Had to stop into petsmart the other day to get some cat food and had my dog Ruger with me. I have been working with Ruger for past 6 months or so with aggression issues especially with children. Ruger is usually in a cage muzzle whenever we go out in public just to be safe, well of course I left muzzle in other car so he had to go in store without it.

He did great healed nicely next to shopping cart. Went to check out and put him in a platz while I paid. Out of corner of my eye I saw something coming from back of store. It was a child about 2 or so running across store arms open saying "big doggy, big doggy" I yelled NO! (I tend to talk to children like they are dogs-woops) Parents were still at back of store. I got in front of Ruger to block child and after like my 3rd NO the father came after. Kid was about 4 feet from my dog and he was about 40 feet away. Child started crying cause I wouldn't let him hug the dog. What bothered me was the mother said all snotty "what's wrong with that dog". I told them they should keep their child on leash. The good part is Ruger remained in a platz and was unbothered by the whole situation. HUGE change for dog who tried to jump counters to get to a kid. Was so proud of him.

So annoying parents don't teach their kids they can't touch ever dog thay want.

Thank god nothing happened!!!




Sgt Matt

Um... might be stupid on my part but why didn't you leave him in the car? Walmart, Petco, and Petsmart are not exactly gathering points of the dog elite or saavy and seems to me that this could have ended very very poorly.

As stupid as the parents are for not keeping an eye on their kid, a two year old cannot be expected to understand which puppies he can touch and which he cannot. That level of comprehension just isn't there yet. How silly it is to bring a dog with known child aggression into a family friendly shop, muzzled or otherwise. I know you love your dog and want him with you but the law is on the side of the parents if something goes down. Keep that in mind for next time, the wallet (and dog) you save may be your own.

What if you had walked around the end of aisle and run into that same 2 year old? Or any number of other likely scenerios.
This is one of the most careless, irresponsible acts I've heard about a long time.
Take a good look in the mirror, and get back to us on who is more childish and niave, you or the 2 year old.
Randy

I can understand your joy in seeing your dog not break his platz...for sure, progress. How do you get your dog trained in those scenarios unless you get in them?

The only reason it's an "iffy" in my mind though is that you "forgot" the muzzle and went ahead anyway. If you had said you'd reached a point in your training (after a lot of distance, parks, etc with muzzle) and were ready to try with out a muzzle, it'd be a different story.

The way you went about this and posted, it sounds like you have a kid aggressive dog and "welp, forgot the muzzle, but need to go in"...and essentially, sounds like you were the one in the wrong...NOT that lil kid.

THere are ALOT of parents who do not train their kids, not only that, but in a store like that, BE PREPARED for children to run up and want to "pet the big doggie" (hell, I was in an airport yesterday and saw a K9 dog team and *I* wanted to run up and pet the doggie)

*rolleyes* all you want at those kids, (or me , but they are real in this world and it is YOUR responsiblity to be prepared.

But bottom line is like Melissa said, YOU would lose in a court proceeding...get your wallet out.

Good for the dog for holding the down.
But...to take him in there knowing that he should have the muzzle on not good.
If he had broken the down the consequences defiantely wouldn't have been in your favour if he had harmed that child in any way.
Work on his aggression with children sure, but don't put him in an uncontrolled situation like that.

 Quote: Wendy Lefebvre

Good for the dog for holding the down.
But...to take him in there knowing that he should have the muzzle on not good.

I would have to agree with this as well. It's easy sometimes to get excited and encouraged by your dog's progress in an area of training like this (and you SHOULD be very proud of him for remaining in a down - good work from both of you!), but until the dog is ENTIRELY proofed and determined safe, it isn't wise to take chances like this. Accidents are by nature unpredictable, and your dog could regress in a heartbeat - the situation you put yourself (and your dog in) could have proven VERY costly if it played out any other way. I would have left him in the car.

~Natalya

Children are annoying ... uncontrolled ones running to your dog moreso

but you put your dog in a situation where if you hadnt been vigilant a child could have been attacked. What could you possibly say to parents whose child is screaming a bleeding because you 'forgot'. Put yourself in their shoes.

well since everybody has already said the "holy cow! my heart rate just went through the roof!" I will say that yes those children and dogs whose parents let run wild are extremly annoying! for instance the pre-adolescent boys who like to run up behind your dog in Petsmart and those people who bring in their *untrained* pets in on a FLEXI-lead. its Stupidity, Inc.

 Quote: Mary Roach

... children and dogs whose parents let run wild are extremly annoying! for instance the pre-adolescent boys who like to run up behind your dog in Petsmart and those people who bring in their *untrained* pets in on a FLEXI-lead. its Stupidity, Inc.

It sure is.

That's why it's our job to protect our dogs.... not just from being frightened or hurt, but also from being in an avoidable and foreseeable situation where the dog might hurt someone else (human or canine).

So it was a learning situation where (luckily) nothing happened.