Leaving children alone with dogs

Following from comments made on the dog attack thread, and also the same comments mad at other times on this forum..i thought i would get peoples views on children and dogs together.

What do you think is acceptable...either in your own home or visiting etc.

For instance, i have no concerns with leaving noah with my 2 dogs. Obviously its not for long- just if i pop upstairs then i dont think twice about leaving them in the lounge together... its the same if im say, washing up in the kitchen or cooking- the doors are open so the dogs and noah can come in and out but they usually stay together in the lounge.

If i thought for one minute either noah was going to bother the dogs(he has no real interest in them) or the dogs would act in any way aggressive towards him then i wouldnt do it and would actually struggle to have the dogs in the house with him.

I would say i know my dogs well enough to see any warning signs- which ive never seen as noah doesnt bother with them.
noah is 2 1/2yrs btw

so would you ever leave your child alone with your dog?

p.s. i would never allow noah unsupervised contact with a dog other than mine.

I concur 100% with your policy! We know our dogs and our children so no major worries in a safe home environment.

I would not leave a small child alone with a dog. Small children are often noisy and unpredictable and can't be trusted not to touch a dog when no one is around. They also have a tendency to prod and poke and squeeze too hard, so it is asking a lot of the dog and the child to leave the two together.

My dog is fine with my kids as much as they try to get him up to mischief! If I'm in the kitchen again the doors are open, sometimes Max comes to lie down and watch me, other times he'll be in with the kids, I'm not concerned about him doing anything to them but my little boy has been known to encourage a bit of "bumdancing" otherwise known as bedhumping. He shakes the corner of Max's bed till he can't resist it then comes telling me tales.

If I have other people's kids in the house I will call Max out with me because it's sods law that's the time he'll decide to jump on someone and scratch them or something. I have no concern over him doing anything aggressive but he's just a bit of a plonker at times

My son is 8 by the way not little as in little........and my daughter is 14 and as big as me!

my kids are 16 and 18 so yes, i would leave them alone with my dogs.

when they were younger i don't really remember leaving them as i would always be around. having said that i wonder never, ever leave anyone else's child with my dogs. it's not the dog i don't trust, more the child. i wouldn't want to put my dogs in a vulnerable situation like that or risk them being hurt.

Fudge is sometimes alone with the kids but I am normally hovering nearby.I feel completely at ease with this but would not leave any othe children unattended with her.

I would happily allow my kids to sit with the dog, I am always pottering around, anyway. Any dog can bite, so obviously, I'm aware of that x

both my kids are adults now but i wouldnt leave any child under 14yrs alone with my dogs.

its just too risky.

Of course my children have been left alone with my dogs. What - am I suposed to take the dogs (or kids) into the bathroom with me?
Crawly kids are plonked in playpens when you can`t supervise them and babies in cots..while you make the beds or fry the sausages or whatever. But because small kids get themselves into trouble, not because my dogs are waiting for me to leave the room so they can eat the little beggars.
Other people and their children are not trusted (by me) alone around my dogs because people are silly.

i dont have kids, but id NEVER ever any one elses kids alone with my dogs, just not worth the risk, my dogs mean too much to me