Dog barked at my child

[Kitchendrama1]

We were at the park and two year old was having a moment so sat down on the pavement. Dog came over and barked at him. Dog went away. It felt ok and I was looking out.

We started to do a lap of the oval and big again started to stare and bark from us at a distance and wasn’t looking at the other dog he was playing with, or his owner. Dog was getting closer (but also stopped). I grabbed kid and went.

Was the kid in danger?

[OneTC]

What kind of dog was it?

I would probably have removed a small child from the area with the staring behaviour and ignoring recall, that's not a good look from a dog

[TheWernethWife]

I have never read anything so ridiculous, dogs bark, kids scream.

[TimeForTheChristmasTree]

@Mantlemoose - Don’t worry, no risk of my children touching any dog when we are out. Grandparent was badly bitten by one, just walking by the dog, so I take no chances.

But our neighbours have 4 lovely dogs, so they’re allowed to touch them when it’s welcomed by the owners.

[TwooThirty]

Dogs are nosy bastards. Anything different and mine immediately clocks it.

I would be worried by growling. (Or even more worried by those quiet ones who don’t give any warning signs.) I would definitely not be at all bothered by barking.

[MichelleScarn]

I've now got this in my head....

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

What kind of dog was it?

This.

[tickledtiger]

If you’re not a dog person I don’t blame you for being concerned. It might have been a really docile dog or the opposite, how are you to know? You have to follow your instincts.

I grew up with dogs and I like them, but they are dangerous. We had a dog which used to bark a lot and barking sometimes meant a bite was imminent. I got bitten a couple of times as a child.

[Flickeringgreenlight]

@eyeslikebutterflies

OP, to reassure you (as a lot of posters have been a bit mean!), if a dog is likely to attack it generally won't bark, it'll 'stiffen' its body, perhaps raise its hackles (hairs on the spine, near the neck), stop, stare very hard without blinking, and perhaps lower its body slightly. It will give you a lot of body language signals, but generally barking isn't one of them.

It sounds like this dog was a bit freaked out by your child, and so barked to indicate this. It's a dog equivalent of saying, 'hey! I don't know what you're doing but I don't like it and pack it in!' Children, tantrums, loud noises, unexpected movements: all these can be frightening for dogs (which I know sounds daft when you don't have a dog or know dogs, but a lot of the time the human world freaks them out!).

The secondary bout of barking at you was likely a continuation of the first. A kind of 'hey! I see you and your noisy ways! Stay over there!' The fact that it held off from coming close shows that it was all noise; it had no intention of getting into a fight with you.

That said: had that been my dog, I'd have called her to me, reassured her (to stop her barking /show her there was nothing to be scared about) and understood that although she was freaked out, she was also likely to be freaking you out. Parents quite rightly worry about dogs and young kids: a good dog owner would have spotted this and intervened.

This is all it needs to be. What a good comment!! Don't get all the mockery and laughing. Not everyone knows dogs, recognises signs and know how to perceive their behaviour. OP is just asking a question as she didn't know what to make of the dog's behaviour. It's hardly "parkdrama" and doesn't warrant all the unkind responses.

[KaycePollard]

Dogs often find small children making a lot of noise quite threatening. Dogs get discombobulated by humans their [dog size] size who are not dogs. Toddlers can also behave in ways that dogs interpret as aggressive or threatening.

If the dog stopped short of dashing up to your child, then I’d interpret that as the dog being on guard and aware. But well- trained not to dash up or go into attack mode. The dog was warning its owner about something it found strange.

Dogs and toddlers who are strangers to each other can be a volatile mix.

[MsFannySqueers]

@MichelleScarn I haven’t heard that in years! We used to recite that while skipping. A good thread theme old fashioned skipping rhymes!

[DarlingFell]

Oh jeez, in the nicest possible way you really need to get grip. My dog is the sweetest gentlest boy but he sometimes barks when he’s startled. A child having a tantrum is the kind of thing that might startle him.

You are clearly scared of normal dog behaviour and this will rub off on your child if you don’t resolve it.

[olidora63]

@idontlikealdi

Are you afraid of dogs? Don't pass your fear onto your child.

Dogs bark, that's hardly news. Barking isn't usually considered a sign of agression.

This 100%

[Viviennemary]

I'm sick to death of dogs barking agressively at everybody and everything. And rushing at complete strangers and jumping up. Its just not on.

[AryaStarkWolf]

@LateDecemberBackInLowB12

I still remember the time a cat meowed at my dc.

YANBU at all.

[brazenandstrange]

My dog barks at people in hats. She really can't work out hats at all! Barking stops if they take their hats off. Weird.

[Thefaceofboe]

How could anyone on here know if the child was in danger or not, unless the dog is on here?

[Hoppinggreen]

@Viviennemary

I'm sick to death of dogs barking agressively at everybody and everything. And rushing at complete strangers and jumping up. Its just not on.

Good job that didn’t happen then

[peachesarenom]

Not all dogs are friendly and some think toddlers are other dogs. I would defo be careful, if you feel uncomfortable then move your little one away.

I've had two dogs and the first I would always put on the lead around kids. My current dog is just a fluff ball and is safe around everyone.

Probably just a dog being a dog though.

[imjustsoworried]

The barking isn't a problem but the staring would concern me. I have two dogs and that is a sign of aggression. Barking is just a dog talking a lot of the time - it's the rest of the body language you need to look out for.

[OneTC]

My dog barks at people in hats. She really can't work out hats at all! Barking stops if they take their hats off. Weird

This is quite common, I say this as a daily hat wearer

[imjustsoworried]

@eyeslikebutterflies

OP, to reassure you (as a lot of posters have been a bit mean!), if a dog is likely to attack it generally won't bark, it'll 'stiffen' its body, perhaps raise its hackles (hairs on the spine, near the neck), stop, stare very hard without blinking, and perhaps lower its body slightly. It will give you a lot of body language signals, but generally barking isn't one of them.

It sounds like this dog was a bit freaked out by your child, and so barked to indicate this. It's a dog equivalent of saying, 'hey! I don't know what you're doing but I don't like it and pack it in!' Children, tantrums, loud noises, unexpected movements: all these can be frightening for dogs (which I know sounds daft when you don't have a dog or know dogs, but a lot of the time the human world freaks them out!).

The secondary bout of barking at you was likely a continuation of the first. A kind of 'hey! I see you and your noisy ways! Stay over there!' The fact that it held off from coming close shows that it was all noise; it had no intention of getting into a fight with you.

That said: had that been my dog, I'd have called her to me, reassured her (to stop her barking /show her there was nothing to be scared about) and understood that although she was freaked out, she was also likely to be freaking you out. Parents quite rightly worry about dogs and young kids: a good dog owner would have spotted this and intervened.

This, this, this.

[FastFood]

If the dog had said "hello there" I'd have been worried but a dog that barks feels very much normal to me.

[Beautiful3]

No, she wasn't in danger. All dogs bark to communicate, to say hello!

[Weegiewtf]

OP are you afraid of dogs normally?

I'm a dog owner and I totally understand how unnerving it is when a dog is barking, particularly if it is not on the lead. I don't think you were in danger, particularly across a field. I do think you need to be very careful not to instil a sense of fear in your child. It is always worthwhile being wary of dogs you do not know well and teaching your child not to approach dogs you do not know, even if they appear friendly but you also need to ensure you create a balanced response too.

[PoolNooodle]

Erm I wouldn’t have liked it purely as I don’t like dogs so wouldn’t want one coming over but sounds like that’s all it was so 🤷‍♀️