A Poole-based dog trainer has launched a nationwide mission to help children and dogs live safely together and to stem the rising number of youngsters being bitten by their pets.

Debby Lucken said many families who took on a dog were unaware of the issues that could arise - from overconfident children leaving pets stressed and anxious to youngsters who were petrified of animals. Either situation could lead to the child being at risk of being bitten or attacked.

When lockdown struck last year, Debby set up a Facebook page called Kids Around Dogs to offer help in this area.

Inquiries flooded in and she is now launching the organisation officially, helping families and also educating other trainers to build a nationwide network of experts who can offer specialist help.

Debby said: “In my work I came to realise that there are a lot of families who take on dogs or puppies and they are unprepared for what that means.

“It may be that there is an over-confident child in the family or there is a child that is scared of dogs. Some families even get a dog specifically to overcome this, but the children then end up being scared in their own homes.

“Sometimes the dog is stressed and anxious, but the family are unaware of what the dog is trying to tell them.

“When I started looking into places that offered help in this area, I found there was nothing in the UK. Some charities offer advice, but there was not a single association where families or trainers could find specialist help.

“That’s what Kids Around Dogs is about. I want Kids Around Dogs to be the go-to organisation for trainers and families to get expert advice. And I want to create a network of KAD-approved trainers who people can turn to for help.”

Debby, aged 40, runs the Pocodogs dog training academy in Poole, Dorset, where she lives with her nine-year-old daughter Molly and husband Gary as well as rescue pug Wilco, aged seven, and golden retriever Winnie, three.

She qualified as a dog trainer with the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers and as a dog behaviourist with the International School of Canine Psychology and Behaviour and set up Pocodogs six years ago.

Debby has already enjoyed success with families who contacted her through the Kids Around Dogs Facebook page.

Jessica Robertshaw, aged six, was petrified of dogs and would scream and run away if she saw one. Her mum Stefanie contacted Debby for help.

Debby held a series of weekly ten-minute Zoom calls, talking to Jessica about dogs and their body language, showing her pictures of dogs and breaking down the barriers that made Jessica so afraid.

At the end of the seven weeks, Debby visited Jessica with her dog Winnie. In the first meeting Jessica was able to hold the lead and in the second she was even able to give Winnie a stroke.

Stefanie, 29, who also lives in Poole, said she was delighted with the outcome.

“It was so difficult to go out before – we couldn't go to the park or the beach,” she said. “Jessica once ran into the road to avoid a dog – I grabbed her and pulled her back. Debby helped her understand dogs’ body language and slowly she came to understand that they were not a threat. It has changed our lives.”

Another client, Sarah Kelso-Thompson, of Cheadle, near Stockport, found Debby online when she needed help with a new puppy.

With five children aged between five and 15 in the house, new pet Olive, a Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd cross, found it hard to relax.

Sarah sought Debby’s help and she and the children learned about relaxation methods and ways to focus Olive’s energy.

“Debby looked after the whole family, she has a very holistic approach,” said Sarah, 40. “Olive was 100 per cent all the time, and if she did stop, the smallest noise would make her jump up. Now she’s amazingly relaxed. She will go to sleep even when there are children in the room. It has been life-changing for us.”

The NHS has reported a steady increase in the number of hospital admissions related to dog bites. The average is now around 8,000 a year, with around 20 per cent of those being children.

Experts say the majority of child dog bite cases occur in the home and acknowledge that owners should learn to read their dog's behaviour in order to understand their feelings and needs.

For more information about Debby’s work, visit www.pocodogs.co.uk or www.kidsarounddogs.co.uk

Debby’s top five tips for children around dogs are:

1.Don’t stroke a dog on the top of his head. Do stroke the dog under his chin and on his chest.

2.Don’t scream, run, make sudden movements around dogs. Do be calm around dogs.

3.Don’t touch a dog while he’s eating. Do wait for a dog to finish his food before asking him to come to you.

4.Don’t touch a dog while he’s sleeping. Do wait for the dog to wake up naturally.

5.Don’t pull a dog’s tail, or ears and don’t poke his eyes. Do respect the dog’s space and body.