[gemy]

Alyssa one ofthe best posts I have ever read on here about kids n Yorkies.


My two cents worth. I think it is very hard to condition long term dogs to kids if you don' t have children in the home. Magic my big male when he was a young dog did very very well with children - until we started to go to leash free parks partiularly Cherry Beach - after swimming and romping around I would grab lunch from the sidewalk cart and leash him up to the picnic bench. Then youngis h kids 6yrs old or more used to run by screaming and hands waving - and he would roar at them. That just incited the kids on! They took turns doing this. I shortly thereafter never ate lunch there. I had tried to remonstrate with the kids even talked to their parents - but hey my kids can do no wrong - it is your dog that is at fault! Urgha and more expletives were thought by me.

When we have kids visit - they are seated and our dogs come out one by one on short lead. The dogs are told to sit and stay and the child is instructed how to pat the dog.

Even today when a friend of Judy's came over for supper - she is developmentally delayed and uses a cane - especially with Dara - she was asked to remain seated. After dinner she got up and Dara came over and sat pretty but Phyllis was talking in an excited tone and Dara is an excitable gal and I don't trust her not to leap up and inadvertently knock into her. So I asked Phyllis to tone down her voice and just talk very gently and very calmly to her. Phyllis did that and then I called Dara over and rewarded her for being a very good girl.

There is always an awareness we dog owners need to have all the time - most especially with strangers, with the young or old or the infirm most especially.

In terms if this poster you have gotten lots of good advice already - I do agree with a safe place for your pup, always supervised interactions. Obedience training for the pup and training for your child. At three years old i would not have the child feed the dog at all. In fact I train my dogs not to take food from childrens hands.