to be fed up of other peoples children invading the space of me and my dog !

[Avantia]

Yes all know about dogs jumping and causing nusinace to people but after reading the other AIBU thread about dogs would like to point out my experince over lasts couple of days with others peoples children.

1. Outside school gate , dog lying quietly on floor (getting bored waiting !) young child (reception yr)walks past goes and finds some stick or debris off floor comes back and chucks it at my behaved and nearly asleep dog. Told child not to throw sticks at my dog , mother gives me a look that would kill . luckily dog didn't move .

1. Sitting outside a cafe in park , telling dog to sit ,priasing dog then just see a young child that has run up right behind dog running up right behind dog and screams at it to sit. Then said child runs off - I assume to his mother but couldn't see her.

this is not a mick take of the other thread but showing that not all the time dogs are to blame for lack of harmony between humans and dogs.

So AIBU to expect children not to come up to my dog and interfere with us when going about our own business and invading our space?

yabu to wait outside a school and then to expect no children to come into the vicinity

I dont mind children but I do object to them throwing objects at my behaved dog !

DS is mad about dogs, he's almost two and it's "dogga-dogga" this and "dogga-dogga" that. If we see a dog in the street he gets mega excited and will point/clap/cheer, etc. It's not an issue when he's in his buggy but if he's walking and is desperate to get at the dog I always ask the owner before letting him approach, just something along the lines of "is it okay if he says hello to your dog?" and I do it for two reasons:

1. Not all dogs are used to small children or indeed like small children, I don't want him to startle a dog not accustomed to little ones and potentially get bitten

1. Not all owners like a dribbly small child hugging their dog and telling him/her that he/she is a "good dogga-dogga" whilst examining it's ears/mouth/tail and then hugging it some more.

Some owners say no because of xxxxxx-reason and that's fair enough, it's why I ask, and others say it's fine and DS gets the thrill of his young life (until the next dog comes along).

I can see how it can be annoying, especially as in the two examples you give the two children haven't even been petting the dog - one threw something at him and one screamed at him. Rude much?

I think YABU to not expect some children to go into overjoy meltdown at the sight of a dog because some kids are gaga for dogs but that YANBU to expect a bit of common courtesy and respect.

YABVU to have a dog anywhere near a school.

I have never said that I dont like children going gaga over my dog , I object to items being thrown at my dog and children running uo and screaming at it.

Dont mind at all if child wants to say hello ~( as long as they make an attempt at asking). Dog is used to children but not having objects thrown at it and not used to beiing screamed at from behind.

On the two ocassions shown my dog was minding its own business and and some child 'invaded our space ' and caused a nusiance to me and doggy, .

Not at all!

My toddler is being taught to ask before she approaches a dog we don't know - she now knows the question to ask but often needs prompting to actually say it to the adult in charge of the dog. She's not allowed to go to the dog until she has asked.

We have a dog and while she is a dream with small children (she has to be!) I don't like children, other than mine, approaching her without asking. I know she's great - they don't know that unless they ask me and if they frighten her (ok, it's extremely unlikely, but never say never) I cannot be 100% certain she won't react. If they ask, I can make sure I am right there to protect both her and them.

I wouldn't have my dog in a public place if I wasn't sure she wouldn't snap. She's well trained, and on a lead. But, small children are just as unpredictable as dogs, and if my dog hurts your child because you aren't controlling him/her, and the dog reacts to a threat or to pain, then you have to take a good chunk of the responsibility. Children need to know how to behave around animals just as much as animals need to understand how to behave around people.

i haven't read the other thread but i think you need to get a grip

an ADULT with a dog ought to know to keep a dog under control and not let it jump up at people

a CHILD does not necessarily understand these boundaries regarding a dog rather than a person, and thus needs a bit more leeway

If you don't like people invading your space then I suggest you only take your dog out to deserted areas

Dog not allowed anywhere near a school - what a load of tosh !

Well behaved dog is not a problem , in this case it was ill behaved children .

CBear6, wise behaviour of course and I love the sound of your son! My younger GSD would adore him too. :)

This just shows that no matter how well behaved a dog is - they always have the blame .

Cant win - train your dog to behave people cry - you do - but then can;t take it anywhere because of ill behaved children - please note that on neither occasion dog did not react.

CBear6 - my dog loves to be fawned over by dog-mad children and would love to spend some time with your son! I just think that, as you are doing, children need to know not to assume that all dogs are friendly, and check with the owner first.

amothersplace - so it's ok for a child to throw something at an animal? If a dog is sitting down, behaving itself and generally showing no interest in anything, why is it unreasonable to have it near a school? Children will come across dogs and really need to know how to behave near them.

