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Dog barks at kids

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ToodlesDoodles

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Hi everyone im new and im not sire where im supposed to write this.
Well i live in a culde sac and i have to park away from my house. All the neighbourhood kids play on the green right outside our house and if i take my dog out she barks...mainly because they never give her space..they rife their bikes and scooters straight at her so she has now developed a fear of these things and the kids. Now ive got to a point wherr im worried to take her out when the kids are out there which in the holidays is all day every day and its starting to really get me down. I cant afford a trainer. And if i try to do it by myself i just think im gonna look like an idiot who cant train her dog. She is perfect in every other way but im struggling with this now. Please help.
 
Poor girl, she probably has had a scare. My dog feels the same about scooters. There are a few things you can do.

First, be quite firm with the kids. They can be asked to not ride right up to her, past her at speed, or take her by surprise. Tell them she is afraid and ask them to give you some space as you go in and out.

Second, can you borrow a scooter from one of them, or from someone else? If so just have it sitting somewhere. If she looks at it, use a marker (a clicker is ideal but a specific, unique word works too, like "yissss"). Then give a fabulous reward. If she approaches it, Mark and reward. Practice indoors with the scooter lying still, then outdoors with the scooter still.

After that, can you have her on lead, in your garden perhaps, but far enough from the children that she isn't barking? If so, continue with this and the watching so you are rewarding her for watching the scooters quietly.

Don't rush the above steps, expect it to take several weeks depending on how long her reactive behaviour has been embedded.

When she is doing all of the above successfully ask the children to ride past slowly at a distance she is comfortable with. Reward her calm behaviour.

Over time you can ask the children to very gradually reduce the distance and increase the speed (one step at a time, maybe alternating) until she is calm with them.

Hope that makes sense.
 
Thankyou for the advice...but my main worry is the chikdren themselves. I habe asked them numerous times to give her space etc and they find it funny and do the complete opposite. I feel like a prisoner in my own home when they are out there. Its not even just the scooters anymore. She is scared of the kids because they run close to her screaming. But i have no other way out of my house. I have to go past these little shits.
The parents dont care either.
I did get a trainer a few years ago and she got really good but then they do something else and put her back to square one so im finding it difficult.to keep trying.
I just want to move house but i cant afford to.
 
It makes it a lot harder if the kids are uncooperative. Can you carry her past? I would probably feel the need to carry a big walking stick and accidentally point it in their direction (oops, they took you by surprise) if they got too close. Sorry, I don't have much experience of children.
 
I wish i could carry her haha. She is too big sadly. She is a weimaeraner x springer. She is better on the way back in if we distract her with a dentastick lol. But on the way out she is excited anyway cos its walkie time and as soon as we open the front door shes barking at them.
I feel like im failing her because shes not getting the walks she needs when the weather is nice and kids are off school.
 
Are you in the UK? It might be worth asking you local pcso to have a word and explain that teasing the dog isnt funny.. Makes it more offical than you asking or shouting at them.

I have to say in most cases its a lost cause though because the parents have less manners than the kids and your best bet is to avoid confrontation, not get wound up(or at least dont let them see you get uptight) and make plans to move.
 
Though it would be a pain, would it be possible to walk her really early, and possibly late at night? (Though I wouldn't be surprised if the children are up at all hours.)

It might help if you could video the children on your mobile phone as evidence for the authorities. But then again the children might become more belligerent, so use your judgement. Another approach could be for the PCSO to talk to all the parents in the cul de sac. Sadly, again, the parents might be as unhelpful as the children.
 
Yeh we are going to get oir house valued soon and see what options we have. A neighbour complained the other day saying they shoukdnt be playing football out there. Their estate agent spoke to the parents and the parents response was to buy the kids a set of goal posts to put up.
 
I think in the summer i will try to get up at sunrise on my day off to walk her. I work 6 days a week so hard to do this when working. And the kids are often oit there til its dark. Its also annoying for me cos of the noise. There's aboit 10 out there at once so u can imagine the screaming.
 
That is so sad to hear, especially when you haven't got the support from the parents. Have you tried bribery?? Tell the kids there's a bag of crisps or sweets in it for them each time they give you and your poor dog some space, mind you that could get expensive and the kids would probably take the sweets and still be a***holes!! Um, a cattle prod maybe??? It sounds like a nightmare situation, moving sounds like a good option...
 
Welcome to the forum. I can sympathise with your situation. As a thought, you might be able to report anti-social behaviour anonymously* via your local authority's website.

* Depending on how you access the internet and your level of knowledge, it might not be as anonymous as you think.
 
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