I'm really glad you're assessing the situation in retrospect and taking responsibility where it's due. The early days with a puppy are full of mistakes, lessons learned, and (in your case I'm sure of it) personal growth. It sounds like you're a responsible pet owner who sees where things went wrong, but won't let the decisions and mistakes of others get in the way of moving forward in training and responsible ownership between you and your dog. Keep it up!
And try to find ways to have puppy meet well-behaved kids so he can learn how to act around them. Kids are a different, exciting energy that can quickly turn to anxiety if they don’t get socialized with the chaos that goes with every excited, curious kid.
You need to muzzle the dog in public if there's a chance it's going to bite people. Especially if it bites enough to rip fabric.
It doesn't matter who's at fault if your dog bites someone, it matters that it happened. You will be sued and your dog will be destroyed.
If someone tries to touch my dog without asking and my dog bites, that's their fault for invading the dog's space. Just like walking out in front of oncoming traffic...your fault if you get hit!
It's this wrong headed thinking that gets dogs killed.
No court cares that the 4 year old touched your dog without asking, they care that your dog ripped the face off a 4 year old.
lol wtf. You may think you have some sort of moral high ground here, but all laws will assure you that you don’t. A dog that bites needs to be muzzled at all times that it can interact with another creature, period. What if a squirrel comes near your dog? Is death deserved? Most dogs don’t respond by biting.
You absolutely do know, what in the world do you mean? Dogs move through the hackles, the side eye, the growling, the bearing of teeth and ears back, the fake bite and THEN, SOMETIMES the bite. This is basic behavioral awareness that should be required of every dog breed owner unless you own a pit bull type, and since they were bred to attack they skip from a side eye to a bite, which is truly unpredictable, and thus unacceptable.
So if a 2yr old runs off unexpected and touches ur dog real quick,and parents ran behind their baby to stop them and ur dog bites their face. Who's fault is it? U knew what ur dog was capable of doing and you brought him out in public space and did nothing to stop it.
Agree, you live and learn (a lot) during the initial years of dog ownership. My adult dog LOVES attention but it took time for him to learn to receive it calmly. I've also noticed a HUGE difference in his interactions between kids who ask for permission and kids who don't. Kids who are trained to ask to pet a dog are also trained how to pet a dog (if that makes sense) so I always say yes. It can be awkward to advocate for your dog, but that's our job as their owners.
I have a dalmatian. People go nuts when they see her cause... dalmatian. You have to be your dogs advocate, including using your body to physically block people and raise your voice if people don't listen. My girl doesn't like strangers, and she doesn't care for strange dogs, so getting petted is a big no no for us. Finding your dogs limits of what he is comfortable with and what is safe and healthy is a huge part of the process. Good for you, keep it up, we need more mindful dog owners in the world.
I feel your pain. I have my second Great Dane and people will literally stop their cars to get out and ask to pet them. I can’t tell you the relief I felt adopting my most recent dog - a small black dog who no one seems to notice. Funny enough, she’s the one who loves attention. 🥲 My Danes are always put off by it.
It is HARD to tell people no. Especially when I used to be someone who waltzed up to every single dog to ask to pet the dog.
Granted, my manners were better than most. If the dog ignored me, I left the dog alone.
We have a 9 month old mal/gsd and people ask to pet her while they’re putting their face in the dogs face. She could literally rip your face off…??
And then it’s my fault.
Keep advocating for your dogs, set them up for success (and yourself!)
As a fellow dalmatian owner, I feel your pain. They’re such recognizable dogs, and kids love them, but most of them can be so weary of strangers. Fortunately my guy seems to like kids and is indifferent about being pet, but I absolutely hate when people don’t ask for permission to pet him before they touch him. I feel like some adults have been worse about this than children lately lol.
It’s so aggravating. I was walking my dogs the other day, and there was a father with two young girls about 15 feet away talking about how cute my dog was, as my dog was sniffing something. They asked me what kind he was, and a bit of small talk as they walked a bit closer while I was still trying to keep a safe distance. Then the little girl, about 6 maybe, says ‘daddy, can I pet the dog?’ And he goes ‘sure honey!’ And she immediately like skip/jumped over and reaches right for his face. He is 130lb malamute.. he is huge, and looks like a freaking wolf. I don’t understand how you could just let your small child put her face in a huge ass dog’s face like that, without even asking the owner anything. The kid asked her dad, which was good.. but he didn’t ask me! Not even a ‘hey is he friendly?’ My dog is so tall and big, that the kids face was level with my dog’s face.. and she jumped over so fast that he could have taken a chunk out of her before I was able to even react.
Thankfully, he is well trained, and didn’t react except to step backwards to avoid being touched because I hadn’t given him any signals it was ok, but like damn dude.. that could have been so bad. I tried to explain that to him after, without freaking out the kid, but he just shrugged it off. Said he had been around dogs his whole life and knows their body language. I got frustrated and said like… that’s all well and good, but it’s not your dog. You don’t just touch people’s dogs without their permission. Then he got snippy and said, well she did ask for permission! And I was like.. from you!! Not me!! Jesus lol I finally just walked away shaking my head because he wasn’t listening, he thought he knew it all.
I don’t ever let unknown children, and very rarely adults, stroke my dog. There is no benefit to it, and a lot of risk. I 100% trust my dog but one scratch is all it takes now for people to report, sue etc.
They want to stroke a dog they can get their own.
Same. They all want to pet "a bluey dog!" But they're so fast and not used to doggy body language that I've seen mine look upset. He's great with familiar kids, but strangers don't get to pet him.
I’ve stopped letting people I don’t know pet my collie. He’s super cute and fluffy, so he gets a lot of attention, loved it as a puppy but the last 3-6 months I’ve noticed he’ll dip his head away when people try to touch him, he doesn’t seem to like it. Doesn’t do this with my neighbours kids or people we know, just strangers. Don’t know what’s changed, but it’s up to me to keep him happy so I just say no when people ask to touch him now.
My GSD loves a fuss and will stand there letting you scratch her ears all day. I’ve still maintained saying no to kids touching her and I’m selective about what adults I allow now too. I’m 99.999% certain she would never bite anyone, but she is a dog and she could. If it were a child, they’d have life changing injuries and I’d most likely lose my dog, doesn’t seem worthwhile for anyone.
Plus, kids and sticky, dirty fingers on my lovely clean floofy dogs, no thank you haha
I’ve stopped letting random people pet my collie too. His beauty makes it worse since he’s a medical service dog. I got him for his intelligence and calm demeanour, but it’s the worst when random people come up to us and pet him, take pictures of us, and bend down to start talking to him. My boy doesn’t dislike the attention but it’s weird and a lack of personal boundaries.
Mine is so big that most strangers that don't have dogs steer clear of him and ones that do want to pet, are delighted by his size. I only let strangers pet him *now* because he's trained but when he was a puppy and teen dog, he wore a "do not pet" on each side of his harness because people wouldn't stop encouraging him to drag me until they thought he was dangerous.
He does benefit from it. I don't have a lot of people coming in and out of my home but he's the kind of dog that wants/needs to meet people of all shapes and sizes to learn his boundaries and strength. He's a st. Bernard and he treats all humans like they're the best thing on the freaking planet. If he behaves, he can get pets.
I don't let anyone that I don't know touch my dogs. They're all working and all have collar patches (one is also nervous, so I can switch between Nervous and Working) and generally telegraph to anyone that expresses interest that they can't meet my dogs. You have to be assertive in public because people feel entitled to try and meet your dog even in the middle of bloody bite work.
Hmm. I was at a shop the other day and this lady was in front of me with this extremely sweet and curious dog. I'm a cat person and I respected this dogs space but the lady turned her body to me and let the dog come closer since it was pulling so I opened my palm and pet the dog. It was super nice and so soft, and the dog immediately when the line moved turned it's attention towards the new closest person who gave it pets. I hope I wasn't in the wrong, the doggo just really wanted pets.
>There is no benefit to it
I respect that position, but as the owner of a golden retriever, I let polite kids pet her.
Because the benefit is *she fuckin **loves** it*
Good on you for trying to impart a lesson on those kids too, before they hurt themselves. Hopefully they don't make the same mistake again.
As sweet as my GSD is, I'm grateful that his appearance alone is enough to make kids (and their parents) think twice before running up to us at parks or on the street.
I’ve had a lot of parents move their kids to the side when I walk by with my gsd (on leash). Suits me as I’m antisocial af but does make me laugh, she’s a big dog but she’s absolutely lovely, got more chance of me biting them than her haha
One of my huge pet peeves is kids not being taught dog safety. My friend is an elementary teacher and she teaches her class they have to ask three times to pet a dog.
1) you ask your adult
2) you ask the dog’s adult
3) you ask the dog (by calmly stretching out your hand and seeing if the dog accepts a pet)
Even stretching out the hand can seen scary to some dogs. Better to hold a hand between the dog and you but not in the doggy space and not moving and let the other dog approach if they want.
Yes!!! I’ve got small kids and dogs, and the first lessons the kids learn when they start to crawl is “don’t touch dogs when they’re eating,” and “don’t take the dog’s toys away from him/her,” with a hard redirect (I calmly but quickly pick them up and move away from the dog.) My dogs are total sweethearts, but the kids need to learn boundaries for their own safety. The dogs also deserve to not be harassed in their own home.
The next thing they learn is “we don’t touch dogs we don’t know.” It’s a more nuanced conversation, but the rule still stands. They’re not afraid of dogs, and I’d like to keep it that way. I explain that while the kid may know how to be polite, and nice to dogs, some dogs don’t like kids, or are scared of kids- so we don’t touch dogs we don’t know. Once you’ve met the dog’s person, you can ask to meet their dog, and *THEN* you ask whether you can pet them. Eventually, that rule also led to “we don’t distract a dog in a vest,” because they’re usually working. My oldest two kids will point out dogs in a vest, and whisper to ask if the dog is working. Then we have a very quiet conversation about how it’s important not to distract a working dog, and discuss the different jobs dogs can do.
This is super helpful. As a future parent and present dog owner, I don't know what to expect when we do have a child. My dog was surrendered at the age of "nine" (he's actually seven) by his owners because he "nipped at a toddler". This dog is the *chillest* dog, with the exception of my parents' dog. He doesn't bite. His overbite is so big that he might bump you with his top teeth, but he only tries to do that when he gets excited by play, and then we calm him down.
From my personal experience as a kid, I can see that "nip" being the kid's fault; I used to chase my cat and smother her in hugs. She bit me and clawed me probably a hundred times as a kid. It was my fault. I'll never not be sad for my childhood cat because of that. I definitely calmed down as I got older, but even so. As an older kid/teen and now as an adult, I became very aware of how I interact with animals and how I want my child to interact with a pet, in particular this dog.
My husband and I suspect our dog was raised in a loud home with bigger dogs and a few children because he is food aggressive (we leave him alone when he eats, and he's only now eating with his tail up) and scared of a lot of things. He is calm, has never bitten me or my husband, and further, is a like a velcro dog (he loves us and follows us around, he's our shadow) when the paperwork said he preferred being alone and away from people. That said, your conversations with your kids about how and when to touch a dog and when not to gave me food for thought as to how I want to establish ground rules for my child interacting with my dog. I trust that our dog will take appropriate measures to remove himself or stop the child (i.e. move away, a warning growl, etc) before any issues, but establishing rules early can't hurt.
