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if my dog has to be on a leash at the park....

1623 Views 19 Replies 18 Participants Last post by  Liesje
...why don't people have to leash their unruly kids?

This morning I was at the river running with my dog. On his leash, as park rules mandate. A group of three kids,probably aged 5-9, suddenly run off of a side trail and mob my dog when he's in a down/stay waiting for his release. I didn't see or hear them come up. they were running fast.

This kids ran right up to him without even talking to me and starting petting him and whatnot. They pet him and get all in his face, which fortunately, he loves. He has always loved little kids and simply rolled on the ground licking their faces and demanding belly rubs.

this only irrates me as the kids parent or guardian was like 100 yards and obviously had no control over the kids. If my dog was not fond of kids one of them could have been bitten or maimed before I could have done anything and it would have been deemed my fault.

While I am waiting for the parent/guardian to get to where we are I am trying to explain to the kids how this particular dog is nice and likes kids but that it is very dangerous to starlte a large unknown dog. Then I start telling them how they should always ask the dogs person to pet the dog and that they should never assume a dog is ok with children or friendly with stranger at all.

So when the parent/guardian finally arrives I ask the parent/guardian "why do you let your kids run up to strange dogs and get in their face? Don't you tell them to ask the dogs person?"

so this lady says "oh its ok...your dog looks like a border collie and their always on the TV with kids. I figured he was nice."

Even though she was clearly way down the trail and had no control over the kids.

I wanted to explain why this was dumb and how border collies (and mixes) aren't usually all that outgoing and can be very sound sensitive. I also wanted to demand she get leashes and harness for the children....but alas I just left while shaking my head and we finished our run and went home.

sorry for the rant.
-c
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yeah, I hate that too. When people ask if my dog bites I just repy " well it has teeth doesn't it" . and that usually means no to people.
That is just a huge pet peeve of mine and whenever it happens to us, I tell the child(ren) that they should alway, ALWAYS ask first. I don't understand parents who don't teach their children that. My two kids were taught to always ask first and thankfully, they've always done so.
unfortunately people are just ignorant
I DEFINITELY AGREE! I volunteer at an Animal Shelter where we go on regular off-site mobiloe events where we bring the dogs and cats out to find potential adopters...It sickens me, the amount of parents who let they're kids do WHATEVER they want...They constantly come running up to the shelter dogs and want to hug them, pet their faces etc. I cannot even imagine how many times I've told a child to stop and got them away from the dog until they could APPROPRIATELY interact. These dogs are from a SHELTER many of them if not all have had very rough lives and gone through the unthinkable. Their owners have recently dropped them off, they are so confused, yet excited to be out of a cage and you don't just let your kid tug all over them. I just cannot stand when Parents act the age level of the children at question.
My wife was walking sarge one day and a small boy rode by on a bike. Before she knew what happened he jumped off his bike, ran over and gave sarge a hug. Lucky for him sarge loves kids and licked his face and everything was fine. It could have gone in a completely different direction if the sarge perceived the boy as a threat.

I dont understand it anymore then anyone else.
My 10 year old has been taught from day one to always ask if she can pet another dog....I've been pretty lucky so far that kids have asked to pet Jackson and he loves the attention...but it would drive me up the wall if children just ran up to him and mobbed him like that.
And anybody with loving, snuggly, stable, sweet, social FRIENDLY GSDs.. but that do come from police or border patrol lines.. is cringing as we read this. A situation like this, even with a supposedly kid-loving, calmer "pet type" GSD can easily turn in a split second. Kids mob an unsuspecting dog. Dog REACTS. You're right-- we would get blamed!
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This always worries me, Brenna has never snapped or bared her teeth or anything like that but she is very fearful and I assume was never socialized with kids. She's terrified of them and gets really jumpy and flighty when they come near. Luckily I've always been asked first and I feel bad but I usually say no and explain she's scared of children. If they are a bit older I will say yes but gently and not on top of the head.
My two kids have been taught from the time they were toddling to NEVER approach a strange dog, never get in a dog's face, (even their own). My daughter has actually taken the job of informing people on the street that they should ask before they pet Shadow, and both kids let me know if a child is approaching from any direction that I may not notice.

