<p>I’d also point out that dogs communicate and engage with us. They look us in the eye, and their eyes, nose and mouth forms a face in the same rough arrangement as human faces – so we can relate to them in a way that is kind of like we relate to people. (One of my dogs seems to be very fluent in English – I can give him complex directions to find a ball or toy and he follows them – for example, “go around behind the chair” or “look in your box”. I once won a bet with my son over whether the dog would actually follow the instructions to “go outside and find your ball and bring it back in.”) </p>
<p>So basically, no reason to be afraid of dogs because we can use our words with them. </p>
<p>In fact, that’s exactly what I’ve told my grandson. When he was about 2, I simply told him that if the dogs were bothering him he could say “NO” in a deep strong voice.</p>