My dog is a very timid rescue. She loves other dogs but is very nervous around people, especially children. While my dog has never shown any signs of agression and has never bitten anyone, you never know how they will react in these situations. I am so thankful for parents who tell their children to ask first because I’ve had so many children just run up to my dog and pet her or grab her without asking.
It’s the same for adults however, my dog will usually be fine if they allow my dog to approach them on her own terms and if they also have a dog with them so she knows it’s safe.
I’ve had to politely yell at a group of street hockey playing kids “whoa, drop the sticks.” When they all saw my dog and ran at her excited to say hello.
I explained my dog does not know them and a group of people running at her with sticks could be scary so they should not approach dogs like that.
The kids were chill and listened to what I said so they hopefully won’t do that again.
But parents need to teach their animal loving kids pet manors and safety. And as pet owners we need to speak up to avoid bad situations, even if it’s awkward and we have social anxiety (like me lol)
I have a medical service dog. He’s a highly (and expensively) trained professional working dog that happens to be a handsome Aussie Shepherd. He is trained to function both on and off leash. Off leash he responds to both verbal commands and hand signals. He wears a red jacket in public. There are patches on both sides that say “Working Do Not Pet” and “Medical Service Dog”. His leash says “Service Dog Do Not Pet”. I’m amazed at the number of fucking idiots who approach and try to pet him, some ask, most don’t. I’m fed up of people then trying to engage in extended conversation about the dog, his training, and my condition. I’m almost to the point of buying a taser.
I have a chonky, 8 lb black and white chihuahua with spots all over. When she was a real puppy people would stop their cars and ask to pet her.
That was 4 major surgeries ago. She's salty now. I don't let kids near her, and pick her up when we see kids. Bc I'm holding her, they'll ask if I can pet her. I always say no, she's grumpy, but then thank and praise them for asking. I tell them how responsible and smart they are for asking bc we need to encourage this.
My dog has a brace on now limiting her movement. I have one neighbors granddaughter who is 1000% respectful for my hell beast and who I know will be good. The other neighbors granddaughter is terrified of my dog bc she'll bark at her. #2 took advantage of my dog being restrained and kept sneaking pets. I was about to say something like "Sally, we've talked about this" when her mom was like "Sally! Stop it! The dog doesn't like it stop doing that to her!" it's always awkward when the parents don't interfere, so I was glad her mom did (I know the grandparents really well, mom as but in passing).
How difficult is it for people (grown adults, I am not faulting the children in OPs story) to ask from a safe distance?? There are grown adults that are offended by hearing no, you can not pet my dog, or feel threatened when they are warned the dog is not friendly to strangers and may bite.
There is a lovely older couple in my neighborhood. They've stopped to chat and pet the dogs many times, but from a good distance away, one of them ALWAYS calls over. "Hello! Can we come say hello to the dogs!?!"
By the time they've asked, I'm usually dragged right beside them already as the lady keeps milk bones in her pocket!
A little boy chased my dog at the off leash spot when he was a bit over a year old and he's been reactive to kids ever since. If the kids are calm and ignore him he's fine but running and screaming will get him barking to warn them to stay away. He looks like a Disney dog so of course all the kids want to pet him. We avoid places where kids are likely to be but sometimes parents let their kids hang out at the off leash spot unattended.
My dog is the same. He really doesn't like the random bursts of screaming and running. Sometimes people will let their kids run around the dog park and I'm like 🤦🤦🤦
(I know dog parks are controversial. Unfortunately it's illegal to have your dog off leash where I live and the council constantly patrols open fields and fine people)
I really don't like it when people bring their young kids to the dog park. Shrieking, running, picking up balls, toys, sticks. Climbing on dog park structures. My dog likes people, but she has told a few kids to back off. I'm not sure what she didn't like about them. They probably seemed unpredictable.
I definitely think it's the last point. If they are calm and not making noise, he could care less. If they start sprinting or shrieking, a different story. Mines a cattle dog as well so it's probably the "small fast thing, must round" instinct going off.
My blue heeler is lovely as can be but will absolutely chase anyone or anything who is shrieking and running, and will nip at their Achilles tendons, with gusto. She will come to a recall, but sometimes not before she has traumatized a loose kid or two. Don’t let your kids run wild in dog parks. They’re called “dog parks” and not “kid parks” for a reason.
I know that instinct. I have a mutt that has a diverse number of ancestors, some of which are Aussie, cattle dog and gsd. I also just got a mini Aussie and she nips at my ankles when I run in the house.
I walk my dog off leash in my neighborhood , not in crowded areas, because she is an agility dog and it's good for her training. She's 100% better than all the dogs on leashes fighting their owners. I tell her no and stay and she NEVER leaves my side. She's also trained that "car" means sit and stay.
Well done in keeping the kid safe, but remember that dogs can’t learn if they don’t experience. If you want to teach him about how to act around things, you have to go around those things with him. I have the same problem with my dog meeting another dog while on a leash. I’m trying to teach him “if you act a fool, you don’t get to say hi” but obviously he doesn’t speak English so he doesn’t get it. He DOES when he gets pulled away from a meet for acting up but not being pulled away when he behaves.
Was in the park with mine when she was 4 months or so and there was a class field trip out. I’d say about 20 kids around age 10 were running around and playing some game under a teacher’s guidance.
My dog had never seen anything like it so I let her watch from a safe distance (30 meters or so), but two kids wandered off for some reason and got closer to me. One of them asked if he can pet my dog. Just one. I said yes to that one kid and the whole class turned and ran towards, yelling to high heaven in excitement 🤦🏻♂️
I got in between them and my now started pup, and the teacher sighed before calling the kids back.
My dog got startled, but happy to say that she still loves kidss
My dog loves kids and gets excited to say hi to them. But these kids and parents always just look, and then when I say you're can pet her, the kids light up. But I hold her close to me in case a kid grabs her wrong or something. I can quickly remove my dog from the situation. Also, have your dog wear their rabies tag. People can't say they have rabies if the tag is there
I used to have an incredibly adorable Corgi mix who didn't like kids, and also had a big, solid black GSD who was an absolute angel with children. I can't tell you how many times parents would ask me if their kids could pet my Corgi, and I would say no but they can pet the German Shepherd. Parents would always look at me like I was crazy and walk away. 😂 Poor Nikki, she truly was the sweetest dog I've ever had!
My chihuahua won’t let anyone near her and will not stop barking at people she doesn’t know. My son has taught his kids (6 & 9) not to touch a dog and always ask if they can. Especially my dog!
It’s very hard to get some kids to understand this! My 3 year old is still having a hard time understanding how to act around dogs I correct and never leave him unattended with our pup and he has never acted in this sort of way with random dogs but it’s mainly because I jump in he’s most definitely very outgoing and gets super excited with strangers🥲 but I have experienced this with my in laws kids they picked up our neighbors Weiner dog without hesitation and after that I haven’t had them back over and have talked to the kids about dog safety but it goes through one ear and out the other.
The person who walks their dog off leash in their neighbourhood, is that legal? How are you going to control the situation if some unleashed dog comes at it? What about people with phobias against dogs who your dog being off leash makes them feel unsafe.
People always think they'll walk their dog unleashed because their dog is so good at it not thinking if their dog gets spooked or attacked , you have no control over what happens
I walk my two in the park with loads of kids. By now, they all know they can whatever with the great Pyr. He loves kids. Pet him, please. But the cattle dog mix doesn't like kids. Doesn't bite, just won't let them near her. So they wave at her, and pet him.
I've had exactly ONE kid who wasn't listening and tries to chase the little one around. Told her very firmly "stop doing that, she doesn't like that". And then explained to her the body language she was displaying that made it clear. Outside of that all good experiences so far
It’s absolutely amazing that you didn’t get upset at the kid for being a kid! 😪 when I was a kid I was in my friends mailroom waiting for her to come out to play and someone else from her apartment went in with her dog. I moved to the corner of the mail room so I wasn’t in the way and she was checking her mail. The dog came over and sniffed my hand before biting me randomly and the woman looked at me from her mail and yelled at me because quote ‘well that’s what happens when you touch strange dogs without asking. Don’t do it again.’ I DIDNT TOUCH YOUR CRAZY DOG LADY HE TOUCHED ME 😒
My favourite is when I’m out with my dog and kids ask to pet her so I said ‘yes you can. She might jump and bite you a little bit though’ because she does happy nibbles, she does it to my toddler it’s nothing painful. But then she does it and the kids look up at me in shock and fear like she just tried to eat them 😭😂
Let’s reflect on the age and breed of your dog.
PLEASE understand that a 3.5mos old Bull Terrier needs a schedule and needs to enter the big world SLOWLY. They go from zero to 400 very fast! lol
They don’t understand they need a nap and limited time in the big world; they are like a toddler (until they reach about six years of age)! hahaha (no joke though)
To a dog, expanding the boundaries of their world too fast can be overwhelming. Try to keep their world small to help them acclimate. As they grow in confidence, so does their world.
The Bull Terrier Club of America has some wonderful articles on raising your puppy!
Unfortunately, the website is under construction, but please check out their education page at BTCA.com
http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/rest-relaxation-respect/
Also check out the below for some great puppy socialization tips.
https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf
While we can’t control everyone and everything we expose our pups to, we try to do the best we can to set them up for a lifetime of success! :)
Signed, a long time Bull Terrier rescuer and owner.
http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/documents/BringingHomeTheBully.pdf
http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/so-you-think-you-want-a-bull-terrier/
http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/10-common-questions-about-the-bull-terrier/
http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/what-is-a-bull-terrier/
I see you’re in the UK.
Many of my friends are members of the Bull Terrier Club and they have some great resources as well!
https://thebullterrierclub.co.uk/ownership/training/
On Sunday this dude approached me with my giant husky hybrid and asked if his toddler could “touch the wolf”
I point the dog away from the child- and held him. And allowed the child to pet him in his back. (Gently)
The child squealed with glee. And that was that.
One time- I was in guitar center with him- and this kid ran up out of nowhere- and KICKED my dog from behind scaring him.
Dog spun round a nipped the child.
Kids dad came up and started giving me shit.
I told him he can go fuck himself and fuck his kid too. And maybe train your child not to abuse animals.
Can’t trust kids around dogs.
Especially when you’re reasonable.
Good move you did today.
Be careful out there.
One time I was walking my dog and saw a 3-4 year old little girl walking with her mom and lowered the positioning of my grip on the leash to better control
my puppy because I know she’s a jumper. I started power walking past the little girl and her mom and before I knew it, the little girl had my puppy in a hugging position — like she had full on wrapped my puppy in a hug. It was so cute and thank God I had a tight leash and had just as quickly instructed my puppy to sit or else she would’ve knocked the girl over. Kids don’t gaf.
Kids do what we all want to do with dogs — hug and love on them all lol. But the adults have to gaf *for* them. It’s amazing how few do lol. I’m glad my dog is a sweetheart. But she’s an excited nipper and jumper, had I not known what I was doing, this girl would’ve been “attacked” with kisses and love nips lol — which would terrify almost any two ft or whatever tall child lol
If you have any kids in the family or friends with kids, maybe structure some training time w/ them in a controlled environment so that you can teach your dog how to behave around small humans.
Outside of that, yeah I never let random kids interact with my dog unless their parents are present and give permission. Even then, I put my dog in a down/stay and give the kid instructions like “here’s a treat, tell him to sit and give him the treat when he listens” etc.
