Pit bull bites off N.Y. 5-year-old's genitals

[KurtNYC]

68. I think in general dogs, like most animals, are very good at reading energy

Dogs can smell aggression and they are keen to perceive nuances of body language. They react quickly in the moment and sometimes the damage done has to do with how fast the other party reacts and protects itself.

I trust my dogs with all children and most other dogs BUT I am still wary and alert to what could happen. Many kids walk around with food in their hand and they can look like they are offering it. Then you have well-meaning people who want your dog to get very excited -- they talk in the high voice, widen their eyes, etc. but expect you to control your dog completely no matter what they have just done to get it hyped up and potentially out of control. Many people want to feed your dog a treat and it is a bad idea IMHO. Every time you feed a dog you are training it to repeat whatever it did in the 5 to 10 seconds leading up to the treat. So for those who want to see your dog go crazy, they are training your dog to go crazy.