Yesterday I took Harley and Tristan to one of our favourite walks - Forty Acres - which is 10 mins away from our house. Half way through our walk we met a lovely lady who asked if her dog could say hi to mine (Tristan was on a long line). I said yes and they played for about 30 mins really nicely. We were in a large field and could see all entrances so I didn't have hold of the long line. Suddenly 2 young children (brother and sister, aged around 7 and 11) appeared out of the bushes with a small dog. I quickly stood on Tristan's lead to stop him jumping up at them. Harley and Murphy ran past the children when their small dog started jumping at Harley and having a go at her. I called Harley back but the children were inbetween us. Harley tried going around them but the small dog blocked her. I managed to get past and make room so Harley could get past, which she did. I kept looking expecting the parents to appear.........they didn't. The children carried on walking around the field - their dog had a go at another dog and the children looked scared. Myself and the lady I was with were gobsmacked!! I expect the dog was just being protective of the children, but was off lead and they had no control over it!!! Personally I am disgusted with parents allowing children that young walk a dog, off lead in a popular dog walking area. What are your thoughts?
I would have felt just the same Ternaya , I really don't think children should be allowed to walk any dog without an adult present , as even the most obedient of dogs can turn a deaf ear , its unfair to give them such a responsibility .
Poor Harley. I so, so hate it when Charlie meets an unpleasant dog. I think it depends on the dog, to be honest. I know we always look back on our childhood dogs with rose tinted glasses....but honestly, my mum's dogs would come out with us kids all the time. Not one of us ever thought to take a lead. One dog in particular, Brutus, a big German Shepherd was definitely in charge of all of us....I'm sure Mum told him to make sure we didn't get into any trouble. He even policed how far each child could swim - I was allowed only half way up the jetty, while my brother was allowed to the end of it. So, some dogs are fine to be walked with kids. Others probably would misbehave no matter who was in charge.
Completely agree with you. We have had a couple of close calls from LARGE dogs being walked by children who probably weighed less than the dog. Once my dog and I only got away unbitten because a man stopped his car to hold the other dog. However I do have the same childhood experiences as JulieT and the dog was sent with us to protect us. We would go out of sight of home and play for hours with Teddy with us to watch over us. It's a different world now.
I worry with young children walking even a really well behaved dog in case they have trouble with an unfriendly dog on their walk. I also thought it was law that a child had to be 14 years old to be out with a dog, I'm probably wrong. In my childhood dogs were always out and about but there were hardly no cars back in those days (that makes me feel old ). Nowerdays I think it's not right for children to have that responsibility on their young shoulders but also rather sad at the same time that they can't experience it.
I worry about children being out with dogs. Even with a well trained dog they are simply unequipped, or strong enough, to deal with problems either caused by their dog or another dog. Many adults are bad enough
I think it is simply wrong to give children the responsibility of being in charge of a dog. If anything goes wrong they will simply not have the capacity and experience to cope.
my friends teenage kids (14 and 16) took their very small elderly deaf and nearly blind cairn Ted out for a walk and as he was bumbling about at a slow old boy pace he walked passed another dog whos owner turned and kicked Ted. The kids were very upset and went straight home Ted was ok, but what a vile lesson for the kids.
My children have walked Hattie since they were about 12 years old and still do because she is a well behaved, great girl who stays close and watches over them Thomas my youngest is 16 years old and he often arranges to take Hattie with his friend and his Spaniel for 3 hour walks in the woods, boys and dogs have a ball As a Mum I would much rather my children were out in the fresh air enjoying, exploring the beautiful countryside that's on our doorstep with Hattie rather than sitting infront of a computer screen I'm a memory maker and I want my children to always remember the fun they had with Hattie as the great family dog she is. It's so very sad that parents don't let their children do so much because of the world we live in today, so I for one would not stop my children taking their dog out just incase something MIGHT happen and I believe it gives them responsibility and shows trust which is so important. I don't live in a 'might' world, I might go for a walk fall and break my leg, I might meet a weirdo in the woods which I have , I might, I might, I might the list could be endless and we could end up never leaving the house. So many children already stay inside on computers because their parents won't let them do anything because something 'might' happen Of course the children and dogs behaviour must be taken into consideration when parents make that decision. Nothing has ever happened when any of my children have taken Hattie out . Just to add my children (except for Grace) are not allowed to take Charlie out on their own because he is a totally different kettle of fish x
I think this is the rub Helen, it all depends on the dog in question My elder grandsons used to walk my last Lab Tess ( Mrs. Plod ) when they were around 14 and 15, but not the terriers
Old people walking dogs can be similar. My Mum was still walking Sis's Lab sized English Shepherd when she was 94 years old. A car backfiring one day when Bonnie was nearly a year old startled her, she jerked the leash out of Mum's hand and streaked back to Mum's house, which they were near. Mum was "only" 92, I think, the day that happened. I said to Sis, "What if Mum falls? What if Bonnie runs away and gets hurt? What if a nasty dog attacks Bonnie?" Mum had recently had some serious health issues, recovered, walking the dog was something that gave her immense satisfaction, Sis decided the risks were worth it.
