Grandaughter scared of my 2 dogs

I took your post as asking for practical ideas....it probably isn’t great for you-or the dogs- for them to be confined when she is there. But I can’t think of how else you can deal with it really. We would like a cat now but our GC would be frightened of it....easier to put it outside but if she is staying, I’m not sure what we would do. Interestingly our other GC who is much younger, isn’t scared of any animals. I agree that its pointless to ask why, and upsetting for your GC ...she will hopefully grow out of it.

As a dog owner I certainly never assume that everyone (friends or family) loves my dog.
A fear of dogs is understandable & surely you can manage this by either segregating the dogs when your granddaughter visits or putting them in a kennel/ with a dog boarder if she comes to stay with you?
I do wonder if it is the fact that there are 2 of them causes her extra concern? Our 3 year old granddaughter is quite comfortable with our dog but is much more anxious at her other grandparents where they have 2 dogs (which bark & fight a lot).
As a dog lover & large breed owner I also admit to being a bit nervous around some small breeds who can be a bit nippy & yappy (not saying your dogs are).
Our granddaughter lives away & we face time once a week her first words usually are hello Nanno can I speak to Topsy (the dog) please!

I have always been scared of dogs. If I visit someone with a dog I am most uncomfortable. To make this worse, many dog owners think you are strange or stupid for not liking them, even if you are asthmatic.

I've known of children who've been scared of dogs because a parent (usually the mother) has always told them not to go near them because they will bite, are dirty, carry germs, etc.

Not saying that this is the case here, though.

I've never been keen on dogs but my pet hate is snakes. I couldn't stay in a house where there is one, even if it was shut up out of sight.

I would have somewhere comfortable for the dogs where they can be shut away from your GD, preferably outside. Perhaps somewhere with netting or similar so that she can see them from a window. Later, perhaps, she can see them in there from the garden and the next step could be that they are in a room in the house, but behind a barrier.

That might be as far as you get, but if she can cope with that, it's progress.

A child’s fears are real. Where they come from is the mystery, take them seriously though and definitely keep the dogs away when she visits.

How often have we heard of a lovely family pet turning on a child?
My sister was bitten by our dog out of the blue, we had grown up with him.
My mum saw it happen, it was an unprovoked attack. Fortunately there was no serious injury but the dog was put down, no second chance.

Eazybea, it may be an irrational fear to you, but it is not to the person who has the fear or phobia. Would you like say mice or rats near you? Try and think of being next to something you really dont like. The lady is not being 'pandered' to as I see it. The group is showing consideration for a member who has difficulty with cats. If the lady was allergic to cats, would you still think it ok to have the cat in the room?

With you all the way Bradford lass. I don't know why when you don't like dogs, folk assume there is something wrong with you. I don't trust any dog. When I was bitten it was by a dog Id known and been around for years,completely unprovoked. I wasnt near anybody. I completely admit Ive never been the same with dogs. Dog owners Im sorry to say expect everybody to love their dogs because they do. If a child really does not like them and you insist on bringing the dogs and child together, you may risk long term difficulties for the child. Please do not expect everyone to love your dogs. I in no way mean to offend dog lovers here. I know and understand they are great companions and part of your family.

You do need to address why your granddaughter is so terrified of your dogs; is it your dogs or all dogs? Quite right to exclude them when she is there, but not for the rest of her/their life; she does need to confront her fear and cope with it.
Is it because there are two; are they yappy, bark a lot, dash round all the time, jump up at her?
I was bitten on the face when I was three because I helpfully tried to clean a dog's ear-of canker; but I have always liked dogs and never been afraid of them, just treated them with respect.
A member of a group I belong to is scared of cats and insists they are removed from the room in any house where there is a meeting, an irrational fear we all have to pander to in the name of good manners.You do need to discover the cause of your granddaughter's fear, and at the very least discourage this screaming every time she sees them.

Another --Children before dogs.

As OP have said, the child comes first-end of! Dogs completely out of the way. Again, as others have said, my phobia is spiders and I would just not enter the house if I were expected to get used to the things and you NOT expect a young child to do this. It is your duty to protect her and care for her.

I'm not sure why you are asking the question when clearly you know that the only answer is to make sure she is completely fear-free in your home which means no sight or sound of dogs and no possibility they may spring out near her unexpectedly.

Think of something you are scared of (spiders, rats), would you feel easy if you knew someone might put that near you?

