Dog bites are a problem everywhere:

The Blue Dog.

Each year as many as 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs. Nearly one in five – about 885,000 people – suffer injuries severe enough to require medical attention, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among children, the rate of dog-bite related injuries is highest for those ages 5-9.

[Via : Dog Bites Research: UAB Testing Software to Teach Kids, Dogs to Interact Safely.]

I’ve seen kids rush up to dogs, reach over them, thrust their hands straight into a dog’s face. When I help kids get to know our two small dogs I try to teach the child to let the dog sniff their hand first, then pat the dog on the back. They don’t always learn this in the few seconds of our meeting on the street or in the park though.

Now researchers are testing whether a computer game can help teach kids:

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are hoping to save some little fingers by testing an educational computer game geared toward preventing dog bites in children. Called “The Blue Dog,” the game uses visual cues to teach young ones to recognize the warning signs associated with annoyed or aggressive dogs.

Schwebel and graduate student Aaron Davis have been meeting with kids ages 3 1/2 to 6 for the past several weeks, evaluating the risks they’re willing to take with a real dog after using the program. “It’s obvious the ones who’ve played the game because they make better choices,” Davis explains. “They’re more likely to tell their parents about what’s happening, or leave the room.”

[Via : Can a Computer Game Prevent Dog Bites? | Amazing | News | PEOPLE Pets.]

The software itself comes from The Blue Dog Trust in the UK. The goals of the project are to help teach the principles of dog bite prevention to 3 to 6 year old children and their parents.

In my opinion, any education programme that can help prevent dog bites is a good thing.