or - are your children good (with dogs)

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Children must be taught respect for dogs and puppies

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Statistics will show that Golden Retrievers are among those dogs high in the league of "biters" and particularly so where children are concerned. This is largely due to the fact that there are so many Golden Retrievers around - sheer numbers are not on their side. In addition, parents are often foolish where certain breeds of dog are concerned, most seeing, for example, a bull terrier or a German Shepherd Dog (Alsatian) will caution their children to ask if they may stroke the dog or they may avoid the dog altogether. The same parents will encourage their children to run up to a strange Golden Retriever and pull, push, pet and molest the dog expecting him or her to tolerate all sorts of (mis)behaviours from their uncontrolled children.
In the home any dog needs to understand where he or she stands. Golden Retrievers are not "political" dogs but they need assurance of their place in the family and they need to understand who is who. In the home where parents are weak and ineffective in taking a lead and where a child or children are allowed to challenge, demand and dictate any dog will feel unsafe and uneasy. Where there is no leadership any dog, even a submissive one, may try to take control in order to protect the "pack" because this is an unstable and potentially harmful situation.
Children must be taught respect and consistency and such teaching comes mainly from the example of the adults around them. Dogs are not playthings and they should be respected, allowed proper rest, allowed to eat in peace, taught with consistency and firmness and never put in to situations which demand a degree of tolerance and long suffering which would test the patience of a saint.

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