I do understand that some children are ok to walk some dogs, but the dog we encountered was not under control and if Harley was an aggressive dog, could of got very out of hand. My major concern was the little girl - she was only 6/7 and was clearly uncomfortable around so many dogs.........as soon as she seen Tristan, Harley and Murphy she froze and I do think their dog picked up on this. Years ago I know lots of dogs played out with the kids in the street, but times change and in all honesty not many kids are not allowed to play out in the street anymore, which is very sad.
I now what you mean Ternaya, a child of 6 or 7 should absolutely not be allowed out with a dog even if she is with older children it's just irresponsible parenting. Last Summer I encountered two boys around 7/8 years old they had a Labrador puppy each probably about a year old, I was with my neighbour who has a Doberman who doesn't like Labs. We called to them to "put their dogs on leads" but noticed they didn't even have collars on so they continued to follow, before the Doberman could be put on lead it took off after the Labs, I was frightened as I wasn't sure what was going to happen, he charged off barking but did come back so all was OK. Heaven knows what could have happened as this Doberman is 47 kg. These parents had obviously let the children go over the garden fences that lead straight onto farm land and told them to walk the dogs. Shocking behaviour.
I think it depends on the circumstances and the age of the child. At our obedience school, children aged 10 and upwards are allowed to train a dog in class. However, they must be part of a family membership and it is highly recommended that a parent passes the class with the dog first before the child goes into the same class with the dog (e.g. Parent and dog pass class 1 so the following week the child and dog start class 1). I think if a child and dog can get through a certain level of training together they are probably competent enough to walk the dog. I haven't even touched on whether or not you're happy for a child to go out walking without an adult...
Sophie has walked Lilly on her own ON LEAD around our small village since she was 10 or 11 . now she is 16 and Lilly is almost 6 she will walk her on her own off lead when we are not around. Both of them are more experienced and responsible. A month or so a little border terrier in the village slipped it's collar from its 12 and 14 year old walkers and attacked Lilly. It's known to be agressive and unsociable with other dogs. Just as wellwe know them. I think it's like the question "what age can you legally leave your child unattended". It depends on the child and "responsible-ness" and the length of time and the location and other safety issues etc etc. No one size fits all solution. And just like children-owners, some dog-owners are more responsible than others.
My trainer actively encourages families to attend her lessons and participate, and emphasises that all members of a family know how to handle and work with their dog regardless of whether they take tests or not.
Absolutely, when we got Hattie we went to puppy training classes and it was Grace at age 13 that did all her training. Our trainer encouraged families to attend and for children to handle their puppies, we then went on to do 18 months of obedience classes, again Grace did the training. I can't think of anything better than to encourage children to understand what owning a dog involves and to enjoy walking/training them which hopefully will make them responsible young adults and good dog owners in their future lives. x
I totally agree with children getting involved in training lessons. At my agility centre there are several children aged 10-12 who run their dogs. The difference is that parents are there to supervise and its in a controlled environment. I take Harley out for a walk with several of the young people I work with (Max 2 at a time), but I would never leave them unattended even though she is really good. Two will even be running Harley at agility soon! Yes, children mature at different ages and some dogs are responsible etc......but that doesn't mean other people's dogs are! That's where my concern comes in, especially with young children. Thank you all for your input....its been interesting to read other people's opinions
