We have some friends who won't come over our house because we have dogs. They have twin 4 year olds. Apparently they don't feel comfortable with their kids around dogs. I think it's just stupid.
Do you allow your kids to be around dogs?
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That sucks!
I don't care about that but I am allergic so that is why I don't go to people's houses if their dogs shed a lot.
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We have a dog so yes!
But honestly, I can understand why some parents would not want their kids around other people's dogs. Especially if they don't have a dog in their family.
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LO hasn't been around dogs since we don't know anyone with dogs.. but! I have a pooch at home and she's been around him. As long as the dogs don't bite and are friendly, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
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Mine will be allowed around dogs - DH and I are both doglovers and MIL has a Welsh Pembroke Corgi. We'll definitely watch him closely around dogs, but he'll be allowed for sure.
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Our LO will be around lots of dogs, my family is a huge dog family, everyone has fairly large dogs. We have a Newfoundland dog, so he/she will be around him every day, and when we go visit family or they come here (about twice a month) they will be around a lab (who will be around 7 months when LO is born), and a wire-haired pointer. We will, of course, closely supervise all baby/dog interactions though.
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I think not introducing your child to familiar pets early on puts them at such a disadvantage. There is nothing more polarizing and sad to me than a child crying and screaming and terrified of a friendly dog. Not only does it set them back emotionally but I think socially it can make them stand out to other friends that can interact with dogs and not in a good way.
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@ecogirl: I totally agree with you! I feel so sad when we are out with our dog and LO's are scared of him. He looks like a big teddy bear, and is SO friendly, and it makes him sad when babies/kids scream or cry at him (he gives me the sad eyes).
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yup! charlie loves dogs since he sees them every day on the streets of ny!
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We have a dog, so yes. But I am careful when she's around other dogs, especially dogs that we've never met before. Some people just let their LO's go in our dog's face, and I think that's scary. Our pup wouldn't hurt a fly, but they don't know that!
Also, I wouldn't be offended if people didn't want their LO around my dog. Like I said, he wouldn't hurt a fly, but the only time he jumps is when someone is holding a kid or baby. He loves them and wants to get near them, and that can be a little scary when you're holding a baby because you don't want him to knock you over!
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We allow RJ around all dogs as long as we're closely supervising. He actually walks right up to big, scary dogs that are growly/snarly in the park and says "hi doggie!" That actually kinda scares ME.
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our building is pet-friendly so we see dogs all the time... our neighbors have two dogs we see a lot, as well as dogs in our elevator and lobby and in the streets. there's also a doggie daycare next door and LO always asks to watch the doggies in the window.
i always encourage her to like dogs and to not be afraid, but she is a bit timid sometimes. we're working on it. some of this stuff is not "all nurture"... some of it is just by nature too i think.
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We had a dog when I was little, I ended up being terrified of dogs well into my adult life. It had a lot to do with dog owners (in my life, not all of you out there) that had the attitude that I had to deal with it and they would just let their dog jump on me, lick me, etc. Sorry, but that's an invasion of my personal space and while you may love your dog, I don't.
I got over it because I had a friend who understood my issues and introduced me to their very well behaved dog. This dog sits and lays down when he sees other dogs that he wants to be introduced to, he's just amazing. I felt comfortable enough caring for him on the weekends when they were out of town. It is too bad they don't live nearby any longer, because this would be the perfect dog to have around children. My son, on the other hand, doesn't understand not to poke, pull, hug, etc. so I can totally understand why some parents wouldn't feel comfortable having their kids around dogs. What happens if the kid pokes the dog in the eye, and the dog bites?
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We have 2 dogs and a Cat. Lo.has had no issue so far. We just watch for hair. Lol.
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Whenever we have kids they will be around dogs because we have two and almost everyone in our families have dogs.
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Yes, we have two large dogs and most everyone we know has a dog. All have been really good with her so far.
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looch I think your experience as a child and having to go into adulthood with a fear of such a common household pet would make you want to ensure that your kids were introduced to puppies and friendly dogs from a very early date.
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Well, we have a dog, so yes, she will be allowed around the dog. We have friends who have brought their kids over to our house as well. We try and leash our dog for the first interaction with the child and make sure the parents have enforced as much as they can that they should be gentle with the animal.
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@ecogirl: Not really, I'm not convinced every person in the world needs to be a dog person. While I don't want him to be fearful, I am not planning on going out of my way to introduce him to a dog. No one in our immediate families or friends has pets.
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I only ask because I guess I worry that if Liam or Gray do not spend any time around common pets that they may encounter in life that they will build fear upon ignorance. I mean ignorance as the definition, certainly ot an insult.
