Last Updated on December 19, 2020
© unsplash Usually, dogs love kids, and kids love dogs – and when a child grows up with a puppy by their side, they often develop a beautiful lifelong relationship. However, some dogs are afraid of children, which can make it unsafe to bring them together into the same space. To figure out what can be done about this fear, it’s important to understand why your dog fears children, and there are two main reasons for that to happen: • Your dog hasn’t been socialized from an early age If your dog isn’t exposed to children as a puppy, chances are that they might be scared to be around them once they grow up. Because children smell different, look different, and make a lot of sudden moves and noises, your dog might think of them as unfamiliar beings, which can cause them to be scared. This can become dangerous for the youngsters, so if you haven’t introduced any children to your dog, be careful when doing so. • They’ve had a bad experience Children can be quite erratic, and because they don’t understand the consequences of their actions, they might show accidental aggressive behavior towards a dog, like grabbing their fur, pulling their tail, or stealing their toys. While some dogs can be tolerant of these childish behaviors, others can become really traumatized and you might end up with a scared dog whose behavior you will have to manage. How to help your scared dog? It is highly unlikely that your dog will go through life without ever encountering a child, which is why you need to help your furry friend manage their fear of young humans. A traumatized dog can easily become an aggressive dog, so it’s your job to help them cope with these feelings of fear and anxiety. So, here are some things you can do to help you control your dog’s behavior around young children.
