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Anyone Ever Come Across This Before?


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My friend Ben's boy Niles has recently become completely besotted with babies in prams. He is nearly nine years old and he has been with Ben since he was two.

 

He was terrified of children of all ages when Ben first got him (despite the kennels saying that he loved them), I can vividly remember him standing in the middle of the road blocking traffic from both directions because there was a group of rather noisy schoolchildren walking down the pavement (sidewalk).

 

It started recently when a young woman that lives in the next street had her first baby, she also happens to own a cute little JRT who was one of Niles best buddies when he was younger, but she moved away for a while and we didn't see her or the little dog for a while. When she had the little one I would stop to chat to her while I was walking Niles and Chrissie for Ben and that was when Niles started to show an interest in the baby. Now when he sees her he rushes up and just stands looking into the pram all googly eyed! He doesn't do anything, just can't take his eyes of her. There doesn't seem to be anything predatory about it and he doesn't do a lot of sniffing like he's loving a scent associated with her.

 

He has even started to be interested in other babies in prams and in slightly older, toddler aged kids. We passed a little girl with her Mum the other day and he was wagging his tail and looking really pleased to see her and to my knowledge they had never met before....it was so cute, the little girl was waving to Niles and his tail was wagging so I told her he was waving back with his tail :wub

 

So has anyone ever come across anything similar, a dog that has gone from being downright scared of children to being almost obsessed with them? As neither Ben nor I have kids he hasn't ever really had to deal with them much and we have avoided mostly letting kids want to pet him in the past (why do they always want to pet the biggest dogs?) so it's not like he's become socialised to them.

<p>"One day I hope to be the person my dog thinks I am"Sadi's Pet Pages Sadi's Greyhound Data PageMulder1/9/95-21/3/04 Scully1/9/95-16/2/05Sadi 7/4/99 - 23/6/13 CroftviewRGT

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Interesting! Could be the exposure you gave him allowed him to figure out they're not scary??? Can't recall one who showed fear of kids and then got over it in that way. Have known several non-greys who were aggressive/reactive toward adult strangers and other dogs but could spot a child (any age) 5 blocks away and start the full-body wriggle about it.

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Guest Scouts_mom

Strange. My Scout was also interested in babies in prams, but that was because she was obsessed with stuffies. She learned early on that babies/little kids often have their favorite stuffies with them. After she actually stole a teddy bear out of a pram, I learned to be super vigilant when we were meeting kids.

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Strange. My Scout was also interested in babies in prams, but that was because she was obsessed with stuffies. She learned early on that babies/little kids often have their favorite stuffies with them. After she actually stole a teddy bear out of a pram, I learned to be super vigilant when we were meeting kids.

 

He's never been into stuffies...he used to play with a ball or frisbee when he was younger.

<p>"One day I hope to be the person my dog thinks I am"Sadi's Pet Pages Sadi's Greyhound Data PageMulder1/9/95-21/3/04 Scully1/9/95-16/2/05Sadi 7/4/99 - 23/6/13 CroftviewRGT

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He was terrified of children of all ages when Ben first got him (despite the kennels saying that he loved them),

Maybe he's coming back full circle? Since the kennels said he loved kids, perhaps there was a bad incident just before Ben got him that put him off kids. Then the good association with his friend the JRT and baby is helping him overcome the fear?

 

Whatever it is, it sounds endearing.

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Guest normaandburrell

We have grandkids that visit often. Both our greys took to the grandchildren very quickly, and actually appeared to prefer children over adults in a very short period of time.

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Maybe he's coming back full circle? Since the kennels said he loved kids, perhaps there was a bad incident just before Ben got him that put him off kids. Then the good association with his friend the JRT and baby is helping him overcome the fear?

 

Whatever it is, it sounds endearing.

 

It is rather endearing...except that Niles is a bit of a "mule" and when he digs his toes in there is no moving him, and that is exactly what he does with babes in prams :lol

<p>"One day I hope to be the person my dog thinks I am"Sadi's Pet Pages Sadi's Greyhound Data PageMulder1/9/95-21/3/04 Scully1/9/95-16/2/05Sadi 7/4/99 - 23/6/13 CroftviewRGT

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It is interesting. Jeffie is terrified of children out in the park (screaming, throwing balls, using the flying fox etc) and is generally extremely wary of them when we meet them walking along the road, so I was very cautious about introducing him to the twins, who were born in May last year.

 

We needn't have worried. Obviously it was a good idea to introduce them carefully and slowly, but right from the start he's been fascinated with them. Even when they were being sat on the table in their car seats as tiny babies (don't worry, under close and constant supervision by parents) he would try to reach up and touch their feet with his nose. The first time we put them on a duvet on the floor with a babygym, Jeffie crept on to the duvet and went peacefully to sleep next to Phoebe. Now that they're on their feet, he doesn't waste an opportunity to lick them; faces, hands, feet, whatever he can reach. He honestly seems to be very taken with them! I can't see a trace of aggression, prey-drive, fear or nervousness. He's still the same with older children out and about, but he's now quite interested in babies and toddlers. It's as if a light went on and he said 'Oooohhhh! They're tiny humans!' and I think he feels protective.

Edited by silverfish

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'Oooohhhh! They're tiny humans!' and I think he feels protective.

I honestly do think there is a element of this with Niles.....Sarah, the baby's Mum adores Niles and has said that she is quite happy for little Evelyn to have Niles as a "Dogfather" :rofl. I just worry that others Mums might not be so understanding when a very large Greyhound approaches them and their offspring! :lol

Edited by scullysmum

<p>"One day I hope to be the person my dog thinks I am"Sadi's Pet Pages Sadi's Greyhound Data PageMulder1/9/95-21/3/04 Scully1/9/95-16/2/05Sadi 7/4/99 - 23/6/13 CroftviewRGT

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