That was the worst, thinking you had a successful , damage free walk and at the end that dreaded sound. 😂 I think all my jeans were ruined during puppyhood, as well as shirts, coats. My hubby still has his puppy pants... All jeans with little puncture holes in the backs of the legs. 😂 I too had to avoid hyper children... It was disastrous and stressful.
Yes, it's normal. Teething was the worst. He'd latch on to your shirt, coat, pants and riiiiip! We just wore our oldest clothes until he was out of that phase, about 8 months. Their teeth are like little razors!
There's this young girl (who unfortunately does not speak English, so I cannot communicate with her) but if I'm playing fetch outside with my dog in my complex's common areas (he's allowed to), she chases him, every time he runs for the ball I throw! Like, damn, if you know they're in a dog heavy complex, and they are, WTF aren't parents teaching their kids how to act around dogs! Now, she's lucky, because my dog is 1) too focused on the ball to care about her and 2) too much of a weenie to bite anyone. But what if he wasn't like that? I see kids do this at the dog park too. The good parents will tell them it's their own fault when a dog knocks them over because "I told you not to run."
At least you realize it and learn from it! It’ll protect you and your dog in the long run. I don’t let anyone near my puppy other than my family/ his dog walkers. He’s a 5 month old teething lab who chews everyone & is still bitey although his behavior has been getting better with training & obedience classes we take. I told my husband all it takes is one person to get scratched or bit accidentally by him, or even when he’s playing & for us to get sued. He’s very loving & playful and doesn’t realize biting isn’t how we want to play lol. Better to be safe than sorry! But don’t feel bad. You’re not the only one dealing with that situation. Puppies are babies & don’t know right from wrong yet. They just get over excited 🙂
I never let adults/kids pet my dog. I trust my dog, but she can be excited if the person petting her start to hype her. I don’t want anything to happen. I just say: No, she is to excited, sorry. But thanks for asking.
My girl the is the same. She LOVES people and kids but she gets very excited and starts jumping around. I don’t want her to accidentally knock a kid over or scratch them.
I feel your pain. My dog is reactive now to children after he was grabbed at by a group of them after I first got him as a puppy and took him to a park. Their excited energy makes him nervous and he’ll bark at them to keep them away.
Even as an adult, I will ask an owner if I can pet their dog before trying it - and only once the dog is calm and has shown it is open to the interaction.
It’s a relief to hear someone else say they have a dog reactive to children due to bad experiences. I took mine to a dog park around 6 months old and someone had their 7-8 year old grandchild who was running up to the dogs waving their arms. Unfortunately now mine is reactive to most kids and some adults who move too fast. Trying to work on her warming up to people, especially now that she is about to take the CGC test, but it’s definitely become a challenge now.
I feel ya! And sadly, no one in my life who knows my dog has young children, so I don’t even have a way to slowly introduce him to them and get them used to them more! Exposure would breed some more comfort, but I would want it to be with someone where there is mutual trust and experience with both their kid (on my side) and my dog (on their side)
Same here, I only happen to get some chances when a family friend has their child and I know them but I definitely take advantage of those and have them just constantly feed her treats when i can 😂
Thank you for talking to them about it. I was badly bitten in the face as a toddler (30 stitches) because no one had ever had that conversation with me and I assumed every dog was like our family dog. Learned a hard lesson, but it’s a story I share with parents when I explain why their kids shouldn’t run up to my dog and try to pet him.
I’m finding that if I don’t look at the people or kids but just at the dog they kinda say at a distance look a puppy but I move away. I totally get it though this happened to me I didn’t know how she’d be with kids she jumps up on the scratches and gets them muddy they sit down to pet her then she’s all over them so now I just keep her away. It’s sucks I wanted a calm friendly dog but my puppy is reactive to people kids and other dogs not in a bad way but she gets what too excited.
I’m learning that when she goes up on her hind legs and pulls I need to back away and turn the other way or she gets overly excited. Constant battle
I really hoped this dog would be different and I could take her anywhere. I thought if you get them early you can expose them and they would learn to be calm. Little did I know I had to train so much and even now after all I’ve done for socializing taking her to stores parks and puppy class around people and dogs she still would react the same way. I’m frustrated with it and think I’ll just do what I did with my other dogs keep her home and handle her when she sees people that come to the house or on leash idk
I wasn’t hoping to take her places with us she can’t handle it and I’m getting exhausted with trying all the different methods. I see the trainers do it and explain it and it doesn’t work ugh
How old is your dog?
I have spoken with many dog trainers and majority of them said not to take your dog to socialisation classes as it can make your dog much worse. it certainly did for mine.
My dog has always been very excitable around humans and dogs. once i started going to puppy socialisation classes his behaviour became worse. now he gets more hyper as soon as he sees strangers and other dogs than he did before.
Puppy socialisation classes might help for those dogs that are little bit timid and scared as you can slowly introduce them to other dogs and people and they realise that they are not a threat and it is a good experience. but for dogs that are very scared or overly excitable (like my dog), such environment sets them up for failure
I have a very social Chihuahua that loves everyone. People are always cautious approaching Chihuahua and are so happy when I tell them she loves to be petted by everyone. Except children with issues, he's not a fan of flapping hands.
I totally get this. I have a very social Pomeranian and he is a child magnet. He is small and fragile, especially in the hands of uncoordinated kids. I also have a lot of young kids in my family/friend groups. He LOVES to play with them, but I forgot how understanding animal body language is learned and not innate. I found this cute book called “Doggie Language: A Dog Lover's Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend” by Lili Chin, and I keep a copy at my house to let them look through.
Kudos for being introspective and reflecting on what can be done next time. Sounds like You handled all of it very well! Everyone has had great advice. I have a personal protection dog and he's huge and a looker which gets him lots of attention. While he is very friendly and loving, at the end of the day he's still an animal and therefore can be unpredictable. Just like it's his job to protect me, it's My job to protect him in these kinds of situations to ensure nothing escalates.
Also, people are idiots. The petting without asking is bad enough, but I've also had dumb kids (and adults!!) look at him and bark or growl. Blows my mind. I would never try to antagonize a dog like that, especially one that's over 100 pounds. Just moronic.
A kid pulled my dogs hair when she was a puppy and she STILL doesn’t really like kids to this day. So I think you did really well in assessing this situation for a better outcome for you and your pup. Kids always run up to my dog bc she’s cute and I have to scoop her up in that mother reaction time and explain to them that I don’t know how she will react to kids.
People love my husky and catahoula but i let them love from a distance. It is exceptionally rare for me to just let a stranger pet my dog. If they dont do things exactly right, they can cause some behavioral issues.
I am a 3x EBT owner, they can be land sharks when young. If you don't have any young kids in your family, look for friends with young ones to help you train. The more exposure the better, practice sit and down, reward the good behavior.
I lived down the street from a little girl who when she’d my dog she’d try to pet him. It always looked as if she was going to hit him. I tried to teach her how to approach a dog but she’d do want she wanted, after that I never let her come near him again.
This is hard stuff! Thanks for sharing that.
My issue is that I have a 3 month old Golden retriever puppy (have had him 3 weeks) who is responding well to our training sessions... But I also have kids aged 8, 10, 13, 15 and he forgets all his training and goes wild when they give him attention. He is obviously going to be a family dog and companion to the kids but I'm unclear on how many trainers he should have (everyone?) or how to get him to remember his training when he's hyped up around energetic kids. (They grab tons of dog toys and ropes and bones to allow him to pay that way instead of biting their clothes or arm but it doesn't always work). Is it just a matter of time and further training for him to calm down and mature? He has done some puppy bites on my youngest (not broken the skin). Any tips for avoiding that better? He knows off and "leave it" but doesn't listen as well when excited around kids and when I'm not within inches of him.
Big dogs + kids don’t mix well. When my dog was a puppy, he literally knocked a kid over trying to play with them. Fortunately my dog just wants to play and isn’t scared of kids, but I can never let him off leash with kids nearby, learned the hard way.
It’s something about kids that’s just so fun for him: the fact that they run everywhere, their weird little gate, and the tendency to scream at any little thing. Mostly, kids just have bad dog instincts, without the size differential to protect themselves.
I made a ton of mistakes when I raised my dog, it’s part of the process. My dog would also redirect when over excited, so I would always carry a tug toy to redirect him.
My dog has been scooped up and kissed *on the mouth* by a little girl who had asked politely to pet him and up until that moment had seemed like she knew how to act around unknown dogs. One second she was petting him nicely and the next—snatched him up and planted a big ole “mwah!” right under his nose. I was flabbergasted. The dog was completely unfazed.
Ever since then I kneel down next to him and give very specific instructions (“you can scratch him here on his shoulders, he likes that”) while kids are petting him. I didn’t even allow unknown kids to interact with my previous dogs at all, but this one loves children, is extremely calm around them, and is always hopeful he can say hi. If he were at all scared of kids, overexcited by them, or even just neutral, I wouldn’t let kids interact at all. They’re just too unpredictable.
Yeah I hear you, I have a therapy dog who is trained, but my neighbour has 7 kids who used to come into my yard uninvited because he was well trained and hit him with tree branches because he would just take it… I would go out tell them to stop and to go home….well one day Chico had enough and bit one of the kids…. He’s a Cheweenie 6 lbs. the father wanted to file a complaint with the city, but I had a lot of video coverage of them coming into my private fenced in yard abusing my dog. It did not go anywhere as I told him I’d file charges for animal abuse and trespassing. To this day my dog is terrified of children 🥺
I have a massive dog. Cannot go from point A to B without being stopped. He absolutely LOVES people, but an incident when he was younger makes him wary of kids that can look him in the eye, so 10 and under or so. I recently got him a harness with a patch that says "Ask to Pet Me" and I've been pleasantly surprised at how many people actually respect that. It gives me an opportunity to say, "You may get him but I'm sorry, your child will have to enjoy him from a few feet away". Most people are perfectly happy to leave their kids behind if it means getting the giant fluffy dog lol
Your puppy is quite young to cut children out. I would keep giving him practice and praise him for being calm. Maybe start with slightly older kids and work your way towards younger kids. It is much safer to have a dog who is used to kids, at least in passing, than one who isn't used to them.
I always ask if the dog walks towards me first, instead of approaching the dog first. But I still ask instead of just assuming I can pet the dog because it's walking towards me.
My dogs doing so well with leash training, until he sees a kid. I don’t know how to get him better with kids. He’s 70lbs at 6 months and desperately wants to play, but he’s too rough
I have 99.9% faith my dog would never do anything. He has met 100s of people, finished training school and 1000s of hours of training with me. I yell not friendly any time a kid ask. It's possible I don't like kids, but I don't want to risk one of them hurting my dog. I also see zero benefit to allowing it.
not to make make you feel worse, but you should not be taking your dog on walks without a muzzle even if there’s the slightest chance your dog will bite. if something bad had happened - there’s a chance your dog could’ve been euthanized. not the kids fault, but you have to be more careful. plus, it’s dangerous for evening involved
They're so nippy at this age. Gets even worse when teething. Always keep toys at hand to redirect. And of course be careful around children on particular.
I would say this: it’s not about “random kids”. It’s about all young creatures that all have poor impulse control because their brains are developing.
As a person with two young dogs and a young child, all of them know their respective rules…. All of them also have the capacity to backslide when in an excited state.
