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Please keep doing this! My dog would get spooked by a small human running up to her. If I were to hear you stop your kiddo, I would be sure to thank you.
I feel the opposite actually; when I very nicely tell kids that my dog may not be very nice to them if they try to pet her, I can tell the adults automatically think my dog is a monster. Whatever, I don't want a bitten child and a possible lawsuit/euthanasia on my hands.
It takes 2 seconds for a bite to happen and for your day to go very bad, very fast when it comes to kids and strange dogs. Do what you need to do.
I recently ish had this. My dog was over stimulated because an intact in heat female kept charging and running up to my dog and any male dog. My one year got overstimulated and we had to leave. As we were leaving a kid saw my dog and I said 'no he's a little excited and needs to calm down. He gets mouthy when we try to pet.' Kid ignores me and my dog barks and tries to get mouthy. Mom says 'the lady told you. It's your fault'. Like thank you mom!
I wish that happened more often
Wow! I'm really glad that encounter didn't end badly for that kid. Even if the parent is reasonable and wouldn't sue, a dog bite gets your dog a record with animal control and you may still be on the hook for the ER bills. It does give me anxiety sometimes...
It gives me plenty of anxiety. Luckily he doesn't bite. It's more big scary teeth and a boop with the nose. We're working on closing his mouth for boops because not everyone has treats. He's wonderfully well behaved when he's not dealing with a horn dog at the beach. He is just a dog that loves to Touch and strangers see a big dog coming at them.
But when I ask them to drop the pet phrase, 'what do you do for pets?' he immediately sits and waits. Then he boops when you try to leave.
That happened to me too once and my dog barked and jumped up as I was explaining and the kid ran and tried to pet her at the same time. I felt awful and the dad smacked the kid on the bum and yelled at his toddler to not do that. The kid started bawling. I felt awful!
I love that you do this. My dog is scared of children and does not like to be petted by strangers. I hate when people just come up to her and ignore me *telling them not to pet her* so annoying. Thank you for being responsible and polite!
Yup, I always try to thank polite children who ask to pet my dog so they know it's good to do so. If I had raised my dog from a puppy, I'd be more comfortable letting kids pet her, but I just don't want to take any chances with a senior rescue dog.
Yes, my 6 year old dog has almost zero experience with kids, and even though she's generally friendly, kids scare the crap out of her. They're loud, and make sudden movements.
Yes I have a young rescue who is very frightened of people, especially children. She isn’t the least bit aggressive, but she cowers in fear when approached (won’t even let us approach unless she is on “her” safe sofa). and it takes a long time to get her over the scare.
Keep warning your kid! My former dog (RIP 😢) was amazing and chill. Until someone ran up to him. Not sure what the deal was, but that was literally the only way to make him mad.
omg yes... my puppy would love nothing more than to be hugged by your child. My older dog, however, had a bad experience with children and would probably nip your child!
My pup is very uneasy around kids because he can’t predict what they’ll do. He’s had some bad experiences with kids just running up and grabbing him. He runs to get behind me but does growl
At the kids. But when I tell parents he doesn’t want to be pet by their kids it’s not because he’s mean it’s because he’d rather just be left alone.
You would think that, but I'm in several Facebook groups for pitbull owners, and some of the people really do think that every time someone doesn't come running up to--or let their child or small dog interact-with their dog, it's because of prejudice.
Uh yeah, lol. I take my dog across the street when I see little kids coming towards us. There is something about their small stature that he doesn’t like. And when my own kids were little, I never let them approach strange dogs or put them in a situation where that could even happen. No way. I find it hard to believe there are tons of dog owners out there who are getting vocally offended that OP is stopping her toddler from running up to their dogs. That’s basic parenting and safety.
Right? Keep your toddler COMPLETELY under contol while in public (i.e. hold their goddamn hand or carry them). If you're at risk of your spawn running off after a dog, then you're at risk of it running in front of a car.
Honestly it sounds like you may need some parent counseling before the child enters school. I feel like this mentality is going to become problematic when it manifests in other public scenarios
I’m sure OP is doing their best to keep their toddler “under control,” but toddlers usually go through a stage of pushing boundaries and for many of them, that results in running.
I remember going shopping with two friends and a toddler, who had a backpack leash. He managed to shake off the hand of whichever adult was holding him AND shimmied out of his backpack multiple times on the shopping trip. We ended up having to cut our day short because the only way we could “keep him under control” was by carrying him on our shoulders, because even having him in our arms put him in grabbing range of products. Until that day, he had always been an angel on our shopping trips, and was happy to play with his toys in his stroller (which he also could escape) or hold hands with one of the three of us as we browsed.
We still had to take him out shopping multiple times during this phase, because (a) mama needs groceries and household essentials and (b) toddlers don’t always just learn from a lecture, they often need repetition and reinforcement. He DID grow out of that phase eventually, but it took time and patience, like it does for most toddlers. Chastising someone else for their toddler going through a phase *most humans* go through is not helpful.
On that note, OP, thanks for trying to raise your kid right! Since we have corgis, a lot of kids can’t resist the urge to rush us when they see us. If the parents don’t say something, I will. My dogs are friendly, but we’re not always in a position to stop and say hi, and depending on what’s going on, they might not feel especially social. It’s always a relief when the parent backs me up, or handles their kid first so I don’t have to be the bad guy to a complete stranger.
> You can clearly tell who has and hasn’t first hand experienced toddlers on this post. Haha.
Which is *hilarious* since we have all gone through toddlerhood! I know we can’t remember it, but we should at least try to be sympathetic to others who are having to go through the other side of toddlerhood.
You’re doing great! If anyone is giving you weird looks or being rude, that’s bc they’re shitty dog owners, it’s not actually a reflection on you. Being the “bad guy” for your toddler sucks; but being patient and explaining until they get it shows you’re a really good parent and I’m sure you’ll continue to have a wonderful relationship later in life!
Thanks for your well thought out advice. I’ll be sure not to take it.
My toddler is very good at listening, holding my hand and is regularly reined up.
What is not helping educating my kiddo is dog walkers who encourage him to run towards their “friendly” dogs which is exactly what this post is venting about.
*edit - spelling 🤣
Well, your backpedaling edit sounds like a whitewashing of your parental *presence* whilst in public. The ex post facto and vague mention of inticement sounds like high-level BS. I avoid the parks by me, as there are lots of folks like you. I deal with significant post traumatic stress, and a kid running at me/my dog is a massive trigger.
Anyone "enticing" your child to come pet their dog, in a situation anywhere outside your control is laughable. Stay in the yard.
I mean any dog owner should support you. Even the friendliest of dogs can react badly to the sudden appearance of a small human. Screw other people and good luck teaching the tiny human dog etiquette
My dog absolutely ***loves*** kids, but she can get startled by a child running up to her. A startled 72lb (and still growing) dog vs a 30-40lb toddler? I am not risking anything. I work with my dog, and I have no issue yelling "No!" if needed, though I do try to be aware of where children are. If I see a child who has that puppy love in their eyes when they see my dog, I will try to buffer the situation so that everybody's safe and happy.
My Labradors, who are notorious for rolling around in the floor with any and every child they meet, actually growled for the first time ever at a child when the little boy came charging at them in public, screaming. Nothing bad happened thankfully because the grandma caught him before disaster struck. But I appreciate parents like you! Even though my dogs are insanely friendly goofs.
You're doing the right thing. I greatly appreciate when parents enforce basic manners around my dog. Telling them not to run towards us, asking if they can pet, talking through an appropriate greeting, etc...
Things can go sideways really quickly when kids and dogs are thrown together. Either one might be perceived as unpredictable and scary by the other, so both sides should have time to consent to greetings.
I've had toddlers scare the crap out of my previous, more skittish, dog. Luckily, he was more inclined to flee than fight... My current pup is boisterous and friendly, and could easily knock a kid down if they greeted him with too much enthusiasm.
Keep it up. Regardless of what the cranky dog owners think, you're doing right by both your kids and dogs they encounter.
I made a post about something that happened today and this actually happened during the same activity.
My dog is very, very friendly, but also super energetic and would run a toddler over from excitement easily, even if he's only around 45-ish pounds.
We were in a pet friendly restaurant, and a toddler, around two-ish, came wobbling up to my dog from behind. Sure you can see the problem there. He didn't react when he saw the little boy, and probably wouldn't have done much except being weirded out at a stranger touching him, but still, if that kiddo made him too excited with the attention...
His mom was there so quick I could've sworn she teleported, and she turned him around while smiling at me apologetically. I thanked her, and told her that my dog is friendly, but he could run her toddler over, and I appreciated that she didn't just let him waddle ahead.
Often it happens that people will just let their kids run right up, sometimes giggling wildly or even screaming about how cute my dog is, and he'd be blamed if they got knocked over.
I would appreciate what you do, so much. I might offer to allow your child to come up calmly and give him a pat as a reward for not running right up, but I wouldn't be offended if you said no to that either.
I’m a dog owner. Thank you for your responsibility. I take my dog for walks, leashed, on trails and have to put myself in between my dog and a child multiple times a week. My dog is lovely, would never bite, but I still don’t want him accosted by a child with outstretched arms.
The parents never apologize, or even acknowledge. They almost ALWAYS say, to the child, “it’s ok, he’s not friendly”. Say what? I always respond back “he actually is, I just don’t want your kid in his face.”
I haven’t had a response yet, but their silence says it all. Zero accountability, and if their kid was to get nipped, you better believe they’d try to blame me and my dog. It’s infuriating.
One of mine is like that, terrier/bulldog mix. Kids will run up to her, get bowled over & a tongue in their face, and scream - and then the parents act like my dog is a vicious monster that attacked their child. It's wild.
Absolutely. My dog is very friendly and looooves kids, but we only let older kids pet him because he just doesn’t know his size and will knock little ones right over by accident.
OP, thank you for doing this! I always worry about little kids running up. Just an accident waiting to happen
Thank you! I take my dog to stores a couple times a week as part of socializing and working on listening skills. The second I hear or spot small kids, we turn around and go another direction before they can see us. I get it - my dog is kid-sized and super cute, and she also loves kids but the number of kids who squeal and try to run up to her is just ridiculous. Every so often we come into contact with a parent who is asking and showing their kid the right approach, and I always make sure to thank them.
This is very responsible of you, ignore the people that take offense. Not enough people are aware that there are unfriendly and reactive dogs that do not want to be pet. You are keeping your child and everyone else safe with what you are teaching them.
Why do you care what other people think. It's your kid, raise them how you want. I really appreciate when kids ask if they can pet my dog, instead of assuming they just can. Good for you.
Well I had the opposite situation. A mother was offended when I said no her child couldn't pet my boxer. I told her my boxer was afraid of people she didn't know. Thank you for teaching your child caution. My dog loves my grandchildren, just not unknown kids. She just shakes
First, it's YOUR job to make sure this doesn't happen. YOU keep the kid from running up to the dog. If your kid runs up to a dog, that's on you, not me.
As a dog owner, I'm delighted you want to do this. I don't want kids running up to my dogs. I'm happy to introduce them if the parent says it's ok. Otherwise I either stop them or walk away with my dog.
I deeply appreciate you teaching your child this. My dog is a medium sized dog (40-45lbs) and is friendly with kids, but has a bad habit of jumping when he's excited (it's being worked on). I stress out when I see kids charging towards him, but luckily with training he's been doing better. Good on you!
If people are being jerks about it just try to keep those conversation out of their hearing range. Personally I think they’re being stupid. I would be much happier if every person was your child because man I hate people running up to me and my dog. He’s the opposite of aggressive but that’s also a problem. He gets too excited and hops around and considering he’s a Great Dane it’s a major issue I want corrected before he’s full grown. Which is impossible to do if everyone keeps rewarding him with pets and attention when he does it!!!!!
So yea. You are so right you couldn’t possibly be any more right. You live near a bunch of idiots.
OMG, you are 100% doing the right thing. I LOATHE it when ANYONE approaches my dog without permission. I am always very impressed when a child asks permission first. Out of an abundance of caution, I always tell children that they may not pet my dog and thank them for asking first.
