# Why is he so scared of kids?



## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I was once told that children under twelve do not have controlled body language. This can give mixed vibes to a dog.


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## Luvinmygoldens (Jul 16, 2007)

Hmmmm....that's a tough one. Has Charlie not been around kids much? I would think if he's not really familiar with children they might make him a little nervous. If he has been around alot of kids, it's hard to say. I have the exact opposite problem. My goldens love kids *alot* and I have to really watch that they don't knock the little ones down with slobbery face kisses or big wagging butts. I can understand your concern though. I'm sure someone else on here can offer you better advice. And Charlie sure is a beautiful boy!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

How old is Charlie?
His developmental stage can certainly effect how he reacts to people..children, geratric, people that have an uneven gait...wear hats etc.etc.etc...


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I had a dog once that went from bounding joyfully for kids (when he was a puppy), to doing just what your dog is doing (about a year).

I made it worse by reinforcing it with "its ok...." I really think that I should have been more of a leader...maybe being more firm.

My dog did not have bad temperament... He was around my 9 and 10 year old and loved them to death...never snapped or showed bad manners. He was simply unsure of STRANGE kids.


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## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

jake was the same way when he was young. how old is charlie? dont let anyone make you feel bad about him being afraid of kids..all dogs are different, golden or not. i dont believe its a bad temperament, i think that maybe he is afraid, and needs to be around kids more.

this is what i did with jake:

we walked around parks and i would walk him toward kids with a brisk walk, so he knew to follow me. as soon as he would strat to get anxious or scared, i would turn around and walk the other way...eventually we could walk right past any kid and jake would only pull me toward them to sniff them. if charlie is genuinely afraid, let him know that it is ok. dont let him stop and look at the kid, walk toward it, or away from it. jake would growl and hide behind me 100% of the time if i stopped moving when he got anxious, but never would if i turned around. it really makes it worse if you stop, and try to calm him while hes looking at the kid. be firm and lead him in the opposite direction then try walking toward the kid again.


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## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

Lucky's mom said:


> My dog did not have bad temperament... He was around my 9 and 10 year old and loved them to death...never snapped or showed bad manners. He was simply unsure of STRANGE kids.


thank you. it does NOT always mean the dog has a bad temperament. just not proper socialization, or is unsure of himself


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

___________________________________________

Thank you......sheesh, I just said about the bad temperment cause I was sure someone was going to tell me that. LOL

He has never been around kids much. Mine are 15 & 17. Charlie is 15 mths. now but he was always like this with kids on walks. I am sure he would be OK if a kid was in our house. He just is really nervous out on walks with people. Yesterday a kid came walking up to us pretty fast and asked if he could pet him and Charlie started growling. But if an adult would do the same he'd be fine.


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## foreveramber (Feb 25, 2007)

Charlie06 said:


> ___________________________________________
> 
> Thank you......sheesh, I just said about the bad temperment cause I was sure someone was going to tell me that. LOL
> .


 
i wasnt trying to be rude...i hope you didnt take that the wrong way...someone told me that my jake has a bad temperament because he doesnt like when people get in my car.....:uhoh::uhoh::uhoh::uhoh:

read the "is your golden protective" thread and you will see why i said what i did =)


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

foreveramber said:


> i wasnt trying to be rude...i hope you didnt take that the wrong way...someone told me that my jake has a bad temperament because he doesnt like when people get in my car.....:uhoh::uhoh::uhoh::uhoh:
> 
> read the "is your golden protective" thread and you will see why i said what i did =)


No, I didn't take it the wrond way, I know you weren't trying to be rude ......  I was just kinda scared at the responses I would get. Charlie is just really scared of kids, and the way some kids act, frankly I am kinda scared too....LOL


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## bwoz (Jul 12, 2007)

I'm sure poor Charlie isn't quite sure what to think, some kids can be scary to us humans too:uhoh:. So maybe just the fact that he isn't used to the way kids are kind of freaks him out a bit. Maybe he's picking up on the fact that you said you were a little nervous too. I don't think it means a dogs' temperment is automatically bad if he shows some signs of nervousness, etc. I know they are perfect because they are Goldens, but hey, they're still dogs right? And they show emotion too. Maybe there's a dog class in your area that has older, calmer kids in it to help wean Charlie into the idea? Our class had junior high kids as helpers. They threw treats from far enough away that the dogs were comfortable with their presence and slowly week after week got closer and closer. The dogs associated kids with good situations. Hey good luck, I'm sure you guys will do fine!


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## lovealways_jami (Apr 17, 2007)

Diesel gets unsure of smaller kids who are hyper lol... I think because we have got on him for jumping on smaller kids and now he doesnt want around them at all...I think he thinks hes going to get in trouble


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

If you really think about it, I think there's a number of reasons why dogs who are not accustomed to children may find them kind of scary: depending on their size, they're probably about eye level with the dog, they move erratically, and they have high pitched voices (which often causes excitement, but I think a dog that isn't used to it would be justified in being nervous about it). As others have said, I don't think this is necessarily a fault in his temperment but rather a lack of socialization and experience with this specific stimulus. bwoz makes a good point about trying to find a way to give Charlie a postitive association with children. There's probably some trainers on here who could give a better description than I can, but I do know there's one training technique where as soon as a child starts to approach (before the dog has a chance to get nervous) you begin feeding him something really tasty (like chicken, not just your everyday treat). As soon as the child goes out of sight the treats stop. In this way, the dog comes to associate seeing a child with getting something special and he should eventually begin to show signs of anticipating the child coming into sight and being happy to see the child. As he gets more comfortable, the child can begin tossing one of the treats to the dog so the dog also realizes that good things can come from the child himself. Over time I would assume you work on allowing the child to come a little closer, speak to the dog, and eventually pet the dog (as the dog is ready of course, I don't think all this would be done in one day). I'm sure if you did some searching around online you could find more information on this or other training ideas to help you and Charlie through it. If I come across more info on it I'll be sure to post it here for you. 

Julie and Jersey


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## Solas Goldens (Nov 10, 2007)

LOL........ I have 4 kids, 4 step- kids and 3 Grand children, and I'm definitely scared sometimes........ When I got Jake it was almost winter, I had been very sick and as a puppy we didn't get out much until the spring. When we first went out he was a total freak. Running in all directions and afraid of everything. He was also nuts when people came over to my house or when workmen came in, then he was the worst.
I've spent a lot of time socializing him, and exposing him to as many situations as possible.The more he goes out and I work with him the less things bother him.The more people that come to visit the less crazy he is when they come over.Thanks giving I had 25 people all ages, and Jake was great. After the initial greeting, he went to sleep in the corner.

I wouldn't take your dog into a group of children, but maybe you know someone that has a child that you can introduce him to.Then work your way up. Most of all try not to get stressed yourself, When you are both around children,or unfamiliar situations, they pick up on our stress.


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