how to prevent pup from being food protectve

[W.Oliver]

The high horse comments were intended for me...Heh!, Heh!, Heh!

chelle, I would say with a bit of work you've got a dog that is capable of a CGC, and from what I saw, I would be surprised if kids were a problem. Certainly have to work though some introductions and exposure.

[wyominggrandma]

chelle, thanks. I wondered what I did to deserve that. lol

[chelle]

Originally Posted by W.Oliver

The high horse comments were intended for me...Heh!, Heh!, Heh!

chelle, I would say with a bit of work you've got a dog that is capable of a CGC, and from what I saw, I would be surprised if kids were a problem. Certainly have to work though some introductions and exposure.

A "bit" of work is likely a vast understatement , but thank you, and that IS our eventual goal.

Bailey does not seem to like toddlers and is reactive if they're too close. He wants nothing to do with them. It's a fear reaction, no doubt. It may possibly go back to an experience he had with a two year old that wouldn't let him be. I really don't know. It's frustrating to me. The exact child he's fearful of is the child who I cannot explain things to or ensure their behavior around him. I can't risk a bad reaction, a nip, etc.

Yet, this same dog can watch toddlers and every other child under the sun zoom by on skateboards, training wheels, strollers, big wheels, bicycles, scooters, you name it, anything at all, and as long as he's back from them, (we aim for six feet or so), he doesn't care. Just watches them pass by. He even got to where he'd just lay down like he was bored. (We'd camp out at the city park and watch all this pass by.)

But Lord forbid, a little toddler might come up close to him. (within a few feet.) Bark, bark, fear reaction. I've had to tell a couple parents that my dog isn't friendly to small children. I HATED having to say that, but I couldn't be sure of his behavior and in those two instances, the parent was more than willing to just allow their young babies to approach an unknown dog.

This could be my most frustrating issue with him. I simply cannot trust this dog around the really little ones. He's afraid, and I don't know if he might fear-bite. I can't take that chance, so that also ruins all opportunity for exposure. A child old enough to talk to him, to offer a treat, etc is accepted by him. He does show some reluctance at first, but it only lasts a moment and his tail is beating someone up as it wags. Whenever we're out and about and a child wants to pet him, I make sure the parents are ok with it, I talk to the kid, tell them he's a little scared, really talk to them and have the child offer him a treat. It works. With kids I can explain this to, it works.

It's been suggested I go hang out around an elementary school and just let Bailey watch the kids run all over, but I work full time... so can't hardly get there in time. This is what I did with my oldest dog, because I was there to pick my son up, anyway. I'd go early and we'd stand outside as school let out. Poor girl was literally accosted by little kids coming out. She was cute, white, fluffy and all the kids wanted to pet her. I can't do this sort of thing anymore.

Sorry to ramble, but THIS issue is one I just can't find an answer to.

I was pissed off at the dog park last week, when I was leaving, a couple of women came in, their dogs dragging them, along with two very young kids... one maybe a year, the other maybe two years old. The rule is children must be 10 to be in the dog park. I panicked a bit, thinking OH GOD what if Bailey and I had been in the park when the dinky kids came in?

One of the little munchkins came running right up to Bailey and I. I'd seen them coming and had already veered off the main sidewalk, away from them and put Bailey in a sit, with the fence to his left and me to his right, blocking. Precaution measure. As munchkin #1 ran up to us, I told the child, "Do not pet my dog." Just simple language I wanted her to understand right away, to stop her approach. Bailey was a little tense, and I had to do the sit more than once, but he did a good job. When one of the women heard me, she told her child, "That's a mean dog." Maybe she was also simply using language her child would easily understand, but I wasn't happy. She was a fool to bring her young babies into a dog park, her own dog was ripping her shoulder off, (which was why she was very distracted and not minding her children.)

As I thought about it later, I think Bailey would've run from those kids like the plague and it would've been fine, but what were they thinking? The way some of those dogs play, those kids could so easily be knocked over?!

Sorry, sorry, sorry to go on... but if anyone has solid advice, I'm all ears.

I completely and totally hijacked this thread. VERY SORRY!