At Parker’s Canine Training, we are proud to deliver Kids Around Dogs accredited school talks that help children build respectful, safe relationships with dogs — both at home and in their wider communities.

Every year, thousands of children experience bites from dogs. Many of these incidents are preventable and occur because children simply haven’t been taught how to understand a dog’s communication or when a dog might need space. According to NHS data, children aged between 4 and 11 are consistently one of the highest-risk groups for dog-related injuries. In Wales, hospital admissions for dog bites have seen a concerning rise, particularly in young children. These are not “dangerous dogs” — these are family dogs, neighbours’ dogs, dogs in parks, or dogs that children see every day.

Our goal is prevention through education. Our School Talk Programme empowers children to become confident, compassionate, and safety-savvy around dogs. Through two engaging visits per academic year, we teach vital life skills in a warm, memorable, and age-appropriate way.

How the Programme Works:

Visit 1 – Without the Dog: We introduce children to the foundations of safe dog interaction. We explore how dogs communicate, where it’s safe to stroke a dog, when to leave dogs alone, and how to read basic body language signs like yawning, turning away, lip licking, or freezing. For younger groups, this is delivered through stories, games, and interactive visuals. Older children explore real-world scenarios and begin to reflect on responsibility and consent in animal interactions.

Visit 2 – With the Dog: During our second visit, we bring along a specially assessed, child-safe dog. Children practise what they’ve learned in a controlled, calm, and supported environment. They observe body language in real time, practise gentle greetings, and build confidence in how to behave respectfully around dogs.

Each year group receives developmentally appropriate content:

Foundation and Key Stage 1: Story-led sessions and guided group games. Children learn through rhythm, rhyme, and storytelling, using fun characters to reinforce learning.

Key Stage 2: The stories begin to fade out and are replaced by hands-on learning, critical thinking discussions, and creative tasks like making posters or building “safe greeting” charts.

Year 6 and Transition Years: We begin linking emotional intelligence, autonomy, and empathy into wider citizenship lessons — helping children carry these values into adolescence and adulthood.

Why It Matters:

In a world where digital connection is ever-growing, real-life emotional understanding is more vital than ever. Teaching children to respect another species, to interpret non-verbal communication, and to respond kindly and appropriately are not just dog-safety skills — they’re life skills. They help shape how children treat their peers, their families, and eventually, the world around them.

Our school talks aren’t just about preventing bites — they’re about nurturing empathy, autonomy, and a lifetime of safe, compassionate choices.

Dogs in Schools: Creating Safe, Supportive Spaces for Canine Companions

With more schools recognising the emotional, social, and educational benefits of having a dog onsite, it’s never been more important to ensure that these partnerships are safe, ethical, and supportive — for both the children and the dog.

At Parker’s Canine Training, we offer Kids Around Dogs (KAD) accredited support to schools considering welcoming a dog into their environment. Whether you already have a dog onsite or are at the beginning stages of planning, our Dogs in Schools service ensures that everything is in place for a successful and welfare-focused setup.

We help schools create a structure that prioritises everyone’s wellbeing — from the pupils to the dog, to the staff responsible for them.

What We Offer:

Professional Dog Suitability Assessment:

We carry out a thorough assessment of the dog to ensure they are suited to a school environment. This includes temperament observation, comfort around children, coping thresholds, and signs of stress. Our assessments are always dog-centred — the dog’s welfare comes first.

Staff Support & Planning:

We meet with staff to discuss the school's goals and structure, assess the environment, and ensure there are suitable rest areas, exit routes, and quiet spaces for the dog. We’ll help you plan out how long the dog can “work” at any one time, and when they need breaks to decompress and reset.

Wellbeing & Body Language Training:

Staff will be guided through key canine stress signals — from yawning and blinking to whale eye and displacement behaviours — so they can respond quickly and appropriately. We’ll also introduce the concept of exit strategies for dogs: clear, accessible escape routes so dogs always feel safe, never trapped.

Risk Assessment Guidance:

Safety is paramount. We’ll walk you through how to create robust, dynamic risk assessments that account for both the human and canine participants, including safeguarding protocols, allergy considerations, and hygiene procedures.

Why It Matters:

Dogs can bring incredible emotional support to children — from reducing anxiety and increasing motivation, to improving attendance and nurturing empathy. But only when done right. Without the right framework in place, dogs can become overwhelmed, children may miss out on the full benefit, and staff can become overstretched trying to manage it all.

Our Dogs in Schools service helps you build a program that is structured, safe, and sustainable — so that every wag, every interaction, and every moment shared is a positive one.