Gadfrey, what's the alternative? Allow your toddler to run up to a dog they know nothing about, have it bite and then need to get put down (worst case scenario, I know)?
Kudos to you for being a good parent!
You’re doing just fine, if people get upset that sounds like a personal problem. Not enough people teach their kids proper manners when it comes to pets. Nice as my dogs may be I don’t want kids running up to them.
Sounds like there are a bunch of idiots in your area. I have a pack of three. I have found myself trying to educate the neighbor kids that you don't run up to dogs or run away from them.
You're right, the other folks are delusional. Maybe they don't know many kids?
My dogs are always, always really kid proof. And I thank parents who know to tell their kids to ask the owner if they can pet the dog, rather than running into a dog's face. My dogs can handle it: many can not.
Remember, those owners are probably the same ones who let their uncontrolled off leash dog harass other people and dogs whilst they’re on the other side of the park yelling “it’s ok, he’s friendly”. Their opinions aren’t really worth much IMO
My sister is one of those people who lets her (large!) dog jump on people, chase kids around (when the kids are screaming in fear), and bark and try to run at everyone walking by, insisting “HE’S FRIENDLY!!” 🤪 she even complains that it’s the kids’ fault for making him excited. Some of these “dog moms” are out of touch with reality and think the earth revolves around their dog.
As an owner who had to put their dog down due to behavioural euthanasia, I appreciate you! My dog wasn’t aggressive towards random children but she got spooked easily and was unpredictable (she wore a muzzle anyways) but parents like you are important and needed! Scared dogs still need walks and children still need awareness. You’re doing amazing! ❤️
This happened to me for the first time yesterday! I took my (large) 5 month old GSD puppy for a walk in the park and I noticed my dog break out of his heel and walk in front of me - I look up and see a toddler jumping in front of his face. I can’t believe his parents were letting him jump up and down so close to an unknown German Shepherd. My puppy is 65 pounds - he’s a big boy. He didn’t do anything but stand there with his ears perched up and trying to figure out the situation but I quickly put him back in heel and turned the other way. Just seemed really irresponsible of the parents.
I find it amusing in a sad way. So many posts here are from dog owners who are shamed by human parents for having a dog who wants to meet them and their kids.
You're doing a great job teaching your little one to respect dogs they don't know!
I actually really appreciate this. Not all dogs are friendly towards kids, and some are like my dog where he loves them but doesn't know his own size, so he could accidentally hurt them from getting too excited. It boggles my mind when people bring their small kids to dog parks. You're doing the best thing for your kid and dogs.
You’re doing a good job! I admit, there are times where I get offended, but it’s something I am learning to correct. I don’t like causing a scene so the offense is kept internally. Thank you! Deep down, you’re doing the right thing!!
Thank you so much for doing this! People who think it’s open season on every dog they see are so annoying. I adore dogs but would never think to impose on a random dog I saw out and about, any more than I would try to touch or bother a strange person, and I applaud and deeply appreciate your teaching your child to respect everyone’s space 💛.
You’re doing the right thing. My dog is old and she is terrified of toddlers. She wouldn’t hurt a toddler, but she doesn’t want to be patted by them either.
She used to tolerate strangers patting her, but now that she’s old and deaf and has 3 legs and osteoarthritis, I think she feels vulnerable. She doesn’t want anyone patting her other than me and my family.
Yes!! I live in a family friendly apartment complex and just yesterday a young girl kept chasing my dog who was on a leash. And of course ignoring me telling her to not chase my dog because he does not like that
Idk why 'dog accusing villain' made me laugh more than I should have lol.
However I personally feel that you are doing the right thing! My dogs are friendly for the most part but I would NOT take offense. My mom has a small dog and she does not like little kids because in her past life (before we rescued her) she lived with a terrible family who beat her, broke her little bones, and left her out on a chain all the time. They had children who aided in this behavior and now she does not like little children. She WILL bite them. So anyone who asks first or teaches their children to not just run up and pet them, I appreciate that. Also as someone who has service dogs, my dogs are friendly, but I perfer people ask first because my dogs are also protective. So if someone runs up and starts trying to pet them, they are gunna get defensive, but if someone asks and I allow it and tell the dog hey its okay, they will allow it without getting defensive.
So long story short, yes you are in the right!!! People who are getting offensive over it, honestly that's their problem. You are keeping your child safe, and being respectful to other people and their dogs by teaching your child these things. Most people don't seem to these days.
Thank you! My dog does not tolerate children well and I’m terrified that a kid will run up to him while we’re on a walk. I’ve had it happen before and luckily I can short leash and wave off the kid but what if I’m not fast enough next time? God forbid he bites one and I get my baby taken away
You are doing the right thing, and when I see kids using their manners around dogs I make sure to thank them for it. I used to teach dog manners to my preschool students and I teach it to the neighborhood kids when they approach us too. I love when parents are proactive.
As a dog trainer with a whole bunch of child loving dogs, I THANK YOU PROFUSELY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART on behalf of all my clients with nervous dogs, or scared dogs, or traumatized dogs, or dogs who don’t like kids or dogs who don’t like strangers or dogs who are actually reactive/aggressive and learning how to be in outdoor spaces as part of their rehab.
You’re doing the entire world a favor.
I am absolutely so thankful for the parents teaching their kids not to run up on dogs and asking to pet them. I have four dogs and all are very kid friendly but I have heard too many horror stories. Thank you for what you're doing with your child!
You're perfect. Thank you! I had a 2 yo rush in to a 1.5 yo cute, soft, small, caramel colored labradoodle when I blinked a the dog popped her in the face with her nose. No harm, Child loved t h e surprise and then began squealing and jumping and waving arms as I grabbed the dog.
I usually put my hand up to stop all people from rushing in, regardless of dog, and then make a verbal contract with them that they will do as I ask them. I'll call it "Simon Says" now, instead.
When kids run up to my dog and ask if they can pet him I always say no.
I always get the, 'why not' or 'please please please'
But I always stand my ground.
He's not aggressive it's just annoying to have kids assume that they can pet him. I don't know these kids.
My husband does the same thing.
So thank you for teaching your kids that just because there is a dog around it doesn't give them instant permission to pet them.
Sounds like you plan to keep doing what your are doing, so definitely ignore the people who are giving you a hard time about it. More parents need to teach their kids that just because they have run to other dogs and had a positive experience that it doesn't mean all dogs will be friendly. If you did that to me and my dogs, I would give a very sincere thank you.
As a trainer and dog walker you are absolutely doing the right thing. IMHO you don’t need to pet stance dogs at all regardless of how nice they are, and people don’t need to pet your dog.
Wish more parents are like you. I don’t really give a sh*t about what people say. When I see a kid rushing toward my dog and the parent just starring at me assuming it’s ok, I just yell “ not friendly, not friendly” and watch them scramble to catch the toddler. Pretty funny to watch.
So... I don't think you're wrong, but I get where they're coming from too. They don't want to think about thier pet as being intrinsically dangerous which is why the offense happens. Also don't confuse momentary offense with long term grudge.
Continue to teach your kid to be animal safe, by all means, but don't assume everyone you encounter knows the reason behind your caution either.
Not to sound rude but it's your problem and not theirs. If it was the other way around and dogs were running up to your kid and you don't know if the dog is friendly, it is very different.
Some people can be arses though so just keep doing what you are doing.
Not really, the problem is YOURS if your child running up to other dogs.
It's up to you to control your child and if you can't you need to put a harness on them until he/she learns not to do what you are trying to teach them.
You’re still reading my post wrong. I am doing exactly what you’re saying but dog walkers are encouraging my toddler to approach at speed because **their** dog is friendly.
I am teaching my toddler that we do not run up to dogs. That involves holding said toddler back and explaining why we don’t do that. The dog walkers are getting the hump because I imply their dog **may** not be friendly to my toddler after I stop him running towards said dog.
You’re the only one on this whole post who has the wrong idea.
Yeah yeah yeah, why on earth do you care what other people think when you are trying to teach your child? Sod them off if they are getting the hump over something so silly.
Tell them that their dog seems nice and show your toddler the correct way to approach dogs, including asking you if it's OK, asking the dog owner if he/she can pet, staying calm and walking to the dog, not bending over/down to the dog, holding hand out etc.
If your toddler is able to escape your close vacinity then again that's your problem regardless if other people encourage it or not. Use the negative experience and turn it into a positive one for both you and the dog owners.
Moaning about how it offends you on here does nothing.
Dilligaf? I do sod them off, per post I’m purely venting.
it doesn’t offend me. Does it infuriate me? Yes.
My toddler is not able to escape, he’s a very good listener and that includes listening to moronic dog walkers who encourage him to approach. But thanks for your advice.
Again. I know it does nothing. Per post. Venting.
Hop on back under the bridge that you came from. 😘
If the dog is leashed, then it is your job to keep your child away. Why is it the dogs owner's responsibility to manage your child. If your toddler has a tendency to run up to dogs, then address the problem. I see little toddlers on "leashes" all the time so they can't wander off or get into trouble.
The entire point is that it is after I explain that I am trying to teach my kiddo that he can’t run up to dogs they take offence…
Are you saying that allowing my kiddo to run upto their doggo on the basis that they’ve announced *their* dog is friendly is correct? If so do you mind teaching me how I teach my child that not all dogs are not friendly and we need to approach with caution?
Gtfo.
I hope those are just one off incidences of people being offended. I wish more people would encourage this kids and also teens to not pet a dog from behind, run up to them, or shriek and squeal at them. My dog loves kids but many dogs of the same breed do not like do be approached by strangers and running up to dogs can put them on alert. I sometimes feel like telling people not every dog is going to be this social / friendly / comfortable and it’s so risky to let a kid just reach their hand in a dog’s face.
I love parents who have their toddlers approach calmly and ask before petting. I always make a point of congratulating the kid for asking first!
And you can bet I'll remind any kids that run up to us that they always need to make sure dogs are friendly before they can touch them. If their parents aren't telling them, I will.
Kids run up to my dog all the time and I rarely see a parent around watching them. I have literally have to snap at kids and tell them to calm down if they want to pet my dog.
I thought OP was posting about how it's everyone else's problem that their kid was running up to dogs and somehow it was our fault for having our dogs.
But NOPE OP is completely justified here. We know better than most what it's like to try and raise and train in public sometimes.
So silly that they got actually offended!
If I was out with my dog and a Mom/kids responded in this manner I would 100% support this. Even with a friendly doggo, I would gladly say something like "Your Mom is right, not every dog wants to say hello. But if your Mom says it is okay, I think we can very slowly and calmly say hello Sam here."
Dog mom and human child mom.
You're doing it right.
If I'm out with just my dog (who *adores* kids but sometimes a little too much and gets jumpy and excited), I'll back the parent right up. "Hey bud yeah he's super friendly but also really likes to jump, but you should listen to your mom/dad and not run up to dogs, ok?"
If I'm out with my kid I appreciate when dog owners back me up on how to interact with them. It's not safe for kid or for dog; even a friendly dog can react badly when startled or inadvertently threatened. A dog that bites a kid usually doesn't fare well. Not having kids run up to strange dogs is in *everyones* best interests, including the dog.
Yes, i cant remember how many times i have to tell people, plz no, dont pet my dog. My dog is friendly but i dont trust the kid. If the kid does something stupid to make the dog react, I will be blamed! So yeah it goes both ways!!!
You are doing the right thing. Cause I don’t want kids running up to my dogs either. And my dogs are friendly—but that doesn’t mean they can’t be startled or scared. It just puts everyone in a precarious situation.
As someone who has a big GSD who does not like *anyone* or *anything* running up to her, thank you. She’s friendly but she’s super shy and skidding and somewhat traumatized by small children cornering her into situations (aka our porch)… and other dogs (even “friendly” ones like Golden’s 🙄) run and pounce on her.
Thank you.
We have so many kids come up to us (walking) or ask from afar if they can come and pet her. If she’s having a good day, no dogs trying to pick a fight with her or bark at her, she’ll sniff their hand and let them pet her. Otherwise she hides and cowers behind me.