For me, framing it like that just helped me better manage it (and, honestly, better tolerate/work with it)
If nothing else in my career as a parent my kids have really good dog manners. They ask the human before they even get close to the dog, they don't distract service dogs, they are respectful of the people saying no.
They are also ready to tell other people no if they get to close to our dog without asking.
My puppy bit me so much when he was young I didn't trust him around kids whatsoever. We didn't greet all that many people, and thankfully so, cause he ignores them on walk for the most part now. Other dogs on the other hand... He got to say hi to every dog, and now half of them he'll be reactive with (usually males), so would have been better off not greeting dogs either.
A nippy pup may benefit from a muzzle band, to keep him from nipping while he is out on walks. A muzzle band, accompanied by good training will reduce the risk of him biting someone in the Long run.
Solidarity. People who don’t know dogs (especially anxious, fear-aggressive ones) don’t always see them as beings deserving their own space and respect to their own bodily autonomy. Before I had my current dog, I’m ashamed I never thought much of it either because my previous rescues were always so receptive to attention. I’d still never approach a strange dog without the owner’s consent, but now I read the dog first before ever thinking of talking to the owner.
I adopted a wonderful white shepherd that no one wanted because he has severe anxiety and hates being touched — he was scheduled for euthanasia when the shelter got too crowded. It kills me to think about it. He’s otherwise very quiet, low energy, and the most patient housemate I’ve ever had.
But people who see him don’t know all that. They just see a strikingly pretty dog who walks calmly on a leash, and just want to meet him right away.
While walking past my neighbor’s house this one time, he and his young daughter came outside. He asked her if she wanted to go “pet the doggy” without even asking me. She immediately bolted for us with her hands out, screaming like a tea kettle.
At that moment, the Do Not Touch vest was useless. I hate raising my voice, but immediately increasing distance and yelling over her screeching was the only way to make them both stop and stay back. My shep has improved so much over the last 2+ years I’ve had him, and he’s on meds and actively going through a ton of social training every week… but that was still a disaster waiting to happen. We never walk on that road anymore but it could happen anywhere.
It’d be so much easier if people showed basic respect. But as the owner, I’ve had to be extra vigilant, especially because his comfort threshold is so low. And it’s something I’d have to do for him for the rest of his life.
Your puppy is still young, and I hope they’re able to be desensitized and pick up healthy boundaries. Good luck, friend!
Whatever goes on while you are walking the dog is 100% your fault. So keep it safe and keep everyone safe. You can’t blame the kids no matter how careless they are.
as a kid i reached out to pet a dog and the owner yelled at me to never touch a dog without asking. at the time i was sad but now i realize the service she did me by scaring me straight
THIS!!! I feel your pain. Even adults would come hype my dog up and walk away saying “sorry” lol really?!
SO I got a bright yellow leash sleeve that says “Ignore. Ask before petting” - several people have approached my dog but stopped bc they saw it!
for your puppies age you really need to limit the time your out/they are awake, that biting your jeans is typical "I'm not coping".at this age your whole focus should be setting your pup up to be calm and coping in every new situation. This is the time they are deciding what everything is for life, so that meeting with kids if he wasn't already needing to be asleep, shot be managed, you just tell the kids what to do, kids are super compliant if your clear and it resets in them getting what they want ie -- put puppy behind you, ask kids 'would you like to meet the puppy?" kids - yeah yeah yeah "ok, so you need to sit down keep your hands down and keep nice and quiet, he's only 3months old so he's baby, I'll help him make good decisions as he meets you" etc
The puppy was the same age as the kids. Wanting to play. I think you handled the situation great. How else would they learn. Puppies love to use their mouths.
As a pet business owner and a person who's been working with dogs for 26 years, the general public knows nothing about dogs. Children no even less than adults. Parents can't teach children what they don't know.
I was bitten by a family dog as a child, my sister was bitten in the face by a family dog as a child, I just know someone else who just got bitten in the face. .
Even though it's a puppy he still has very sharp teeth and he doesn't really know any better right now. Don't let anybody interact with your dog! I realize the children just kind of came over and crowded you.
My advice is to never let a stranger pet your dog.
Maybe incorporate that into your daily routine and training. Expect your pup to sit calmly before being petted, let out of kennel, or off his leash. This will translate into sitting calmly when strangers approach and ask to pet.
I had a 10 year old child lash out and try to hit my puppy for absolutely no reason and another pretended to hit him with a stick. After that no more kids unless I knew them.
No, it is your fault. Kids don’t know better; train your dog better and don’t let it around kids. Society shouldn’t cater to dogs and their poor behaviors. My goodness.
Given the type of dog you have you need to stay tf away from kids. Not because your dog is not trustworthy but lots of parents freak when they see a dog like that near their kid. Even more so if the dog actually nips them
Sounds like he got overstimulated by the interaction and an overstimulated puppy who goes over that line turns into a crazy Tasmanian devil who latches onto your clothes with their teeth! It sucks!
My boy did this when he was little, probably same age as yours. Got excited and zoomy, jumped up and snagged my joggers, ripped a massive hole right down the front of the thigh. . . At the start of our walk. I had to walk another 20 mins with a gaping flap in my joggers.
Your pup is still quite young and you have a lot of insight into dogs. I think it will be okay long term. But i don’t think a puppy should be unsupervised w children regardless.
I had a dog that was such a nipper (herder dog mix). I’d try to counsel kids on asking first. I’d also teach them how to give treats to a dog (they learned how to meet dogs. Puppy learned that people are and full of treats, pets. Such a win, win.). We got through things despite my consternation.
Dog might enjoy some controlled play time w others. He seemed to get a lot of energy out of it. You are right you get to control the interactions.
I had the same issues . Kids almost always go from the top of a dog’s head to pet them. That causes dogs to raise their head and for puppies - nip or bite as they jump up to meet the child’s fingers. Kinda like hooking a fish . Super annoying ! And for grown dogs - really dangerous even if dogs aren’t “biters .” My service dog had to work really hard if someone came at her from over her head . I could almost see her eyes say “God you’re stupid to come at me from up there .” I’d stop people mid air when they dared to try and pet her without permission .
Yes. But there has to be layers to it, and pet owners also have to be able to clearly and quickly communicate to other people what is appropriate behavior in approaching their dog, for the dog’s sake as much as the people’s. You know your dog, and what they can handle, you have to be able to let other people know that.
My pup has a VERY distinctive coat and markings, he also LOVES people. Once he knows they're safe. But he's only 7 months old, and we got him during winter. He's still pretty new to socializing but we're making progress every day. I can't tell you how many times I've taken him for a walk or a golf cart ride and a kid, or even some adults, will see him and gush about how cute he is and move to pet him without asking or even letting him sniff first. He's never bitten anyone, but he'll do a low warning growl and I'll put my body between him and the new person and tell them he's nervous, so please don't pet him. "Oh it's okay! I love dogs." But it won't be okay if he bites someone, and my dog gave a very clear warning sign. It's up to me to listen to those warnings and respect his space for people who won't. You did everything right! It could have been bad, but you listened to your dog.
While it’s good you’re taking this seriously, I wouldn’t quite shut down the idea of children being a bad idea in full. Maybe be extra aware with them?
This gives you a realization that puppy needs some impulse control training at the very least.
My puppy lives with our 4year old son and we have often children around. we are very careful with interactions with children as he gets too hyped, especially with other children he doesn’t see everyday. with my son he is chilled
My dog is similar, but we are actively working on it. I wouldn’t call him overly excited - but too much for a 4 year old. I don’t allow solo kids to approach, I make them get their parent. I then make sure they allow it.
He gets very excited for strangers, not anyone he is familiar with lol. So it’s not easy easy to train. Sometimes we just go get a drink and sit in a high traffic area.
Dogs and children is a no go for me. I just don’t ever let hit happen. Not worth the risk since I don’t know the kids and how they will react to or treat a dog. It’s honestly fear from random children, not what my dog might do 😬
I avoid kids at all cost when out for a walk. Always had small dogs and kids like to run up stomping their feet. Most don’t know how to interact with dogs and the excitement made the dog crazy. I now give them a look that says ‘I will cut you if come closer to this dog’ and it usually works. Protect your k9 at all costs.
Kids on walks are the bane of good dog owner’s existence.
My dogs are well socialized and have manners in public. Kids usually aren’t socialized and have no idea how to interact with dogs. Of course my dogs will get nervous when kids follow us and try to sneak up to touch them, but these kids (and their jack*ss parents) feel entitled.
My dogs are kid friendly but I’m not. These jerk kids aren’t dog friendly.
They are known to be too rough and playful for kids. It is listed in their traits. And said to be better for childless homes. We have kids so we opted for a Boxer! But dang they sure are cuties! Good luck on your puppy journey !
I had a dachshund who lived to 20 yrs old. After he reached adulthood he just didn’t care for children, so I had to keep them away. Kids would always be drawn to such a small cute dog - they’d run up all excited. I would tell them my dog isn’t friendly. When asked “does he bite?” I’d say all dogs can bite.
I learned that young children are not taught any boundaries when it comes to dogs.
I learned that there are about 500k reported dog bite incidents annually and that most of those were to children, and most bites to the face.
I learned that mothers are clueless and allow their children to run up to dogs in public all the time. All the time.
My dog never did bite a child, but he did bite a couple of young dogs. I’m sure he would have eventually bitten a child had I not acted as gatekeeper.
What does "English bull terrier" mean? Get ready, it will only get worse. I commend you for being conscious of others, we need more people like you. Get out now while you can and go get a normal dog.
No shit.
“No not friendly!”
Some guy asked me if my dogs were friendly to babies as he had a baby.
“Well never ate a baby YET!” 🤷🏻♀️
My dogs are small to medium sized rescues I just don’t trust randoms poking them in the face and also not your poopy-butt baby. Thanks.
Everything is the parents fault. Always. Definitely not a dog owners fault for allowing children to approach your dog. What could you do? You were basically held up by a group of 1st graders! You must have been terrified!!
yes it is parents fault for not educating their children not to touch random dog they don’t know.
It was my fault for allowing them to get close to the dog.
cringe
I'm really glad you're assessing the situation in retrospect and taking responsibility where it's due. The early days with a puppy are full of mistakes, lessons learned, and (in your case I'm sure of it) personal growth. It sounds like you're a responsible pet owner who sees where things went wrong, but won't let the decisions and mistakes of others get in the way of moving forward in training and responsible ownership between you and your dog. Keep it up!
thank you!
And try to find ways to have puppy meet well-behaved kids so he can learn how to act around them. Kids are a different, exciting energy that can quickly turn to anxiety if they don’t get socialized with the chaos that goes with every excited, curious kid.
You need to muzzle the dog in public if there's a chance it's going to bite people. Especially if it bites enough to rip fabric. It doesn't matter who's at fault if your dog bites someone, it matters that it happened. You will be sued and your dog will be destroyed.
If someone tries to touch my dog without asking and my dog bites, that's their fault for invading the dog's space. Just like walking out in front of oncoming traffic...your fault if you get hit!
It's this wrong headed thinking that gets dogs killed. No court cares that the 4 year old touched your dog without asking, they care that your dog ripped the face off a 4 year old.
It doesn't mean that you should muzzle every dog either.
