Has anyone else heard that children that pretend to be dogs might be being sexually abused - Am traumatised

[Depravedmum]

I just had lunch with a friend and she mentioned that she was recently chatting to a child psychologist who worked on Little Angels. This person had mentioned that ' when children pretend to be dogs all the time - it's a sure sign of abuse'. My toddlers (2 and 4) play 'doggies' all the time - one being the dog and one being 'the owner' so I'm traumatised by this comment. I work four days a week and my children have a nanny who sometimes meets up with her boyfriend with our children. I have met him and thought he seemed okay and I've been very happy with her as a nanny so haven't said anything. But now I'm imagining all sorts of things. I suppose I'm looking for reassurance from people that their children do this and it's a perfectly natural stage of devlopment. I am so upset by this casual comment even though I have no other cause to suspect my children are anything other than healthy and happy.

OMG - then my entire reception class have been abused!

they enjoy playing dogs, it is a fun game (even if a little boring and innane to those who have to watch and write observations )

MY children play doggies all the time to the extent that when we go for walks I have to throw sticks for them. Totally normal behaviour for children. Well maybe not the stick throwing.

Maybe if their only form of communication was by pretending to be dogs(or anything else) and they were unable or unwilling to communicate in any other way it might be a sign of neglect or abuse or something (either that or they've been raised by wolves).

Pretending to be dogs sometimes but communicating perfectly well most of the time when they're not playing is perfectly normal and the sign of an active imagination. Your friend must have misunderstood or something.

Belladonna maybe you should talked to your dc about letting dd4 upgrade to like a guineapig or something. Doesn't the family need a cat?

That is rubbish.A lot of the nusery children I have worked with pretend to be dogs.it's good for them to play pretend games.

Just for the record, my daughter went through a phase of sometimes pretending to be a dog for HOURS ON END!! Even a whole day!It was incredibly annoying. She wouldn't talk, but just bark & yap. She likes dogs, and would love a real one as a pet (no way)! The being a dog phase has stopped now thankfully... she was 7 or 8 when this was a favourite thing to do. I can catagorically state that there is no possible way she has ever, ever been abused.

LOL cherryredretrochick, I have tried, I suggested 3 children but apparently you only have 1 child, I was slightly confused by this as there's 5 of them but I was firmly put in my place...
I shall suggest a cat and see what happens!