Do you trust your dog with kids?

[Paige]

Well, do you? And how do you define trust? Will you let them be in the same room, play together under supervision, leave them alone together, let the child walk the dog etc?

I don't let any kids be alone with my boys. They are good dogs but they are larger than Miley and can physically knock over a child. Which is the last thing I want if I'm not in the room. Do I think they would bite? Of course not. But get them riled up they like to wrestle (with each other, not kids) and I'd hate to see a little one get bonked over.

Miley I trust 100% with children. She is the perfect child dog. Dress her up and have a tea party with her. Take her for a walk. Snuggle the life out of her. She lives to be with children. I'll let kids pretty much do anything with her if I'm in the room. However leaving her alone with them kind of freaks me out because I have done that before and come back in the room with her looking scared, but because she is so submissive she won't even squirm to protect herself. She's a little too easy to stuff and zip into a bag and forget about (that's not what happened btw, just using it as an example).

So basically I don't like leaving my dogs alone with kids. Have I done it before? Yes. I've left them alone with my younger sister plenty. Anyone else's children? No. Maybe it's because the kids aren't mine but something about three dogs in a room with children alone isn't something that sits well with me. It's not even that I don't trust the dogs. I don't want a situation to arise so I prevent it.

How about you?

 

[Romy]

Yes, I trust Strider with kids. He loves children, loves babies, and is extremely gentle and restrained around them. He just adores them. He's insanely tolerant. I trust Strider with children more than I trust most adult human beings with children.

Now whether I trust kids around Strider is a whole other issue.

Whether I would leave them unattended together is completely dependent on the child. Never with Aurelia. I don't like leaving her unattended AT ALL, much less with Strider. He's likely to lose an eye. For the kids that I take care of, I would trust the 10 and 9 year old with him. They have excellent dog sense, he has excellent kid sense, and they know each other very well.

 

[AGonzalez]

That all depends. I trust my 5 yr old around the dogs for limited time "alone" (i.e. in another room) because I know my 5 yr old and I know he's not going to mess with the dogs.

My other children, no way would I ever consider it, not until they are much older. In that case, I trust my dogs, but I don't trust my 2 yr old not to do something that is past their tolerance point...and as for the baby, well baby's and dogs just don't mix alone. All it takes is a dirty diaper and you can have a real big problem on your hands.

 

[chanda]

I do... Even though i dont have kids yet... Whenever my niece is around i can leave my dog with her. Specially when i know that my dog will surely 100% will be following me wherever i go.

 

[GlassOnion]

I would trust both my dogs around kids. Now, I wouldn't leave them alone with said kids. Leo is big (and has his moments when cats are concerned) and Sheeba has a history with strangers she perceives as a threat.

So, on the whole I trust them but in the end they're dogs. Something may just set them off and my being there may help prevent any such instance, rare a chance as it may be.

 

[mrose_s]

Buster, not entirely. When he was younger we occasionally had toddlers over and he took no notice of them.

But its been years since he's had any close contact with kids.

I think if I had kids, I wouldn't trust him when they were just babies, but I think as they grew up and he realised they wern't only little people, but HIS little people, he would be the absolute ideal kids dog.

 

[GlassOnion]

I would trust both my dogs around kids. Now, I wouldn't leave them alone with said kids. Leo is big (and has his moments when cats are concerned) and Sheeba has a history with strangers she perceives as a threat.

So, on the whole I trust them but in the end they're dogs. Something may just set them off and my being there may help prevent any such instance, rare a chance as it may be.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

A dog is an animal who will react like an animal under certain circumstances.

Trusting any dog with a child under age 8-10 alone, IMO,, is asking for trouble.

I trust my dogs to be friendly and well behaved under my direct supervision, and that is the ONLY time they are with any people, children or not, who do not live in my home.

No exceptions.

 

[puppydog]

Nope. My dogs will move away from kids where they can. They are small, children are not always the brightest when it comes to dogs and I would prefer to prevent my dogs from getting hurt.

 

[corgipower]

I don't trust any of them enough to leave them unsupervised with a young kid.

I do trust Morgan and Tyr under my supervision. I trust Ares with an older kid and only if he isn't going to flinch when Ares tries to sniff, because if ya flinch from Ares, he'll get nippy ~ to him that's a fun game. I don't trust Nyx, but when I finally had a chance to get her up close to some kids she was fine (she was on leash, me holding her). But any running or squealing or moving will make her react. I don't even fully trust her around adults.

Now...there's always an exception...when I lived with a family in NY, there were seven kids there, ages 3 - 16. I had Morgan, Ares, Leo, Piper and Athena at the time. The 3 year old wasn't allowed to walk them. The 5 year old could walk Morgan under my supervison. The 8 year old could walk Morgan and Athena under my supervision. The 10 year old could walk Morgan and Athena after some instruction he was allowed to walk Piper. The 12 and 14 year olds could walk anyone except Leo. The 16 year old could walk anyone. I worked from 3 - 10 PM, so it was helpful to be able to have them potty walk them at night so that I didn't have to wake everyone up at 11 when I got home. But these kids were very dog savvy and before they were allowed to walk my dogs, they received instruction. The only ones who walked the dogs while I was at work were the 12, 14 and 16 year olds and the 16 year old needed to be with her sisters. The 12 and 16 year olds had done juniors, so I knew they were able to follow instructions.

