Be a Tree

A freeze game that gives your child two reliable moves around dogs — ask before you pet, and “be a tree” if a dog rushes over or gets too excited. Practise with a stuffed dog or a calm, familiar dog on a lead — never an unknown one.

Ask first — the person and the dog. Before petting any dog, ask the owner, then let the dog sniff your still, closed hand. No grabbing.
Pet gently, in the right place. Stroke the dog’s back or chest, not its face or the top of its head. Soft and slow.
Leave some dogs alone. Never bother a dog that is eating, sleeping, behind a fence, tied up, or with puppies, and never hug, climb on, or pull at a dog.
Be a Tree. This is the move for when a strange dog comes over or any dog gets too frisky: stop, fold your branches (hands folded in front), watch your roots (look down at your feet), and stay quiet like a boring old tree. Dogs lose interest in trees. Practise it as freeze-on-the-word “Tree!”
Be a Rock. If a dog ever knocks you down, curl into a ball like a rock, hands laced behind your neck, and stay still and quiet until it goes away.

Variation: play “Red Light, Be a Tree” — the child runs about, and on “Tree!” freezes into the pose. Use a puppet or stuffed dog to practise asking, sniffing, and gentle petting.

Requirements

Space: Any room or yard with space to move and freeze
Surface: Any safe surface for the freeze and the curl-up; a soft floor or grass is kindest for being a rock
Materials: A stuffed dog or dog puppet; optionally a calm, well-known dog on a lead with its owner present
Participants: One adult and one child; fun in small groups as a freeze game
Supervision: Full and constant — a young child is never left alone with any dog, including the family pet, and never practises on an unknown or loose dog

Rationale & Objective

Be a Tree builds calm, correct behaviour around dogs — one of this subdomain’s named dangers (unknown animals) — and replaces a child’s riskiest instincts (run, squeal, lunge for a hug) with two safe responses. The epidemiology is sobering and shapes the design: children aged about five to nine are the most-bitten group, most bites to young children come from a familiar dog in the child’s own home, not a stray, and they happen during ordinary, child-initiated petting and play — often to the face, because children put their faces close to dogs. So the real protection is not avoiding strange dogs; it is active adult supervision plus a few gentle habits: ask first, let the dog sniff, pet the back not the head, and leave eating, sleeping, or guarding dogs alone. The Be a Tree freeze (from the Doggone Safe program, taught to hundreds of thousands of children) works because a still, “boring” child stops triggering a dog’s chase-and-grab instinct — and be a rock protects the head and neck if the child is knocked down. A five-year-old’s impulse control is still immature, so these habits back up, but never replace, a watching adult.

Progress Indicators

Early: reaches straight for a dog’s face or hugs it on impulse; knows the words “be a tree” but still runs or squeals when a dog rushes over
Developing: asks the owner before petting most of the time and offers a hand to sniff when reminded; does the Be-a-Tree pose on cue
Proficient: consistently asks first, lets the dog sniff, pets gently on the back or chest, and accepts a “no” calmly; freezes into Be a Tree on their own when a dog gets excited
Advanced: gives eating, sleeping, or guarding dogs space without being told, reads simple leave-me-alone signals (a growl, a stiff body, walking away), and knows to be a rock if knocked down — while still expecting an adult to be present

Safety Notes

Never leave a young child alone with any dog — including a familiar family pet or a dog you have been told is gentle. This single rule overrides all the others.
Practise Be a Tree, sniffing, and petting only with a stuffed toy or a calm, well-known dog under close adult control — never on an unknown, loose, or unpredictable dog.
Stop instantly at any warning sign from the dog (stiffening, a hard stare, growling, moving away) or any refusal from the owner.
Never let a child reach through a fence, into a car or crate, or toward a tied-up dog.
If a bite ever happens, wash it with soap and water straight away and call your doctor — bites can need antibiotics, a tetanus shot, or rabies advice.

Hints

Playfulness: turn it into “Red Light, Be a Tree” — running on green, freezing into the tree pose on “Tree!” — and the stillest tree wins
Sustain interest: use a puppet or stuffed dog with a silly voice, practise greeting friends’ calm dogs (with permission), and read a dog-body-language picture book together
Common mistake: assuming a known, gentle dog is safe to leave the child with — most bites come from familiar dogs, so keep supervising, and do not practise on an excited or unfamiliar dog
No equipment: none needed — any stuffed animal is the “dog,” and the tree and rock poses work anywhere, even in a waiting room
Cross-domain: the freeze builds impulse control and body awareness, reading dog signals builds emotion-recognition, and gentle petting builds empathy and care for living things
Progression: ask first → let the dog sniff → pet the back gently → leave eating and sleeping dogs alone → Be a Tree when a dog rushes over → Be a Rock if knocked down → read simple warning signals

Sources

Doggone Safe — Be a Tree program (stop, fold your branches, watch your roots, stay quiet; be a rock if knocked down)
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) — Dog Bite Prevention (ask first; pet the back, not the face; active supervision; never leave a child alone with a dog)
American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org — Dog Bite Prevention Tips
CDC — Healthy Pets, Healthy People: Dogs (ask before petting; let the dog approach and sniff; supervise)
Patterson, K. N. et al. (2022). Pediatric dog bite injuries in the USA: a systematic review. World Journal of Pediatric Surgery
Head Start ELOF — Goal P-PMP 6 (knowledge of personal safety practices and routines)