A spaniel named Teg was centre of attention when about 30 pre-school children patted her under the chin, as part of a dog safety exercise.
Hannah Hughes, dog control officer for Masterton District Council, taught the Masterton kindy children to ask "can I pat your dog", hold their hand out for the dog to sniff and then pat the dog under the chin.
She said this was the safest way to approach a dog.
"Kids tend to hug them like they hug a person, we have to teach them not to do that," Mrs Hughes said.
Mrs Hughes has been around seven schools in Wairarapa demonstrating how to pat a dog safely. It is part of a dog safety campaign the council has been running for several years.
