To expect parents to teach their little children not to approach my dog?

[joystir59]

It happens all the time- young child screams "Little doggie" and reaches towards Dog with outstretched hands. My dog hates little children doing this and would probably snap at them if they managed to actually get their hands on him. Why don't parents teach their children to ignore strange dogs?

Yes children should be taught to not touch strange dogs. Also dogs that potentially could snap should be muzzled in public

All dogs could potentially snap. Especially if someone is up in their face, squealing, pulling on them, poking them, etc.

Should all dogs be muzzled in public?

Our dog is always on a lead and under control when amongst the general public, and he is steered well away from approaching children, buggies, toddlers toddling, to make sure that the children and our dog are safe.

Can you lend me your child in order to teach my dog not to bite children, too? Only I don't have any of my own the dog ate them so it's difficult to do the desensitization work .

Yes it is unpleasant and cruel for a dig to have a small child invade their space, be overly enthusiastic or rough, perhaps even causing that animal pain.

So if that same small child acted the same way with another child and the parents did nothing then would that be okay? If they went up to a baby in a pram and started poking at them? Or is it only animals they're allowed to be rough with and cause pain to?

But ultimately it is dogs that cause the serious harm, draw blood, savage or even kill

So there's this possibly dangerous thing, with the potential to kill your child. Why are you letting your child approach it?

Preventing children from being injured should be the parents priority. Fixed that for you. They're your kids, not mine. Their safety isn't my responsibility I'm doing my part, keeping the dogs on their leads, away from kids. If your children come running over, you need to stop them.

If your kids are in public you should have them in a buggy or on reins if they cant be trusted not to endanger themselves.

This.

If they went up to a baby in a pram and started poking at them? Or is it only animals they're allowed to be rough with and cause pain to?
I think most dog friendly DC tend to pet rather than poke.
Personally I think they are crazy to approach an animal with teeth, the long leads are a pain with feckless owners too on their phone. I know there are very responsible dog owners too

YANBU 100% however, a very excitable 18 month old is not going to have the vocab to ask or capacity to stay away from dangers.

I'm assuming they can stop this excitable 18 month old to not run into traffic, but somehow not to run towards a dog. They can stop the child from touching a hot oven but not from touching a dog. They can stop the child from poking/prodding/grabbing/hurting their baby brother but not from doing the same to a dog. An 18 month old should always be supervised, there are many more dangers than a dog.

however, a very excitable 18 month old is not going to have the vocab to ask or capacity to stay away from dangers.

Then as a parent it's your responsibility to keep your small child away from danger. Nobody is expecting a toddler to automatically understand that you don't run up to dogs, it's something they need to be taught over and over again by their parents.

Just like their parents teach them not to run into the road, or not to touch the oven, or not to play with knives.

At the end of the day if a dog frightens or hurts your child, you're not going to be comforted by "well it was the owners fault" when it's your child who ends up hurt or frightened are you?

I am pretty fucking good at reading my dog but there may well be one occasion when I’m unable to get between small child and dog and small child does something that hurts / annoys her. My dog has never indicated she would bite but she is an animal and I cannot guarantee that for ever and ever Amen. She would not be at fault or responsible.

But you expect perfect behaviour from kids? And parents? Parents can read their kids most of the time too, but not always. They are young, stupid and unpredictable. I.e. kids learning as they grow up.

But kids aren't walking around with teeth that can maim or kill other people. Dog owners are walking around with a animal who could potentially significantly harm kids. So the bulk of the responsibility falls to them. You bring the danger, then you bring the control.

The world is full of dangers for small children. They have no concept of risk. That’s why we don’t let them wander around on their own. We expect a parent to be with them to protect them from danger. To stop them from falling down stairs or wandering into a road.

You wouldn’t let your child clamber up to a table in Starbucks and stick their hand in the nearest mug. The contents could burn them. Don’t let your children walk up to strange dogs and get within range of their teeth. Responsible owners keep their dogs on lead and responsible parents keep their young children away from dogs they don’t know.

I hate the mentality that some people have, whereby it's everyone else's responsibility to parent their children! If a dog is on a lead next to it's owner, and your child runs over and touches they should be told not to! A child kicked my dog once - he didn't react as he's mega placid! But he did yelp so clearly it hurt him, I was really annoyed!

Oh but slash, little Esme just looooves doggie woggies and it's so ADORABLE to see her excitement! Only trolling, I know exactly what you mean. I can't understand why we can't just have a little give and take - the world revolves around neither dogs nor children. Dog owners certainly seem to be doing their part.

YANBU but I wish dog owners could be more mindful too, I’ve always taught my kids never to touch or approach or generally piss off a dog. If they want to pet it, they ask the owner nicely and if he/she says no, then that’s the end.

But all three of mine have been knocked over from dogs bounding out of nowhere with the owner running behind in a panic shouting the dogs name. So my kids wouldn’t ask anyway because now they are shit scared.

I'd like to see dogs kept under control so that they don't try and lick a child in a buggy as happened when we were out with our granddaughter. The owner who had it on one of those very long leads was so angry when I kicked to dog to get it away, he was lucky that I didn't kick it much harder.

