Lorrie [00:00:08]:
My grandkids visited when one was about 4 and the other not quite 2. They were typical children. Active, sometimes, or often, noisy, unpredictable, energetic, and a never ending source of dropped food, much to my dog's delight. In this episode, I talk about the importance of desensitizing agility dogs to kids and how to work through the process. Welcome to the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. I'm Lorrie Reynolds, owner of Maximum Fun Dog Sports. We help both halves of your agility team build the relationships, communication, confidence, and fun in training so that you can joyfully succeed on any course. Of the 4 dogs I had at the time, I had one, Onyx, who adored kids.
Lorrie [00:00:58]:
One, Rainer, who loved them but was startled by quick movements, one, Pixie, who was very tolerant, liked them in small doses, and walked away when she'd had enough, and one, Xephyr, who was terrified of them. At the beginning of the previous visit, anytime my grandson moved quickly, Xephyr would alarm bark and growl. Obviously, we never ever left kids and dogs alone together, and we monitored interactions very closely. The dogs got lots of breaks in a different room or outside where the kids weren't allowed. Both kids were pretty good about listening to direction when it was about the dogs. Yes, even the "terrible two's" toddler. They had a dog at home and had been taught to be gentle and careful. We made huge strides even with Xephyr over the two visits, enough that I could let him hang out with the family rather than crating him for the entire visit.
Lorrie [00:01:53]:
He didn't display any alarm barking or growling during the 2nd visit even if the kids were running close by. It isn't something that happened naturally, though. It took effort and my dog savvy 4 year old grandkid to get us there. I've been at lots of agility trials where handlers have complained about kids being near the ring watching because they have dogs who are afraid of them. I've seen some go to great lengths to make sure there were no kids anywhere close to the ring before their turn. Here's the thing, though. Kids are a fact of life. We talk about agility as a family-friendly spectator sport, and in many places, trials are held at local parks where there are kids.
Lorrie [00:02:35]:
Younger competitors have kids that they sometimes bring. Older competitors might get a visit from the grandkids. No matter what, kids are going to be part of the environment. I understand the difficulty in socializing dogs with kids when you don't have any. My kids are grown, and my grandkids live in a different state. However, since kids are always going to be around, we need to train our dogs to tolerate their presence just like we would any other distraction or object our dogs are afraid of. We can't expect to compete in a sterile environment where we can tell people that they can't come to a local park and watch if they bring their children. Socialization doesn't mean they have to love kids.
Lorrie [00:03:19]:
They don't have to be petted by them or interact with them in any way. It means they have to be able to work around them just like any other distraction. We definitely want to make them comfortable enough around kids that they will be safe. If our dogs are afraid of umbrellas like we use for shade at trials or the beep of the timer or bicycles riding by, we don't insist that the club remove all umbrellas, timers, or bicycles. We train for them. We desensitize our dogs starting at a distance until they can perform around them. We don't allow our dogs to chase bicycles or alarm bark at them out of fear. We need to make a conscious effort to desensitize our dogs to children so that they can perform their tricks or play agility when kids are present.
Lorrie [00:04:06]:
If you don't have any kids, rent some! I'm kidding, kind of, but I'm sure you have friends with kids or grandkids. In all seriousness, go to your local park with a playground. Start a 100 feet away from the kids and ask your dog for some easy behaviors. Reward heavily. Gradually, over time, move closer until your dog can work close to the kids without showing signs of nervousness. Always keep the dog under threshold as you move closer. If people ask to pet your dog, the easy and polite answer is no.
Lorrie [00:04:39]:
I'm sorry. We're training right now. If someone with kids heads in your direction, turn and head with purpose the other way, they will hopefully get the message. If you have friends with dog savvy kids or grandkids, explain the situation and ask if you can work around them. I want to reiterate that you do not have to ever allow kids to pet or directly interact with your dog, especially if you think it might be unsafe to do so. If you have a dog who is unsafe around kids, please get professional behavioral training help. I took the extra steps with my scared dog to ensure we wouldn't have an incident if the kids ran too close or fell near him because I didn't want to rely on management with gates and crates to keep them safe. Even if they aren't interacting with them, it's important that your dog learns to work around kids just like any other distraction.
Lorrie [00:05:37]:
This week, take a minute to think about how your dog interacts with children. If they love kids and are happy to work around them, congratulations! If not, make a plan to start desensitizing your dog to kids for your peace of mind and for your dog's safety. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Maximum Fun Agility podcast. Visit our website and join our community at www.maximumfundogs.com to get weekly training tips emailed straight to your inbox. See you next time.