I have a friend that is visibly shaken by even a friendly puppy and I watch her child suffer from a crippling fear. My son no longer wants this child to come over for playdates because of the crying and shreiking he does around dogs. He seems to feed off of the body language of his mommy even though she never voices her fear. It is very sad 
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My dad had a friend come over one time and they brought their 2 little boys (4 years). They were terrified of dogs. They had never really been around them and immediately started screaming. Which then set off the dogs and they started barking because these kids were screaming bloody murder. It was a brutal situation.
Well I guess my point is you should try to give your little one as many experiences as possible. My kids will definitely be around dogs and cats and I would love to take them out to my friends farm so they can see cows and horses.
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@ecogirl:
I honestly think it depends on the child.My nieces and nephews are not around dogs regularly. My niece was SUPER afraid of dogs when she was younger. To the point where if there was a dog on the street she will walk to the other side or start crying. As she's gotten older she has done better. My nephews were a lot less scared of dogs than she was but still apprehensive because they are not around them regularly.
Now that they have all visited us more frequently, with each visit they have become more comfortable with our dog. This last time they would all just sit with our dog for hours just watching a movie. They would want to take her with us to the park when we go. And all 3 of them always ask about her when we talk on the phone!So I think it depends on the child and with time if exposed to the right dog they can become dog lovers as well. It's amazing to see the change in my nieces and nephews.
PS. I almost forgot. I'm actually the perfect example! I always wanted a puppy growing up but my parents never let me. So although I did not have a crippling fear of dogs I was def apprehensive of them. I would be afraid to touch them. But when I started dating my husband I became exposed to dogs because his parents had a sheltie puppy. He was neurotic but just the sweetest thing ever. I would always remember him as my "first pup" After that I desperately wanted to adopt a puppy! But because of school, time, finances we waited. When we finally did adopt our dog my life has never been the same! I am a through and through dog lover now. Our dog is NOT a pet to me but a valued member of our family. And my husband feels the same way.
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We don't have any friends with dogs but LO will see them as lots of people have dogs in the city. We are cat people (though I would love to become a dog person, too, but my husband is against this.)
I will allow my kid (s) to be around dogs if any of my friends end up being dog owners--but will watch my kid like a hawk around them. Like @looch: although we had dogs when I was a kid and I was seriously afraid of dogs for much of my childhood into adulthood because of a couple of bad experiences. I'm not afraid of them anymore, but I'm still going to be careful, one of my bad experiences was with a family friend's dog who swore the dog would never hurt a fly. Wrong.
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@looch: Your son could poke my dog in the eye, and he would't mind a bit! If you condition the dog to normal kid behaviour, they take it pretty well! We had a dog growing up that we could do anything to, and he would just take it all, and thats how I raised my dog (I of course intervene if kids are too rough with him, but my dog counts on me to protect him, and doesn't protect himself)
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On the flip side I have a young (1 1/2) year old dog and no kids. Unfortunately, we don't have many friends or family members that have young kids. Our dog is very apprehensive and barky around kids (he's very sweet and gentle with us) but i think he just doesn't understand what kids are due to very little exposure. I would be nervous for someone to bring their kid right up to our dog, not knowing how he would react.
Thankfully the few times we have had him around small children after the first half hour or so he acclimated and just really wants to lick them. (a whole other behavior issue) but i'll take that over snapping or barking in their faces.
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We have a dog, so our kids will be around animals at home.
However, our dog is extremely high energy, and doesn't have much experience around kids, so I can see why a parent might not want to bring a small child around our dog....
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I have two dogs and four kids( oldest is 3 years old) The kids are allowed to play with our beagle under constant supervision. Our corgi is a bit bothered by the kids and a little nippy. She has never bit anyone but she makes me nervous. When other people come around like for play dates I put them both outside. I feel like that is the responsible thing for me to do. It protects both my dogs and my friends. That way people can make their own choice to meet my dogs. If kids want to see them I bring the beagle back in for a little bit and let them play together.
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I'm not really a dog or cat person myself. I've never really had a pet but my parents did expose us to many different experiences and wanted us to be comfortable around animals. I'm more of a fur wearer than a fur petter I guess haha
When my nanny told me she wanted a small dog I jumped at the chance so that Liam would be exposed. Well wouldn't you know he and that dog are now best friends? They are together all the time. When the time comes that my nanny moves on I'll have to buy him a dog! I just know it! As it is Liam cried when I answered his question about where fur comes from so the local donation bin may just get some nice pieces if it continues to upset him haha!
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This is why I always make kids go ask their parents before they pet my dog when we're walking. That and I don't want to be accused of trying to lure a child with my dog.
I have a friend that is visibly shaken by even a friendly puppy and I watch her child suffer from a crippling fear. My son no longer wants this child to come over for playdates because of the crying and shreiking he does around dogs. He seems to feed off of the body language of his mommy even though she never voices her fear. It is very sad 
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