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Originally Posted by Milo'sMom  Just wanted to add: I did not cringe seeing the pics of the rotties with the kids. Milo will sit and tolerate everything...not saying all will, is it the ones that need more training and socializing that won't tolerate children? When my breeder said she breeds for temperment, I now know what she meant (this is my first rottie). I love Milo's look (with his docked tail), but his temperment is the reason I went with this breeder, having had a bad experience with a Bullmastiff (and his breeder). Milo's first thing to do when being petted? Roll onto his back for a tummy scratch. And this is an intact male. I could go on and on about him (and I have in the forums many times). Sorry for my naivete, but when are they not tolerant of kids? |
The reason cringing is going on is that while there are definitely some dogs that truly enjoy children, the vast majority are a bit less embracing of being climbed all over. If a dog really enjoys children, the dog REALLY enjoys them - however, many dogs simply tolerate kids and the antics that kids bring on.
A dog can be socialized wonderfully, trained impeccably, have a wonderful temperament and still not be embracing of children. This is why it's imperative that dog owners be honest about their dog's limits, and handle these situations on an individual basis.
When Joe Public sees children climbing all over dogs like this in pictures, it is too often assumed that it's OK for kids to do this to dogs carte blanche... and that is how catastrophes happen.
That is why we tend to cringe at photos like that. There are a great many "child safe" dogs - however all interactions between children and dogs should be supervised and handled responsibly.