Ok. What do you think of this?

Inga weighs almost 70 lbs at 10 months old. Her commands- sit, down , stay, stand (and also with distant hand signals from an 1/8 of a mile away) load up, off load (the truck), jump, (as into water or through a hoop), get it, bring it, kennel, off, out! No! (a key command) come, heel, Verschingen! (German meaning engulf and devour her food) lets go, up (get up on something) relax, no bite (no mouthing), enough (stop barking) the very important and not overused command What is it? (when she is so alarmed by something outside she is jumping off the floor and ferociously barking, this means run out there in the dark and find out what the hell it is) and Find it (follow a scent trail).

Now we are working on catching food in the air that is thrown to her, and the highly entertaining Snake! command. When someone yells Snake! she is to jump into my arms. Its a good thing I am a strong country girl. I also take her to town to the dog park in town and put her through her paces under heavy distraction. It must be quite a show for the pet owners whos dogs don't even come when called. I also take her to big box stores and heel her around and have her down while I look at things. This is to expose her to running and screaming little kids. She is to down stay while watching them from a distance. On leash of course and wearing a prong collar.

A few weeks ago I had her in Petco and was checking out at the checkout stand talking to the lady when a toddler darted out of no where squealing Hug Doggie! and arms out to embrace her. My god, I don't know what an unsocialized GSD is going to do in that situation. Inga had turned her head and had ears up looking at the child who was now about a foot away. I yelled No! and body slammed Inga against up the counter and pinned her there. It was like a reflex. The kid started crying and ran to his mother and she said, I quote, "Oh he just loves all dogs. He rides our Pitbull at home". I said Great and took poor Inga and left. I am saying this because I have learned that people have to be hyper vigilant when out in public with their dogs.

Man, I'd love to see that trick where Inga jumps into your arms. I have to train my dog to do that. Awesome!

My only comment would be that I probably would have forced myself between the child and my dog and stopped the kid rather than slam, as you indicated, my dog to the side. That said, I have yanked the leash to get my dog out of the way of clueless people approaching my dog without my permission so I guess I'm no better than you taking your action. In the heat of the moment, it's hard to plan what action is the right one to take. My position? No one ever gets to approach or touch my dog without my and her permission. I think your intention was good at least in preventing potential injury to the child or to your dog. That can often be taking the wrong way by the folks you are blocking from your dog but I'm not concerned, at my age, what people think of me any more.

The way we handle this, if a child wants to know if they can pet or say hi to my dog, the first thing I teach them, right in front of their parents if necessary, is to ask the owner. They should be taught never to just approach a dog with their hands out. If I agree, based on how I perceive them and the situation with my dog, I then instruct them to just stand there with their hand slightly out so the dog can approach and sniff them. Meanwhile, my dog is in a sit. I then give my dog a release from the sit and the OK to "make friends". If my dog doesn't want to go check the person out, I don't force her. She's a good judge of character, better than me. I then just say "sorry, these dogs are pretty aloof (true statement) and are real attached to their handlers". Otherwise, she will then go up and check the person out, usually just giving them a quick sniff and coming right back to my side. Kind of a drive-by. That's usually all they get. On rare occasions, she might actually linger and let the person pet her. Then all is good.

If the person doesn't want to meet your dog on my terms, then "see ya". I've been know to be pretty much of a jerk with folks that don't strike me the right way.

If I had to make it to out front of Inga it would have been too late if she were to snap. The toddler was that close.

I have decided no strangers of any age may pet my dog. There is a John Wayne movie where he tells some one "I wouldn't touch him son, he don't take to pettin".

Kids, parents of kids and other adults do come up and ask to pet her. But I smile and tell them, Not right now. She is being trained. I did let the Police K-9 officer pet her. Of course she embarrassed me by breaking her sit and jumping all over him.

If it were me, I'd find some people you are at least aquatinted with that have at least somewhat calm kids and expose her ONE kid at a time on leash. Of course you choose the time and place. One of my pups had weakish nerves, but I bit the bullet and let calm kids be introduced to her only after they asked. I kept it short and sweet and made sure my body language was calm and confident and the kid's didn't put their faces near the pup. I feel this is important because I have had kids just run up to hug my dogs. For me, I'd want a dog that felt confident in this situation. I'd muzzle if I was really scared in a situation like this. Its easy to lock up a gun, a dog, not so much. I DON'T just let anyone pet my dog however. Just want to be prepared. Good luck.

