Socialisation With Kids

[Prag]

Hello Dolers,

I was just wondering if anyone has some good ideas about where to go to socialise a puppy with children.

I have a 13 week old Doberman puppy and would like her to be around some more kids.

At this point direct contact is not a necessity but just to be in the general vicinity of them.

So any ideas would be appreciated I'm hoping someone has some suggestions that I have not thought of.

Also I do not get home from work until 4.30-5pm so School is out by this time...

Thanks

[Justrace]

what about taking her to the junior football on the weekends? There are not just kids around but loads of different noises

[raineth]

Have you tried a children's playground? Early-ish on a weekend morning they won't be packed full of kids, should just be one or two.

You can also probably do sports ovals on the weekend, just around the edges. You'll probably end up with one or two who want to say hello to pup, so just remember that kids respond well to firm, clear instructions as well :)

[persephone]

At first ?

Dog savvy friends/rellies :)

[Prag]

Thanks all,

The footy oval for junior footy is a great idea and will do that one. Is there junior footy on most ovals in the weekend?

Anyone aware of any that are close to Glenroy in Melbourne?

The playgrounds have been really hit and miss for me mainly miss to be honest especially with the weather being so cold of late.

I do not know many people with young children but those that I do she is meeting and interacting with but I think she needs more as the day we were out and there were a couple of kids being kids walking home from school and she got a little spooked she barked her little bark and growled once so I really want to get on top of this now. I said at first for this reason as I would rather go super slowly than push her too much and make her even more wary...

My brother from the UK is here at the moment with his kids so I have been getting them to give her food and will continue this for as long as they here.

Does anyone know of any school fairs that are happening soon in Melbourne?

[persephone]

Why do you prefer to go to noisy packed venues like fairs/footy matches ? If she has not encountered these situations before, there are many possible things which may startle her, and perhaps then be associated with the noise of kids , etc ... Just my 2c worth .

Oh, have you seen these ? :)

LINK

LINK

[Prag]

Why do you prefer to go to noisy packed venues like fairs/footy matches ? If she has not encountered these situations before, there are many possible things which may startle her, and perhaps then be associated with the noise of kids , etc ... Just my 2c worth .

Oh, have you seen these ? :)

LINK

LINK

Thanks I had a read through and I agree with some of the things stated in the first article and have read the developmental guidelines before.

She has been to a park last week that has a footy oval in it and junior footy going on and she was fine with this in fact was completely oblivious to the children and footy. We maintained a good distance so she did not get overwhelmed hence I think she is definitely capable of handling this situation provided she is not forced to get to close.

When I say oblivious I am quite sure she was aware they were there and could hear all the noise but was not phased by it so I think this is exactly what you want so you can offer rewards so the positive association starts to form. She has been completely fine every other time she has seen children it was just one time when it was only a couple of kids walking down a street and were a few meters away from her.

Yep I will re-think and definitely postpone the fair as I think this may indeed be too much for her. I have taken her a to a farmers market so may do something like that again.

[raineth]

Oh Prag, I wish you lived close to me as I have two kids who are so good with dogs (calm and not over-the-top) and who would be so happy to help you out :)

It can be really hard if you don't have access to many kids you actually know.

I can only think of just seeing if you can encounter as many as possible on walks.

Have you tried and heard of "Look at That". If she's already a tad unsure about kids, this could be a really good way to go about it. It also might mean that you can get her to focus on the kids in the busy environment, at the football, where she didn't notice them so much.

[Prag]

Oh Prag, I wish you lived close to me as I have two kids who are so good with dogs (calm and not over-the-top) and who would be so happy to help you out :)

It can be really hard if you don't have access to many kids you actually know.

I can only think of just seeing if you can encounter as many as possible on walks.

Have you tried and heard of "Look at That". If she's already a tad unsure about kids, this could be a really good way to go about it. It also might mean that you can get her to focus on the kids in the busy environment, at the football, where she didn't notice them so much.

hello,

No I cannot say that I have heard of "Look at That", would you please be so kind as to enlighten me?

Thank you kindly for offering your help with your kids if we lived closer I really appreciate it.

I have now managed to jack up one more meet and greet with someone from my work with a young child so that is a start :)

[Dogsfevr]

Unless your pup is experiencing young kids with good dog skills i wouldn't be in a rush to push it.

My dogs never see kids but are fine around them including being show dogs & attending Royal Shows & other venues with kids.

Building trust at this age with tablespoon humans is far better than pushing kids who aren't ready to be around such a bouncy baby & ruin it for life.

It also isn't just the kids but the whole packae of being ready to attend some venues full stop.

Your pup is just 13 weeks an age you can make or break & create issues .

I personally would take a step back in pushing things .

Experiencing & trusting the outside world goes further than meeting /seeing to many things .

I am very careful the children my dogs experience & the behavior i expect from both parties .

I look it as the pushy parent syndrome ,push to hard & you get the reverse response .

The way you handle the dog at these times also can make a massive impact & often where things go pear shaped

[Beckybecbec]

Interesting thread :)

We have many many small kids in our extended family all pretty much under the age of 4.

The ones we see the most are 2 and 4 and have pet staffy crosses at home but act in terror when our 15wk and 5mth pups approach them. Its REALLY frustrating when trying to socialise our pups and now we just avoid having them all together Less hassles and tears.

I like the idea of sitting by a playground. I have mid-week days off so this will be more ideal.

Failing that I might need to advertise amongst my Facebook friends to go to for play dates. Heh.

[Salukifan]

Unless your pup is experiencing young kids with good dog skills i wouldn't be in a rush to push it.

Amen to that. Unless the child is dog savvy and will take instruction on how to interact with the pup, I'd be giving it a miss.

No socialisation with kids is better than a bad experience with such a young pup.

[Zereuloh]

If you wanted to do a road trip to Ballarat and have a puppy play day I have three kids (under 5) one is a baby so wouldn't be interacting and the other two are five and three and are good at taking direction in how to act around dogs. I also have a pembroke corgi puppy who loves the company of other dogs. We also have a couple of good playgrounds nearly always packed with kids.

Edited August 17, 2013 by Zereuloh

[Clyde]

Have you tried a children's playground? Early-ish on a weekend morning they won't be packed full of kids, should just be one or two.

Most playgrounds these days have laws preventing dogs within a certain distance.

I'd stick with kids that you know are dog savvy. Something I have found with my dogs is that they get confused with the kids who want to pat but them, but are not quite brave enough. If they hesitate the dogs pick up on it. I mean kids that reach out to pat, pull hand back, reach out again etc - I am sure their little hearts are pounding too. Even the Pug gets a bit WTF suspicious. Best to have just calm, confident kids around your pup.

I could post pak mine but might not send her with a return label :D

[WreckitWhippet]

NSW is 10 metres from a play ground

[BrigadoonRose]

Weekend kids' sport or even mid week training is good. The crowds for a lot of the junior games (we attend) tend to stick to one part of the ground so you can keep your distance but still experience all the busyness. You still need to keep your eye out for the occasional feral child but they don't appear that often.