Are kids not taught how to behave around dogs anymore?

Montyforever

Montyforever

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When I was younger my mum always told me not to approach/stroke dogs I didn't know unless I asked the owner. Fairly simple thing to say and didn't make me scared of dogs just more cautious.

Had to pick up my cousin from school today and had to take Barney so I stood outside the gate and kept Barney next to the fence and he was an angel didn't react to the little fluffy white dogs barking in his face and kept out of everyone's way but i was really shocked by the mixed reactions to him, half of the kids were terrified which is fair enough as he's huge and the other half were just running straight up to him and stroking him. :eek: Luckily he's friendly but it's not hard to understand why there are more dogs biting kids if they think it's okay to run up to a strange dog like that! What worried me more is half the parents didn't even notice or just didnt care :(
 
At least they were stroking him, when I first got my dog, I had him in the pub one lunchtime and he was sitting happily under the table (........slight lie, he was gazing at me waiting for food to fall :D ) and I hear a hideous screach as this little **** had come over and stamped hard and deliberately on his tail.

Dont know what people are telling their kids tbh!
 
marmalade76 said:
AFAIA, most children who get bitten are bitten by their own family dogs as opposed to random dogs on the street.
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Usually because their parents allow the dogs to be a baby sitter and entertainer rather than the pet dog :(

We were always told as kids if a dog bite you its your own fault and as others always ask before you touch. Mine gets the same lesson but his friends parents reactions can be everything from grab child and run to oh he's only playing...:eek::mad: At which point I usually say sadly my dog is not :rolleyes:
 
Yep it seems to be either running away and screaming (acting like prey - more likely to get you bitten) or lunging in for a pat unbidden (acting like a threat - more likely to get you bitten)

Have also caught visiting children throwing stones at my dogs. Nice, clean, well reared, middle class children.
 
Nope. I was always taught respect when I was a kid no matter whether it was with a dog, human etc. One of my dogs is wary of kids as it is as she was used as target practice with stones, bottles, balls etc when she was a puppy - she is muzzled when we're out - doesn't stop children from running up with their arms outstretched :confused:
And my other dog who is fantastic with everyone and anyone, even when she decides enough petting is enough and wanders off they will chase her at which point I have to say something.
Relatives kids think its acceptable to pull ears, tails, fur etc...hence why they don't visit very often and when they do, myself and the dogs are out on a very, very long walk!
K x
 
I detour round people when with Zak but like to introduce small kids to the B boys, it's a good introduction cos they're both fab. It's the adults that worry me: one bloke dropped his hand to Zak who has a weird hair of just very gently putting his mouth round dangling hands. :eek:
 
In a short word....NO.....IME, no, they aren't taught how to behave around dogs and sadly, many parents seem to reinforce their (unnecessary) fear.

For example, I have a 14 year old GSP.....bit blind, bit death, totally harmless, nose still works and amuses himself by mooching in hedges, raiding bins and trying to seduce any nice smelling bitches. :cool:

Out and about, with his nibs about 5 feet away from me, kid (about 8???? dunno...never had kids thank god!) starts screaming and running around like a banshee, throwing himself on the ground! What on earth was that about??? Dog shows a bit of interest.....as in, lifts head out of rabbit hole, eyeballs kid, thinks what the *******, looks at me and then goes back to hedge. Parents start screaming 'put it on a lead, put it on a lead '......dog is honestly 30 foot from kid (doing diddly squat to cause offence!) and 50ft plus from parents in a public park. FFS. :eek:

I MAY have mentioned in passing that I had more control over my dog than the parents had over their sprog.....went down like a lead weight, but so be it.

Seriously though, I think there is room for PAT dogs to go into schools and for APBC behaviourists to deliver 'lectures' on dog behaviour and how to behave around dogs.
 
I walked into the vets a few weeks ago with my dobie. Friendly dog. Well the lady in there grabbed her child, said stay away from that dog and proceeded to stare daggers at me! Said child will be petrified of dogs! A week later take my staffy in for his jabs, same woman is only there again! Well if I thought he reacted badly to my other dog, this time she was worse. Actually asked me to move back from the desk so she could pass him without coming within 6 foot of him!!
 
