Wolfdog.org forum - View Single Post - Hello, new here. CWD good with well behaved children???

Dharkwolf · 30-10-2005, 17:25

Dear RaeLee,

First of all welcome to the forum. I trust that you will find many of the answers which you are looking for here.

As for kids and CSW – well all I can say is that most of the CSW I know are extremely good with children. I know this from both my own dogs and those of others.

I personally do not have any children however this is how my dogs have reacted towards children in the past.

- young child, no more than three or four runs up to our older female (Cira) and pokes her in the eye. The reaction of the dog? She turns away her head (and gives me a grieved puppy look!)
- Walking in the forest we come across a group of scouts – the dogs are a bit of a rarity around where we live so we are rapidly surrounded by children who are all yapping around simultaneously some caressing the dogs, some showing evident signs of fear, while other just run around yelling in the way 12 year olds are bound to do – the dogs take this in good stride, the pup (8 months old or so at the time) loves the attention and does try to jump at some of the more enthusiastic kids (little squeals of joy follow on all sides) the older dog just licks any child who cares to get close enough to her and shows themselves to be friendly.
- Stroll in the park with a friend, who has a kid in a pram (10 months old toddler) whenever the kid gets a chance he grabs a fistful of wolfdog fur and squeals in pleasure. The reaction of the dog? She sticks close to the pram and actively guards it from anything which she deems to be threatening. We keep an eye on her though to ensure that guarding behaviour never goes beyond a low key growl.
- Today – sitting in a park, quietly reading a book, dozens of kids running around the dogs for hours some would come and run at the dogs, others would run past, some would come and ask about the dogs and wonder if they could caress them – the pup (now 11 months old) still gets a bit excited about things, but the older lass just puts on a show for the kids and lets them caress her all they want (I have to say – she likes to show off)

These are just examples of how wolfdogs can behave with children – for some reasons the pack instinct which remains with the wolfdogs seems to extend to recognizing that children are weak and need to be protected – but also that things may be tolerated from children which they would not tolerate from adults. Therefore over time I have formed the opinion that wolfdogs can be wonderful with children.

However – a word of warning. Things are not as idyllic as you may surmise from the description above. Wolfdogs can be wonderful with children but that does not mean they will be – they need to be educated and raised in an appropriate fashion for this to be the case. Good socialisation as well as the building of a confident character (through work) is essential. I would be giving a false picture if I failed to mention the fact that I know of some CSW which are actively aggressive towards children (not without reason) and I am aware of at least one documented case where a CSW attacked a child. Both the dog and the child were being raised within the same family – the child was no stranger yet he was bitten in the face – the child will bear a scar for life and the dog was put down after this incident.

However to my knowledge there is no single breed where there have not been cases of problems before. What is important is to make sure you select the right pup and that you know what you are doing while you are raising them – a CSW is very different from a Malinois for instance (We live in Brussels and often train with Malinois – they are fairly common around here as Malines is only 20 kms north from here or so).

In any case, good luck – and above all don’t be in a hurry about choosing a dog. Take the time to learn about the CSW (and others breeds!) before you make a decision.

30-10-2005, 17:25	#3
Dharkwolf Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brussels Posts: 201	Dear RaeLee, First of all welcome to the forum. I trust that you will find many of the answers which you are looking for here. As for kids and CSW – well all I can say is that most of the CSW I know are extremely good with children. I know this from both my own dogs and those of others. I personally do not have any children however this is how my dogs have reacted towards children in the past. - young child, no more than three or four runs up to our older female (Cira) and pokes her in the eye. The reaction of the dog? She turns away her head (and gives me a grieved puppy look!) - Walking in the forest we come across a group of scouts – the dogs are a bit of a rarity around where we live so we are rapidly surrounded by children who are all yapping around simultaneously some caressing the dogs, some showing evident signs of fear, while other just run around yelling in the way 12 year olds are bound to do – the dogs take this in good stride, the pup (8 months old or so at the time) loves the attention and does try to jump at some of the more enthusiastic kids (little squeals of joy follow on all sides) the older dog just licks any child who cares to get close enough to her and shows themselves to be friendly. - Stroll in the park with a friend, who has a kid in a pram (10 months old toddler) whenever the kid gets a chance he grabs a fistful of wolfdog fur and squeals in pleasure. The reaction of the dog? She sticks close to the pram and actively guards it from anything which she deems to be threatening. We keep an eye on her though to ensure that guarding behaviour never goes beyond a low key growl. - Today – sitting in a park, quietly reading a book, dozens of kids running around the dogs for hours some would come and run at the dogs, others would run past, some would come and ask about the dogs and wonder if they could caress them – the pup (now 11 months old) still gets a bit excited about things, but the older lass just puts on a show for the kids and lets them caress her all they want (I have to say – she likes to show off) These are just examples of how wolfdogs can behave with children – for some reasons the pack instinct which remains with the wolfdogs seems to extend to recognizing that children are weak and need to be protected – but also that things may be tolerated from children which they would not tolerate from adults. Therefore over time I have formed the opinion that wolfdogs can be wonderful with children. However – a word of warning. Things are not as idyllic as you may surmise from the description above. Wolfdogs can be wonderful with children but that does not mean they will be – they need to be educated and raised in an appropriate fashion for this to be the case. Good socialisation as well as the building of a confident character (through work) is essential. I would be giving a false picture if I failed to mention the fact that I know of some CSW which are actively aggressive towards children (not without reason) and I am aware of at least one documented case where a CSW attacked a child. Both the dog and the child were being raised within the same family – the child was no stranger yet he was bitten in the face – the child will bear a scar for life and the dog was put down after this incident. However to my knowledge there is no single breed where there have not been cases of problems before. What is important is to make sure you select the right pup and that you know what you are doing while you are raising them – a CSW is very different from a Malinois for instance (We live in Brussels and often train with Malinois – they are fairly common around here as Malines is only 20 kms north from here or so). In any case, good luck – and above all don’t be in a hurry about choosing a dog. Take the time to learn about the CSW (and others breeds!) before you make a decision.