To wish that people would ask before letting their children pet/ touch my dog

[iggypiggy]

ok this is my first venture into this area...

Am getting increasingly concerned at the number of people that let their toddler/ child just walk up to my dog and touch him without asking and I am starting to wonder why this keeps happening? It doesn't seem like a very safe thing to do? Yesterday, for example, a toddler ran up to my dog and repeatedly grabbed at his tail - while the father smiled benignly on from a distance I said 'luckily my dog is friendly' and he just carried on smiling.. But how on earth could he have known my dog was ok with children?!

I have a labrador - he's very friendly, good with children but not too fussed about saying hi to people when we out on a walk, he too busy playing with toys/ sniffing etc. So he kind of avoids them.

This keeps on happening - repeatedly children approach my dog while their parents are there and just start touching.

Am considering telling children - well the ones old enough to understand - that they really should ask first - but I would have expected parents to tell them that?

AIBU - or should people really ask first?

Incidentally - I have been asked by children sometimes and I always say yes.

i have a soppy patient longsuffering dog and a toddler. the dog never minds being manhandled patted by any child and i am happy for other people's kids to pet him so long as they're gentle.
but when strange toddlers come running up and start stroking him without their parents saying anything at all (which happens surprisingly often - probably as someone said because he's a lab and people think they are always soppy ) i usually say politely to the child "it's fine for you to stroke this dog, he is very friendly, but did you ask your mummy/daddy first? not all dogs are used to children"
i think people should teach kids to ask THE PARENT first if they want to stroke a dog - parent can then ask dogowner or tell child to ask dogowner as appropriate - but not much point teaching them to ask the owner as some owners without young kids think their pet is much more trustworthy than it actually is - even a dog that would never bite can knock a small child flat if it isnt used to them.

Usually I read the thread first, but no time right now. Yes people should ask, but if your dog is dangerous that is your responsibility and you shouldn't be taking it out.

woodstock sounds like you have exactly the same thing happen as I do!

Having posted this - someone came up to me yesterday and asked if their daughter could stroke my dog perhaps they had read the thread!

I also have a long-suffering dog and a 4yo - the dog is wonderful - round the park (big one, plenty of 'wild areas' where we mostly stay) she normally ignores other people and children and just gets on with her own things (sticks, sniffing...). Ds, having been brought up with her, has had to be taught to ask owners whether he can stroke their dogs (and is always very good at stroking them nicely if he is allowed) and on the odd occasion he has been told no and given a reason - he was a little taken aback, but understood and just looked at the dog without going any nearer.

I have had two unusual experiences around this sort of thing though - once I was walking with ds (then about 2 or slightly less?) and the dog - another dog was nearby - the owner called over to me to stop ds going towards the dog (nearer to us than her) as it was unreliable - I was too to get a proper response in, and too busy recalling ds and dog!

I also had one time at the local Farmers market - ds was in his buggy and I had the dog. I was waiting to be served, the dog was being perfectly behaved, sitting down next to me - but I discovered that the 2.5 yo in the charge of his father (who was ignoring him) was trying to stamp on the dog's tail - luckily it was protected by lying between two cobblestones where he was standing. I am afraid that I told the small boy off even though he wasn't mine - what a stupid thing to let your child do!