To add: I have a 15 month old baby who she puts up with who rolls his toy cars into her butt and plucks her butt fur. So she’s not anti-kid. Just not a fan of screaming stranger kids. ……me too I guess.
You are so doing the right thing. My dog is scared of kids because they move so fast. I love when parents stop their kids from approaching without asking. Even when I had a kid friendly dog I hated kids assuming he was fine with them sticking their hands in his face.
You're being a good mom. Another thing I love to see kids do is ask me if they can say hi and/or hold out their hand for dog to smell B4 petting.
I think you're being smart teaching your kid not to run up on dogs but sometimes positive reinforcement is easier ya know?
Absolutely the right thing for both child and dog/s.
Ignore whoever has a problem with it, your doing the best thing for the safety of your child and also for the sake of the dogs.
Frankly, I really appreciate that because my dog is not friendly and I constantly have to tell people that.
In fact, I am gobsmacked by the number of times I’ve had to stop people from encouraging their young kids to pet my dog without even asking me first. She looks extremely approachable but she is not!
Thank you! I appreciate when moms tell their little ones to ask if they can approach my dog. My dog is uncomfortable with most strangers and usually barks at them. Some kids are a bit too energetic for my dog and is frightened of them.
I feel like I'm the minority here but most of the parents in our community are like this. All I do is try and reinforce the behavior their parents are already going for. My two are really good, one was working with my friends autistic child and her therapist specifically because he doesn't react when she has an outburst. That doesn't mean I dont see the value in teaching kids dog courtesy and safety. He doesn't also appreciate when kids give him a bit of time and space.
I bought a hi vis jacket for my dogs that says nervous - do not touch. Now my dogs aren't especially nervous but I have noticed people think twice about coming near or letting their kids near. It's done its job
I was a very tech for 20 years your 100% right, you don't know if the dog was abused in it's past or had a bad experience with a kid who unknowingly was too rough with it, though instinctually most domesticated dogs were bred to 100% think of a childs welfare first and will instinctually love children and be like a nanny like pit bulls, boxers, were but others like Shepards or huskies and other working dogs don't necessarily have that same instinct as a priority. It is a very smart thing to teach a child not only for the child's welfare but the dogs and the owners as well as any bite is taken very seriously by the state especially a bite on a child and there are plenty of people walking around with facial scars because they got too friendly with a dog as a child and plenty of dead kids whos parents trusted new dogs too much. And an animal is still an animal and there are certain things people can do that can trigger a natural impulse that can break through domesticated behavior. Huskies for example are a breed closer to being wild then other breeds and their wild instincts keep people safe when crossing the tundra on a sled from bears and wolves, but that same wildness can be triggered by little children who are an irresistible easy meal to wild animals and you see many attacks on children are done by huskies. Good example is when you take toddlers to the zoo and you see lions and tigers going crazy at the glass when their backs are turned the toddler has set off that natural free meal instinct, the same natural impulse is triggered in the wild when facing any big cat when a person turns his back on the cat. That's why when facing a mountain lion on a hiking trail you never ever turn your back on it, that's why certain animals have markings like eyes on their back side so that potential predators think their prey is watching them they will go find other prey. Now like I said I was a vet tech for twenty years and love cats and dogs but I never forget that wild dogs (that are NOT descendants of wolves) are the most successful predators of Africa and all domesticated dogs come from them and all cats are just tiny miniature tigers with all the same Parts and same murderous intent. So yes it's very smart and those dog owners should be thanking you for teaching your kid the right way to be with strange animals.
I think that’s so strange that dog owners would be offended by this. I am teaching my human toddler the same thing. I know as a dog owner that not all dogs are friendly or comfortable with kids. My own dog doesn’t have the option of not liking kids, but my 4 year old even makes her nervous sometimes. Not all dogs are kid friendly, just like not all PEOPLE like kids. You’re doing the right thing. Keep on fighting the good fight and raising your kid right. ❤️
I actually really appreciate this! I just adopted a dog a couple weeks ago and twice toddlers have run up to us and I have to pick up my dog (thankfully he’s only 20 pounds). I’ve never seen him around children, he’s a 4 year old rescue, and while he’s never shown any sort of aggression towards my household I can’t guarantee how he’d act if a small child got in his space. I can’t risk it so I pick him up. And I explain to people “I just rescued him and I don’t know how he does with children”. So thank YOU! It makes you a good parent and pet owners should be thankful.
We've had the opposite issue - kids running over to pet my little terrier without asking 😅 luckily my dog is friendly and chill but I always explain to them that they must always ask the owner! So no you're not being rude or accusatory, just teaching your kid to keep themself safe
Well here’s something refreshing for you to hear, THANK YOU!
I have a dog who is very anxious in public spaces, he is also very big and very fluffy and bright white. He is a kid magnet because of this. The amount of little kids we get “fluffy doooogggggyyy” running towards him and I have to fully body block them so that they don’t touch him.
The parents always look at me like I’m some nasty lady not letting them say hi to my dog when I’m just advocating for my dogs space.
Few times I have explained this and told them they need to teach their children to ask if it is okay, and always been met with rolling eyes.
It’s not surprise how many children are bitten each year
I have never wanted a toddler to run up to my dog while on a walk... So kudos to you for teaching pet manners!
That said, I sometimes see kids who are afraid, and I do stop to show them that not all dogs are scary (with the permission of parent, of course). I'll teach them how to approach and pet a dog, and reinforce the "always ask first" rule.
And during that first puppy year, I often like having some crazy kids around to help socialize – but, again, always in collaboration with the parents.
I believe there's a common phenomenon where owners of "scary" breeds get annoyed when everyone that sees their über-sweet pittie or rottie runs away in fear and hides their kids. They see it as reinforcing bad stereotypes. I don't own these types of breeds (but do adore many of them!), so don't want to make too many assumptions. But I can imagine it gets to be a little heartbreaking. And can probably confuse their dogs in the long run.
I guess your post is like odd to me, how close are you letting your child get to the dog...that the owner can hear you say your piece. Or are you screaming it at your kid while he wanders closer to the dog?
Generally it’s when we’re approaching to cross paths. Whether that be the side of the road or a narrow path. My kiddo isn’t savage nor trusted yet to run across a entire field… he’s a fresh Walker. 🤣
Generally it’s when we’re approaching to cross paths. Whether that be the side of the road or a narrow path. My kiddo isn’t savage nor trusted yet to run across a entire field… he’s a fresh Walker. 🤣
Little confused by this post, and some clarification is needed here. Are you talking about off leash dogs? Because you make it sound like if I’m doing my part by keeping my friendly dog on leash while walking through the park, it’s my fault when your toddler runs up to him. This has actually happened to me multiple times. Not a fan of parents yelling at me when their kid runs up to my dog, and my dog is on a leash, and act like I’m the one in the wrong.
For clarification. Both.
My toddler gets excited and runs to all dogs. He doesn’t understand. I am trying to teach my toddler we don’t do that.
Some dog walkers take offence and make comments on how my toddler is “fine to run up to the doggo, the doggo is friendly!” when I stop my toddler in his excitable tracks to educate him that we don’t run up to doggies. We do not know if they’re friendly.
probably the same people that get offended when i take my dog across the street to avoid passing. yes YOUR dog is friendly. MINE isn’t. she just needs to shit real quick thanks. i’ve been fostering dogs lately and i wish people respected this more. i cannot predict their behaviors.
My dogs are generally mega friendly. However, we have monkeys that live in the bush next to the house (very rural South Africa) that tease the dogs and drive them batty. My dogs hate monkeys. My dogs have never met a toddler up close. The few times they've seen toddlers from a distance, they seemed to think the toddlers were hairless monkeys and were not best pleased. While I'm sure they'll quickly realize that small human does not equal hairless monkey when they have the opportunity to sniff a small human, I'd rather not test the theory.
Thank you for teaching your toddler to not run up to random doggies. People who don't understand why you're doing this must have a very lonely brain cell.
Assistance dog owner here. THANK YOU. So many kids are just the run-up type, it causes massive anxiety spikes and I often can't get out of that situation to allow my AD to task because the kids are following and trying to pet. Parents like you are massively appreciated by any AD or SD owner. Please keep up the good work, and it could also be worth having the conversation with your kid at some point about how some dogs have special jobs and can't be looked at, talked to, etc. There's a buzzfeed series called Puppy Prep that looks at service dogs in training. Lots of cute puppies and quite simple explanations of everything the dogs do and why they learn what they learn. Could be a good way to cover the basics while keeping the kid engaged.
As for the other dog owners; "Yes, I'm sure your dog is lovely, but as a dog owner, I'm also sure you know that not all dogs are so nice. We're just trying to prepare for the ones that aren't."
As a person who's dog is not a fan of kids, thank you for teaching your child this!! In general my dog is very friendly but kids tend to be too grabby and loud for his taste. He mostly just avoids them but I hate when we are out for a walk and some kid comes just sprinting at him (he's very fluffy) and then I have to step in and tell them no and then get the look of 'ugh what a b****' from the parents.
You're doing the right thing! I have a people reactive dog who has a lead slip saying to give us space but do people? No they bloody dont! I had a kid almost walk into my dog once, luckily my dog didn't react to him! Keep doing what you're doing!
You are totally doing the right thing! I've got a dog who is very nervous of humans and twice in the last month I've had small children run up to him and continue to chase him as he tries to run away and the parents seem to think it's funny or my pup is trying to play.
He's never shown any sign of aggression, not even a growl or a snap, but he's ~25kg right now and these kids' faces are level with his and I'm so worried he'll be pushed to a point where he does feel like he has to defend himself and it results in a child getting hurt.
Don't worry about it -- you're not accusing any dog of anything, you're just trying to teach your toddler how to be safe around dogs.
Bet safe than sorry.
Can’t believe idiots condemned you for that! What right do you have teaching your child both personal safety and respect for the dog and its owner?! I applaud you.
You're doing the right thing, thanks for being a good parent. My dog is friendly but I don't appreciate people approaching him unannounced, let alone a kid running to him.
A) Even if he's friendly, who knows how he might react in that moment. Maybe be gets scared, barks or lunges, and suddenly I'm the asshole.
B) I'm trying to teach him to be obedient during walks, he already gets distracted by anything, I don't need people to add more distractions.
C) He's not a toy for every passerby's amusement.
You are ABSOLUTELY doing the right thing. My boy is friendly and well socialized but I do not want anyone running up to my boy. I'm 99.999999999999% sure that everything will turn out fine, but I don't want to take chances with your bebe or mine having a bad experience.
Ugh thank you! I have a toddler who loves dogs I’m currently working on this with. I’m also pregnant currently and have a German shepherd who doesn’t love to be charged at and a kid RAN at him as fast as he could the other day which caused him to pull and I ended up falling.
Frustrates me so much when parents don’t teach kids this.
I do the same with my kids. I say you don’t know if the dog is grumpy and might bite you. When I get the 😱 how dare you reaction with “she’s friendly.” I explain that I’m teaching them to ask first.
I’m now a dog owner and I actively pull the dog back from greeting kids, because it’s my job as an owner to prevent a tragic incident, no matter how remote the possibility.
You’re literally teaching your kid to be safe around all dogs because I’ve heard plenty of stories of kids getting bitten or injured because they just charge up a random dog walking by. I get asked a lot when I take my little dog out if kids can pet him and I’m fine with it as long as the kid isn’t poking his eyes or smacking his face (he would literally just sit there and take it too😂 so it’s more me being a protective dog momma)
I know that he enjoys people and being pet so I think it’s nice when someone will ask before approaching because it’s just polite. So you do your thing and don’t worry about those people. It sounds like you’re doing a wonderful job without their input :)
My pup is going blind and deaf, anything running up too him would make him jump, so 100% keep telling your kids that. A responsible dog owner would understand.
When I was a dog walker I was walking my dog and a clients on a small public path-a lady with a pram and a child zooming around were in front of me. Dogs were happy and took no notice-but the kid went into the hedges, jumped out and high pitched scream into the dogs faces. My clients dog was about the same height as the kid, but both the dogs were completely freaked out and started barking. The lady just said “don’t play with the unfriendly dogs” like bruh someone jumps out and screams in your face you aren’t going to be friendly with them!