My biggest worry with them was that the dogs might pull. I always told them that if they had a problem they should just let the dog go. That I would rather lose the dog than have one of the kids get hurt.

 

[Giny]

Well, do you? And how do you define trust? Will you let them be in the same room, play together under supervision, leave them alone together, let the child walk the dog etc?

I trust that they are good with kids as long as I'm there supervising and it's not the kids I worry about getting hurt it's my dogs. And no, kids aren't allowed to walk the dogs, not unless I'm with them and only one dog, Boomer, will I let a child walk and as long as we're not near a busy street. Kassie and Tilly gets to nervous if I'm not the one walking them. But all in all, the dogs get along very well with kids, Boomer loves them.

I don't trust little kids around my dogs, and all who walk in get my rule of what they can and cannot do. Parents get the rule too. They cannot pick them up, they can pet them as long as the dog is initiating it. They cannot touch the dog if they're in their beds, this is their comfort/human free zone. Same for food and water.

I sure that family and friends think I'm obsessed over my dogs, and I don't give a hoot.

 

[vanillasugar]

Under my direct supervision with me holding her collar so she doesn't jump up and knock them over? Yes.

Otherwise, no not now. Hopefully by the time Matt and I have children she will have settled some, because she is overall VERY gentle with children other than wanting to be up to kiss their face (same as adults).

Now, I have left Sierra alone with children, but it was not my choice and I was worried the whole time. It was my boss' kids, her decision to put them in with Sierra to "keep them busy" and when I expressed my concern (I'd only had Sierra a few weeks at that point, I'd never seen her with kids) she said confidently that they would be okay. I ran to the door of the room every few minutes to check on them - just incase. I would have intervened, or been more insistant, but we were at work and I have to respect my boss, and didn't know how to deal with the situation.

 

[HoundedByHounds]

I've already made posts about Cleo....so people know. yes I trust her in a way I have never trusted another dog, ever. She is those children's playmate and nanny, she cares for them every bit as much as I do and she would die to protect them from harm. She would probably even try to stop ME if I went crazy and tried to hurt them...

The Beagles...all of them are trustworthy with supervision...tho Susie would just as soon be left alone, but if the kids are eating of course they are the BEST THING EVAH! They do jump up...but mine are big enough to know what to do "OFF" "Ack"...and they (the hounds) heed that.

Buckwheat is separated from the kids and not allowed any unsupervised contact because she has snapped at them prior for what I feel are minor issues.

OTHER people's kids do not have unsupervised access to my dogs...but all aside from Buck would be trustworthy enough to take a petting interaction, from just about any child so long as they weren't beating them about the head. Cleo would allow the beating tho...LOL.

 

[corgipower]

Cleo would allow the beating tho...LOL.

Cleo just might enjoy it!

 

[eddieq]

I trust Xena completely, with kids that I know. What I don't trust is strange kids that I've just met. Xena will take a lot of crap from my kids and their friends and be playful about it. I've never seen her even nip at them. She's only about 40 pounds, but she can barrel over just about anyone.

Now strange kids that may or may not know how to act around dogs? I wouldn't leave them alone, for their safety as well as Xena's. If the kid thought it was funny to pick up Xena or pull on her tail, I'd hate to see Xena get hurt and then lash out.

 

[FoxyWench]

i trust my dogs...

i dont trust kids...
i knwo my dogs would not snap without reason and provocation, i dont trust many kids to know what that breaking point would be.

 

[HoundedByHounds]

yes corgipower, lol...Cleo has no concept of "bad touch good touch" LOL...she'll take ANYTHING. Just gimme some touchin..:rofl1:

 

[JudithMary]

No cause mine is not around children enough to get really good with them. He met kids at the puppy class but that is about it. THat being said I don't think any dog should be left unsupervised around small kids. If something happens the dog will be blamed and that will be bad for the dog.

My shih tzu was great with kids to meet in the elevator and such but as she got older and not healthy she got crabby.

 

[NicoleLJ]

With Sheena yes I trust her around my kids totally. Even most other kids as well. Ajax I would trust with Isabeau and Dedrick but he get so excited with Ronan that he still has to be leashed and completely supervised when with him. And he has a tendancy not to realize he is so big either so when he swings that big butt of his around in a turn some can be knocked down. SO we have to be on alert. Hence the group training and class training. He is not only learning commands he is learning to be aware of himself.

 

[Tankstar]

I do. Not alone as he was never raised with kids. I dont think he would harm them, but you never know. he lets kids at parks come running up and pet him and love all over him. Once I was walking blaze past a play ground. and a little boy no more then 3 came running over, in stealth mode, I didnt see him or hear him coming at all. next thing I know he is latched on to my dogs neck hugging the crap out of him. caught us both off guard. I peeled the kid off of Blaze. Blaze didnt even move, he was a statue, lcuky for me the kid and Blaze he didnt snap in a reaction to just being latched on to, he actually enjoyed it. sat down and let the kid love on him. the stupid mom just let her kid do this her words "he is a collie, they are not agressive so I figured it was safe to just let him run up" (she said this after I finally seen her walk up to us) what a moron she is.
So yes I trust blaze. I dont trust children unsupervised around him.

my grandmas friend brings over her 3 very hyper young children (I think 4, 6 and 9) over alot. and they are very loud and playful. blaze puts up with it for so long, before running to the basment to hide lol