Just wanted to mention a few kids we met last weekend, after all the posts on here complaining about kids stroking dogs without asking first. I know that a lot of them aren't brought up right nowadays, but we were in Sussex last weekend and 3 children completely separately and un-prompted came and asked if they could stroke my Cavalier before touching him. I was really impressed I must say!!!!! :-)

Yeah but for ever nice kid theres 10 dumb ones!

Yes i understand what you are saying but i always train my dog to be aware of children that may come over and say hello. A lot of kids may be unware of unfriendley dogs and if so they shoud be muzzled.

Sorry but i dont think they should be muzzled just because some kids came over and stroked the dog with it being unaware , its the kids fault and if he gets bitten thats his fault not ours.

last week in the park a little boy ran up... so my dog ran and hid behind my legs.. (very obviously scared)
i tried to walk away but as we did the boy patted him..he acted as if someone poored something hot on him! he jumped for his life and did a sort of yelp! :-(

I think it is not the dogs fault but the childs.. Like my dog met some little kids in a pet shop when he was a few months old.. 3 of them crouded round him, they were covered in scary face paints he cryed and weed himself! which has obviously made him think little 2legged people are nasty :O

parents who dont teach their kids how to be safe around dogs are putting there kids in danger :-(

But it is so lovely when kids come up to a dog properly isnt it ;-)

For goodness sake MannyG you can't put blame on children if the children don't know any better.  Children are children and are forever exploring and investigating, that's how they learn.  If they haven't been taught about dogs it's not their fault, how can it be?

My dog doesn't like being approached by anyone she doesn't know.  When children approach her in the park I tell the children firmly that my dog isn't used to children and won't like them trying to stroke her.  So far that has stopped every child in its tracks.  What I then do is give the child a treat to hold out for my dog so that my dog approaches them at her own pace.  I can then explain to the child why it's not a good idea to go up to dogs they don't know while at the same time I am slowly getting my dog used to children.

My children always ask if they can touch peoples dogs before they do it.  Some dog owners seem very surprised when they do this.  I think it is only common courtesy after all I would not want strangers coming up and touching my children.  We all need to learn how to respect each other.

This is something that annoys me a bit, I have said it before so I won't rant on, but, no matter who it is that comes up to your dog and strokes him (or her) for the dog's sake, he should be ready for unwanted strangers aproaching him. It is all very well to blame the stranger if they get bitten because they shouldn't go up to strange dog's, but the fact is, is that people do go up to strange dog's and if your dog bites, the authorities will always come down on the side of the stranger.

It doesn't matter if the GP are oblivious to how they should act towards dog's, or if their common sence got up and left one day, the fact's are that most people will just stroke your dog with out asking, and for the dog's sake, he should be ready for it.

The other thing I don't get is that if I saw someone who was about to stroke my nervous dog with out asking, I would ask them not to. If you have a nervous dog, maybe because he came through a rescue or was just born with a bit of a dodgy temperament, then it is up to you to not let people push him too far, afterall you are the only one that can speak and knows the dog's situation!

It has been my experience that Children are usually okay and that if you stop them first and tell them they should ask before petting they are fine.   I take my dogs every day to the school gates to pick my daughter up and the kids now know what they should do!

Adults are a totally different story altogether!  Adults look at you as if to say "I've been around dogs all my life thank you very much, I KNOW what I'm doing!"

I can accept children not asking as its parents who teach them.  I always tell them they should ask as they dont know the dog. 

But adults are a totally different story.  I was once walking through the park with my dog and new puppy (being carried) and we walked passed some kind of dog show, there was a few stalls so we had a look and three competiors (adults) ran up to my pup squeling!  I also dont really see the need for adults to come over to stroke the dog unless they have stopped to speak or something but not when they come over stroke the dog and dont acknowledge the owner!.

Curiosity killed the cat. Let me reword that it is more of the parents fault and a childs stupid decision. If a child comes and tries to stroke one of my dogs and i pull the dog back and tell him to ask , but he still reaches out and strokes him then why should i care if he gets bitten when i already told him to ask? Some parents just go to the extreme and whisper to there children at a distance to stay behind him while they walk passed dogs , i just wanna smack them.

Really? My kids were attacked by a dog this morning and my son was bitten. They were riding their bikes along a public road and it ran out away from its owner and went for them. I am one of those parents who doesn't let her kids go near other dogs at all - and a good job, because had they not frozen when this dog was barking and growling and lunging, it could have been his face that got bitten and not his leg.

most kids round here ask if they can stroke my two.

i agree with other posters in that its the parents responsibility to instill that in the child-they don't know unless they're taught. I was taught to ask as a bairn, and i still do it now-unless the dog comes bounding upto me while out on a walk, then i'll just give a "ooo hello!", followed by a stroke if the dog seems friendly.

nicola

Agreed.  I will not approach a dog in the street, but if one comes up to me, I will hold out my hand and let it sniff, and then if it's still interested and friendly, give it a quick pet and be on my way.  Just this morning, I was approached by a Chihuahua on a lead - its owner was using the cash machine.  I let it sniff me, and it ignored me after it'd had a good whiff, so I carried on my way.

But I won't go running up to a dog in the street and pet it, or even ask to just for the sake of it.  If the dog's not interested in me, I'm not interested in it.  This is because a neighbour had a border collie which used to bark if it so much as saw a young person - no matter how far away they are!

Nothing to do with kids touching dogs but I've just been into the village Newsagents & a young girl was looking puzzled at the drinks fridge, she looked around & I was one of only two women in the shop the rest of the customers being male & both assistants very busy, she came to me & very politely asked if I knew if they had any Pepsi in the fridge as she couldn't see any & when we found the cans(above her eye line)she very polittely thanked me

So Yep there are some nicely behaved & mannered kids out there

Mannyg, i would think most people can't win with you, first you say you don't want children coming up to you and your dog, then you moan that parents keep there children away. I still say if a dog is unpredictable around people they should be muzzled out in public to save any accidents, as would not be the dogs fault or a child who has not been taught to ask permission before stroking a dog.