I see nothing wrong with this.
I'm a current dog mom and have 2 large breed dogs. My 5yr old, 100lbs female (Husky/Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix) absolutely loves kids and will sit quietly and let them pet her, however my 1yr old male (Bull Mastiff/Dalmatian mix) is terrified of small children (and most every thing else, we're working on getting him used to people), so I get annoyed when anyone approaches my puppy because he gets freaked out.
Keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about the people that give you dirty looks or say rude things to you. You don't know them or their dog and you're keeping your child safe
Thank you for teaching your kid this. My dog does NOT like eye level humans, and I've had instances where they keep trying to get in his face after being told to leave him alone. So I very much appreciate parents like you.
As a current dog aunt to a rather excitable lab puppy, Oh my God you're doing the right thing!
Listen, my guy is amazing, super friendly, loves everyone. But he will jump on you and mouth you (we're working on it).
I'm super terrified someone's kid is going to come up on him and he's going to jump up and injure them when we're out in public. He's 40lbs
(And growing by the day), he doesn't know how big he is.
Plus, we're trying to teach him that not every person he meets is someone he can go over to. Sometimes, he needs to leave the new person alone, and that's okay. If every Tom, Dick, and Harry come over that throws all our training out the window.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for doing this, from a frazzled dog aunt.
[Obligatory dog tax. ](https://imgur.com/a/vUkLcbj)
keep on doing what you’re doing, you’re doing the right thing. if there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s toddlers and children running up to my service dog. Freaks both of us the hell out.
I get mad a parents who let their kids approach my dog without warning so seeing someone give their kid the lecture you described would be a welcome change of pace.
People who let/encourage their children to run up to dogs without permission are just waiting for their kids to get bit. I don't care how friendly a dog is, or even if your kid has run up and pet this dog before. A dog who gets suddenly spooked can still bite, no matter how friendly they are. Friendliness does not override instinct and the fight/flight response.
I really appreciate it when kids don’t just run up. In my experience the ones who ask if they can say hi are the ones most likely to behave well with them.
You are 100% correct! My dog gets scared when kids run at her (as I would if a stranger was charging at me!) so please keep doing it and ignore those people!
I would honestly appreciate more people like you! I've had way too many parents with toddlers who suddenly and unexpectedly come to us without asking, which triggers my dog. Once I was close to fighting with a mom who wasn't keeping an eye on her child and was talking on the phone. Her child ran up to my dog,yelling 'PUPPYYYY' and tried to squeeze it, despite me saying no. I yelled at the mom to take her kid and teach it manners.
Somehow I was at fault and got threatened, when my dog is on a short leash and it got stressed because of this kid. Please, don't change. This will set a good example for your child as well!
I told my 3yo that some dogs aren’t “people dogs”, and that she needs to ask the owner before she approaches their dog. We’ve done this at the park three times so far. Each time, the owners have told her that their dogs aren’t good with strangers and that she cannot pet them. So, no. You’re not doing anything wrong. All children need to know that. I’ve seen a few little ones that were bitten on their face by stranger’s pups. It’s not pretty. It’s a lifelong reminder of their parents mistakes.
Dogs are dogs... sometimes you'll find out at the very moment a dog gets agitated or stressed when the dog suddenly barks or has bitten already. Better to tell them not to touch the dog.
You are doing the right thing. My dog is fine off leash with kids that he knows but on leash with a toddler running up to him that he isn’t familiar he gets really freaked out.
You’re absolutely doing the right thing! I taught my kids the same. We also now have a 17yr old dog who is quite the grump and doesn’t like people just running up and touching her so I don’t take her in public due to too many people NOT asking first. You keep doing what you’re doing.
As someone who has had dogs for decades, I do NOT want your child or anyones children running up on my dogs. Period. My babies are super friendly but no. You never know how Children and dogs will act or react.
Please keep doing this! I have 3 dogs and 2 of them would not react appropriately if this happened. One of them is my 10 month puppy that is the friendliest dog in the world however he is a large immature puppy that will get very excited if a small human ran up to him which could potentially end up hurting your kid. And my other one is just reactive who will not appreciate it.
You are ABSOLUTELY doing the right thing. Keep it up! More parents and dog owners need to be aware of proper manners when dealing with an unfamiliar dog.
You're doing the right thing teaching your children not to run up to dogs, if somebody feels offended that's their problem, you have to teach your children to be safe.
I have encountered this (mother of 5 year old and 3 year old). I tell my children that they can say "Hi doggy" but they don't go up to or try to touch the dog. Sometimes people will say "they're friendly!" and I reply "Oh, I understand that, I'm just trying to teach my children to respect dogs we meet out in the world" and usually that suffices.
I also have a 17 year old Chihuahua who is VERY friendly, but not super great with kids he doesn't know and is now half blind and deaf, so I just don't want anyone touching him when we're out and about, so I tell people no thank you when they ask if they can pet him.
That being said, some people are just assholes and will get offended over things. Try not to let it bother you!
No what you’re teaching your kid is perfect. When I got my dog (she’s a 75 pound pit bull/lab mix) and I had her for only 2 weeks, I went out on a date at a dog friendly place. I wanted to get her out more and be more comfortable in other places. My dog is being good and lying next to me, then suddenly this tiny little girl just runs up to her and hugs her. I internally FREAKED OUT because at that time I had NO IDEA if my rescue dog would be friendly to children or not. Luckily, she was friendly. But Jesus Christ that could’ve been bad.
I took my dog to a dog friendly zoo and she got charged, screamed, and flailed at by several little kids. The parents should've been more worried about what I would do to the kids instead of potentially worrying about what my dog might do LMAO. She did not react but I really wish more parents would teach their kids to leave dogs alone.
Love people like you that teach their children to respect both dogs and their people! When people ask it’s a joy to interact…….others not so much! Great job mom!
I see your point but it’s instinctive for me to say “they’re friendly”. That’s it. Nothing more nothing less. It’s not an invitation just meant to make you the parent feel safer around my otherwise “scary” larger dogs. I prefer your children don’t approach but some parents aren’t on point and the child is already on their way as they go into full panic mode trying to stop their child. Their nervous energy is felt by my dogs and makes me nervous.
I get that completely. That’s absolutely fine.
Unfortunately there are others who encourage my toddler to continue when I’m trying to educate him it’s not what we do. The comments i had yesterday when I stopped my kiddo and picked him up was “he’s friendly! He’s not going to rip your kids face off for crying out loud!”
You’re absolutely right to do this but as a dog owner of a very cute mini dachshund, I say this to parents of toddlers who invariably run up to pet him but mainly just to reassure them the child will be ok as they’re usually out of the reach of the parent! I’m aware that as a breed mini dachshunds can be snappy and we took great patience and care to make sure Pablo was well socialised so I just try to alleviate the anxieties of parents, that’s all but yep, children do need to know this or they face learning a painful lesson!
You’re not wrong.
Had a young boy (looked to be about 4) who ran up to my chihuahua the other day and was greeted with a snap at his fingers. His mother was apologetic and everyone was fine but this is something people need to teach their kids!
Also had a moment where I was babysitting my nephew and as we were walking around the neighborhood a somewhat skittish dog showed up. According to my nephew he thought he was wonderful with dogs and started to bend down into this dogs face! Luckily I caught him before he was all the way into the dogs face or we would’ve been in the ER with a bite to the lip… AGAIN! (He had gotten into his neighbors dogs face on a pervious day when I was not there.. did not end will).
Manners when it comes to dogs and kids is highly important to both the child and the dogs safety. Not all dogs are nanny dogs and not all dogs want pets from even strangers, let alone kids.
Good choice. My dog was attacked a few years ago by another dog, and any dog/human approaching quickly makes him so anxious. He’s never lashed out or bitten anyone, but if he did, it would be from sheer terror. I very much appreciate parents and humans who ask to say hi to him. He’s just a little traumatized fellow, and quick moving kids are the worst for him.
I love that you do this. Keep doing it and disregard the offended dog parents out there. My dog is leash reactive towards other dogs so I cross the street when I see other dogs and some of those people seem offended. He loves people and is great with kids and I've been offended 0 times when I hear parents say what you say, in fact, I've had little kids ask first and I think what a good job their parents have done. You just never know, certainly not all dogs will tolerate a kid running up. You're all good and doing the right thing.
Please continue doing this. It is very much appreciated. My dog is reactive, but his response to stress is to freeze rather than fight - so to someone who doesn’t know much about dog body language, it may just look like he’s really patient and calm when he’s actually over-threshold and shut down. I often have to be really forceful in advocating for my dog because people won’t take his fear seriously otherwise since he’s not barking or lunging, etc. Respectful bystanders like yourself (and like your child is growing to be!) are so wonderful!
My Golden loved all adults but really disliked kids who were eye level with him. A lot of people assumed since he was a Golden, he MUST be friendly. I had to warn people with kids away numerous times over the years. You're doing the right thing.
Please keep it up. If you did that with me I would stop and say thank you! My dog has never interacted with a kid and I’m not trying to discover how it would go with some stranger’s child.
You are exactly right. I have a small miniature Poodle that looks like a cuddly stuffy and would seriously cuddle kids to death. He loves small kids, but I always tell kids to wait until I get him to sit. Then I invite them to pet him if they want to.
oh i see people do this all the time with my dog. kid is running up, parent stops them and says “no we don’t do that.” so i says “it’s cool, they can pet her if they want.” and sometimes the parents let the kid approach slowly and they say no thanks. either way i don’t mind
You’re totally in the right. I was that kid running up to every dog. My poor mom would have a heart attack!
One of my dogs is great with kids, the other one not so much. You’re keeping your child safe. Ignore the grumps, your child’s safety comes first.
I don’t mind people asking if they can pet my jack Russell but being run up to by random children isn’t good. My dog wouldn’t react to it. But it would annoy me. A child once ran up and picked him up hugging him. Please parents teach the children how to approach dogs/animals.
Foremost, teach your child to ask the owner first. That will solve a lot of different situations. The dog could spook. The dog can be working (service dog), dog might not like kids, etc. It also teaches the child respect and consent. If he wants to play with someone else's toys, he has to ask, right? Same kind of thing.
Keep doing what you're doing. No one wants their pet euthanized because it bit a child.
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Please keep doing this! My dog would get spooked by a small human running up to her. If I were to hear you stop your kiddo, I would be sure to thank you. I feel the opposite actually; when I very nicely tell kids that my dog may not be very nice to them if they try to pet her, I can tell the adults automatically think my dog is a monster. Whatever, I don't want a bitten child and a possible lawsuit/euthanasia on my hands. It takes 2 seconds for a bite to happen and for your day to go very bad, very fast when it comes to kids and strange dogs. Do what you need to do.
I recently ish had this. My dog was over stimulated because an intact in heat female kept charging and running up to my dog and any male dog. My one year got overstimulated and we had to leave. As we were leaving a kid saw my dog and I said 'no he's a little excited and needs to calm down. He gets mouthy when we try to pet.' Kid ignores me and my dog barks and tries to get mouthy. Mom says 'the lady told you. It's your fault'. Like thank you mom! I wish that happened more often
Wow! I'm really glad that encounter didn't end badly for that kid. Even if the parent is reasonable and wouldn't sue, a dog bite gets your dog a record with animal control and you may still be on the hook for the ER bills. It does give me anxiety sometimes...
It gives me plenty of anxiety. Luckily he doesn't bite. It's more big scary teeth and a boop with the nose. We're working on closing his mouth for boops because not everyone has treats. He's wonderfully well behaved when he's not dealing with a horn dog at the beach. He is just a dog that loves to Touch and strangers see a big dog coming at them. But when I ask them to drop the pet phrase, 'what do you do for pets?' he immediately sits and waits. Then he boops when you try to leave.
That happened to me too once and my dog barked and jumped up as I was explaining and the kid ran and tried to pet her at the same time. I felt awful and the dad smacked the kid on the bum and yelled at his toddler to not do that. The kid started bawling. I felt awful!
