getting experience around kids

[Oliver]

So I just came back in from letting Oliver outside (he's 13 weeks old) and out of nowhere a little boy (looked to be a little younger than 2 years) came running into our yard because he saw a "puppy." Frankly, he scared the crap out of me because it was dark and I wasn't expecting a little person to run up to me out of nowhere...and apparently he scared Oliver as well since Oliver was trying to get as far away as he could and let out a short, low growl (his first one) when the boy was running at him full force! I talked to the little boy and made him calm down (move slower, etc) and immediately Oliver warmed up and tried to kiss him to death....but it was scary to hear him growl at a child especially since my husband and I will definitely have kids in the future! He was great with my 3 nephews over Thanksgiving, but sadly we live too far away for him to get one-on-one time with them on a daily basis :(

Maybe this is a stupid question, but do you have any ideas on how/where I could get Oliver better acquainted with kids? The two places that came to mind were Petsmart and the park- and as always, I would make the kids ask their parents for permission before they SLOWLY pet my dogs, give him treats etc. I also read that I should download a recording of a baby crying so I could play that for him so he won't freak out when we have our own crying baby! :) Just wondering if you guys had any hints or tips! I'm looking for any and all ideas like this!

[Sue & Willy Babe]

I took Willson to the park also to get him use to little children and their Mom's did ask if they can pet him I was surprised at the number of families that had dogs already, Also petsmart was the other great place I went too, I always tried to have Willson sit and I just had my hand by his face and let the children pet his back

[Oliver]

You take your dog to the mall? There aren't many places that allow dogs I'm afraid. Well, I shouldn't say that...I'm from Florida and everyone takes their dogs with them EVERYWHERE...but here, not as many places even allow dogs.

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

I think Petsmart is a really good place to do this. Most of the children in Petsmart seem to come from families with dogs and seem to 1) not be afraid and 2) know how to pet a dog nicely.

Kids are always drawn to Dex probably because he is so fluffy and goofy. We've had 2 and 3 yr old kids just come up and hug him. I'm amazed at how good he is with them since he's had very limited exposure to kids. I agree with the previous post that the dogs just seem to realize that kids are small...

[Ali]

I have kids around my apartment that like to play with my puppy, but I also go through a variety of things to make sure she won't react badly if a kid does not know how to properly pet a dog. I handle her sometimes like a kid might, I pull on her tail, pull her ears, pet her kind of roughly just to test how she reacts to these things, and also to get her used to this kind of handling. It may seem kinda harsh, but it is a lot better than having a kid pull on Lola's tail too much and she reacts by biting the kid and then getting put to sleep. That to me would be the worst thing ever. Good luck socializing Oliver, I am sure he will love kids, Lola sure does.

[Tamara & Giada]

I don't think you rally have much to worry about. This sounds like a typical response from a young pup, and not really a sign of future aggression toward children. But back to your question................does your town have fairs or parades? These are excellent times for socialization to many diferent people, sounds, smells and other dogs. Also, outside icecream store there are ALWAYS kids:)

[1qrgkdwnfqccb]

i would call your local elementary or preschool and explain what you want to do (DON'T TELL THEM HE GROWLED... HA HA!! he is just a puppy and i am sure it was just a noise of instinct) anyway, the schools love stuff like that! when we had out old english sheep dog, i took her to the class room all the time, make it like a presentation, talk about oliver and his training and show off all of his tricks, then let the kids play with him. that is what i did. it was really fun! and the kids LOVE guest speakers!!! esp. ones with live animals.

oliver will love all the attention