Nervous children and dogs

[Tinkerbell]

I grew up with dogs in the family - they were just always there and I enjoyed their company.

However, I now have 2 small grandchildren who are both terrified when there are dogs around. They both enjoy walking in the countryside and natural parkland, but many canines are also exercised in the same environment. The children's nervousness is nothing new, but was compounded recently by an overfamiliar large dog approaching them at speed, and as per usual was not on a lead (which I appreciate is commonplace in such circumstances). It's almost as though dogs can sense the nervousness of some folk and it encourages the dog to approach them. I don't know how the initial 'frighteners' were experienced.

But how do you overcome this problem? I attempted to pet 3 Westies in their presence on Sat. to illustrate that there was nothing to be afraid of, but this did nothing to change the situation. Has anyone else been faced with this and how have you overcome it?

Tinkerbell

[Ann2]

I think you probably answered your own question. You grew up with dogs and grew to realise that most dogs are nothing to be afraid of. I'm guessing that your grandchildren haven't had the same experience.

Ann

[Tinkerbell]

That's right Ann, but it doesn't solve the problem of how to make the children more confident in the presence of dogs.

Tinkerbell

[agrumpycow]

As a child I was absolutely petrified of dogs, to the point of being phobic, crossing the road to avoid one even if it was on a lead, avoiding parks. I now have two dogs of my own. I don't really know how the fear went. I think it was just getting older, dogs seeming smaller. I also became friends with someone who had a very old, slow german shepherd which I got used to as it basically just sat there and slept!
Even now, if a large dog ran up to me, as you described, I'd probably tense up but I don't really know how you can avoid it because people will always walk their dogs off leads.

[Kayleigh]

My springer is very friendly but she growls at the vet. She can sense the vet is frightened of her. She is fine with the dog groomer.

It really annoys me when people don't put the dogs on leads. They know (or think) they know their dog is OK. Or they don't care.

They could sponsor a dog, where they could go and see it and make friends with it. Lots of rescue centres offer this without the commitment to own them. Or if you know someone with a friendly dog they could play ball with. As with all animals always supervise children with pets.

[Blackbrook Eye]

I think agrumpycow has the right idea, most young children get over their fear of dogs as they grow older, dont make too much of an issue of it otherwise you could reinforce their fears, but by all means teach them to be wary of strange animals, some dogs can do damage in play without meaning to.

[Ann2]

It may be worth contacting your local authority dog warden service to find out if they provide talks at local schools. They often take a friendly dog along with them as an introduction to responsible dog ownership.

Many rescue centres are crying out for volunteer dog walkers but it would be wise to check that the dogs are known to be good with children.

Is there a local dog breeder that would be able to introduce the children to a litter of puppies and give the children a chance to see how the puppies progress over a period of weeks?

Dogs can be unpredictable though and it's always wise to be cautious. I've been bitten by one today but that's just one of the hazards of my job.

Ann

[Lance Morgan]

No disrespect to you but how does your daughter/son feel about dogs?
Alot of fear is passed on directly from parents. I have no fear of spiders but both my daughters are terrified of them despite my best efforts this has been 'learned' from my wife who is arachnophobic.

[Gaina]

Sponsering a dog is a brilliant idea - I'd never thought of that . You can also buy lovely childrens' books about dogs, both fiction and non-fiction to help them.

I have to say, as an Adult that learning facts about spiders has greatly reducing my Arachnophobia and the same method got rid of my phobia of Thunderstorms completely, so I would think it's worth a try with your Grandchildren.


Fingers crossed .

[FlyAgaric]

Its not always the case, but in many cases its the parents fault that the kids are terrified of dogs.

Parents who are also fearful of dogs often pass it onto there kids, I have seen it countless times.

When growing up the kids pick up on mum or dads acting fearful around dogs, or learn to become afraid of them because their parents are. I used to walk down the street with my dog and some silly parents would yank up their kids in horror and walk to the other side of the road, the poor kids would be petrified, my dog was the softest thing on earth, I don’t know maybe it was my Brut aftershave.

It kind of annoys me, but I understand that some people might have been bitten by a dog so fear them understandably, but I still think a fear of dogs is a phobia, and is irrational, because dog attacks are rare compared to human on human attacks, humans are much more likely to attack you than a dog, yet we don’t have such fears of other humans.

Teach your kid from a young age to respect dogs, and that they are nice, fun and interesting animals, but never to approach one without its owners permission, or without the supervision of an adult.

Dogs can sense fear, so teaching your kids to fear a dog is one of the most irresponsible things you can do. Teach respect and caution, not fear and loathing.