I love that you do this. My dog is scared of children and does not like to be petted by strangers. I hate when people just come up to her and ignore me *telling them not to pet her* so annoying. Thank you for being responsible and polite!
Yup, I always try to thank polite children who ask to pet my dog so they know it's good to do so. If I had raised my dog from a puppy, I'd be more comfortable letting kids pet her, but I just don't want to take any chances with a senior rescue dog.
Yes, my 6 year old dog has almost zero experience with kids, and even though she's generally friendly, kids scare the crap out of her. They're loud, and make sudden movements.
Yes I have a young rescue who is very frightened of people, especially children. She isn’t the least bit aggressive, but she cowers in fear when approached (won’t even let us approach unless she is on “her” safe sofa). and it takes a long time to get her over the scare.
Keep warning your kid! My former dog (RIP 😢) was amazing and chill. Until someone ran up to him. Not sure what the deal was, but that was literally the only way to make him mad.
omg yes... my puppy would love nothing more than to be hugged by your child. My older dog, however, had a bad experience with children and would probably nip your child!
My pup is very uneasy around kids because he can’t predict what they’ll do. He’s had some bad experiences with kids just running up and grabbing him. He runs to get behind me but does growl At the kids. But when I tell parents he doesn’t want to be pet by their kids it’s not because he’s mean it’s because he’d rather just be left alone.
Pretty sure owners who want kids running up to their dogs are the exception, not the rule.
Yup, I’ve never encountered this and pretty much everyone has a dog in my location
You would think that, but I'm in several Facebook groups for pitbull owners, and some of the people really do think that every time someone doesn't come running up to--or let their child or small dog interact-with their dog, it's because of prejudice.
Yeah, I was wondering why she was posting this. People are actually mad she doesn't want her kid running up to their dogs?
Seriously lmao. Weird post
Uh yeah, lol. I take my dog across the street when I see little kids coming towards us. There is something about their small stature that he doesn’t like. And when my own kids were little, I never let them approach strange dogs or put them in a situation where that could even happen. No way. I find it hard to believe there are tons of dog owners out there who are getting vocally offended that OP is stopping her toddler from running up to their dogs. That’s basic parenting and safety.
The only reason I would be offended is if they used a tone that implied my dog was mean, not that all dogs can be mean
It honestly happens far more than you would believe. It’s wild.
Right? Keep your toddler COMPLETELY under contol while in public (i.e. hold their goddamn hand or carry them). If you're at risk of your spawn running off after a dog, then you're at risk of it running in front of a car. Honestly it sounds like you may need some parent counseling before the child enters school. I feel like this mentality is going to become problematic when it manifests in other public scenarios
I’m sure OP is doing their best to keep their toddler “under control,” but toddlers usually go through a stage of pushing boundaries and for many of them, that results in running. I remember going shopping with two friends and a toddler, who had a backpack leash. He managed to shake off the hand of whichever adult was holding him AND shimmied out of his backpack multiple times on the shopping trip. We ended up having to cut our day short because the only way we could “keep him under control” was by carrying him on our shoulders, because even having him in our arms put him in grabbing range of products. Until that day, he had always been an angel on our shopping trips, and was happy to play with his toys in his stroller (which he also could escape) or hold hands with one of the three of us as we browsed. We still had to take him out shopping multiple times during this phase, because (a) mama needs groceries and household essentials and (b) toddlers don’t always just learn from a lecture, they often need repetition and reinforcement. He DID grow out of that phase eventually, but it took time and patience, like it does for most toddlers. Chastising someone else for their toddler going through a phase *most humans* go through is not helpful. On that note, OP, thanks for trying to raise your kid right! Since we have corgis, a lot of kids can’t resist the urge to rush us when they see us. If the parents don’t say something, I will. My dogs are friendly, but we’re not always in a position to stop and say hi, and depending on what’s going on, they might not feel especially social. It’s always a relief when the parent backs me up, or handles their kid first so I don’t have to be the bad guy to a complete stranger.
You get it. Thank you. You can clearly tell who has and hasn’t first hand experienced toddlers on this post. Haha.
> You can clearly tell who has and hasn’t first hand experienced toddlers on this post. Haha. Which is *hilarious* since we have all gone through toddlerhood! I know we can’t remember it, but we should at least try to be sympathetic to others who are having to go through the other side of toddlerhood. You’re doing great! If anyone is giving you weird looks or being rude, that’s bc they’re shitty dog owners, it’s not actually a reflection on you. Being the “bad guy” for your toddler sucks; but being patient and explaining until they get it shows you’re a really good parent and I’m sure you’ll continue to have a wonderful relationship later in life!
Thanks for your well thought out advice. I’ll be sure not to take it. My toddler is very good at listening, holding my hand and is regularly reined up. What is not helping educating my kiddo is dog walkers who encourage him to run towards their “friendly” dogs which is exactly what this post is venting about. *edit - spelling 🤣
Well, your backpedaling edit sounds like a whitewashing of your parental *presence* whilst in public. The ex post facto and vague mention of inticement sounds like high-level BS. I avoid the parks by me, as there are lots of folks like you. I deal with significant post traumatic stress, and a kid running at me/my dog is a massive trigger. Anyone "enticing" your child to come pet their dog, in a situation anywhere outside your control is laughable. Stay in the yard.
LOL
I mean any dog owner should support you. Even the friendliest of dogs can react badly to the sudden appearance of a small human. Screw other people and good luck teaching the tiny human dog etiquette
My dog absolutely ***loves*** kids, but she can get startled by a child running up to her. A startled 72lb (and still growing) dog vs a 30-40lb toddler? I am not risking anything. I work with my dog, and I have no issue yelling "No!" if needed, though I do try to be aware of where children are. If I see a child who has that puppy love in their eyes when they see my dog, I will try to buffer the situation so that everybody's safe and happy.
My Labradors, who are notorious for rolling around in the floor with any and every child they meet, actually growled for the first time ever at a child when the little boy came charging at them in public, screaming. Nothing bad happened thankfully because the grandma caught him before disaster struck. But I appreciate parents like you! Even though my dogs are insanely friendly goofs.
You're doing the right thing. I greatly appreciate when parents enforce basic manners around my dog. Telling them not to run towards us, asking if they can pet, talking through an appropriate greeting, etc... Things can go sideways really quickly when kids and dogs are thrown together. Either one might be perceived as unpredictable and scary by the other, so both sides should have time to consent to greetings. I've had toddlers scare the crap out of my previous, more skittish, dog. Luckily, he was more inclined to flee than fight... My current pup is boisterous and friendly, and could easily knock a kid down if they greeted him with too much enthusiasm. Keep it up. Regardless of what the cranky dog owners think, you're doing right by both your kids and dogs they encounter.
I made a post about something that happened today and this actually happened during the same activity. My dog is very, very friendly, but also super energetic and would run a toddler over from excitement easily, even if he's only around 45-ish pounds. We were in a pet friendly restaurant, and a toddler, around two-ish, came wobbling up to my dog from behind. Sure you can see the problem there. He didn't react when he saw the little boy, and probably wouldn't have done much except being weirded out at a stranger touching him, but still, if that kiddo made him too excited with the attention... His mom was there so quick I could've sworn she teleported, and she turned him around while smiling at me apologetically. I thanked her, and told her that my dog is friendly, but he could run her toddler over, and I appreciated that she didn't just let him waddle ahead. Often it happens that people will just let their kids run right up, sometimes giggling wildly or even screaming about how cute my dog is, and he'd be blamed if they got knocked over. I would appreciate what you do, so much. I might offer to allow your child to come up calmly and give him a pat as a reward for not running right up, but I wouldn't be offended if you said no to that either.
I’m a dog owner. Thank you for your responsibility. I take my dog for walks, leashed, on trails and have to put myself in between my dog and a child multiple times a week. My dog is lovely, would never bite, but I still don’t want him accosted by a child with outstretched arms. The parents never apologize, or even acknowledge. They almost ALWAYS say, to the child, “it’s ok, he’s not friendly”. Say what? I always respond back “he actually is, I just don’t want your kid in his face.” I haven’t had a response yet, but their silence says it all. Zero accountability, and if their kid was to get nipped, you better believe they’d try to blame me and my dog. It’s infuriating.
I completely agree, and my dog is super friendly in fact too friendly she’ll knock a toddler right over trying to with play with them.
One of mine is like that, terrier/bulldog mix. Kids will run up to her, get bowled over & a tongue in their face, and scream - and then the parents act like my dog is a vicious monster that attacked their child. It's wild.
Absolutely. My dog is very friendly and looooves kids, but we only let older kids pet him because he just doesn’t know his size and will knock little ones right over by accident. OP, thank you for doing this! I always worry about little kids running up. Just an accident waiting to happen
Trust me, I don’t want your child running up to my dog either. At all. Thank you for your service 😂
Thank you! I take my dog to stores a couple times a week as part of socializing and working on listening skills. The second I hear or spot small kids, we turn around and go another direction before they can see us. I get it - my dog is kid-sized and super cute, and she also loves kids but the number of kids who squeal and try to run up to her is just ridiculous. Every so often we come into contact with a parent who is asking and showing their kid the right approach, and I always make sure to thank them.
This is very responsible of you, ignore the people that take offense. Not enough people are aware that there are unfriendly and reactive dogs that do not want to be pet. You are keeping your child and everyone else safe with what you are teaching them.
Why do you care what other people think. It's your kid, raise them how you want. I really appreciate when kids ask if they can pet my dog, instead of assuming they just can. Good for you.
I don’t care. It just infuriates me that they don’t seem to get the caution and take offence. Pure venting post.
Well I had the opposite situation. A mother was offended when I said no her child couldn't pet my boxer. I told her my boxer was afraid of people she didn't know. Thank you for teaching your child caution. My dog loves my grandchildren, just not unknown kids. She just shakes
First, it's YOUR job to make sure this doesn't happen. YOU keep the kid from running up to the dog. If your kid runs up to a dog, that's on you, not me. As a dog owner, I'm delighted you want to do this. I don't want kids running up to my dogs. I'm happy to introduce them if the parent says it's ok. Otherwise I either stop them or walk away with my dog.
I deeply appreciate you teaching your child this. My dog is a medium sized dog (40-45lbs) and is friendly with kids, but has a bad habit of jumping when he's excited (it's being worked on). I stress out when I see kids charging towards him, but luckily with training he's been doing better. Good on you!
You are right. My dog doesn’t like kids. I live in fear of kids running up to him. Thank you for doing that.
Even if you *are* the dog accusing villain, you're the dog accusing villain with the kid whose face isn't getting bit.
If people are being jerks about it just try to keep those conversation out of their hearing range. Personally I think they’re being stupid. I would be much happier if every person was your child because man I hate people running up to me and my dog. He’s the opposite of aggressive but that’s also a problem. He gets too excited and hops around and considering he’s a Great Dane it’s a major issue I want corrected before he’s full grown. Which is impossible to do if everyone keeps rewarding him with pets and attention when he does it!!!!! So yea. You are so right you couldn’t possibly be any more right. You live near a bunch of idiots.
OMG, you are 100% doing the right thing. I LOATHE it when ANYONE approaches my dog without permission. I am always very impressed when a child asks permission first. Out of an abundance of caution, I always tell children that they may not pet my dog and thank them for asking first.
You are a wise parent. Keep following your instincts and leave these people to process their own emotions.
Gadfrey, what's the alternative? Allow your toddler to run up to a dog they know nothing about, have it bite and then need to get put down (worst case scenario, I know)? Kudos to you for being a good parent!
You’re doing just fine, if people get upset that sounds like a personal problem. Not enough people teach their kids proper manners when it comes to pets. Nice as my dogs may be I don’t want kids running up to them.
Sounds like there are a bunch of idiots in your area. I have a pack of three. I have found myself trying to educate the neighbor kids that you don't run up to dogs or run away from them.
You're right, the other folks are delusional. Maybe they don't know many kids? My dogs are always, always really kid proof. And I thank parents who know to tell their kids to ask the owner if they can pet the dog, rather than running into a dog's face. My dogs can handle it: many can not.
