Any tips????

[PinkFairy]

My dog, who is a cocker spaniel (female) does NOT like children at all! She can be disobedient unless it's myself handling her, but to others, she walks all over them. She is in no way vicious, but when children approach her whilst walking outside, she ignores them, but my niece (who is nly 2years old) LOVES my dog, but my dog does NOT love her. Whenever she goes near the dog, she growls but does not snap. But she's fine with me and older people. With all the vicious attacks on kids, I don't want to risk injury, so the dog gets chucked outside or kept in another room if the weather is wet. But is there any way I can improve the situation? She's a well loved dog, has never attacked or snapped, but I don't want to risk losing her! I don't mean to sound selfish but the dog means a lot to me and to have to give her up would break my heart, especially as I had to give up a horse recently.

 

[JAK]

A lot of dogs can be somewhat less than keen on small children, particularly those in the toddler age group, probably partly because they have rather jerky movement & have a tendency to simply grab at things or unwittingly pinch or pull at coats & ears etc.
We have noticed over the years that whilst many dogs will happily put up with a baby's grasping hands, they become far less tolerant once said baby becomes a toddler!

Your dog is so far behaving in a completely normal doggy manner - giving a clear warning growl for the child to keep her distance & making it clear that she does not wish to interact with her further.
Were your niece to ignore these warnings, the next step may well be either a warnng snap or even an actual bite.

A dog that has learnt full 'bite inhibition' in the correct manner should be certainly less inclined to bite but they are still only animals & it is obviously unwise to be testing out the theory on a 2 year old child!
In other words, a correctly socialised dog will be less inclined to snap out if one were to accidentally stand on a paw for example but the ignoring of repeated warnings to stay away may have a different outcome.

The best way to make your niece more 'appealing' to the dog is by allowing her to join in with a controlled activity such as a simple 'throw & fetch' game - kids love watching dogs race after things & giving her a ball to throw a few times will allow them to have fun together!

Although young, try & instill in your niece the need to leave the dog in peace & never to go near when she is eating or sleeping. This will help instil trust in the child on the dog's part & she will feel less 'on edge' around her if she knows she is not going to be pounced on every few minutes!
Never ever take the dog by the collar & force unwanted attention on her, as this will only foster resentment & distrust. Dogs behave best when they are relaxed & confident.

It is a fact that some dogs just don't like children very much, though they are expected to behave correctly when around them.
My own collies will go out of their way to approach children & will sit for hours gazing fondly at complete strangers' kids but this is genetic as well as down to training, the same character traits going back countless generations in their bloodlines!

If you feel the need to remove the dog from the immediate vicinity when youtr niece is visiting, make sure she (dog!) does not see it as some sort of punishment or exclusion.
Perhaps a crate might help, placed in a quiet corner somewhere & offering her a really tasty chew to keep her occupied! She may then begin to look forward to the visits, knowing that she gets something 'nice' out of it!

 

[PinkFairy]

Thanks for the help, I can see it all in a better perspective now! My dog hates having my niece near her when she's eating, and my niece sometimes gives the dog little chew bits but still the dog growls whenever my niece goes near her. The other thing is, my niece chases the dog and when we close the babygate, the dog will pine for myself, and she will sit at the gate and my niece will poke/grab/shout/laugh at the dog through the bars, which only winds the dog up more, so we've taught my niece that touching the dog at the moment = ouch so now, my niece puts her hand out and then sharply takes it away and says "Och!!" So she knows, there is a danger associated with her. However, when the dog sits by me (very often) and my niece runs in, the dog turns away either turning her head, or turning her body around, or the dog walks away from her. If the dog is cornered she will growl etc until my niece is taken away.