My dog growled at my neighbor's child

Maybe your neighbor or her daughter spooked her. Did she rush at Akiko with her hand outstretched or do something similar? Some dogs find that a bit scary.

She approached her slowly, and did not have her hand out. She isn't loud or hyper like a lot of kids can be. As an update to this, Akiko has now growled at a second child- around the same age. I was talking to my other neighbors- Akiko came right up to both of them and started licking them even though she has never met them before. Then their young son came outside (maybe 6 yr?) and I could see she was getting nervous. She started running behind me again and seemed afraid and defensive. When we adopted her from the shelter they said she was good with kids, cats and other dogs, but had no information on her background to give me even though she had been adopted and returned twice. Now I find out she isn't good with cats and maybe not kids either.. She is part of the family now, and will stay no matter what, but I don't want this behavior to continue or get worse. Is there anything I can do?

I'm thinking that something in her history has spooked her with kids.  Were there commonalities?  Like size, scent, etc?

Nobody mentioned eye contact.  A hard stare (people do it all the time, looking intensely at something new) will trigger such a reaction in dogs.  The thing to do, watch for the kid outside.  Prepare by having liver, chicken, cheese, etc, all ready in the freezer in the small size ziplock bags (snack size, maybe 15 small finger nail size treats).  When the kid  is outside, go out with the dog on lead.   Find the distance the dog watches VERY calmly.  Every time the dog looks at the kid, feed a treat.  Empty the treat bag, go back in the house. ( you can repeat multiple times during the day, be careful you may need to adjust the amount you feed normally to deal with the extra calories)  Over time (3-4 weeks) slowly move one step closer to the kid.  When your dog can be outside and not even really look at the kid, should be looking up at you because this kid means the cookie machine turns on, start looking for other locations with other kids to repeat the procedure.  Team practices, school playgrounds and swimming pools are great options.  Start far way, move slowly closer.  I would not push the issue for petting for a good long time.  Just let the dog get  comfortable from exposure to many many kid situations.

GOOD catch, mrv!

thanks[]

You can also try having the neighbor's child tossing treats to Akiko. This, IMO, causes less tension because the dog KNOW something good always comes from CHILDREN. This way the dog doesn't just tolerate other kids because she has to, but rather because she wants to.

I'm thinking that something in her history has spooked her with kids. Were there commonalities? Like size, scent, etc?

The kids were about the same age, same weight/height. The kids I have allowed to pet her without problems in the past were probably a little older in hindsight.

Prepare by having liver, chicken, cheese, etc, all ready in the freezer in the small size ziplock bags (snack size, maybe 15 small finger nail size treats).

This is a good idea, but my dog is not food oriented when she is outside. Even with the extra special treats she hardly ever gets.. I'm afraid to take her to the park- where there are lots of kids- even if I keep my distance, the kids will still be able to see the dog and likely want to pet her. Unfortunately there are a lot of irresponsible parents that aren't watching their kids and sometimes telling a kid "no" doesn't work. However, I know avoiding the situation won't help at all.

I know this b/c my friend has a 130lb rottie that is not good with strangers, kids or other dogs and is very food posessive. Instead of working on this, she has simply avoided these situations. Now she has to walk him very early in the morning and late at night to avoid passing people on the street or seeing kids.

I will try to get the neighbor's kid to throw her some treats though, maybe if she associates him with good things it will work. Thanks for the advice.

Keep offering the treats,,, when she begins to show more interest you will have a clear sign that she is getting more settle and relaxed.  Just extend the time line,,, she will take the treats at some point and you will be able to set up the positive association.  Respectfully, dont have the kids toss treats, that motion could be problematic.

ORIGINAL: belgmal_girl

You can also try having the neighbor's child tossing treats to Akiko. This, IMO, causes less tension because the dog KNOW something good always comes from CHILDREN. This way the dog doesn't just tolerate other kids because she has to, but rather because she wants to.

I really like mrv's suggestions, too.  But there is an added benefit to having the child toss a treat onto the ground.  Dogs start looking for the treats, guess where?  Yup, on the ground.  So, kids approach, dog looks at ground - not as much chance of the kid making such direct eye contact, nor of the dog jumping on the child. I am not suggesting a really obvious toss (good point from mrv on that being a problem for some dogs) just that the kid lightly toss a treat that is easily seen - you can tell them not to stare while they do it.  Also, the child is at least 4-5 feet from the dog, whose owner should be standing on the leash so the dog cannot reach the child.

Your dog may have been well socialized to a particular gender or size (some dogs like toddlers, some like older kids).

I am having a similar problem with my dog. I got her about 5 weks ago from the breeder. She is a sweety but... at first she didn't bark at all and now she tends to bark at the younger grandchildren (12 and 5 and very dog friendly and knowledgable), barked at a toddler outside and in general just seems very child shy. Actually she is pretty much people shy, but even more so with children. Now I don't think she has been around children at all so all the above adice is very helpful. She doesn't try to bit, thank goodness, and once the children pet her she licks their hand but isn't big on being petted so we are taking it real slow. She also is not food motivated even with the most delectable treats. I think the grandchildren's feelings are hurt that she doesn't seem to like them much but are good sports and have been following my direction in dealing with her. Persnally I wouldn't care if no child petted her except the granchildren but think the exposure will help her get over the grands. Guess we just keep at it consistently? 

Keep in mind too that just the way that kids move can be a little weird to dogs who've mostly been around adults. Running children really weirds Conrad out because when they run they sort of do so haltingly with their arms at their sides, sort of dragging their feet on the ground. He reacted to some kids running to school this morning (he is always on leash when in public) because it just looks weird and threatening to him. Up close, he loves kids once he meets them but just be aware that kids move and smell and act differently from adults in ways that dogs can percieve but humans can't.