Remember, those owners are probably the same ones who let their uncontrolled off leash dog harass other people and dogs whilst they’re on the other side of the park yelling “it’s ok, he’s friendly”. Their opinions aren’t really worth much IMO
My sister is one of those people who lets her (large!) dog jump on people, chase kids around (when the kids are screaming in fear), and bark and try to run at everyone walking by, insisting “HE’S FRIENDLY!!” 🤪 she even complains that it’s the kids’ fault for making him excited. Some of these “dog moms” are out of touch with reality and think the earth revolves around their dog.
As an owner who had to put their dog down due to behavioural euthanasia, I appreciate you! My dog wasn’t aggressive towards random children but she got spooked easily and was unpredictable (she wore a muzzle anyways) but parents like you are important and needed! Scared dogs still need walks and children still need awareness. You’re doing amazing! ❤️
This happened to me for the first time yesterday! I took my (large) 5 month old GSD puppy for a walk in the park and I noticed my dog break out of his heel and walk in front of me - I look up and see a toddler jumping in front of his face. I can’t believe his parents were letting him jump up and down so close to an unknown German Shepherd. My puppy is 65 pounds - he’s a big boy. He didn’t do anything but stand there with his ears perched up and trying to figure out the situation but I quickly put him back in heel and turned the other way. Just seemed really irresponsible of the parents.
I find it amusing in a sad way. So many posts here are from dog owners who are shamed by human parents for having a dog who wants to meet them and their kids. You're doing a great job teaching your little one to respect dogs they don't know!
I actually really appreciate this. Not all dogs are friendly towards kids, and some are like my dog where he loves them but doesn't know his own size, so he could accidentally hurt them from getting too excited. It boggles my mind when people bring their small kids to dog parks. You're doing the best thing for your kid and dogs.
You’re doing a good job! I admit, there are times where I get offended, but it’s something I am learning to correct. I don’t like causing a scene so the offense is kept internally. Thank you! Deep down, you’re doing the right thing!!
Thank you so much for doing this! People who think it’s open season on every dog they see are so annoying. I adore dogs but would never think to impose on a random dog I saw out and about, any more than I would try to touch or bother a strange person, and I applaud and deeply appreciate your teaching your child to respect everyone’s space 💛.
You’re doing the right thing. My dog is old and she is terrified of toddlers. She wouldn’t hurt a toddler, but she doesn’t want to be patted by them either. She used to tolerate strangers patting her, but now that she’s old and deaf and has 3 legs and osteoarthritis, I think she feels vulnerable. She doesn’t want anyone patting her other than me and my family.
Yes!! I live in a family friendly apartment complex and just yesterday a young girl kept chasing my dog who was on a leash. And of course ignoring me telling her to not chase my dog because he does not like that
Idk why 'dog accusing villain' made me laugh more than I should have lol. However I personally feel that you are doing the right thing! My dogs are friendly for the most part but I would NOT take offense. My mom has a small dog and she does not like little kids because in her past life (before we rescued her) she lived with a terrible family who beat her, broke her little bones, and left her out on a chain all the time. They had children who aided in this behavior and now she does not like little children. She WILL bite them. So anyone who asks first or teaches their children to not just run up and pet them, I appreciate that. Also as someone who has service dogs, my dogs are friendly, but I perfer people ask first because my dogs are also protective. So if someone runs up and starts trying to pet them, they are gunna get defensive, but if someone asks and I allow it and tell the dog hey its okay, they will allow it without getting defensive. So long story short, yes you are in the right!!! People who are getting offensive over it, honestly that's their problem. You are keeping your child safe, and being respectful to other people and their dogs by teaching your child these things. Most people don't seem to these days.
Thank you! My dog does not tolerate children well and I’m terrified that a kid will run up to him while we’re on a walk. I’ve had it happen before and luckily I can short leash and wave off the kid but what if I’m not fast enough next time? God forbid he bites one and I get my baby taken away
You are doing the right thing, and when I see kids using their manners around dogs I make sure to thank them for it. I used to teach dog manners to my preschool students and I teach it to the neighborhood kids when they approach us too. I love when parents are proactive.
Thanks for doing this. It's the right thing to do. Some parents don't know better, but I'm glad that you are out there keeping dogs and humans safe!
As a dog trainer with a whole bunch of child loving dogs, I THANK YOU PROFUSELY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART on behalf of all my clients with nervous dogs, or scared dogs, or traumatized dogs, or dogs who don’t like kids or dogs who don’t like strangers or dogs who are actually reactive/aggressive and learning how to be in outdoor spaces as part of their rehab. You’re doing the entire world a favor.
I am absolutely so thankful for the parents teaching their kids not to run up on dogs and asking to pet them. I have four dogs and all are very kid friendly but I have heard too many horror stories. Thank you for what you're doing with your child!
You're perfect. Thank you! I had a 2 yo rush in to a 1.5 yo cute, soft, small, caramel colored labradoodle when I blinked a the dog popped her in the face with her nose. No harm, Child loved t h e surprise and then began squealing and jumping and waving arms as I grabbed the dog. I usually put my hand up to stop all people from rushing in, regardless of dog, and then make a verbal contract with them that they will do as I ask them. I'll call it "Simon Says" now, instead.
When kids run up to my dog and ask if they can pet him I always say no. I always get the, 'why not' or 'please please please' But I always stand my ground. He's not aggressive it's just annoying to have kids assume that they can pet him. I don't know these kids. My husband does the same thing. So thank you for teaching your kids that just because there is a dog around it doesn't give them instant permission to pet them.
Sounds like you plan to keep doing what your are doing, so definitely ignore the people who are giving you a hard time about it. More parents need to teach their kids that just because they have run to other dogs and had a positive experience that it doesn't mean all dogs will be friendly. If you did that to me and my dogs, I would give a very sincere thank you.
As a trainer and dog walker you are absolutely doing the right thing. IMHO you don’t need to pet stance dogs at all regardless of how nice they are, and people don’t need to pet your dog.
Wish more parents are like you. I don’t really give a sh*t about what people say. When I see a kid rushing toward my dog and the parent just starring at me assuming it’s ok, I just yell “ not friendly, not friendly” and watch them scramble to catch the toddler. Pretty funny to watch.
Honestly I don't want your kid running up to my dog either.
So... I don't think you're wrong, but I get where they're coming from too. They don't want to think about thier pet as being intrinsically dangerous which is why the offense happens. Also don't confuse momentary offense with long term grudge. Continue to teach your kid to be animal safe, by all means, but don't assume everyone you encounter knows the reason behind your caution either.
You need to control your child.
Which is exactly what I’m doing. Thanks.
Um you could calmly explain to the dog owners why if it bothers you so much
Not to sound rude but it's your problem and not theirs. If it was the other way around and dogs were running up to your kid and you don't know if the dog is friendly, it is very different. Some people can be arses though so just keep doing what you are doing.
Not to sound rude but you’ve totally misread my post.
Not really, the problem is YOURS if your child running up to other dogs. It's up to you to control your child and if you can't you need to put a harness on them until he/she learns not to do what you are trying to teach them.
You’re still reading my post wrong. I am doing exactly what you’re saying but dog walkers are encouraging my toddler to approach at speed because **their** dog is friendly. I am teaching my toddler that we do not run up to dogs. That involves holding said toddler back and explaining why we don’t do that. The dog walkers are getting the hump because I imply their dog **may** not be friendly to my toddler after I stop him running towards said dog. You’re the only one on this whole post who has the wrong idea.
Yeah yeah yeah, why on earth do you care what other people think when you are trying to teach your child? Sod them off if they are getting the hump over something so silly. Tell them that their dog seems nice and show your toddler the correct way to approach dogs, including asking you if it's OK, asking the dog owner if he/she can pet, staying calm and walking to the dog, not bending over/down to the dog, holding hand out etc. If your toddler is able to escape your close vacinity then again that's your problem regardless if other people encourage it or not. Use the negative experience and turn it into a positive one for both you and the dog owners. Moaning about how it offends you on here does nothing.
Dilligaf? I do sod them off, per post I’m purely venting. it doesn’t offend me. Does it infuriate me? Yes. My toddler is not able to escape, he’s a very good listener and that includes listening to moronic dog walkers who encourage him to approach. But thanks for your advice. Again. I know it does nothing. Per post. Venting. Hop on back under the bridge that you came from. 😘
So don’t let child run up to dogs.
If the dog is leashed, then it is your job to keep your child away. Why is it the dogs owner's responsibility to manage your child. If your toddler has a tendency to run up to dogs, then address the problem. I see little toddlers on "leashes" all the time so they can't wander off or get into trouble.
Another one who’s misread my post.
Didn't read your post wrong. Nothing to 'vent' about. What do you expect people to say if the dog is friendly and your kid runs up to them?
The entire point is that it is after I explain that I am trying to teach my kiddo that he can’t run up to dogs they take offence… Are you saying that allowing my kiddo to run upto their doggo on the basis that they’ve announced *their* dog is friendly is correct? If so do you mind teaching me how I teach my child that not all dogs are not friendly and we need to approach with caution? Gtfo.
I hope those are just one off incidences of people being offended. I wish more people would encourage this kids and also teens to not pet a dog from behind, run up to them, or shriek and squeal at them. My dog loves kids but many dogs of the same breed do not like do be approached by strangers and running up to dogs can put them on alert. I sometimes feel like telling people not every dog is going to be this social / friendly / comfortable and it’s so risky to let a kid just reach their hand in a dog’s face.
I love parents who have their toddlers approach calmly and ask before petting. I always make a point of congratulating the kid for asking first! And you can bet I'll remind any kids that run up to us that they always need to make sure dogs are friendly before they can touch them. If their parents aren't telling them, I will.
Kids run up to my dog all the time and I rarely see a parent around watching them. I have literally have to snap at kids and tell them to calm down if they want to pet my dog.
So doing the right thing! Way to parent!
I thought OP was posting about how it's everyone else's problem that their kid was running up to dogs and somehow it was our fault for having our dogs. But NOPE OP is completely justified here. We know better than most what it's like to try and raise and train in public sometimes. So silly that they got actually offended!
If I was out with my dog and a Mom/kids responded in this manner I would 100% support this. Even with a friendly doggo, I would gladly say something like "Your Mom is right, not every dog wants to say hello. But if your Mom says it is okay, I think we can very slowly and calmly say hello Sam here."
Dog mom and human child mom. You're doing it right. If I'm out with just my dog (who *adores* kids but sometimes a little too much and gets jumpy and excited), I'll back the parent right up. "Hey bud yeah he's super friendly but also really likes to jump, but you should listen to your mom/dad and not run up to dogs, ok?" If I'm out with my kid I appreciate when dog owners back me up on how to interact with them. It's not safe for kid or for dog; even a friendly dog can react badly when startled or inadvertently threatened. A dog that bites a kid usually doesn't fare well. Not having kids run up to strange dogs is in *everyones* best interests, including the dog.
Yes, i cant remember how many times i have to tell people, plz no, dont pet my dog. My dog is friendly but i dont trust the kid. If the kid does something stupid to make the dog react, I will be blamed! So yeah it goes both ways!!!
Literally no dog owner I know would be offended by this. Don’t worry about it. You’re doing the right thing to teach your child to be cautious.
You are doing the right thing. Cause I don’t want kids running up to my dogs either. And my dogs are friendly—but that doesn’t mean they can’t be startled or scared. It just puts everyone in a precarious situation.
I wish more parents would teach this!! Respect for humans and respect for animals.
I wish it was expected to ignore dogs and children in public. You are absolutely doing the right thing!
As someone who has a big GSD who does not like *anyone* or *anything* running up to her, thank you. She’s friendly but she’s super shy and skidding and somewhat traumatized by small children cornering her into situations (aka our porch)… and other dogs (even “friendly” ones like Golden’s 🙄) run and pounce on her. Thank you. We have so many kids come up to us (walking) or ask from afar if they can come and pet her. If she’s having a good day, no dogs trying to pick a fight with her or bark at her, she’ll sniff their hand and let them pet her. Otherwise she hides and cowers behind me. To add: I have a 15 month old baby who she puts up with who rolls his toy cars into her butt and plucks her butt fur. So she’s not anti-kid. Just not a fan of screaming stranger kids. ……me too I guess.