@LadyRannaldini are you seriously shocked the owner was angry after you kicked his dog for trying to lick your grandchild???!!

If you dared to do that to a dog in front of me I'd have made sure you were shitting out your own teeth for the next week. Nasty cretin.

I have 3 dogs and it absolutely stuns me how many kids WITH their parents will make a bee line for us and literally throw themselves towards my dogs. It REALLY fucks me off. My dogs are on leads in our park and 2 are lovely friendly dogs but one is a rescue and blind in one eye from being beaten and hand shy. Why should he have to wear a muzzle because someone is too fucking lazy to teach their kids to stop and ask ‘ can I stroke your dog ‘. THEN when I pull him away and say ‘’oh no sweet he’s not very friendly ‘’.....( it’s easily that saying sorry hun he was kicked in a head as a puppy so he’s half blind and has some brain damage ) what really gets my piss boiling is the parents look at us like we are monsters for taking such a mad crazed dog out in public And tbh some of the comments here clearly show that some of those parents are here NOW!! ‘ oh your dog doesn’t sound very nice....oh he should be wearing a muzzle’.....NO... YOU should be watching your kids to make sure nothing bad happens to them. They should have the basic lessons trained into them from day 1. ...... don’t touch broken glass or syringes..... don’t touch strange dogs....Don’t walk off with strangers etc..etc... it isn’t MY job to manage other people’s kids when all I want is for my pups to have a bit of fresh air. Parks and pavements are for everyone...my dogs only go off lead when there are no other dogs around or people. I’d like it if other people with dogs were also more considerate and didn’t ‘assume’ all dogs ‘ want to play together’ grrr.

So the bulk of the responsibility falls to them. You bring the danger, then you bring the control.

If the dog is on a lead next to it's owner then it is under control. If your child runs up to my dog who is sat calmly by side and tries to grab him or touch him without permission, it's your child that isn't under control.

Why are dog owners expected to have perfectly behaved pets at all times, yet it's apparently okay for small children to run up to strange animals and try and touch them?

Presumably you don't allow your child to run into the road, or pull hot coffee on themselves, or juggle with the steak knives in the drawer, so why are dogs any different? Animals are predictable and potentially dangerous so keep your child away unless you have express permission from the owner !

A toddlers runs up to a baby, screaming, reaches into the pram and touches them a little too roughly. Do you just say 'Oh well, they're only kids, too young to understand!' or do you expect the parents to do something?

This place hss many posts with people angry with rough/violent kids in softplay and everyone is sympathetic and says YANBU. When it's done to an animal then apparently the kid has no blame.

I have a large very hair dog and I am absolutely sick and tired of children, of all ages, running up to him and grabbing at him. Little girls shrieking often too.

He is a friendly dog but no dog can be trusted 100%. We have no children in the family so he is not used to them. I not bloody muzzling him though because ignorant parents are too lazy to parent properly.

Any dog can nip or bite. They could be too hot, in pain etc. A friend's dog was the friendliest, soppiest dog ever and yet one day when a young child grabbed at his fur he snapped at them.

The law says that your dog must be under control at all times. If you cannot prevent your dog from biting a child, even when that child has approached it without asking, then you cannot take that dog out in a public place.

There is no similar law with regard to toddlers being under control.

It doesn’t matter that you think you should have the right to take your dog where you want. The law is clear.

I spend a lot of time in the magistrates’ courts. I have seen people prosecuted and found guilty in the exact scenario described above.

Whatever the rights and wrongs, that is the law.

It may well be the law - nobody is disputing that.

But if your child gets bitten or nipped or knocked over and scarred for life - are you really going to feel comforted because the owner was "in the wrong in the eyes of the law"?

I was really shocked recently when I was out with my dog, sat on a bench with him on a lead on the floor next to me, and out of nowhere a stranger came and put their baby on the floor about a foot from my dogs face 'so the baby could say hi'. Good thing he likes interacting with children. Completely ridiculous parenting.

mydogisthebest, if you know that your dog is liable to snap at a child and you refuse to muzzle it in public on principle, then it will richly serve you right when your dog is put down for attacking a child. Poor dog doesn't deserve you

I keep my DC away from dogs we don't know as he loves animals and would probably just try to touch them without asking first (he's 2). If the dog looks friendly enough we ask for the owner's permission to approach.

Shame 2 weeks ago he was pushed to the ground from behind by an enthusiastic labrador, as we were on the beach, and the owner didn't even try to call back or restrain her dog. Only after we made a few attempts to pick him up (my DS, not the dog) she came to help, giggling away and saying :"Oh, he just loooves children".

The law says that your dog must be under control at all times. If you cannot prevent your dog from biting a child, even when that child has approached it without asking, then you cannot take that dog out in a public place.

Then NO dogs would ever be out in a public place, since no owner can guarantee that a dog being screeched at, poked/prodded in the eye, or having its tail or fur pulled, will not snap.

mydogisthebest, if you know that your dog is liable to snap at a child and you refuse to muzzle it in public on principle, then it will richly serve you right when your dog is put down for attacking a child. Poor dog doesn't deserve you hmm

She said no dog can be trusted 100% and any dog could nip/bite.

Are you saying all dogs should be muzzled in public?