Help my friend's child won't come in my house because of my dog

my next door neighbour has a 6 year old and so do i they want to play together but he is scared of my black lab puppy she is 10mnths old, and very bouncy, i have taken her to puppy training and she will respond to the basic commands (sit down stay come leave ect) but gets very excited around children
can anyone help with how i can get them together as the little boy asked me to help him get to know tilly so he can come play.
i thought about puting her on the lead and maybe giving him a treat to give to her but then im scared incase she jumpes up or nips his fingers

Not really sure if i can help but just wanted to say good luck and hope it goes well. I was petrified of dogs as a child. A dog got under the raincover on my pushchair and licked my face when i was a baby, i was very very frightened for years after that. (i appreciate that doesnt sound very scary!!! but as a baby and having not met a dog before it frightened me very badly). I have 2 dogs of my own now but i'm still wary of other dogs although obviously a trillion times better than i was as a child.

I do still have that little bit of dread in my mind when going to someones house who has a dog. I think you need to make sure there is always the option for the little boy to go to another room or get away from pup if he's not feeling comfortable with the situation and time will do the rest.

Good luck xx

If he's very worried, would you consider keeping them apart when he plays at your house? I know it's not ideal for you because you probably don't want to feel you've had to segregate your dog but if it helps the young lad come around to play ...?

When I have children here, my dog has the kitchen to himself, separated by a child safety gate (I can shut the door too). He's big and very lively and I wouldn't want him knocking them over when he gets excited.

I would keep them apart till the child and the dog are older. They are both babies.
When they are a bit older and the novelty has worn off you can have more control of the process. In the meantime, socialise your pup so he learns to greet newcomers politely (teach him to sit for greeting and a reward).
Maybe it would be a good idea to explain to the little boy what you are doing and why? When he is older he can help teach the dog.

I personally put my dogs away when my kid relatives visit. Kids that have no experience with dogs aren't going to like three bouncy dogs slobbering all over them. I just walk them, shut them in the kitchen and give them a bone; then they just sleep until the guests are gone.

That's sounds very sensible.

It's one thing having a laid back adult dog with small children around, or sensible dog-wise adult people around young bouncy dogs, but small children & bouncy adolescent dogs are never going to be a good mix without constant supervision & an expectation that, with the best will in the world, accidents can happen.

The high-pitched excitable noises, coupled with erratic running around & rough & tumble games (& that's just the children!!) are going to be far too much for a young dog to ignore. Of course the dog will get excited & want to join in (or possibly be scared & want to get away if it's a nervous dog) so it would be much better to make sure the dog has had plenty of exercise & stimulation & then put it in a quiet room for a snooze.

Another alternative would be to ensure the dog has plenty of exercise/stimulation then is left with a chew stick in a quiet are but only as long as the children promise to stick to quiet, sitting down games e.g. reading, drawing, puzzles, quiet computer games etc. If the children are sitting quietly & the dog is tired, then you'd have a much better chance of them mixing together in a calm way.

Or, possibly take children & dogs to the local woods for a run around?