You are so doing the right thing. My dog is scared of kids because they move so fast. I love when parents stop their kids from approaching without asking. Even when I had a kid friendly dog I hated kids assuming he was fine with them sticking their hands in his face.
You're being a good mom. Another thing I love to see kids do is ask me if they can say hi and/or hold out their hand for dog to smell B4 petting. I think you're being smart teaching your kid not to run up on dogs but sometimes positive reinforcement is easier ya know?
Absolutely the right thing for both child and dog/s. Ignore whoever has a problem with it, your doing the best thing for the safety of your child and also for the sake of the dogs.
Frankly, I really appreciate that because my dog is not friendly and I constantly have to tell people that. In fact, I am gobsmacked by the number of times I’ve had to stop people from encouraging their young kids to pet my dog without even asking me first. She looks extremely approachable but she is not!
Thank you! I appreciate when moms tell their little ones to ask if they can approach my dog. My dog is uncomfortable with most strangers and usually barks at them. Some kids are a bit too energetic for my dog and is frightened of them.
I feel like I'm the minority here but most of the parents in our community are like this. All I do is try and reinforce the behavior their parents are already going for. My two are really good, one was working with my friends autistic child and her therapist specifically because he doesn't react when she has an outburst. That doesn't mean I dont see the value in teaching kids dog courtesy and safety. He doesn't also appreciate when kids give him a bit of time and space.
I bought a hi vis jacket for my dogs that says nervous - do not touch. Now my dogs aren't especially nervous but I have noticed people think twice about coming near or letting their kids near. It's done its job
I was a very tech for 20 years your 100% right, you don't know if the dog was abused in it's past or had a bad experience with a kid who unknowingly was too rough with it, though instinctually most domesticated dogs were bred to 100% think of a childs welfare first and will instinctually love children and be like a nanny like pit bulls, boxers, were but others like Shepards or huskies and other working dogs don't necessarily have that same instinct as a priority. It is a very smart thing to teach a child not only for the child's welfare but the dogs and the owners as well as any bite is taken very seriously by the state especially a bite on a child and there are plenty of people walking around with facial scars because they got too friendly with a dog as a child and plenty of dead kids whos parents trusted new dogs too much. And an animal is still an animal and there are certain things people can do that can trigger a natural impulse that can break through domesticated behavior. Huskies for example are a breed closer to being wild then other breeds and their wild instincts keep people safe when crossing the tundra on a sled from bears and wolves, but that same wildness can be triggered by little children who are an irresistible easy meal to wild animals and you see many attacks on children are done by huskies. Good example is when you take toddlers to the zoo and you see lions and tigers going crazy at the glass when their backs are turned the toddler has set off that natural free meal instinct, the same natural impulse is triggered in the wild when facing any big cat when a person turns his back on the cat. That's why when facing a mountain lion on a hiking trail you never ever turn your back on it, that's why certain animals have markings like eyes on their back side so that potential predators think their prey is watching them they will go find other prey. Now like I said I was a vet tech for twenty years and love cats and dogs but I never forget that wild dogs (that are NOT descendants of wolves) are the most successful predators of Africa and all domesticated dogs come from them and all cats are just tiny miniature tigers with all the same Parts and same murderous intent. So yes it's very smart and those dog owners should be thanking you for teaching your kid the right way to be with strange animals.
You’re ABSOLUTELY doing the right thing. And keep doing it! It keeps your baby safe and all dogs safe too!
I think that’s so strange that dog owners would be offended by this. I am teaching my human toddler the same thing. I know as a dog owner that not all dogs are friendly or comfortable with kids. My own dog doesn’t have the option of not liking kids, but my 4 year old even makes her nervous sometimes. Not all dogs are kid friendly, just like not all PEOPLE like kids. You’re doing the right thing. Keep on fighting the good fight and raising your kid right. ❤️
Maybe you tone?
I actually really appreciate this! I just adopted a dog a couple weeks ago and twice toddlers have run up to us and I have to pick up my dog (thankfully he’s only 20 pounds). I’ve never seen him around children, he’s a 4 year old rescue, and while he’s never shown any sort of aggression towards my household I can’t guarantee how he’d act if a small child got in his space. I can’t risk it so I pick him up. And I explain to people “I just rescued him and I don’t know how he does with children”. So thank YOU! It makes you a good parent and pet owners should be thankful.
This is bonkers. You are doing the right thing and those dog owners are nuts.
You are correct. They are wrong.
We've had the opposite issue - kids running over to pet my little terrier without asking 😅 luckily my dog is friendly and chill but I always explain to them that they must always ask the owner! So no you're not being rude or accusatory, just teaching your kid to keep themself safe
Well here’s something refreshing for you to hear, THANK YOU! I have a dog who is very anxious in public spaces, he is also very big and very fluffy and bright white. He is a kid magnet because of this. The amount of little kids we get “fluffy doooogggggyyy” running towards him and I have to fully body block them so that they don’t touch him. The parents always look at me like I’m some nasty lady not letting them say hi to my dog when I’m just advocating for my dogs space. Few times I have explained this and told them they need to teach their children to ask if it is okay, and always been met with rolling eyes. It’s not surprise how many children are bitten each year
I have never wanted a toddler to run up to my dog while on a walk... So kudos to you for teaching pet manners! That said, I sometimes see kids who are afraid, and I do stop to show them that not all dogs are scary (with the permission of parent, of course). I'll teach them how to approach and pet a dog, and reinforce the "always ask first" rule. And during that first puppy year, I often like having some crazy kids around to help socialize – but, again, always in collaboration with the parents. I believe there's a common phenomenon where owners of "scary" breeds get annoyed when everyone that sees their über-sweet pittie or rottie runs away in fear and hides their kids. They see it as reinforcing bad stereotypes. I don't own these types of breeds (but do adore many of them!), so don't want to make too many assumptions. But I can imagine it gets to be a little heartbreaking. And can probably confuse their dogs in the long run.
I guess your post is like odd to me, how close are you letting your child get to the dog...that the owner can hear you say your piece. Or are you screaming it at your kid while he wanders closer to the dog?
Generally it’s when we’re approaching to cross paths. Whether that be the side of the road or a narrow path. My kiddo isn’t savage nor trusted yet to run across a entire field… he’s a fresh Walker. 🤣
Generally it’s when we’re approaching to cross paths. Whether that be the side of the road or a narrow path. My kiddo isn’t savage nor trusted yet to run across a entire field… he’s a fresh Walker. 🤣
Little confused by this post, and some clarification is needed here. Are you talking about off leash dogs? Because you make it sound like if I’m doing my part by keeping my friendly dog on leash while walking through the park, it’s my fault when your toddler runs up to him. This has actually happened to me multiple times. Not a fan of parents yelling at me when their kid runs up to my dog, and my dog is on a leash, and act like I’m the one in the wrong.
For clarification. Both. My toddler gets excited and runs to all dogs. He doesn’t understand. I am trying to teach my toddler we don’t do that. Some dog walkers take offence and make comments on how my toddler is “fine to run up to the doggo, the doggo is friendly!” when I stop my toddler in his excitable tracks to educate him that we don’t run up to doggies. We do not know if they’re friendly.
probably the same people that get offended when i take my dog across the street to avoid passing. yes YOUR dog is friendly. MINE isn’t. she just needs to shit real quick thanks. i’ve been fostering dogs lately and i wish people respected this more. i cannot predict their behaviors.
My dogs are generally mega friendly. However, we have monkeys that live in the bush next to the house (very rural South Africa) that tease the dogs and drive them batty. My dogs hate monkeys. My dogs have never met a toddler up close. The few times they've seen toddlers from a distance, they seemed to think the toddlers were hairless monkeys and were not best pleased. While I'm sure they'll quickly realize that small human does not equal hairless monkey when they have the opportunity to sniff a small human, I'd rather not test the theory. Thank you for teaching your toddler to not run up to random doggies. People who don't understand why you're doing this must have a very lonely brain cell.
Assistance dog owner here. THANK YOU. So many kids are just the run-up type, it causes massive anxiety spikes and I often can't get out of that situation to allow my AD to task because the kids are following and trying to pet. Parents like you are massively appreciated by any AD or SD owner. Please keep up the good work, and it could also be worth having the conversation with your kid at some point about how some dogs have special jobs and can't be looked at, talked to, etc. There's a buzzfeed series called Puppy Prep that looks at service dogs in training. Lots of cute puppies and quite simple explanations of everything the dogs do and why they learn what they learn. Could be a good way to cover the basics while keeping the kid engaged. As for the other dog owners; "Yes, I'm sure your dog is lovely, but as a dog owner, I'm also sure you know that not all dogs are so nice. We're just trying to prepare for the ones that aren't."
As a person who's dog is not a fan of kids, thank you for teaching your child this!! In general my dog is very friendly but kids tend to be too grabby and loud for his taste. He mostly just avoids them but I hate when we are out for a walk and some kid comes just sprinting at him (he's very fluffy) and then I have to step in and tell them no and then get the look of 'ugh what a b****' from the parents.
You're right! These sensitive people need to understand from both sides. If kids get hurt then it's the dog owners fault.
You're doing the right thing! I have a people reactive dog who has a lead slip saying to give us space but do people? No they bloody dont! I had a kid almost walk into my dog once, luckily my dog didn't react to him! Keep doing what you're doing!
You are totally doing the right thing! I've got a dog who is very nervous of humans and twice in the last month I've had small children run up to him and continue to chase him as he tries to run away and the parents seem to think it's funny or my pup is trying to play. He's never shown any sign of aggression, not even a growl or a snap, but he's ~25kg right now and these kids' faces are level with his and I'm so worried he'll be pushed to a point where he does feel like he has to defend himself and it results in a child getting hurt.
Thanks for doing this. My dog doesn't like children because they keep running up to her. I wish more parents were like you!
Don't worry about it -- you're not accusing any dog of anything, you're just trying to teach your toddler how to be safe around dogs. Bet safe than sorry.
Can’t believe idiots condemned you for that! What right do you have teaching your child both personal safety and respect for the dog and its owner?! I applaud you.
You're doing the right thing, thanks for being a good parent. My dog is friendly but I don't appreciate people approaching him unannounced, let alone a kid running to him. A) Even if he's friendly, who knows how he might react in that moment. Maybe be gets scared, barks or lunges, and suddenly I'm the asshole. B) I'm trying to teach him to be obedient during walks, he already gets distracted by anything, I don't need people to add more distractions. C) He's not a toy for every passerby's amusement.
You are ABSOLUTELY doing the right thing. My boy is friendly and well socialized but I do not want anyone running up to my boy. I'm 99.999999999999% sure that everything will turn out fine, but I don't want to take chances with your bebe or mine having a bad experience.
Ugh thank you! I have a toddler who loves dogs I’m currently working on this with. I’m also pregnant currently and have a German shepherd who doesn’t love to be charged at and a kid RAN at him as fast as he could the other day which caused him to pull and I ended up falling. Frustrates me so much when parents don’t teach kids this.
I do the same with my kids. I say you don’t know if the dog is grumpy and might bite you. When I get the 😱 how dare you reaction with “she’s friendly.” I explain that I’m teaching them to ask first. I’m now a dog owner and I actively pull the dog back from greeting kids, because it’s my job as an owner to prevent a tragic incident, no matter how remote the possibility.