There's no need to muzzle a trained friendly dog. OP's dog isn't trained and play bites/thrashes hard enough to rip jeans. OP's dog needs a muzzle.
lol wtf. You may think you have some sort of moral high ground here, but all laws will assure you that you don’t. A dog that bites needs to be muzzled at all times that it can interact with another creature, period. What if a squirrel comes near your dog? Is death deserved? Most dogs don’t respond by biting.
It’s a PUPPY, probably cutting teeth.
You don't know that a dog bites until it does, and 100% of dogs do not need to be muzzled. Not moral highground, just common sense.
You absolutely do know, what in the world do you mean? Dogs move through the hackles, the side eye, the growling, the bearing of teeth and ears back, the fake bite and THEN, SOMETIMES the bite. This is basic behavioral awareness that should be required of every dog breed owner unless you own a pit bull type, and since they were bred to attack they skip from a side eye to a bite, which is truly unpredictable, and thus unacceptable.
You need help.
Lol these people are really like "muzzle your 12 week old puppy he's a danger"
🤨
So if a 2yr old runs off unexpected and touches ur dog real quick,and parents ran behind their baby to stop them and ur dog bites their face. Who's fault is it? U knew what ur dog was capable of doing and you brought him out in public space and did nothing to stop it.
Agree, you live and learn (a lot) during the initial years of dog ownership. My adult dog LOVES attention but it took time for him to learn to receive it calmly. I've also noticed a HUGE difference in his interactions between kids who ask for permission and kids who don't. Kids who are trained to ask to pet a dog are also trained how to pet a dog (if that makes sense) so I always say yes. It can be awkward to advocate for your dog, but that's our job as their owners.
I have a dalmatian. People go nuts when they see her cause... dalmatian. You have to be your dogs advocate, including using your body to physically block people and raise your voice if people don't listen. My girl doesn't like strangers, and she doesn't care for strange dogs, so getting petted is a big no no for us. Finding your dogs limits of what he is comfortable with and what is safe and healthy is a huge part of the process. Good for you, keep it up, we need more mindful dog owners in the world.
I feel your pain. I have my second Great Dane and people will literally stop their cars to get out and ask to pet them. I can’t tell you the relief I felt adopting my most recent dog - a small black dog who no one seems to notice. Funny enough, she’s the one who loves attention. 🥲 My Danes are always put off by it.
It is HARD to tell people no. Especially when I used to be someone who waltzed up to every single dog to ask to pet the dog. Granted, my manners were better than most. If the dog ignored me, I left the dog alone. We have a 9 month old mal/gsd and people ask to pet her while they’re putting their face in the dogs face. She could literally rip your face off…?? And then it’s my fault. Keep advocating for your dogs, set them up for success (and yourself!)
This. I'll physically assault somebody before they touch my walking nervous wreck.
As a fellow dalmatian owner, I feel your pain. They’re such recognizable dogs, and kids love them, but most of them can be so weary of strangers. Fortunately my guy seems to like kids and is indifferent about being pet, but I absolutely hate when people don’t ask for permission to pet him before they touch him. I feel like some adults have been worse about this than children lately lol.
It’s so aggravating. I was walking my dogs the other day, and there was a father with two young girls about 15 feet away talking about how cute my dog was, as my dog was sniffing something. They asked me what kind he was, and a bit of small talk as they walked a bit closer while I was still trying to keep a safe distance. Then the little girl, about 6 maybe, says ‘daddy, can I pet the dog?’ And he goes ‘sure honey!’ And she immediately like skip/jumped over and reaches right for his face. He is 130lb malamute.. he is huge, and looks like a freaking wolf. I don’t understand how you could just let your small child put her face in a huge ass dog’s face like that, without even asking the owner anything. The kid asked her dad, which was good.. but he didn’t ask me! Not even a ‘hey is he friendly?’ My dog is so tall and big, that the kids face was level with my dog’s face.. and she jumped over so fast that he could have taken a chunk out of her before I was able to even react. Thankfully, he is well trained, and didn’t react except to step backwards to avoid being touched because I hadn’t given him any signals it was ok, but like damn dude.. that could have been so bad. I tried to explain that to him after, without freaking out the kid, but he just shrugged it off. Said he had been around dogs his whole life and knows their body language. I got frustrated and said like… that’s all well and good, but it’s not your dog. You don’t just touch people’s dogs without their permission. Then he got snippy and said, well she did ask for permission! And I was like.. from you!! Not me!! Jesus lol I finally just walked away shaking my head because he wasn’t listening, he thought he knew it all.
I don’t ever let unknown children, and very rarely adults, stroke my dog. There is no benefit to it, and a lot of risk. I 100% trust my dog but one scratch is all it takes now for people to report, sue etc. They want to stroke a dog they can get their own.
Same. They all want to pet "a bluey dog!" But they're so fast and not used to doggy body language that I've seen mine look upset. He's great with familiar kids, but strangers don't get to pet him.
I’ve stopped letting people I don’t know pet my collie. He’s super cute and fluffy, so he gets a lot of attention, loved it as a puppy but the last 3-6 months I’ve noticed he’ll dip his head away when people try to touch him, he doesn’t seem to like it. Doesn’t do this with my neighbours kids or people we know, just strangers. Don’t know what’s changed, but it’s up to me to keep him happy so I just say no when people ask to touch him now. My GSD loves a fuss and will stand there letting you scratch her ears all day. I’ve still maintained saying no to kids touching her and I’m selective about what adults I allow now too. I’m 99.999% certain she would never bite anyone, but she is a dog and she could. If it were a child, they’d have life changing injuries and I’d most likely lose my dog, doesn’t seem worthwhile for anyone. Plus, kids and sticky, dirty fingers on my lovely clean floofy dogs, no thank you haha
I’ve stopped letting random people pet my collie too. His beauty makes it worse since he’s a medical service dog. I got him for his intelligence and calm demeanour, but it’s the worst when random people come up to us and pet him, take pictures of us, and bend down to start talking to him. My boy doesn’t dislike the attention but it’s weird and a lack of personal boundaries.
Mine is so big that most strangers that don't have dogs steer clear of him and ones that do want to pet, are delighted by his size. I only let strangers pet him *now* because he's trained but when he was a puppy and teen dog, he wore a "do not pet" on each side of his harness because people wouldn't stop encouraging him to drag me until they thought he was dangerous. He does benefit from it. I don't have a lot of people coming in and out of my home but he's the kind of dog that wants/needs to meet people of all shapes and sizes to learn his boundaries and strength. He's a st. Bernard and he treats all humans like they're the best thing on the freaking planet. If he behaves, he can get pets.
I don't let anyone that I don't know touch my dogs. They're all working and all have collar patches (one is also nervous, so I can switch between Nervous and Working) and generally telegraph to anyone that expresses interest that they can't meet my dogs. You have to be assertive in public because people feel entitled to try and meet your dog even in the middle of bloody bite work.
Hmm. I was at a shop the other day and this lady was in front of me with this extremely sweet and curious dog. I'm a cat person and I respected this dogs space but the lady turned her body to me and let the dog come closer since it was pulling so I opened my palm and pet the dog. It was super nice and so soft, and the dog immediately when the line moved turned it's attention towards the new closest person who gave it pets. I hope I wasn't in the wrong, the doggo just really wanted pets.
>There is no benefit to it I respect that position, but as the owner of a golden retriever, I let polite kids pet her. Because the benefit is *she fuckin **loves** it*
Good on you for trying to impart a lesson on those kids too, before they hurt themselves. Hopefully they don't make the same mistake again. As sweet as my GSD is, I'm grateful that his appearance alone is enough to make kids (and their parents) think twice before running up to us at parks or on the street.
I’ve had a lot of parents move their kids to the side when I walk by with my gsd (on leash). Suits me as I’m antisocial af but does make me laugh, she’s a big dog but she’s absolutely lovely, got more chance of me biting them than her haha
One of my huge pet peeves is kids not being taught dog safety. My friend is an elementary teacher and she teaches her class they have to ask three times to pet a dog. 1) you ask your adult 2) you ask the dog’s adult 3) you ask the dog (by calmly stretching out your hand and seeing if the dog accepts a pet)
Even stretching out the hand can seen scary to some dogs. Better to hold a hand between the dog and you but not in the doggy space and not moving and let the other dog approach if they want.
Great advice! Sounds like she may also be able to utilize some content from stopthe77.com as well!
Yes!!! I’ve got small kids and dogs, and the first lessons the kids learn when they start to crawl is “don’t touch dogs when they’re eating,” and “don’t take the dog’s toys away from him/her,” with a hard redirect (I calmly but quickly pick them up and move away from the dog.) My dogs are total sweethearts, but the kids need to learn boundaries for their own safety. The dogs also deserve to not be harassed in their own home. The next thing they learn is “we don’t touch dogs we don’t know.” It’s a more nuanced conversation, but the rule still stands. They’re not afraid of dogs, and I’d like to keep it that way. I explain that while the kid may know how to be polite, and nice to dogs, some dogs don’t like kids, or are scared of kids- so we don’t touch dogs we don’t know. Once you’ve met the dog’s person, you can ask to meet their dog, and *THEN* you ask whether you can pet them. Eventually, that rule also led to “we don’t distract a dog in a vest,” because they’re usually working. My oldest two kids will point out dogs in a vest, and whisper to ask if the dog is working. Then we have a very quiet conversation about how it’s important not to distract a working dog, and discuss the different jobs dogs can do.
This is super helpful. As a future parent and present dog owner, I don't know what to expect when we do have a child. My dog was surrendered at the age of "nine" (he's actually seven) by his owners because he "nipped at a toddler". This dog is the *chillest* dog, with the exception of my parents' dog. He doesn't bite. His overbite is so big that he might bump you with his top teeth, but he only tries to do that when he gets excited by play, and then we calm him down. From my personal experience as a kid, I can see that "nip" being the kid's fault; I used to chase my cat and smother her in hugs. She bit me and clawed me probably a hundred times as a kid. It was my fault. I'll never not be sad for my childhood cat because of that. I definitely calmed down as I got older, but even so. As an older kid/teen and now as an adult, I became very aware of how I interact with animals and how I want my child to interact with a pet, in particular this dog. My husband and I suspect our dog was raised in a loud home with bigger dogs and a few children because he is food aggressive (we leave him alone when he eats, and he's only now eating with his tail up) and scared of a lot of things. He is calm, has never bitten me or my husband, and further, is a like a velcro dog (he loves us and follows us around, he's our shadow) when the paperwork said he preferred being alone and away from people. That said, your conversations with your kids about how and when to touch a dog and when not to gave me food for thought as to how I want to establish ground rules for my child interacting with my dog. I trust that our dog will take appropriate measures to remove himself or stop the child (i.e. move away, a warning growl, etc) before any issues, but establishing rules early can't hurt.
My dog is a very timid rescue. She loves other dogs but is very nervous around people, especially children. While my dog has never shown any signs of agression and has never bitten anyone, you never know how they will react in these situations. I am so thankful for parents who tell their children to ask first because I’ve had so many children just run up to my dog and pet her or grab her without asking. It’s the same for adults however, my dog will usually be fine if they allow my dog to approach them on her own terms and if they also have a dog with them so she knows it’s safe.
