Kids and Emotions

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Hi all!

So I have been working a lot with Loki when he is around kids, usually people in the neighborhood or family, and practicing having him always listen to me. He loves kids so it's a little bit of a struggle to listen but he's coming along nicely. I'm sure many doodles are very sensitive to emotions around them and Loki is one and it's a quality I really value. I was wondering what you guys do when when you around around someone on a visit and they are very upset, not at the dog but just in general. When Loki senses lots of distress he sometimes will still go over and interact with the person but more often than not he just sits next to me and I can tell he really doesn't want to budge. An example is sometimes a kid will be crying and screaming but another person by them will call Loki over and he doesn't really want anything to do with it. If I coax him into going over to say hi he will but I can tell he's on edge and not comfortable. In general I would be fine with him not going over because he's not out of control, he usually does won't move lol. I'm just nervous that when he takes his test or if he were out on a visit he would sense lots of stress and avoid it. Any training thoughts or ideas would be great! Thanks so much guys!

[charlotte bednarsh]

Hi,

My dog Paz works with children who have been victims of domestic violence or violent crime.   I think what you must determine is what Loki's skill set is, and where he is most comfortable working.   Dogs are like humans, in that we all must determine in what situations we are most comfortable, or function best.  It may be that Loki will function better in a  library, school or environment in which the children are more predictable; it's really difficult to force a dog into a situation in which they are uncomfortable or get stressed, because the dog will not enjoy working.  Paz functions best in a high stress environment, because he will gravitate towards a child that is upset, and try to comfort them;  I don't think that Paz would enjoy working in a hospital, and therefore I wouldn't take him to volunteer in a hospital or nursing home, because that's not where his skill set is at its best.   Please don't get discouraged, because it's really about finding where you and Loki work best as a team, and where Loki can be comfortable.     

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Thank you for this! I'm not picky about where he works, I would rather he pick- if that makes sense. I was just concerned that this would prevent him from passing his exam and was feeling a little out of options. I will keep working exposing him to kids so he can practice listening and see where we end up!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I think I would focus more on loud noises in general for the exam.  They could drop a tray or hit a pan with a spoon, or talk really loud, or move oddly.  There most likely won't be a child screaming and crying, but they might through adults acting oddly into the mix to simulate a nursing home environment.  I think if I were in the situation you mentioned in a training environment If I determined that the child was just upset and it wasn't upset with the dog I would walk way out around the child to the other side of the person that wanted to pet Loki and I would give them a real high value treat to reward Loki with.  Again, taking his safety into consideration first.

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Ok perfect! He surprisingly isn't phased by loud noises when he's out and about, he's a chicken at home but anywhere else he seems happy as a clam. And he's fine with adults unless they are screaming angrily then he seems bothers by that, he might just be picking up on my discomfort though because that is something I will have to watch with him. I've read the different things that they can do like dropping things and handling the dog everywhere and I think he's got that covered just sometimes he will strain at the leash or just won't budge so I will keep working with him :) he has come a long ways in these past few months though so that makes me happy to know we are getting somewhere!