Gina

I don't know anyone who has little kids and no one on surrounding ranches has kids. They are all adults now and don't have little children.

Once, when Inga was 4 months old there was a couple of little kids at the dog park in town. One was obviously Autistic and obsessively and repetitively filled her shoes with dirt and dumped it out again, completely in a world of her own. Inga went to her and jumped all over the child. I corrected Inga with the prong collar and brought her back to my side. A man who was there said We Do Not Allow Those Collars Here. I said Oh, I am supposed to let a dog disrespect a child? Took Inga and left. But I use this park when no dogs are in at least one side to generalize commands under distraction, and yes, the prong is still on her sometimes.

Finding the proper people to help with socialization can be rough. Sometimes calm dogs are easier to come by than calm people.

Some folks should never breed!

To many people, parents included expect every dog they see to want a kid hugging on them.

"IF" a child asks me to pet my dog I will tell them to ask their parent if it's ok and then I will put them on a sit and allow it.

Fortunately most all the dogs I've owned were trustworthy around kids because of my kids and now 5 grandkids.

Walk your dog in busy areas and closely observe your dog.

ANY excess attention on kids or anyone for that matter and the dog's attention needs to be redirected with obedience.

If no kids are there to help then work with adults you know and teach the dog to accept their approach while in a sit position.

With kids if they do any screaming, squealing or flailing their hands and arms and it's a no go but this is also a good way to watch the dog's reaction to them.

For the most part I don't really want any attention on my dogs from adults and I would often say "the child will be fine but he doesn't like adults".

Stay away from dog parks altogether. No matter how much control you have over your dog you can't control the other dogs or their owners and kids.

If this gives them second thoughts then so be it.

I never allow people to pet my dogs, unless they are friends, very well known by the dogs.
Yes, parents should inform their children, that they have to ask the owner if they may pet the dog. But I think this is not enough. A child has to be well instructed how to approach a dog. That's why I don't allow any stranger's children any more to approach them.

I look at the whole matter also from another side. If I had a child, well instructed in those things, I even though wouldn't allow him to pet a stranger's dog. Even if the owner allowed it, I'd say no. There are too many owners who don't know their own dogs. They often allow petting just out of friendliness and lack of knowledge. Here many children get a bite although they behaved well and had asked before for permission. Lots of owners think their dogs are flawless angels. They have not trained them in the least and don't have a clue what misunderstandings between dog and child could happen.

I allow it only when I know dog and child very well and if I have had the opportunity to explain to a child thoroughly how to approach and pet a dog. This opportunity I don't have on a walk. I would have to stop every ten minutes and educate other peoples children. Never again! I want to walk my dog.

My dog is raised on an isolated cattle ranch and has never even seen children. The time she playfully jumped on the autistic child at the dog park she was about 16 weeks. Thinking back, I can remember two other occasions when Inga was 7 months old that she lunged at small children. Once in a Farm and Ranch store she jumped at some little kids in an isle, I think she wanted to play. Another time we met a mother with two small kids on a trail coming up from a river. That time she lunged to the end of her leash and barked ferociously. All these times she got a size 10 prong collar correction. Since I have been taking her to big box stores, she has calmly observed children running, screaming and throwing things in Christmas frenzy (you know what I mean from a sit or a down.

The dog park- it has two sides and not a big population, it is in a small town. I only take her in there when at least one side is empty. She gets plenty of distraction. Smells of many other dogs, bicyclists going past, people throwing balls and packs of fence fighting idiots. I put her in a distant down then call her to heel past these barking fools and fence runners. She does great. I put her through almost every commend she knows. If someone is coming in with their dogs and/or children I leash her before they ever make it to the second gate and leave. There is a level of distraction there like no other.

Bob "any attention on kids needs to be redirected". I do that using my tame chickens. Inga has a strong instinct to critter. I tie her out on a down and open the chicken pen. I sprinkle feed near the dog, but just out of reach should she go for a chicken. If she even looks at a chicken in 'that way' I say No and give a low level e collar stim. Another thing she is kept away from is baby calves. Once, she went after a deer but did recall as soon as I saw her chasing it and she was pretty far away. Any advice on this important aspect of training would be greatly appreciated.