You’re literally teaching your kid to be safe around all dogs because I’ve heard plenty of stories of kids getting bitten or injured because they just charge up a random dog walking by. I get asked a lot when I take my little dog out if kids can pet him and I’m fine with it as long as the kid isn’t poking his eyes or smacking his face (he would literally just sit there and take it too😂 so it’s more me being a protective dog momma) I know that he enjoys people and being pet so I think it’s nice when someone will ask before approaching because it’s just polite. So you do your thing and don’t worry about those people. It sounds like you’re doing a wonderful job without their input :)
My pup is going blind and deaf, anything running up too him would make him jump, so 100% keep telling your kids that. A responsible dog owner would understand. When I was a dog walker I was walking my dog and a clients on a small public path-a lady with a pram and a child zooming around were in front of me. Dogs were happy and took no notice-but the kid went into the hedges, jumped out and high pitched scream into the dogs faces. My clients dog was about the same height as the kid, but both the dogs were completely freaked out and started barking. The lady just said “don’t play with the unfriendly dogs” like bruh someone jumps out and screams in your face you aren’t going to be friendly with them!
I see nothing wrong with this. I'm a current dog mom and have 2 large breed dogs. My 5yr old, 100lbs female (Husky/Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix) absolutely loves kids and will sit quietly and let them pet her, however my 1yr old male (Bull Mastiff/Dalmatian mix) is terrified of small children (and most every thing else, we're working on getting him used to people), so I get annoyed when anyone approaches my puppy because he gets freaked out. Keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about the people that give you dirty looks or say rude things to you. You don't know them or their dog and you're keeping your child safe
Why do you care what random people on the street think?
I genuinely don’t give a fuck about what they think. Their moronic behaviour is laughable yet frustrating.
Thank you for teaching your kid this. My dog does NOT like eye level humans, and I've had instances where they keep trying to get in his face after being told to leave him alone. So I very much appreciate parents like you.
Please keep doing this. My dog loves toddlers. Adores them. Wants to lick their ears and full body cuddle them. Poor toddlers!
As a current dog aunt to a rather excitable lab puppy, Oh my God you're doing the right thing! Listen, my guy is amazing, super friendly, loves everyone. But he will jump on you and mouth you (we're working on it). I'm super terrified someone's kid is going to come up on him and he's going to jump up and injure them when we're out in public. He's 40lbs (And growing by the day), he doesn't know how big he is. Plus, we're trying to teach him that not every person he meets is someone he can go over to. Sometimes, he needs to leave the new person alone, and that's okay. If every Tom, Dick, and Harry come over that throws all our training out the window. Thank you, thank you, thank you for doing this, from a frazzled dog aunt. [Obligatory dog tax. ](https://imgur.com/a/vUkLcbj)
Omg such a good boi 🥹
keep on doing what you’re doing, you’re doing the right thing. if there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s toddlers and children running up to my service dog. Freaks both of us the hell out.
I get mad a parents who let their kids approach my dog without warning so seeing someone give their kid the lecture you described would be a welcome change of pace.
You GTFOH....I'm done. Do what you think is right. Venting over bullshit.
I will thank you very much for your support with my decision sweetie pie 😘
People who let/encourage their children to run up to dogs without permission are just waiting for their kids to get bit. I don't care how friendly a dog is, or even if your kid has run up and pet this dog before. A dog who gets suddenly spooked can still bite, no matter how friendly they are. Friendliness does not override instinct and the fight/flight response.
I really appreciate it when kids don’t just run up. In my experience the ones who ask if they can say hi are the ones most likely to behave well with them.
You are 100% correct! My dog gets scared when kids run at her (as I would if a stranger was charging at me!) so please keep doing it and ignore those people!
I would honestly appreciate more people like you! I've had way too many parents with toddlers who suddenly and unexpectedly come to us without asking, which triggers my dog. Once I was close to fighting with a mom who wasn't keeping an eye on her child and was talking on the phone. Her child ran up to my dog,yelling 'PUPPYYYY' and tried to squeeze it, despite me saying no. I yelled at the mom to take her kid and teach it manners. Somehow I was at fault and got threatened, when my dog is on a short leash and it got stressed because of this kid. Please, don't change. This will set a good example for your child as well!
I told my 3yo that some dogs aren’t “people dogs”, and that she needs to ask the owner before she approaches their dog. We’ve done this at the park three times so far. Each time, the owners have told her that their dogs aren’t good with strangers and that she cannot pet them. So, no. You’re not doing anything wrong. All children need to know that. I’ve seen a few little ones that were bitten on their face by stranger’s pups. It’s not pretty. It’s a lifelong reminder of their parents mistakes.
Dogs are dogs... sometimes you'll find out at the very moment a dog gets agitated or stressed when the dog suddenly barks or has bitten already. Better to tell them not to touch the dog.
Best to teach a kid not to look, talk and touch any dog, until you ask if it's OK to pet and let the dog come to you, not the other way around.
Exactly what my post says I’m doing.
Then you should teach your child not to do this.
Thank you for trying to teach your kiddo proper dog etiquette. I’m trying to do the same with my dog with respect to humans.
You should control your child and keep it from running up to dogs. Thank You
Most parents I know just teach their kids to always ask the owner before interact with a dog.
You are doing the right thing. My dog is fine off leash with kids that he knows but on leash with a toddler running up to him that he isn’t familiar he gets really freaked out.
You’re absolutely doing the right thing! I taught my kids the same. We also now have a 17yr old dog who is quite the grump and doesn’t like people just running up and touching her so I don’t take her in public due to too many people NOT asking first. You keep doing what you’re doing.
As someone who has had dogs for decades, I do NOT want your child or anyones children running up on my dogs. Period. My babies are super friendly but no. You never know how Children and dogs will act or react.
I think most people are not like this. I have two goldens and yes they are friendly but I don't want kids running up to them, even my own.
Please keep doing this! I have 3 dogs and 2 of them would not react appropriately if this happened. One of them is my 10 month puppy that is the friendliest dog in the world however he is a large immature puppy that will get very excited if a small human ran up to him which could potentially end up hurting your kid. And my other one is just reactive who will not appreciate it.
You are ABSOLUTELY doing the right thing. Keep it up! More parents and dog owners need to be aware of proper manners when dealing with an unfamiliar dog.
You're doing the right thing teaching your children not to run up to dogs, if somebody feels offended that's their problem, you have to teach your children to be safe.
I have encountered this (mother of 5 year old and 3 year old). I tell my children that they can say "Hi doggy" but they don't go up to or try to touch the dog. Sometimes people will say "they're friendly!" and I reply "Oh, I understand that, I'm just trying to teach my children to respect dogs we meet out in the world" and usually that suffices. I also have a 17 year old Chihuahua who is VERY friendly, but not super great with kids he doesn't know and is now half blind and deaf, so I just don't want anyone touching him when we're out and about, so I tell people no thank you when they ask if they can pet him. That being said, some people are just assholes and will get offended over things. Try not to let it bother you!
No what you’re teaching your kid is perfect. When I got my dog (she’s a 75 pound pit bull/lab mix) and I had her for only 2 weeks, I went out on a date at a dog friendly place. I wanted to get her out more and be more comfortable in other places. My dog is being good and lying next to me, then suddenly this tiny little girl just runs up to her and hugs her. I internally FREAKED OUT because at that time I had NO IDEA if my rescue dog would be friendly to children or not. Luckily, she was friendly. But Jesus Christ that could’ve been bad.
I took my dog to a dog friendly zoo and she got charged, screamed, and flailed at by several little kids. The parents should've been more worried about what I would do to the kids instead of potentially worrying about what my dog might do LMAO. She did not react but I really wish more parents would teach their kids to leave dogs alone.
Love people like you that teach their children to respect both dogs and their people! When people ask it’s a joy to interact…….others not so much! Great job mom!
I see your point but it’s instinctive for me to say “they’re friendly”. That’s it. Nothing more nothing less. It’s not an invitation just meant to make you the parent feel safer around my otherwise “scary” larger dogs. I prefer your children don’t approach but some parents aren’t on point and the child is already on their way as they go into full panic mode trying to stop their child. Their nervous energy is felt by my dogs and makes me nervous.
I get that completely. That’s absolutely fine. Unfortunately there are others who encourage my toddler to continue when I’m trying to educate him it’s not what we do. The comments i had yesterday when I stopped my kiddo and picked him up was “he’s friendly! He’s not going to rip your kids face off for crying out loud!”
I would really appreciate you because my bigger dog doesn’t care for smaller children. If panicked when kids run up on my dog.
You’re absolutely right to do this but as a dog owner of a very cute mini dachshund, I say this to parents of toddlers who invariably run up to pet him but mainly just to reassure them the child will be ok as they’re usually out of the reach of the parent! I’m aware that as a breed mini dachshunds can be snappy and we took great patience and care to make sure Pablo was well socialised so I just try to alleviate the anxieties of parents, that’s all but yep, children do need to know this or they face learning a painful lesson!
You’re not wrong. Had a young boy (looked to be about 4) who ran up to my chihuahua the other day and was greeted with a snap at his fingers. His mother was apologetic and everyone was fine but this is something people need to teach their kids! Also had a moment where I was babysitting my nephew and as we were walking around the neighborhood a somewhat skittish dog showed up. According to my nephew he thought he was wonderful with dogs and started to bend down into this dogs face! Luckily I caught him before he was all the way into the dogs face or we would’ve been in the ER with a bite to the lip… AGAIN! (He had gotten into his neighbors dogs face on a pervious day when I was not there.. did not end will). Manners when it comes to dogs and kids is highly important to both the child and the dogs safety. Not all dogs are nanny dogs and not all dogs want pets from even strangers, let alone kids.
As a scared rescue dog owner, THANK YOU.
Good choice. My dog was attacked a few years ago by another dog, and any dog/human approaching quickly makes him so anxious. He’s never lashed out or bitten anyone, but if he did, it would be from sheer terror. I very much appreciate parents and humans who ask to say hi to him. He’s just a little traumatized fellow, and quick moving kids are the worst for him.
I love that you do this. Keep doing it and disregard the offended dog parents out there. My dog is leash reactive towards other dogs so I cross the street when I see other dogs and some of those people seem offended. He loves people and is great with kids and I've been offended 0 times when I hear parents say what you say, in fact, I've had little kids ask first and I think what a good job their parents have done. You just never know, certainly not all dogs will tolerate a kid running up. You're all good and doing the right thing.
Please continue doing this. It is very much appreciated. My dog is reactive, but his response to stress is to freeze rather than fight - so to someone who doesn’t know much about dog body language, it may just look like he’s really patient and calm when he’s actually over-threshold and shut down. I often have to be really forceful in advocating for my dog because people won’t take his fear seriously otherwise since he’s not barking or lunging, etc. Respectful bystanders like yourself (and like your child is growing to be!) are so wonderful!
My Golden loved all adults but really disliked kids who were eye level with him. A lot of people assumed since he was a Golden, he MUST be friendly. I had to warn people with kids away numerous times over the years. You're doing the right thing.
No idea what is wrong these people.
I love that you do this! When a child asks if they can pet my dog, I always thank them and tell them how great it is that they asked first!!!
Please keep it up. If you did that with me I would stop and say thank you! My dog has never interacted with a kid and I’m not trying to discover how it would go with some stranger’s child.
You are exactly right. I have a small miniature Poodle that looks like a cuddly stuffy and would seriously cuddle kids to death. He loves small kids, but I always tell kids to wait until I get him to sit. Then I invite them to pet him if they want to.
oh i see people do this all the time with my dog. kid is running up, parent stops them and says “no we don’t do that.” so i says “it’s cool, they can pet her if they want.” and sometimes the parents let the kid approach slowly and they say no thanks. either way i don’t mind
You’re totally in the right. I was that kid running up to every dog. My poor mom would have a heart attack! One of my dogs is great with kids, the other one not so much. You’re keeping your child safe. Ignore the grumps, your child’s safety comes first.
I don’t mind people asking if they can pet my jack Russell but being run up to by random children isn’t good. My dog wouldn’t react to it. But it would annoy me. A child once ran up and picked him up hugging him. Please parents teach the children how to approach dogs/animals.
Foremost, teach your child to ask the owner first. That will solve a lot of different situations. The dog could spook. The dog can be working (service dog), dog might not like kids, etc. It also teaches the child respect and consent. If he wants to play with someone else's toys, he has to ask, right? Same kind of thing. Keep doing what you're doing. No one wants their pet euthanized because it bit a child.