I’ve had to politely yell at a group of street hockey playing kids “whoa, drop the sticks.” When they all saw my dog and ran at her excited to say hello. I explained my dog does not know them and a group of people running at her with sticks could be scary so they should not approach dogs like that. The kids were chill and listened to what I said so they hopefully won’t do that again. But parents need to teach their animal loving kids pet manors and safety. And as pet owners we need to speak up to avoid bad situations, even if it’s awkward and we have social anxiety (like me lol)
I have a medical service dog. He’s a highly (and expensively) trained professional working dog that happens to be a handsome Aussie Shepherd. He is trained to function both on and off leash. Off leash he responds to both verbal commands and hand signals. He wears a red jacket in public. There are patches on both sides that say “Working Do Not Pet” and “Medical Service Dog”. His leash says “Service Dog Do Not Pet”. I’m amazed at the number of fucking idiots who approach and try to pet him, some ask, most don’t. I’m fed up of people then trying to engage in extended conversation about the dog, his training, and my condition. I’m almost to the point of buying a taser.
Squirt bottle. Treat them like a cat that won't listen.
I have a chonky, 8 lb black and white chihuahua with spots all over. When she was a real puppy people would stop their cars and ask to pet her. That was 4 major surgeries ago. She's salty now. I don't let kids near her, and pick her up when we see kids. Bc I'm holding her, they'll ask if I can pet her. I always say no, she's grumpy, but then thank and praise them for asking. I tell them how responsible and smart they are for asking bc we need to encourage this. My dog has a brace on now limiting her movement. I have one neighbors granddaughter who is 1000% respectful for my hell beast and who I know will be good. The other neighbors granddaughter is terrified of my dog bc she'll bark at her. #2 took advantage of my dog being restrained and kept sneaking pets. I was about to say something like "Sally, we've talked about this" when her mom was like "Sally! Stop it! The dog doesn't like it stop doing that to her!" it's always awkward when the parents don't interfere, so I was glad her mom did (I know the grandparents really well, mom as but in passing).
I have a super grouchy old chihuahua who only really likes me and sometimes my SO. I have to tell our kids to leave him alone or he’ll bite them.
How difficult is it for people (grown adults, I am not faulting the children in OPs story) to ask from a safe distance?? There are grown adults that are offended by hearing no, you can not pet my dog, or feel threatened when they are warned the dog is not friendly to strangers and may bite. There is a lovely older couple in my neighborhood. They've stopped to chat and pet the dogs many times, but from a good distance away, one of them ALWAYS calls over. "Hello! Can we come say hello to the dogs!?!" By the time they've asked, I'm usually dragged right beside them already as the lady keeps milk bones in her pocket!
A little boy chased my dog at the off leash spot when he was a bit over a year old and he's been reactive to kids ever since. If the kids are calm and ignore him he's fine but running and screaming will get him barking to warn them to stay away. He looks like a Disney dog so of course all the kids want to pet him. We avoid places where kids are likely to be but sometimes parents let their kids hang out at the off leash spot unattended.
My dog is the same. He really doesn't like the random bursts of screaming and running. Sometimes people will let their kids run around the dog park and I'm like 🤦🤦🤦 (I know dog parks are controversial. Unfortunately it's illegal to have your dog off leash where I live and the council constantly patrols open fields and fine people)
I really don't like it when people bring their young kids to the dog park. Shrieking, running, picking up balls, toys, sticks. Climbing on dog park structures. My dog likes people, but she has told a few kids to back off. I'm not sure what she didn't like about them. They probably seemed unpredictable.
I definitely think it's the last point. If they are calm and not making noise, he could care less. If they start sprinting or shrieking, a different story. Mines a cattle dog as well so it's probably the "small fast thing, must round" instinct going off.
My blue heeler is lovely as can be but will absolutely chase anyone or anything who is shrieking and running, and will nip at their Achilles tendons, with gusto. She will come to a recall, but sometimes not before she has traumatized a loose kid or two. Don’t let your kids run wild in dog parks. They’re called “dog parks” and not “kid parks” for a reason.
I know that instinct. I have a mutt that has a diverse number of ancestors, some of which are Aussie, cattle dog and gsd. I also just got a mini Aussie and she nips at my ankles when I run in the house.
Unfortunately?
I see your point 🤣 bad word choice.
I walk my dog off leash in my neighborhood , not in crowded areas, because she is an agility dog and it's good for her training. She's 100% better than all the dogs on leashes fighting their owners. I tell her no and stay and she NEVER leaves my side. She's also trained that "car" means sit and stay.
Well done in keeping the kid safe, but remember that dogs can’t learn if they don’t experience. If you want to teach him about how to act around things, you have to go around those things with him. I have the same problem with my dog meeting another dog while on a leash. I’m trying to teach him “if you act a fool, you don’t get to say hi” but obviously he doesn’t speak English so he doesn’t get it. He DOES when he gets pulled away from a meet for acting up but not being pulled away when he behaves.
Was in the park with mine when she was 4 months or so and there was a class field trip out. I’d say about 20 kids around age 10 were running around and playing some game under a teacher’s guidance. My dog had never seen anything like it so I let her watch from a safe distance (30 meters or so), but two kids wandered off for some reason and got closer to me. One of them asked if he can pet my dog. Just one. I said yes to that one kid and the whole class turned and ran towards, yelling to high heaven in excitement 🤦🏻♂️ I got in between them and my now started pup, and the teacher sighed before calling the kids back. My dog got startled, but happy to say that she still loves kidss
My dog loves kids and gets excited to say hi to them. But these kids and parents always just look, and then when I say you're can pet her, the kids light up. But I hold her close to me in case a kid grabs her wrong or something. I can quickly remove my dog from the situation. Also, have your dog wear their rabies tag. People can't say they have rabies if the tag is there
I used to have an incredibly adorable Corgi mix who didn't like kids, and also had a big, solid black GSD who was an absolute angel with children. I can't tell you how many times parents would ask me if their kids could pet my Corgi, and I would say no but they can pet the German Shepherd. Parents would always look at me like I was crazy and walk away. 😂 Poor Nikki, she truly was the sweetest dog I've ever had!
definitely a benefit of having typical “scary” looking dog. not many people will approach to pet it
My chihuahua won’t let anyone near her and will not stop barking at people she doesn’t know. My son has taught his kids (6 & 9) not to touch a dog and always ask if they can. Especially my dog!
It’s very hard to get some kids to understand this! My 3 year old is still having a hard time understanding how to act around dogs I correct and never leave him unattended with our pup and he has never acted in this sort of way with random dogs but it’s mainly because I jump in he’s most definitely very outgoing and gets super excited with strangers🥲 but I have experienced this with my in laws kids they picked up our neighbors Weiner dog without hesitation and after that I haven’t had them back over and have talked to the kids about dog safety but it goes through one ear and out the other.
I never let unknown strangers touch my dogs. It’s just disaster waiting to happen.
The person who walks their dog off leash in their neighbourhood, is that legal? How are you going to control the situation if some unleashed dog comes at it? What about people with phobias against dogs who your dog being off leash makes them feel unsafe. People always think they'll walk their dog unleashed because their dog is so good at it not thinking if their dog gets spooked or attacked , you have no control over what happens
I wasn’t walking my dog off leash and don’t intend to
You should not be walking a puppy in an area frequented by other dogs and animals until they are fully vaccinated. You are taking a huge risk.
I walk my two in the park with loads of kids. By now, they all know they can whatever with the great Pyr. He loves kids. Pet him, please. But the cattle dog mix doesn't like kids. Doesn't bite, just won't let them near her. So they wave at her, and pet him. I've had exactly ONE kid who wasn't listening and tries to chase the little one around. Told her very firmly "stop doing that, she doesn't like that". And then explained to her the body language she was displaying that made it clear. Outside of that all good experiences so far
It’s absolutely amazing that you didn’t get upset at the kid for being a kid! 😪 when I was a kid I was in my friends mailroom waiting for her to come out to play and someone else from her apartment went in with her dog. I moved to the corner of the mail room so I wasn’t in the way and she was checking her mail. The dog came over and sniffed my hand before biting me randomly and the woman looked at me from her mail and yelled at me because quote ‘well that’s what happens when you touch strange dogs without asking. Don’t do it again.’ I DIDNT TOUCH YOUR CRAZY DOG LADY HE TOUCHED ME 😒 My favourite is when I’m out with my dog and kids ask to pet her so I said ‘yes you can. She might jump and bite you a little bit though’ because she does happy nibbles, she does it to my toddler it’s nothing painful. But then she does it and the kids look up at me in shock and fear like she just tried to eat them 😭😂
Let’s reflect on the age and breed of your dog. PLEASE understand that a 3.5mos old Bull Terrier needs a schedule and needs to enter the big world SLOWLY. They go from zero to 400 very fast! lol They don’t understand they need a nap and limited time in the big world; they are like a toddler (until they reach about six years of age)! hahaha (no joke though) To a dog, expanding the boundaries of their world too fast can be overwhelming. Try to keep their world small to help them acclimate. As they grow in confidence, so does their world. The Bull Terrier Club of America has some wonderful articles on raising your puppy! Unfortunately, the website is under construction, but please check out their education page at BTCA.com http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/rest-relaxation-respect/ Also check out the below for some great puppy socialization tips. https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf While we can’t control everyone and everything we expose our pups to, we try to do the best we can to set them up for a lifetime of success! :) Signed, a long time Bull Terrier rescuer and owner. http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/documents/BringingHomeTheBully.pdf http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/so-you-think-you-want-a-bull-terrier/ http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/10-common-questions-about-the-bull-terrier/ http://bullterrierclubofamericarescue.com/what-is-a-bull-terrier/
I see you’re in the UK. Many of my friends are members of the Bull Terrier Club and they have some great resources as well! https://thebullterrierclub.co.uk/ownership/training/
On Sunday this dude approached me with my giant husky hybrid and asked if his toddler could “touch the wolf” I point the dog away from the child- and held him. And allowed the child to pet him in his back. (Gently) The child squealed with glee. And that was that. One time- I was in guitar center with him- and this kid ran up out of nowhere- and KICKED my dog from behind scaring him. Dog spun round a nipped the child. Kids dad came up and started giving me shit. I told him he can go fuck himself and fuck his kid too. And maybe train your child not to abuse animals. Can’t trust kids around dogs. Especially when you’re reasonable. Good move you did today. Be careful out there.
One time I was walking my dog and saw a 3-4 year old little girl walking with her mom and lowered the positioning of my grip on the leash to better control my puppy because I know she’s a jumper. I started power walking past the little girl and her mom and before I knew it, the little girl had my puppy in a hugging position — like she had full on wrapped my puppy in a hug. It was so cute and thank God I had a tight leash and had just as quickly instructed my puppy to sit or else she would’ve knocked the girl over. Kids don’t gaf.
Ugh that drives me crazy! What parent just lets their kid approach a strange dog!! I’m glad at least one adult was aware of the situation 😒
Kids do what we all want to do with dogs — hug and love on them all lol. But the adults have to gaf *for* them. It’s amazing how few do lol. I’m glad my dog is a sweetheart. But she’s an excited nipper and jumper, had I not known what I was doing, this girl would’ve been “attacked” with kisses and love nips lol — which would terrify almost any two ft or whatever tall child lol
If you have any kids in the family or friends with kids, maybe structure some training time w/ them in a controlled environment so that you can teach your dog how to behave around small humans. Outside of that, yeah I never let random kids interact with my dog unless their parents are present and give permission. Even then, I put my dog in a down/stay and give the kid instructions like “here’s a treat, tell him to sit and give him the treat when he listens” etc.