I've taught my kids to alway respect animals, my daughter in particular loves animals, and although now nine, I still remind her to ask first before she pets a dog out and about. We've got three dogs. I actually think its the dog owning parents that teach their kids this and the non owners probably don't think? :confused:

:)
 
On the weekend in the local pub garden our 2 dogs were siting well behaved and quiet under the table. Some how a family took this to mean our dogs could be their kids free entertainment with all sorts of nagging and poking and screaming at them. We got a weak "no darling please don't feed the nice dogs flowers":confused: what happened to "Stop that sit down"

No i don't think it's taught any more and its lucky my dogs are so good. A less tolerant dog might have snapped such was the level of ill manners from the kids. Mind boggles:confused: We eventually moved tables to be as far away as possible.
 
Copperpot said:
I walked into the vets a few weeks ago with my dobie. Friendly dog. Well the lady in there grabbed her child, said stay away from that dog and proceeded to stare daggers at me! Said child will be petrified of dogs! A week later take my staffy in for his jabs, same woman is only there again! Well if I thought he reacted badly to my other dog, this time she was worse. Actually asked me to move back from the desk so she could pass him without coming within 6 foot of him!!
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What on earth was she doing in a vets ? Had she wondered in by accident.
 
Had my niece (5yrs) bring a friend up the yard to see my horse. Seems friend also 5 was frightened of dogs! Explained Oz (JRT)would not hurt her, but if she screamed and ran he would follow (refused to put him away). 10mins later she is trying to take hold of his lead that my youngest (2 1/2yrs) was holding (he was only on a lead to keep him away from supposedly frightened child). I think most of the time they just haven't had any interaction with dogs, so don't know how to behave. Was quite funny when frightened child tried to copy niece in throwing sticks for Oz, but forgot to throw the stick........que screaming child running round with stick with JRT in hot pursuit. :D LOL a quick either drop it or throw it solved that one.;)
 
I find this too. One of my dogs is completely blind but you wouldn't notice unless you looked really hard in his eyes. Kids see me out walking with a "sausage" dog, run up and without asking, lunge at him to stroke him and then go running to mummy wondering why he barked!? He's such a lovely boy too, never snappy, just get surprised and jumps back when brats like this come from nowhere and start man handling him :(
 
I walk my do to school every day, both drop off and pick up. Whilst in the school he has to be tied up outside the gate, he is out of my sight. There is a long line of dogs tied up along this fence sometimes up to 6 dogs! Most children ignore them, but some do go up and say hello.

I would not take my dog if I could not totally trust him around children. I would say 80% of the children ignore him, a few stroke him and say hello nicely with only a tiny minority screaming in panic (only had 2 children do this out of the hundreds we walk past!).

So round here most the children are well aware of how to deal with dogs.
 
Its lucky Barney is a greyhound really not one of the cute litte dogs. You can honestly see the parents of some kids explaining that he's a bunny killing monster (despite the fact he wouldn't chase anything and was put in rescue at a year old and doesn't seem to realise he's a greyhound half the time! :rolleyes:)
The trouble is most of the kids come up when they are on their own so i usually say don't stroke him please and if they carry on i say he bites .. Usually gets their attention! I don't mind if I'm walking down the road and a parent asks if their kids can stroke him I'm more than happy to let them and so is Barney it's just when they pop out of nowhere he gets anxious!
 
I don't think they are, and I often find it's children who live with dogs that are the worst for thinking they can come over and say hello. Sprocket is terrified of the vets and will hide under the chair and growl at anyone who comes near, and has to be muzzled. So last time I was there one stupid woman actually TOLD her young daughter to "go and say hello to the dog". I mean, who on earth actually encourages their child to approach a muzzled, clearly unhappy dog??? :mad::mad:

I also got a filthy look from a woman the other day when her child came running up and asked if she could play with him and I said no.
 
Lol Goldenstar - she had a cat !! I did offer for her kids to stroke both dogs as both adore people, especially kids, but that was obviously a big No No. I actually was quite offended the way she openly stared at my dogs as thou there something she'd scraped off her shoe.
 
