Children

In general my two don't have many problems, little ones like Sisko loves rabbit poo or Kasidy loving black labs but last autumn they had a fright when a stupid kid started throwing his ball at dogs in the park and then at bonfire night they were ambushed by kids with cap guns. I've noticed now that Sisko avoids kids, if we pass them he tries to speed up or curve away from them. I don't know any kids so can't see how to get him to trust them again?. I've been playing with the dogs in the park next to the local primary school and trying to get him used to the noise etc. Should i be giving them treats if we pass kids ? online i've seen that you should avoid kids altogether unless they are part of a training programe.

no treats. lottie was frightened of everyone when we got her. we just keep her on a short lead when walking passed people. dont avoid them but make sure you have full control and a tight grip. when passing shorten the lead and pull towards you if the dog fixates on anyone. if the dog gets frightened or pulling too much just stop and sit and when the people have passed give lots of praise. to avoid something or to give treats as a distraction is teaching the dog it is ok to feel that way. they need to face their fears knowing you will be there to help and quite frankly SAVE THEM from what ever is frightening them. things will get easier after a while but it does take time. we have had lottie 4 months and she still sometimes looks at me and lets me know if she is a bit frightened or wary of a situation and i just sit her down and stay close to her untill she is calmer and then tell her good girl once she has calmed down and then we go on our merry way. so long as you have full control of the dog and a short lead that keeps the dog next to your leg and you give the kids or people a wide range as your passing you should be ok. you cant avoid every thing cos what do you do if your walking down the street and there is a kid walking on the street at the same time you have to pass them its unavoidable

I was thinking give a treat if he marches past ok? that worked with nasty dogs, ie if my two walk past then we sit and get a treat?. I've been keeping them on a short loose lead and just ignoring any kids we pass, it just depends what the kids doing and sometimes he doesn't notice .

stiofan wrote:I was thinking give a treat if he marches past ok? that worked with nasty dogs, ie if my two walk past then we sit and get a treat?.

you could sit and get a treat if you want. which ever you think your dog will respond better to. the trick is just to let them know thats there is nothing to be frightened of and when you walk passed that certain situation and be good then the dog needs to be told good job so if you feel a tret would be good then do it. we took lottie to see a behaviourist because she is our rescue and came with issues mainly being frightened of life in general i think. we were told that a simple enthusiastic good girl and pats would be ok and to save treats for training. to get your dog to walk passed kids without being frightened is behaviour modification not training. but which ever you feel is best you know your dog better than us we can only advise and draw on passed experiences with our own animals and try help that way. good look hope she responds well and gets over it soon cos she will feel better herself not to mention you will get a nice walk rather than worrying all the time

Totally agree with Julie!

Good advice there Julie.

I concur with Julie as well.

agree with Julie

Thanks for the advice, i decided not to use treats , just been praising him after we pass a child. The last couple of days he hasn't reacted but he does keep an eye on them. I think the fact that Tasha and Kassidy like kids is helping because if the dogs are chasing the ball in the park beside the school play ground the fact that the other two are happy to be near the kids reasures him?.

yeh we have noticed Lottie takes her ques from Lemmy and has a more relaxed aproach about certain things now. they teach each other and the confidence of the others will always rub off on the nervous one. hope all goes well for you

totally random, but stiofan, your dog Sisko, it means sister in finnish. finnish is my second lanugae
Romeo for the first time ever shyed away from a child that tried to pat him, so i didnt force him into it. i personally dont know why he did it, he has never had a bad exsperiance with children, maybe she smelled of evil i dont know

This is such a shame. Some kids are idiots around dogs and it spoils it for other children and the dogs who miss out on a playmate with as much energy as they have!

I hate hearing about stuff like this because staffies get such a bad rap and if someone saw a dog that was nervous around children because they had a bad experience with them, they'd automatically think it was because it was a staff and they're 'evil child eaters'.

Bring Sisko to my place, my kids are fantastic with dogs, they'll soon make Sisko realise that kids can be as fun and loving as adults

all the kids in my extended family are teenagers now , wish i had some kids to practise on lol. I think i will avoid groups of children because all they do is reinforce his fear and he can't pass them easily whereas individual kids are not as threatening so i can use passing them to get him used to it.?.Sisko is a boy called after a star trek character, i always call Kasidy sister as her nic name, well she is his sister

stiofan wrote: all the kids in my extended family are teenagers now , wish i had some kids to practise on lol. I think i will avoid groups of children because all they do is reinforce his fear and he can't pass them easily whereas individual kids are not as threatening so i can use passing them to get him used to it.?.Sisko is a boy called after a star trek character, i always call Kasidy sister as her nic name, well she is his sister

DS9 glad to see another trekkie on here

Im glad im not the only one to have a pup that is so scared of everything outside the house even the front door
I am doing the same as julie suggested but it is taking time but deffinately work in progress
Sofian if you were nearer you could have borrowed my nephew lol hes only 6 but is soooo used to my two nutcasses

Gazagem wrote:Im glad im not the only one to have a pup that is so scared of everything outside the house even the front door
I am doing the same as julie suggested but it is taking time but deffinately work in progress
Sofian if you were nearer you could have borrowed my nephew lol hes only 6 but is soooo used to my two nutcasses

i have lottie. she is frightened of her own shadow wspecialy at night when its dark. we've had her 4 months now and she still has her moments so its just a work in progress. our doggies will get there one day untill then we can only do our best to help and reassure them. we have just been out for our walk and the house up the road has a big hedge so you cant really see the gate and a bloke walked out of the gate which made me jump. poor lottie went 5 feet backwards poor love so we just sat and waited till she had gained her composure then we walked on. she still pulls a bit but you will also notice as your walks go on that the pulling gets less too cos of the way you are walking with them.