Following on from the sad story of yet another dog attack on a child. I wondered what experiences other people have had with their dogs and kids?

I can experience it from both sides having had a border collie who bit our 3 year old son on the face  and also having a young puppy and watching a child outside school one day deliberatly trying to stand on my puppies tail.

I teach my children to respect all dogs and not to approach strange dogs, if every child had this drummed into them like we teach them to cross the roads safely etc maybe there would be less attacks.

My children know to respect dogs, I have 2 toy poodles and my daughter thinks the world of them but she knows to treat other dogs with caution. I've never been bitten (touch wood) but if I see a large dog on it's own my heart starts pounding and I cross the road. I was obviously allowed to watch too many horror films as a child. :-D Some children have no sense of fear with anything so to go up to a strange dog and touch it means nothing to them.

Hi Caz,
Well I personally think that it all comes down to love. If
a child see's you loving you dog they do copy your behavour.
But! a child is only a child and can't think like an adult it does
get to trust dogs if there own is loving. That is quite natural.
But!! some children are brought up or have bullying in them,
and to be cruel. especially to smaller things.
I remember discussing the Jamie Bulger killers!
With a professional, there comment was they start by pulling
the rabbits ears, were does it stop?
I think animals brought up with love respond the same.
Unless they have a mental, or health problem.
Regards
Denese

I think animals brought up with love respond the same.

- I totally agree, i know my pups only 10 wks but i love all over him and he ssoooooo gives it back :)

There was a good website with pictures of dogs showing different emotions - and I often think we need a campaign to educate kids about the correct way to treat dogs. Many will not have dogs as part of their families so wont learn from parents. I notice this when out with daughter and puppy, and kids want to say hello to him but hold hands up over his head or ask nervously " Does he bite?" Pup is good at sitting so they can learn better ways.

I'd be satisfied if kids were taught to always, *always* ask before approaching my dogs.  My dobe's okay, he doesn't give a damn who tries to say hello to him (I say tries because he ignores them!), but my rott X is more wary, especially of children.  She used to be very scared of them, especially after four very loud, screamy young girls, probably about 6 or 7 yrs old, came over and started playing fetch with Remy - Opi was trying to move away, and one of the girls actually started to chase her, saying she'd chase Opi till Opi let her say hi.  Needless to say I wasn't happy, I told the girl in no uncertain terms to stop what she was doing as she was frightening Opi - she did, altho she stayed away from me afterwards!  no biggie, not a kid fan myself anyway, so I can't blame Opi for how she feels :D

Thankfully we've been more or less left alone since then, and Opi is much, much better - but we still get the odd kid who doesn't ask and gets a quick pat in before I can stop them, and it worries me - Opi's bite inhibition is pretty poor.  I'm not saying she would bite, but I'd rather not find out the hard way.  So just teaching kinds to ask first and not assume every dog loves children would be great.  Might stop them growing up into the adults who do it too - just yesterday at the beach I had a guy "stroke" both my dogs - they were ahead of me, his idea of stroking was to pat them in a way that lokoed like he was going to smack them on the rump.  Remy ignored him, but Opi ducked away - and as he came towards me, he even said, "you know, dogs always like me!"  I thought "yeah, she's dodging you because she loves you!"  Muppet.

lol thats men for ya!

I don't have a problem with children and my dogs - only men :( Bramble does not like people he doesn't know very well stroking him (he's a rescue and a hand coming down to him upsets him and he will bark at the person). It's amazing how many men at Discover Dogs came up and tried to stroke him without asking - some of them even insisted that he WOULD like them and kept trying :D Nobody managed to stroke him without him barking at him - we did tell them :( :(

Daisy

I have got 3 kids and 5 dogs and the kids know they are not allowed to terrorise the dogs or else!!!!!!  We have always had dogs with the kids and not once have I have had any problems nor was I ever bitten by any of the dogs we had when
I lived at home.  My second eldest dally is very funny around adults but if children come up to her she loves them.

Hi
I have got 3 kids & 3 dogs. My kids have always been brought up with dogs & to have respect for them. When my son was bitten at the age of 4 it was by his Uncles dog. Liam wasn't near the dog - he just called out Goodbye to his Nana and must have startled the dog who was asleep in his bed at the time. The dog jumped up and lunged at Liam. He was a rescue dog and quite elderly - my children knew he wasn't keen on kids and knew not to approach him. I guess my son paid the price of some other kids taunting in the past.
Take Care
Helen

One of my biggest bugbears is parents who are scared of dogs and then drum it into their young children to be terrified of dogs. 

I have a rehome who is 110% with children - he came from a home with children from babies to young teens and I would trust him alone with a baby.  What he doesn't understand, as most dogs don't understand, is people ( big or little) being scared of him.  If we come across a child in the park with a screaming parent (keep away from the dog!!!) who causes the child to start screaming,  he immediately thinks that there is something to worry about and starts barking to ward off the danger to the child, parent and me.  Unfortunately the parent then thinks that their concerns are warrented, because he's barking ......

Ive got 4 kids age, 10, 9, 8, 5. They have been brought up to respect all animals. Aswell as the dogs we have gineau pigs and a rabbit too. They know that they shouldnt approach a dog that they dont know and they should ask the owner first if they can stroke their dog.

I myself was bitten badly by my mums GSD when I was a teenager. It was the most frightening experience ever. I did nothing to provoke the attack, the whole thing was quite a mystery at the time. My mum was going to have him PTS but at the time he was 10 years old and had never done anything like this before. We persuaded her not to and to let the vet take a look at him to see if there was anything wrong. It turned out he had cancer and was in a lot of pain. He was given some medications and was okay after that. Sadly he was PTS nearly a year later, due to the cancer.

This hasnt put me off dogs BUT to this day I wont let a dog to near my face. Also everytime I hear of a dog attacking someone I always wonder if it is ill. They cant tell you they are in pain and sometimes its not always that obvious to the owner either.

kat

That's very true our BC bit my son on the face because she was in pain with hip problems and he touched her hip. We decided with the advice from the vet and RSPCA it was kinder to have her pts as she was obviously not happy any more.

I have 5 children & 1 on the way, 1 adult staffie, & 2 younger staffies.

I have allways been carefull to teach my children to be kind to dogs & never stroke a strange dog without asking first.

My 2 yr old can be a bit horrid to dogs so we have to watch him with ours :-(

I was also bit by one of my mums GSD`s  when I was a teen, it was my fault for teasing her!!! - my mum said as much - lol (not a bad bite )

Jo

Kids very often learn by example. If the parents have no experience with dogs then it will follow that the kids won't know how to behave around dogs.

I was bought up with dogs, have always had an affinity with them and my daughter is now the same way. In saying that, I will never leave her alone with my 2 because it's just common sense. As she's an only child, she looks upon the dogs as playmates, but also knows that she has to treat them with respect. She would never dream of going up and touching a strange dog, any more than I would without asking the owner first.

That is a major bugbear of mine, adults (not always kids) that come bundling up and put their hands on my dogs heads without asking It's total stupidity, thoughtlesness and lack of respect to my dogs.

I wouldn't go up and cuddle/touch a strangers baby so what the hell makes them think that it's acceptable to do it to my dogs? And if one of my dogs bit them..................doesn't need answering really does it?

What do you say to people like that? I've told them in no uncertain terms what my feelings are in the past and then I'm accused of being rude and it then becomes hostile.

Rant now over :P