Cockers And Children - Help Please

[gc]

I recall in a very foggy memory from my grand-grand father, instructing me not to touch the dog when he was eating. I was something like 4 or 5. I have pictures of me next to this dog. His name was Black and he was a hunting dog. I remember some of his instructions like, 'don't torture, hit, or tease the dog and let him sleep when he wants to. Otherwise he'll probably <bite> you'. I still do follow his advices, not because my dog will bite, but as a matter of respect.

Ofcourse in a form of lessons, I did take her food away, just to teach her not to be aggresive...

Children should learn how to respect all forms of life, and that eventually, animals existed on this planet millions of years before the so called 'civilised humans' arrived, and that eventually nature can teach many things to us if we treat it right.    

[lizzy]

I have a friend who's scared of dogs espescially Staffie's and similar looking dogs and she has passed this fear on to her daughter, I have tried talking to her about passing on this fear but she doesn't listen.

Last year we were on a walk when a lady with a staffie, ( being very well behaved and walking nicely on a lead ) walked towards us, my friend started to panic and screamed at the woman to get the dog away, my friends daughter at this stage was screaming and trying to get in her mother's arms, which was quite difficult as she had her son in a back pack!

The lady just looked at us as if we were mad and I did feel rather silly, I tried to explain to my friend that she was passing her fear's on to the child, but she could not rationalise what I was saying.

I think it is very important to teach children to love and respect animals and I have tried with my children to teach them that if they see an animal they must ask me and the owner if they can stroke it and never to go straight up to it.

It does upset me as an owner of 2 very friendly dogs when people move their children away from them as if they were a pair of ravishing wolves!

But everybody's different I suppose!  

[cbabe]

I think we can say that it is imprtant that all involved are 'well trained'. The adults (including dog owner) need to be reponsible without overreacting, the dogs need to be well behaved as do the children.

oh for a perfect world!