He met a St Bernard last week and didn't know what to do with himself, he was literally quaking with excitement to discover that dogs come in size XXXL as well as XXXS.

I agree with babybythesea, it's good practice to teach children how to behave around animals for their own safety and also for the safety of the animals - will never forget my youngest brother attempting to pick my old cat up by the ears, he was three and had never seen a cat up close before.

thisisyesterday - but children need to be taught this surely? A child who is reception (so 4 or 5) should know not to chuck stuff at any animal - my 2yo would get a severe telling off for that. Keeping dogs away on the grounds that you can't trust children therefore don't take the dog into the situation simply means the children will never get the chance to learn how to behave around animals. And you can't honestly expect them to go through life never ever coming into contact with any animal?

Arf at 'ill behaved children' at a school gate

Were you expecting them all to file out in silence?

YANBU. My 3 year old LOVES dogs and always wants to say hello but has been told time and again to ask the owner first before she approaches the dog.

You're right- small children are as unpredictable as dogs which is why when they get a bit heavy handed it's important to tell them to ease up. There is no excuse for a 5 year old thinking it's ok to poke anyone, dog or not, with a stick so you were well within your right to tell that child to back off. If my DD behaved that way and you'd told her off I'd have been fine with that (she'd have got told the same by me as well).

YANBU that children should not go running up to a strange dog and go straight in for a cuddle, we were always taught to ask the owner if a dog could be petted first. obviously this can go out the window with a younger child though, so you have to give them a bit of leeway.

i do think YABU to expect it outside a school, home times are usually pretty noisy anyway, and children are going to be excitable and interested in the dog. throwing crap at him though is another matter! but remember Avantia, some people's DC's can do no wrong...

If my son threw anything at any animal or screamed in a badly behaved way (squeal of joy, yes, squeal of anger/temper, etc, no) then I'd pull him on it rather than filthy look the owner or do nothing at all.

"He met a St Bernard last week and didn't know what to do with himself, he was literally quaking with excitement to discover that dogs come in size XXXL as well as XXXS."

:o :o :o

Brilliant!

I agree with you baby, btw.

My DDs were taught from tiny tots to ask before stroking and to stand well back with me and wave hello at, say, a dog tied up outside a shop alone. (NOT that I agree with leaving dogs unattended, far too risky for the poor dog).

tethersend - not how I read it. No they don't need to file out in silence but if the child threw a stick at another child (your child) wouldn't you say that at 5 they were old enough to know better, and also be thinking nasty things about badly behaved children at the school gate? So why is it ok for them to throw that stick at a dog?

YANBU at all, if the child is too young to have any self-control, the parent should be supervising closely. Just as they would in traffic, near a pool or whatever. Children should definitely be taught how to behave around animals.

I tell you what bugs the hell outa me, I have a very very placid big soppy lab.

But parents, who allow kids to just run up and stroke. Without making them ask 1st is it ok to stroke your dog.

Not all dogs are nice.

oh yes, of course they need to be taught, i just mean that as a general rule children are fairly unpredictable, impulsive, and unaware of social rules (maybe even more so towards animals?)

I can imagine ds2 lobbing a stick at a dog simply because he has seen dogs chase sticks and he thinks the dog would like it. Obviously it's not something I would "let" him do, and if he did do it he would be told off... but I can see how it might happen

and hey, kids shout! so a child saw the OP telling her dog to sit and thought they'd have a go too... and???

Avantia, I think you are being unreasonable.

It's perfectly normal behaviour for my son for example, aged 4, if we're passing, he'd be excited to see the dog, and may well run up to the dog and shout 'sit'.
It may annoy you, but that's what kids do.
If you scolded my son for that, I would be annoyed!

Recently I was waiting outside the ring at a dog show, part of a larger agricultural event. Obviously there were large numbers of dogs around, some waiting more patiently than others.

A mother proceeded to walk her toddler, who is holding and eating a banana, through the middle of this group of dogs, allowing her to smack each one on the head with a sticky banana-y hand and scream "'OG!" every time. Though most of the owners see her coming and shuffle their dogs out of the way, she encourages the little girl to do this to maybe seven or eight dogs whose owners are looking elsewhere.

Throughout, the banana is at head height for all but the smallest dogs. Not one of them reacted with more than a wince and a mournful glance. Can you imagine the mother's reaction if one of the dogs had lunged for her daughter's hand?

Also, the little scrote sticking his hand through the bars and throwing bits of hamburger at the dogs as they went by in their individual show, then shrieking with laughter when a dog stopped and got told off by its owner, needs a clip round the ear.