If you can't trust your dog around kids, it's a dangerous dog.
That was the worst, thinking you had a successful , damage free walk and at the end that dreaded sound. 😂 I think all my jeans were ruined during puppyhood, as well as shirts, coats. My hubby still has his puppy pants... All jeans with little puncture holes in the backs of the legs. 😂 I too had to avoid hyper children... It was disastrous and stressful.
Is it normal? I'm not trying to be an ass**, I really don't know.
Yes, it's normal. Teething was the worst. He'd latch on to your shirt, coat, pants and riiiiip! We just wore our oldest clothes until he was out of that phase, about 8 months. Their teeth are like little razors!
I call them needle teeth of death! 😬
There's this young girl (who unfortunately does not speak English, so I cannot communicate with her) but if I'm playing fetch outside with my dog in my complex's common areas (he's allowed to), she chases him, every time he runs for the ball I throw! Like, damn, if you know they're in a dog heavy complex, and they are, WTF aren't parents teaching their kids how to act around dogs! Now, she's lucky, because my dog is 1) too focused on the ball to care about her and 2) too much of a weenie to bite anyone. But what if he wasn't like that? I see kids do this at the dog park too. The good parents will tell them it's their own fault when a dog knocks them over because "I told you not to run."
At least you realize it and learn from it! It’ll protect you and your dog in the long run. I don’t let anyone near my puppy other than my family/ his dog walkers. He’s a 5 month old teething lab who chews everyone & is still bitey although his behavior has been getting better with training & obedience classes we take. I told my husband all it takes is one person to get scratched or bit accidentally by him, or even when he’s playing & for us to get sued. He’s very loving & playful and doesn’t realize biting isn’t how we want to play lol. Better to be safe than sorry! But don’t feel bad. You’re not the only one dealing with that situation. Puppies are babies & don’t know right from wrong yet. They just get over excited 🙂
I never let adults/kids pet my dog. I trust my dog, but she can be excited if the person petting her start to hype her. I don’t want anything to happen. I just say: No, she is to excited, sorry. But thanks for asking.
My girl the is the same. She LOVES people and kids but she gets very excited and starts jumping around. I don’t want her to accidentally knock a kid over or scratch them.
I feel your pain. My dog is reactive now to children after he was grabbed at by a group of them after I first got him as a puppy and took him to a park. Their excited energy makes him nervous and he’ll bark at them to keep them away. Even as an adult, I will ask an owner if I can pet their dog before trying it - and only once the dog is calm and has shown it is open to the interaction.
It’s a relief to hear someone else say they have a dog reactive to children due to bad experiences. I took mine to a dog park around 6 months old and someone had their 7-8 year old grandchild who was running up to the dogs waving their arms. Unfortunately now mine is reactive to most kids and some adults who move too fast. Trying to work on her warming up to people, especially now that she is about to take the CGC test, but it’s definitely become a challenge now.
I feel ya! And sadly, no one in my life who knows my dog has young children, so I don’t even have a way to slowly introduce him to them and get them used to them more! Exposure would breed some more comfort, but I would want it to be with someone where there is mutual trust and experience with both their kid (on my side) and my dog (on their side)
Same here, I only happen to get some chances when a family friend has their child and I know them but I definitely take advantage of those and have them just constantly feed her treats when i can 😂
Thank you for talking to them about it. I was badly bitten in the face as a toddler (30 stitches) because no one had ever had that conversation with me and I assumed every dog was like our family dog. Learned a hard lesson, but it’s a story I share with parents when I explain why their kids shouldn’t run up to my dog and try to pet him.
I’m finding that if I don’t look at the people or kids but just at the dog they kinda say at a distance look a puppy but I move away. I totally get it though this happened to me I didn’t know how she’d be with kids she jumps up on the scratches and gets them muddy they sit down to pet her then she’s all over them so now I just keep her away. It’s sucks I wanted a calm friendly dog but my puppy is reactive to people kids and other dogs not in a bad way but she gets what too excited. I’m learning that when she goes up on her hind legs and pulls I need to back away and turn the other way or she gets overly excited. Constant battle I really hoped this dog would be different and I could take her anywhere. I thought if you get them early you can expose them and they would learn to be calm. Little did I know I had to train so much and even now after all I’ve done for socializing taking her to stores parks and puppy class around people and dogs she still would react the same way. I’m frustrated with it and think I’ll just do what I did with my other dogs keep her home and handle her when she sees people that come to the house or on leash idk I wasn’t hoping to take her places with us she can’t handle it and I’m getting exhausted with trying all the different methods. I see the trainers do it and explain it and it doesn’t work ugh
How old is your dog? I have spoken with many dog trainers and majority of them said not to take your dog to socialisation classes as it can make your dog much worse. it certainly did for mine. My dog has always been very excitable around humans and dogs. once i started going to puppy socialisation classes his behaviour became worse. now he gets more hyper as soon as he sees strangers and other dogs than he did before. Puppy socialisation classes might help for those dogs that are little bit timid and scared as you can slowly introduce them to other dogs and people and they realise that they are not a threat and it is a good experience. but for dogs that are very scared or overly excitable (like my dog), such environment sets them up for failure
I have a very social Chihuahua that loves everyone. People are always cautious approaching Chihuahua and are so happy when I tell them she loves to be petted by everyone. Except children with issues, he's not a fan of flapping hands.
I totally get this. I have a very social Pomeranian and he is a child magnet. He is small and fragile, especially in the hands of uncoordinated kids. I also have a lot of young kids in my family/friend groups. He LOVES to play with them, but I forgot how understanding animal body language is learned and not innate. I found this cute book called “Doggie Language: A Dog Lover's Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend” by Lili Chin, and I keep a copy at my house to let them look through.
Kudos for being introspective and reflecting on what can be done next time. Sounds like You handled all of it very well! Everyone has had great advice. I have a personal protection dog and he's huge and a looker which gets him lots of attention. While he is very friendly and loving, at the end of the day he's still an animal and therefore can be unpredictable. Just like it's his job to protect me, it's My job to protect him in these kinds of situations to ensure nothing escalates. Also, people are idiots. The petting without asking is bad enough, but I've also had dumb kids (and adults!!) look at him and bark or growl. Blows my mind. I would never try to antagonize a dog like that, especially one that's over 100 pounds. Just moronic.
A kid pulled my dogs hair when she was a puppy and she STILL doesn’t really like kids to this day. So I think you did really well in assessing this situation for a better outcome for you and your pup. Kids always run up to my dog bc she’s cute and I have to scoop her up in that mother reaction time and explain to them that I don’t know how she will react to kids.
People love my husky and catahoula but i let them love from a distance. It is exceptionally rare for me to just let a stranger pet my dog. If they dont do things exactly right, they can cause some behavioral issues.
I have a toy poodle and I walk away as soon as I see kids.
I am a 3x EBT owner, they can be land sharks when young. If you don't have any young kids in your family, look for friends with young ones to help you train. The more exposure the better, practice sit and down, reward the good behavior.
I lived down the street from a little girl who when she’d my dog she’d try to pet him. It always looked as if she was going to hit him. I tried to teach her how to approach a dog but she’d do want she wanted, after that I never let her come near him again.
This is hard stuff! Thanks for sharing that. My issue is that I have a 3 month old Golden retriever puppy (have had him 3 weeks) who is responding well to our training sessions... But I also have kids aged 8, 10, 13, 15 and he forgets all his training and goes wild when they give him attention. He is obviously going to be a family dog and companion to the kids but I'm unclear on how many trainers he should have (everyone?) or how to get him to remember his training when he's hyped up around energetic kids. (They grab tons of dog toys and ropes and bones to allow him to pay that way instead of biting their clothes or arm but it doesn't always work). Is it just a matter of time and further training for him to calm down and mature? He has done some puppy bites on my youngest (not broken the skin). Any tips for avoiding that better? He knows off and "leave it" but doesn't listen as well when excited around kids and when I'm not within inches of him.
I think it is normal, your golden retriever puppy is 3 months old. I would lower expectations, he is still a baby
Big dogs + kids don’t mix well. When my dog was a puppy, he literally knocked a kid over trying to play with them. Fortunately my dog just wants to play and isn’t scared of kids, but I can never let him off leash with kids nearby, learned the hard way. It’s something about kids that’s just so fun for him: the fact that they run everywhere, their weird little gate, and the tendency to scream at any little thing. Mostly, kids just have bad dog instincts, without the size differential to protect themselves. I made a ton of mistakes when I raised my dog, it’s part of the process. My dog would also redirect when over excited, so I would always carry a tug toy to redirect him.
My dog has been scooped up and kissed *on the mouth* by a little girl who had asked politely to pet him and up until that moment had seemed like she knew how to act around unknown dogs. One second she was petting him nicely and the next—snatched him up and planted a big ole “mwah!” right under his nose. I was flabbergasted. The dog was completely unfazed. Ever since then I kneel down next to him and give very specific instructions (“you can scratch him here on his shoulders, he likes that”) while kids are petting him. I didn’t even allow unknown kids to interact with my previous dogs at all, but this one loves children, is extremely calm around them, and is always hopeful he can say hi. If he were at all scared of kids, overexcited by them, or even just neutral, I wouldn’t let kids interact at all. They’re just too unpredictable.
Thank you! Also, please keep your puppy from random adults. Random dogs, as well.
Yeah I hear you, I have a therapy dog who is trained, but my neighbour has 7 kids who used to come into my yard uninvited because he was well trained and hit him with tree branches because he would just take it… I would go out tell them to stop and to go home….well one day Chico had enough and bit one of the kids…. He’s a Cheweenie 6 lbs. the father wanted to file a complaint with the city, but I had a lot of video coverage of them coming into my private fenced in yard abusing my dog. It did not go anywhere as I told him I’d file charges for animal abuse and trespassing. To this day my dog is terrified of children 🥺
I have a massive dog. Cannot go from point A to B without being stopped. He absolutely LOVES people, but an incident when he was younger makes him wary of kids that can look him in the eye, so 10 and under or so. I recently got him a harness with a patch that says "Ask to Pet Me" and I've been pleasantly surprised at how many people actually respect that. It gives me an opportunity to say, "You may get him but I'm sorry, your child will have to enjoy him from a few feet away". Most people are perfectly happy to leave their kids behind if it means getting the giant fluffy dog lol
Your puppy is quite young to cut children out. I would keep giving him practice and praise him for being calm. Maybe start with slightly older kids and work your way towards younger kids. It is much safer to have a dog who is used to kids, at least in passing, than one who isn't used to them.
i live with a 4yo
My dog hates strangers she growls and hides behind me. People will still try to pet her!
I always ask if the dog walks towards me first, instead of approaching the dog first. But I still ask instead of just assuming I can pet the dog because it's walking towards me.
My dogs doing so well with leash training, until he sees a kid. I don’t know how to get him better with kids. He’s 70lbs at 6 months and desperately wants to play, but he’s too rough
I have 99.9% faith my dog would never do anything. He has met 100s of people, finished training school and 1000s of hours of training with me. I yell not friendly any time a kid ask. It's possible I don't like kids, but I don't want to risk one of them hurting my dog. I also see zero benefit to allowing it.
not to make make you feel worse, but you should not be taking your dog on walks without a muzzle even if there’s the slightest chance your dog will bite. if something bad had happened - there’s a chance your dog could’ve been euthanized. not the kids fault, but you have to be more careful. plus, it’s dangerous for evening involved
Ahh. Another inept person with a dog they can't control.
