German Shepherd and children.

littlebug

I've read through earlier posts on Germans shepherds/ muzzles etc etc and in light of the other post here on a kids being attacked I thought I'd ask for some advise.

I live in a rural estate. The man who lives across from us has a (beautiful) German Shepherd. He's less than a year old..maybe 9-10 months and still quite giddy and jumpy. He seems to be a very obedient dog and I've never seen any aggression in him. He lives in the back garden which has a high fence. His owner takes him out regularly for walks and when they arrive back if my kids are out the front of the house the dog makes a beeline for them. not in an agressive way, just out of curiosity and wanting to play. My daughter who is 5 is scared of dogs and she usually spots him coming and heads in to the house so he doesn't usally get anywhere near her. My 2 1/2 year old isn't so scared so stays put. However the GS just comes over to him and starts licking his face, which he hates so his natural instinct is to swipe him away. By this point the owner has usually caught up with him and calls him away and he obeys straight away.
Though this seems like a lovely dog I am concerned that one of my kids will make a move that the dog will misinterpret as being agressive and he "could" attack. A bite to my son's face could happen just as quickly as a lick. I'll admit I'm probably overly cautious because my mother was once bitten by a GS but I've never seen this dog on a lead let alone a muzzle and I'm a bit in a bit of a tizzy about it to be honest. The owner is a lovely man and I don't want to offend him by rounding up my kids into the house every time we see them coming. Nor do I want to put an unnecessary fear of dogs into my children. The result is that I just stand there like an eejit watching the dog lick my childs face while visions of his face being mutilated race through my mind.

So questions... is there any liklihood that an otherwise placid but playful German Shepherd could attack if a small child swiped at him in the wrong way.

Should I say something to the owner... i.e ask him to keep him on the lead at least when he's walking through the estate?

GS owners.. what do you think?

michelleans

I have a 12 month old GSD who is FASCINATED by children. He completes ignores all adults even other dogs when walking but children!! He is crazy about them. While talking with some people I have turned to find my GSD licking a kids face too. The mother was slightly worried but the kid was laughing and enjoying it. Then again he loves baby rabbits, puppies, my budgie etc... I do not know that dog but he sounds well behaved from what you have written there.

I will say this - There is always a chance a dog can snap at a child no matter what breed he is but with a well behaved socialised dog the odds are tiny. Again I do not know this dog. Why not talk to his owner? Ask about the fact the dog is not on a lead? See how well behaved the dog is - go over and pet the dog yourself - maybe bring the kids to meet him under your supervision and see how he interacts with them and importantly, how they react around him. Being an adult you know to keep your manner calm around any unknown dogs but children do not. Teach your children how to react and interact with dogs too.

I know from my own experierence my dog is on lead when we go out for walks and I do not allow him to walk up to anyone unless they would like to meet him. That is basic consideration for others - no matter how well behaved the dog may be.

Vas_Guy

GSDs make a great family dog, the next time he's around bring your children out and you stay with them and talk to the owner and also try to explain to your children to remain calm and no to move suddenly or scream as it may frighten the dog.

When having children around dogs its not just about training the dog to behave its also about training the children to behave when in the dog's company.

littlebug

Thanks Michelleans and Vas Guy. Reassuring to know that Germans Shepherds generally like children although I could tell by the way this one watches mine that he's just bursting to join in! I agree that it's the children that need training as much as the dog but 2 year olds tend to work on instinct and when my little boy doesn't like his face being licked his instinct is to push it away and shout "stop!". I just worry that he will just touch the dog in the wrong place or annoy him when he does that. He really does love dogs though so I will continue to work on this. My daughter need a bit more work.. her instinct is to run screaming. Maybe I should ask the owner to come over with the dog on a lead someday so she might actually not run off, get her to "meet" the dog properly in a situation where she feels safe.
We do plan to get a dog sometime soon but I think we'll wait til my son has a little bit more sense! Another 6 months should make a big difference.

cold_filter

Would you think of getting a dog yourself?

littlebug

Er yes... that's what I said in the last line of my post!
I do think we'll wait til my son is a little bit older, old enough to understand and obey when he's told not to drag the dog around by the tail (which he was caught doing to my childminders dog!). In a few months I'll back on here asking "what dog to get for small children, estate, small garden etc"

doctor evil

Is the dog off the lead?.

littlebug

doctor evil wrote:

Is the dog off the lead?.

Yes. I don't think I've ever seen him on the lead. The owner does carry it in his hand so maybe he puts it on when he gets out on to the main road. I don't know...

peasant

Dogs ...no matter what breed, size or shape ...and little children should never be together unsupervised.

Neither of them are 100% predictable or reliable.

Ask your neighbour to keep his dog on he lead when approching your children, it's in the kids and the dogs best interest.

carpenoctem

Ok, one thing, I see no harm in you asking the owner nicely if it's possible for him to have the dog on a lead approaching your house. Just let him know that your daughter is scared of dogs and there is a possibility of a situation arising that could be negative and/or frightening to both her and the dog, since the dog will never understand what she's scared off if she screams when she sees him. While I as a dog owner would find it offensive if someone suggested that mu dog is a threat to their children, I would certianly appreciate if people let me know if someone was scared off dogs to avoid making anyone feel uneasy.

You could also ask him if he's interested in coming over and letting the dog socialise with your son and for him to teach the dog not to lick your sons face, a firm no should do it while he slowly and gently turns the dogs face away from your son. It might require a few visits but I am guessing since he doesn't use the leash that his dog is well trained so it's probably a good chance that the dog can learn not to lick. But that would depend

As for you getting a dog, I really think the best thing for you and your daughter is to let her socialise with other dogs before you get one. I say this because with many dogs it is important that she feels confident enough to be part of disciplining the dog - because dogs operate a family on a rank basis and if she doesn't have the confidence to make sure the dog knows she's a higher rank there is a risk with some dogs that they might "bully" her when you're not around which certainly will do nothing for her fear of dogs. It's not a big risk, but I'm sure it's one you don't really want to take.

Anyway, if you know anyone who has a dog (I am assuming you do since you mentioned the childminder having one), let the dog lie down and your daughter come to it at her own pace (its ok if it takes many, many times to see dogs until she finally touches it). Also, make sure your son is always accompanied when he's with dogs or other animals so taht you can always catch the unacceptable behaviour such as tail pulling so he remembers that it's bad.