Getting ready to move---dogs & kids advice needed

[Hero715]

Hey Everyone,

I posted a couple weeks ago about the crazy neighbor telling me not to let my dog "go" in his yard. Well, I'm finally moving out of the neighborhood and wanted to solicit some advice on a different subject.

My dog, Hero, is a Husky Mix. She is about 8 years old (not totally sure as she was a rescue) and is very ALPHA. She loves other dogs and loves to play, but has to be the boss and will definitely assert herself if she meets a dog she doesn't like. I've learned how to handle this while on walks, etc. I'm basically just cautious with her and let her sniff noses and if she wags her tail, fine, if not, then we keep walking.

What I need help with is introducing her to children. My new neighborhood has lots of kids and Hero has never really been around kids. Once in a while if a kid is out and asks to pet her, I say OK and have Hero sit while I hold her collar and let the kids pat her on the head.

One time a couple years ago, a man was walking with his 2 year old and the little boy wanted to pet her. I did the same as usual, holding Hero & having her sit. Well, the little boy grabbed her around the back and was squeezing her.... Hero reacted badly and tried to bite the boy on his face. She did not hurt him and I immediately took her inside and of course, the little boy was freaked out... I felt so horrible

So....ever since then, I've just NOT let her interact with children while we're out walking. It really scared me and so I'm wondering what is the best thing to do? Should I just tell people "Sorry, she's not kid friendly," which is what I've been doing? Or should I try to acclimate Hero to being around the kids? And what is the best way to do this? I don't want my neighbors to think I have a dangerous dog, but I'm not so sure that she is OK with kids.

Another note, at the dog park sometimes there are kids running around and she pays no attention to them at all.

Any thoughts you have are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Karen]

Gosh, she's a beauty. You probably should start getting her accustomed to kids, but do so slowly and carefully. Do you have any friends with children that could help? Little kids are scary for dogs who haven't been around them, it's just another socializing thing. Some dogs never can be around children safely, but perhaps Hero just needs help getting used to small squealing quick-moving, non-furry things!

[pitc9]

Please be VERY careful!!
For a dog that age that has never been around kids, and has had a bad experience, I would be VERY VERY careful!
My Buddy snapped at a kid once but that wasn't until after the kid had fallen on him twice!
Neither of mine have been around kids, and instead of trying to get them used to kids, I just keep them away from kids. That way everyone is safe!
(The kids are safe from bites and my dogs are safe from possibly being put to sleep if they bite someone.)
Maybe you can find someplace where kids are out playing (running, screaming... ya know...Kid stuff! )
You and Hero can sit near by and watch them and let ONE kid at a time come over and sit down Slowly by Hero and pet her.
It's always the quick actions/reactions of kids that spook a dog to bite or a group of them that surround the dog to pet it.
I think another big reason for bites is because when a small kid has a dog and they can jump on it, pull it's tail... etc. and the dogs is fine with it, they automatically think that they can do those things to any dog!
So you have to watch the dog, the kids and hope that their parents are responsible enough to teach their kids not to approach every dog they see.
I wish you Good Luck!!

[sanford8916]

How old are your neighbors kids? If they are older then maybe they can help. I would let your neighbor know that she hasn't had experince around kids and you would like her help to slowly get her use to them. The children should never hug your dog, that's asking for trouble, they squeeze to hard and the dog will feel trapped. Older kids 8 and up can help with food, treats and maybe going on walks with you. 8 and up can be taught to move slow and be very gentle. But I do think it is important to talk to the neighbor, she will want to keep her kids safe and teach the kids to never aproach your dog without your permission. Good luck!

[Hero715]

Thanks everyone! I haven't met anyone in the new neighborhood yet, but it seems like there are kids of all ages.

I certainly plan to be very careful and not let Hero off leash or anything...which I don't usually do anyways because she likes to bolt!

I think I will just stick to your advice of keeping her away from the kids unless it is a calm environment and they can approach her quietly, etc. It just scares me because you just NEVER know how a dog is going to react, especially an older dog with a temperment like hers.

Thanks again!

[Thandi]

For most of Thandi's life (she was a Rhodie) I kept her away from young children. She bit my youngest twice (his fault, really, for surprising her while she was sleeping) and for the rest of their lives, they tolerated each other. If other young kids came near her, she'd try and get away from them, and if she couldn't, she would nip. So, from those experiences for everyone's sake, she spent the last 8 years of her life very happy with us, but not being subjected to young children. It wasn't that she attacked them, but a nip from a Rhodie is serious enough to want to avoid.

Just safer all round and way less stressful. I wish it could have been different, but it wasn't. Even a bahaviorist couldn't fix it.

[Hero715]

Did you have Thandi before you had kids? I worry sometimes about how Hero might be if I ever have kids. Of course, that won't be happening for at least a few years (considering I don't even have a boyfriend right now!), but I wonder sometimes about having a new baby and an older, less-tolerant dog.

I know it would be a situation of NEVER leaving the baby alone with the dog, etc., but I just wonder what other peoples' experiences are....I guess this is really a topic for a new thread....

[Thandi]

We had the kids before Thandi. They were born when we had 2 golden retrievers, so were used to being able to do literally anything to those dogs. Thandi was another story, she simply wasn't kid or other dog friendly and it was just something we lived with and adjusted to.

The kids adjusted to her behavior, although the youngest always had more of a problem. We did work with the behaviorist but that didn't do much to change anything. My youngest, who just turned 19, finally got to enjoy dogs again about 2 years ago when we adopted Mika and then Chloe, both are total cuddlers and have no issues with teenagers or even the cats, who also cuddle them!