there could be a spike in maulings.

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Just this year, dog attacks in England have surged up to 22%.

According to latest police figures released under FOI, there were 11,373 dog attacks between July 2021 and June 2022.

In the same period the following year, there were 13,940 attacks reported.

And Ms Creedon revealed the number one risk of attacks at home is when dogs and children become “hyper” together as they get excited on Christmas Day.

She explained: “It is household specific because some homes might not change at all at Christmas while others are chaos. 

“It's something I’m finding more and more especially with newer dog owners. People are just missing the obvious – which is that hyper kids make dogs hyper. 

“Hyper dogs are more likely to do silly things like put their teeth onto humans in the same way that hyper kids are more likely to push their little brother over. 

“It baffles me that so many parents and dog owners are oblivious to this fact. 

“It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the dog – doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the kids. 

“The two things together can end in tears so they should be separated.”

Nanci believes hyper kids playing with dogs over the festive season is a “recipe for disaster”.

She explained: “This is how many dog bites do happen and then the owners think it's something that has happened out of the blue. 

“Whereas in reality, it was inevitable. There are other things that we can set them off.

“There’s a change of routine for the dogs but also we don’t really know how they feel about all the Christmas lights and all the extra electricity running through the home.

“These things can make dogs feel anxious and vulnerable – and when dogs feel more vulnerable they're more likely to bite.”

HOW TO STAY SAFE

Nanci also offered some advice for pet owners on how to distract and calm a dog by reflecting canine body language.

She continued: “I often tell people to walk backward slowly, do exaggerated yawns, lots of excessive heavy blinking and do head turns – slowly turn your head away from them and back to the dog and so forth.

“You’ll often see dogs doing these things to each other. These are dog body language signals for ‘I don’t want to fight’.

“Another thing that works is using a tone of voice that moves downwards.

“If your voice continues to rise throughout a sentence it will excite the dog. When your tone of voice moves downward it will often calm a dog.”

It comes as XL BUlly dog owners have just two weeks to ensure their dogs are legal – or face having them seized.

From December 31 the hounds must be microchipped, muzzled and kept on a lead in public and it will be illegal to breed, sell or abandon them.

Advertising, gifting and exchanging the mutts will also be outlawed and they must be kept in a secure place to prevent escape, the Government says.

Owners have been reminded that they can ask a vet to euthanize their pets and claim £200 compensation.

This has to be done at a registered vet by January 31, 2024, and to get compensation you must apply by March 15.

If you want to keep your Bully after the ban, you must apply for a Certificate of Exemption which will cost £92.40.