My children has always been taught to ask before approaching a strange dog, I think you are generalizing slightly, or maybe I just know well behaved children.

I have more problems with strange dogs approaching my children :rolleyes:
 
My old Shepherd bitch was fantastic with kids. They could give her big hugs and kisses and she wouldn't bat an eyelid. If they overstepped the mark she would give a yelp and that was my cue to remove them.

On my daughter's 4th birthday she had half a dozen friends round. They were all playing in the back and the dog was watching them , as she always did.

One of dads turned up to collect his child and heard them at the back so he went straight round. I heard the commotion and not only had my bitch made it clear to him that he was not coming in but when he called his daughter to the gate the dog actually blocked the child with her body.

No one had ever trained her to do that. She was a saint, God Bless her.
 
Fellewell said:
My old Shepherd bitch was fantastic with kids. They could give her big hugs and kisses and she wouldn't bat an eyelid. If they overstepped the mark she would give a yelp and that was my cue to remove them.

On my daughter's 4th birthday she had half a dozen friends round. They were all playing in the back and the dog was watching them , as she always did.

One of dads turned up to collect his child and heard them at the back so he went straight round. I heard the commotion and not only had my bitch made it clear to him that he was not coming in but when he called his daughter to the gate the dog actually blocked the child with her body.

No one had ever trained her to do that. She was a saint, God Bless her.
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"you'z will nots steal dis small peeps on my watch mr'z"
 
lexiedhb said:
"you'z will nots steal dis small peeps on my watch mr'z"
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Yep, proper pastoral carers these Sheps.

My neighbour has footage of my big lad (German lines) playing snowballs with the postman:eek:

(mind you, we did have the same postman for four years)

Some dogs are just pussies;)

To the OP; Perhaps people assumed that as you were outside a school your dog was to be trusted.
 
I love the parents who screech 'Get that dog on a lead/under control' when the dog is off lead at heel. I love it even more when their brat is running round completely out of control with absolutely no recall... Could you please control your child/ put them on a lead so that I can safely walk my dog (who, it would seem, is better behaved than your child)?

Absolutely hate it when the parents are at least half a football pitch away from their child and said child launches itself at your dog despite you saying not to do that while giving them a pretty good death stare. You never hear the parents shout 'it's ok he/she is friendly or only wants to play' either.
 
as parent i have witnessed badly behaved kids and badly behaved dogs around each other. As far as I am aware my kids have always asked before approaching unknown dogs, they are 13 and 15 so obviously I am not always with them now.

my lurcher loves kids and lukily my elderly neighbour and her family love dogs as she hopped over the new 6ft fence 3 wks ago because said neighbours grandkids were in the garden, she 'needed' them to touch her:rolleyes: she can be a lout but with young kids she is so gentle, I still say no if young kids are not with parents though and they ask to stroke her
 
my 4 year old cousin is a bloody nightmare with dogs. my lab x collie hates kids so we have to watch my cousin like a hawk to make sure nothing horrible happens. luckily we have a bombproof choccy lab who receives all the torment :rolleyes:
 
Fellewell said:
To the OP; Perhaps people assumed that as you were outside a school your dog was to be trusted.
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Not the point though really, especially even the most trustworthy dog is still an animal and therefore unpredictable,

I was always taught that you ask the owner before approaching a dog you don't know and even if they say "yes" to put my hand out so the dog can check you out first, with my fingers folded into a fist so if dog nips it doesn't take my fingers with it and this is how I've taught hubby's kids to be and how I'll teach our kids (if we have any) to be
 
burtie said:
I walk my do to school every day, both drop off and pick up. Whilst in the school he has to be tied up outside the gate, he is out of my sight. There is a long line of dogs tied up along this fence sometimes up to 6 dogs! Most children ignore them, but some do go up and say hello.

I would not take my dog if I could not totally trust him around children. I would say 80% of the children ignore him, a few stroke him and say hello nicely with only a tiny minority screaming in panic (only had 2 children do this out of the hundreds we walk past!).

So round here most the children are well aware of how to deal with dogs.
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What an excellent post:)
 
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