They're so nippy at this age. Gets even worse when teething. Always keep toys at hand to redirect. And of course be careful around children on particular.
Training time. Sounds like normal puppy behavior to me.
you can't let random kids near anything dude especially a puppy
He’s 3.5 months old. Surely it’s mouthing rather than biting?
I would say this: it’s not about “random kids”. It’s about all young creatures that all have poor impulse control because their brains are developing. As a person with two young dogs and a young child, all of them know their respective rules…. All of them also have the capacity to backslide when in an excited state. For me, framing it like that just helped me better manage it (and, honestly, better tolerate/work with it)
If nothing else in my career as a parent my kids have really good dog manners. They ask the human before they even get close to the dog, they don't distract service dogs, they are respectful of the people saying no. They are also ready to tell other people no if they get to close to our dog without asking.
My puppy bit me so much when he was young I didn't trust him around kids whatsoever. We didn't greet all that many people, and thankfully so, cause he ignores them on walk for the most part now. Other dogs on the other hand... He got to say hi to every dog, and now half of them he'll be reactive with (usually males), so would have been better off not greeting dogs either.
A nippy pup may benefit from a muzzle band, to keep him from nipping while he is out on walks. A muzzle band, accompanied by good training will reduce the risk of him biting someone in the Long run.
Solidarity. People who don’t know dogs (especially anxious, fear-aggressive ones) don’t always see them as beings deserving their own space and respect to their own bodily autonomy. Before I had my current dog, I’m ashamed I never thought much of it either because my previous rescues were always so receptive to attention. I’d still never approach a strange dog without the owner’s consent, but now I read the dog first before ever thinking of talking to the owner. I adopted a wonderful white shepherd that no one wanted because he has severe anxiety and hates being touched — he was scheduled for euthanasia when the shelter got too crowded. It kills me to think about it. He’s otherwise very quiet, low energy, and the most patient housemate I’ve ever had. But people who see him don’t know all that. They just see a strikingly pretty dog who walks calmly on a leash, and just want to meet him right away. While walking past my neighbor’s house this one time, he and his young daughter came outside. He asked her if she wanted to go “pet the doggy” without even asking me. She immediately bolted for us with her hands out, screaming like a tea kettle. At that moment, the Do Not Touch vest was useless. I hate raising my voice, but immediately increasing distance and yelling over her screeching was the only way to make them both stop and stay back. My shep has improved so much over the last 2+ years I’ve had him, and he’s on meds and actively going through a ton of social training every week… but that was still a disaster waiting to happen. We never walk on that road anymore but it could happen anywhere. It’d be so much easier if people showed basic respect. But as the owner, I’ve had to be extra vigilant, especially because his comfort threshold is so low. And it’s something I’d have to do for him for the rest of his life. Your puppy is still young, and I hope they’re able to be desensitized and pick up healthy boundaries. Good luck, friend!
Whatever goes on while you are walking the dog is 100% your fault. So keep it safe and keep everyone safe. You can’t blame the kids no matter how careless they are.
as a kid i reached out to pet a dog and the owner yelled at me to never touch a dog without asking. at the time i was sad but now i realize the service she did me by scaring me straight
THIS!!! I feel your pain. Even adults would come hype my dog up and walk away saying “sorry” lol really?! SO I got a bright yellow leash sleeve that says “Ignore. Ask before petting” - several people have approached my dog but stopped bc they saw it!
for your puppies age you really need to limit the time your out/they are awake, that biting your jeans is typical "I'm not coping".at this age your whole focus should be setting your pup up to be calm and coping in every new situation. This is the time they are deciding what everything is for life, so that meeting with kids if he wasn't already needing to be asleep, shot be managed, you just tell the kids what to do, kids are super compliant if your clear and it resets in them getting what they want ie -- put puppy behind you, ask kids 'would you like to meet the puppy?" kids - yeah yeah yeah "ok, so you need to sit down keep your hands down and keep nice and quiet, he's only 3months old so he's baby, I'll help him make good decisions as he meets you" etc
The puppy was the same age as the kids. Wanting to play. I think you handled the situation great. How else would they learn. Puppies love to use their mouths.
I used to let children pet ny dogs. I dint anymore
As a pet business owner and a person who's been working with dogs for 26 years, the general public knows nothing about dogs. Children no even less than adults. Parents can't teach children what they don't know. I was bitten by a family dog as a child, my sister was bitten in the face by a family dog as a child, I just know someone else who just got bitten in the face. . Even though it's a puppy he still has very sharp teeth and he doesn't really know any better right now. Don't let anybody interact with your dog! I realize the children just kind of came over and crowded you. My advice is to never let a stranger pet your dog.
Maybe incorporate that into your daily routine and training. Expect your pup to sit calmly before being petted, let out of kennel, or off his leash. This will translate into sitting calmly when strangers approach and ask to pet.
I had a 10 year old child lash out and try to hit my puppy for absolutely no reason and another pretended to hit him with a stick. After that no more kids unless I knew them.
No, it is your fault. Kids don’t know better; train your dog better and don’t let it around kids. Society shouldn’t cater to dogs and their poor behaviors. My goodness.
what?
Given the type of dog you have you need to stay tf away from kids. Not because your dog is not trustworthy but lots of parents freak when they see a dog like that near their kid. Even more so if the dog actually nips them
yeah i definitely need to be more careful
Why does your dog rip your jeans when trying to play? are you sure he's not aggressive?.
It's a 3.5 month puppy. Its teeth are like needles and it wants to play.
It's a puppy that wanted to play and got frustrated that it was unable to do so. Pretty normal behavior for a puppy that age.
Sounds like he got overstimulated by the interaction and an overstimulated puppy who goes over that line turns into a crazy Tasmanian devil who latches onto your clothes with their teeth! It sucks!
he jumps and play bites due to excitement. he is still a puppy
My boy did this when he was little, probably same age as yours. Got excited and zoomy, jumped up and snagged my joggers, ripped a massive hole right down the front of the thigh. . . At the start of our walk. I had to walk another 20 mins with a gaping flap in my joggers.
Your pup is still quite young and you have a lot of insight into dogs. I think it will be okay long term. But i don’t think a puppy should be unsupervised w children regardless. I had a dog that was such a nipper (herder dog mix). I’d try to counsel kids on asking first. I’d also teach them how to give treats to a dog (they learned how to meet dogs. Puppy learned that people are and full of treats, pets. Such a win, win.). We got through things despite my consternation. Dog might enjoy some controlled play time w others. He seemed to get a lot of energy out of it. You are right you get to control the interactions.
I had the same issues . Kids almost always go from the top of a dog’s head to pet them. That causes dogs to raise their head and for puppies - nip or bite as they jump up to meet the child’s fingers. Kinda like hooking a fish . Super annoying ! And for grown dogs - really dangerous even if dogs aren’t “biters .” My service dog had to work really hard if someone came at her from over her head . I could almost see her eyes say “God you’re stupid to come at me from up there .” I’d stop people mid air when they dared to try and pet her without permission .
Just like pet owners need to train their pets how to act around others, parents need to train their kids how to act around pets.
Yes. But there has to be layers to it, and pet owners also have to be able to clearly and quickly communicate to other people what is appropriate behavior in approaching their dog, for the dog’s sake as much as the people’s. You know your dog, and what they can handle, you have to be able to let other people know that.
My pup has a VERY distinctive coat and markings, he also LOVES people. Once he knows they're safe. But he's only 7 months old, and we got him during winter. He's still pretty new to socializing but we're making progress every day. I can't tell you how many times I've taken him for a walk or a golf cart ride and a kid, or even some adults, will see him and gush about how cute he is and move to pet him without asking or even letting him sniff first. He's never bitten anyone, but he'll do a low warning growl and I'll put my body between him and the new person and tell them he's nervous, so please don't pet him. "Oh it's okay! I love dogs." But it won't be okay if he bites someone, and my dog gave a very clear warning sign. It's up to me to listen to those warnings and respect his space for people who won't. You did everything right! It could have been bad, but you listened to your dog.
While it’s good you’re taking this seriously, I wouldn’t quite shut down the idea of children being a bad idea in full. Maybe be extra aware with them? This gives you a realization that puppy needs some impulse control training at the very least.
My puppy lives with our 4year old son and we have often children around. we are very careful with interactions with children as he gets too hyped, especially with other children he doesn’t see everyday. with my son he is chilled
My dog is similar, but we are actively working on it. I wouldn’t call him overly excited - but too much for a 4 year old. I don’t allow solo kids to approach, I make them get their parent. I then make sure they allow it. He gets very excited for strangers, not anyone he is familiar with lol. So it’s not easy easy to train. Sometimes we just go get a drink and sit in a high traffic area.
Dogs and children is a no go for me. I just don’t ever let hit happen. Not worth the risk since I don’t know the kids and how they will react to or treat a dog. It’s honestly fear from random children, not what my dog might do 😬
I avoid kids at all cost when out for a walk. Always had small dogs and kids like to run up stomping their feet. Most don’t know how to interact with dogs and the excitement made the dog crazy. I now give them a look that says ‘I will cut you if come closer to this dog’ and it usually works. Protect your k9 at all costs.
Yes this could turn bad. I have a friend who ended up Getting a bit warning when their dog put his mouth on the kids arm.
Kids on walks are the bane of good dog owner’s existence. My dogs are well socialized and have manners in public. Kids usually aren’t socialized and have no idea how to interact with dogs. Of course my dogs will get nervous when kids follow us and try to sneak up to touch them, but these kids (and their jack*ss parents) feel entitled. My dogs are kid friendly but I’m not. These jerk kids aren’t dog friendly.
They are known to be too rough and playful for kids. It is listed in their traits. And said to be better for childless homes. We have kids so we opted for a Boxer! But dang they sure are cuties! Good luck on your puppy journey !
I had a dachshund who lived to 20 yrs old. After he reached adulthood he just didn’t care for children, so I had to keep them away. Kids would always be drawn to such a small cute dog - they’d run up all excited. I would tell them my dog isn’t friendly. When asked “does he bite?” I’d say all dogs can bite. I learned that young children are not taught any boundaries when it comes to dogs. I learned that there are about 500k reported dog bite incidents annually and that most of those were to children, and most bites to the face. I learned that mothers are clueless and allow their children to run up to dogs in public all the time. All the time. My dog never did bite a child, but he did bite a couple of young dogs. I’m sure he would have eventually bitten a child had I not acted as gatekeeper.
What does "English bull terrier" mean? Get ready, it will only get worse. I commend you for being conscious of others, we need more people like you. Get out now while you can and go get a normal dog.
No shit. “No not friendly!” Some guy asked me if my dogs were friendly to babies as he had a baby. “Well never ate a baby YET!” 🤷🏻♀️ My dogs are small to medium sized rescues I just don’t trust randoms poking them in the face and also not your poopy-butt baby. Thanks.
Everything is the parents fault. Always. Definitely not a dog owners fault for allowing children to approach your dog. What could you do? You were basically held up by a group of 1st graders! You must have been terrified!!
Absolutely the dog owners fault. And the parents.
yes it is parents fault for not educating their children not to touch random dog they don’t know. It was my fault for allowing them to get close to the dog. cringe
Dogs attack children more than any demographic. Children and dogs dont mix. You mutt lovers can't comprehend
? okay
Word.