As everyone else has said, she comes first. She doesn't need to explain why she's scared (she can't anyway, poor wee lassie) all you need to know is that she is.

crazyh
How right you are. My friend's dog, a loving family pet they'd had for 8 years, has just torn off her ear and part of her lip when she and her husband were doing some silly horsing around.
The dog, thinking he was being attacked, did its job and protected its master....and paid the ultimately penalty.

Nobody with any sense would leave a child alone with a dog, crazy H.

I agree that you should never force a reluctant child to engage with a dog but I genuinely believe that the love a child can have for a dog can be important and enrich their lives.

My GS would have been terrified of dogs if it we didn't have one. He is now confident around them so I can only reflect my experience and see it as a positive.

I would never leave a child alone with a dog, however well behaved the dog is. I'm not saying that any of you do.
Dogs are unpredictable, can react to the slightest movement and disaster will ensue. We've heard too many such stories.

How unfortunate that people are obliged to learn to "deal with dogs" - better that their owners just keep them to themselves and not inflict them on others. Dogs are not a life obligation - they are a valid lifestyle choice for some and should not be allowed to impinge on others.

This poor lass would have a "calmer, less fraught life" if she stayed well away from her grandma!

Daisymae I profoundly disagree. Let the child be. She is 7, she is afraid of dogs. End of. In her own time and when she is ready, she will become less afraid of dogs - or she may have a serious phobia - like some people have for spiders.

Whatever the cause, keep them away from her, let her be and eventually she may come round, but if she doesn't it cannot be helped.

Having read some of the posts it seems to me that you will be doing your gd a favour if you can help her deal with dogs. If she can be relaxed about them she will have a calmer, less fraught life. How about walking one of them together for a start?

I dont like dogs as was bitten by a dog I knew and trusted for years. That finished me. Unfortunately, and only speaking for myself. It is something that never leaves you. The dog that bit me was not provoked. I normally would not visit anyone with a dog. If the wee one does not like them you wont be able to solve this. If they are excitable dogs and jump about barking that can be frightening for someone who does not like them. I avoid dogs like the plague, having said this I would never be cruel to any animal.

We've always had dogs and the children and grandchildren have been fine and share our love.

When mine were little I used to pick up 2 sisters after school, (childcare) and the eldest girl was petrified of our lurcher.

Initially I kept the lurcher in the kitchen and that worked OK, initially. But I felt sorry for dog and child so one day we had a chat about it and she decided to 'try' having the dog on the room.

This dog was extremely laid back, wasn't bouncing, didn't show any interest at all so we'd all sit together and over time she realised she had no need to fear this dog.

We had conversations about it being quite natural to be scared of dogs and not all dogs were as gentle and it was sensible to be wary etc etc

Fast forward 25 years and I bumped into this young lady. Now a married mum of two. She was pushing a buggy and had a dog on a lead

We stopped to chat and she thanked me for helping her with her fear of dogs.

So I know some suggest not discussing it but conversation worked for us.

I do hope you manage to get your granddaughter to cope with your dog!

My D has a huge Pyrenean x Bernese and when her GC go to her house or stay there neither the dog nor the children are bothered. The size would put any child off but he's such a beautiful animal like a big woolly bear.

It does sound in this case that the child has at some time perhaps been chased by a dog or nipped by one of the little ones. Has the child always had an aversion to dogs or is this something new ?

Can't help wondering why this is an issue now, as she's already 7. Our GS was introduced to our puppy when he was 2. He was terrified of this ball of supercharged fluff. For a while I just looked after him at his house. I then thought that the situation was ridiculous so I just brought him over and told him he would be fine. Took about an hour. They became best friends. Six months later he asked if the dog was his brother. I pointed that that wasn't the case, as she's a girl! GS is a big lad now and our girl is getting on, but they love each other and she's been a great companion. I would introduce them slowly and quietly. He doesn't believe he was ever frightened of her. Stick with it.

I have never liked dogs and never will . If you know she is so scared of them they shouldn’t be any where near her if she visits . Could they go to a kennel for the days that she visits you ? She can’t possibly enjoy her visits if she is frightened poor thing

I used to have a friend with two small dogs when I was a child I was absolutely terrified of them. They used to nip my ankles.

She just screams when they are near her and I have to put them outside when she is in or put them in their bed

You know she's so scared of the dogs so why are they allowed near enough to make her scream? You just have to keep them out of the way completely when she visits.