he is a boisterous
3 year old
male
westhighland terrier
he doesn't mind like teenagers and stuff but todlers wether they have toys or not he is very frightened of them
why is this? have you experienced it?
2006-12-23 03:03:32 · 13 answers · asked by Charlotte.♥ 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
even if we are on a walk and the children are say 5 meters away not moving and perfectlylt silent he will get very agitated and scared
2006-12-23 03:45:21 · update #1
I used to have 2 dogs they were lab X - brother and sister - hubby got them free out of the paper when they were puppys - they were never beaten or teased by us or any kids - when ever you raised your hand above your head in their presence they would run away scared - then one day a friend brought his 2 year old child over and he raised his hands above his head and instead of running away the 2 dogs went to attack him (they didnt get to thank goodness) however we had the dogs put down the next day because I was pregnant at the time and couldnt risk this happening to ours or any other children. Like I said we had them from pups so we know there was no history of abuse - some dogs are just born with this behaviour in them.
Its possible your dog has been teased by children or maybe something simple like a child once pulled its tail or ears or what ever but the dog now associates all young children with that event.
Its possible also that your dog does not understand children or is unable to read them (by that I mean to be able to work out what mood the child is in or what the child may do to it)
2006-12-23 03:13:02 · answer #1 · answered by ♥Kazz♥ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He is frightened of them because toddlers are unpredictable and prone to making loud noises and sudden movements.
Toddlers sometimes even make loud noises while making sudden movements. LOL. In other words, they do not follow the unwritten rules of behavior that older kids and adults follow.
Dogs do best with young children when they have been frequently exposed to young kids as puppies.
You can work with a trainer to help your dog get over this fear, but even if you do you should never leave him alone with young kids. I say this for the dog's protection, as toddlers can hurt dogs without meaning to and the only way a dog can tell a kid to "back off" is socially unacceptable for humans.
Best wishes.
2006-12-23 11:13:42 · answer #2 · answered by bookmom 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you adopted him, he could have had a bad experiece with little kids, maybe they pulled his ears or tail, etc. Westies are usually good with children. Don't try to push kids on him, that could make it worse. I don't have/had any dogs that are afraid of kids, but I have had some that were afraid of men, so it isn't uncommon.
2006-12-23 11:53:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe when he was a small puppy he had a bad experience with small sized people (toddlers)... or maybe its just one of your dogs quirks. Every dog has them and is afraid of something. My friends dog was a huge german shepard mix and he was deathly afriad of a little dog like a chihauah.
2006-12-23 11:14:40 · answer #4 · answered by babygirlxo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well some dogs get afraid of little children because the children hurt them and dont mean to but the dog dosnt know that
2006-12-23 11:11:33 · answer #5 · answered by brace face 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They do not mean to hurt him but kids that age hit dog when they think they are petting them. I have seen kids poke the dog in the eye I know the kids do not mean to hurt the dog but they still do.
2006-12-23 11:08:43 · answer #6 · answered by shadouse 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A lot of small dogs are nervous of toddlers because of their noises, abrupt movements, whatever. That's why very small dogs aren't recommended for very young kids. Don't leave him unsupervised with young kids.
2006-12-23 11:07:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
he may of had a bad experience with little kids my sisters dog is 90plbs and affraid of little dos because one dog that lives by us bit her. he is probally affraid because a little kid hurt him
2006-12-23 11:15:22 · answer #8 · answered by godschild 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
probably because he's a puppy and little children play with him too much.and hes just not used to it yet.....he'll get used to them
2006-12-23 11:17:51 · answer #9 · answered by ♥preppy_chick♥ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
little kids are scary...think about it...they make a lot of noise,move really fast, are unpredictable and they don't understand "be nice"
2006-12-23 11:46:19 · answer #10 · answered by mups mom 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