Even besides these kids running up to a strange dog, I don't understand allowing them so far away. We have a rule when walking, the kids are NOT allowed more than 10 foot in front of me. If I can't get to them quickly, then I can't protect them. I did have my kids on harnesses until they learned the rules. Actually, about 1 year ago, my son decided to take off running ahead of me on one of our walks. He ended up attached to one of the dog's training leashes for a week until he figured it out. Alot of people said I was "abusing" my son. I replied that I would rather "abuse" him, than have him run ahead of me into a road and get hit by a car.
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I have had that comment too Diane, if and when I had to use a restraint on my kids. I will have my children within arms reach unless we are in an absolutely safe area for them to run. There aren't many.
I've taught my kids to respect other's dogs and our own. But why can't other parents do the same? I know my dogs, they don't.
Its always a few bad apples that ruin it for the rest of us...be it "bad" dogs or "bad" kids. (I use bad cause usually its not their fault but owners/parents)

My youngest son just turned 5 months old. Its already starting with him. I'll take his hand and will rub Buddy and say "easy, have to be easy with the puppy"

Did the same to my oldest two and now they look at other kids weird if they go running off or after a dog or something.
o-kay then. I would have looked at her like I was too befuddled for words.

Originally Posted By: midnight804
so this lady says "oh its ok...your dog looks like a border collie and their always on the TV with kids. I figured he was nice."

Even though she was clearly way down the trail and had no control over the kids.
-c
And the kids know she has no control. Duh. Hope she was the baby sitter and not their mother. My kids would have gotten a triple coconut over that.
Originally Posted By: Historian


That is GREAT...is this just a image you found or do they actually make this in a T-Shirt or something with that print?
5
I just LOVE that Border Collie remark
They have never met my "El Diablo:


Can you really expect common sense out of a person that thinks a BC is a GSD
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Quote:That is GREAT...is this just a image you found or do they actually make this in a T-Shirt or something with that print?
That is an image I made.

It's actually part of a set of four, but I seem to have misplaced two of them. The other one I still have is "My German Shepherd is Smarter than your Honor Student", same design and layout, but with the dog facing to the left instead of the right.

If you want it on a T-shirt, you're more than welcome to print it on iron-on transfers and make one.
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Unfortunately even with mcuh socialization, Havoc is turning out to not be very kid friendly. This is something I am goign to have to watch for and be careful of with him.

That would really irk me.
historian that image is excellent!! hahaa... I'd like to save the image and use it to print a shirt for when i get a gsd.

I'm glad ya'll understand why I got irritated at this. Midnight has always loved kids, he wants nothing more than belly rubs and face licks. However, it foolish and dangerous for people to just go running up and petting unkonwn dogs willnilly.

Midnight has always done awesome with kids, but he has a enormous prey drive. Through the roof...if it runs he chases and stops it (unless commnaded otherwise before the chase begins), then the BC part kicks in and he tries to drive them back to me. I am particular about how I like children to interact with him because h will try and herd them...he does it with my cousins.

I have never left him unattended with any kids but have noticed that if my cousins stray from the main group of people midnight goes and gives them the creep and the "eye" and then tries to body bump and block them until they are close to me or my aunt/uncle.

However he has succesfuly gripped and dragged a goat or two back to the bunch, but he's never tried to grip a cousin (or cousins friend) but he's forbidden to herd them and as soon as any creeping or staring is seen he is leashed. I am careful to watch him always when the cousins are around. He loves them to death, but I suspect he views them as goats to be herded.

I intentionally tell kids who are interested in petting him to move slow until hes sniffed them out and whatnot and not to run right up to him. I'm glad other people feel the same..I was trying to explain how this irked me to a no dog person I know through work and she didn't get it. She know my dog and just said "whats the big deal he likes people."

I think its bad that someone with a well controlled dog would be blamed if some uncontrolled kid ran up on it and got bit. Sadly our society is so litigous and blame oriented that is exactly what would happen even you had the rowdy kids on videotape and proof the dog had titles out the wazoo.

It just amazes and confuses me how many people assume every dog is like the golden retriever they had when they were a kid.

My aunties doberman breeder told me she knows if a family (if they have kids) will be accepted to receive one of her pups by watching how the families kids behave. I am sure she takes other things into account but she said, and I quote verbatim, "If someone cannot get their own children to behave well at a strangers house around many large dogs how the **** can I trust them to raise, train, care for and control one of my pups?"
-c
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Chris you should open a Cafe Press store with your GSD logos and such! I would buy that shirt...
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