dog is afraid of small children

Question
Hello.  My two year old rescue Austalian Shep mix is a very sweet dog.  Loves other dogs. Loves people. No food aggresion. Happy. Kisses. Not afraid of bikes, cars, noise, or groups of people.  But she is afraid of small children (three to six year old approx.)  She gets nervous and starts to bark and actually growls a little.  The four year old next door comes over when she is outside and I sit her in the stool.  When Sierra comes in she is ok now.  I've been introducing her slowly.  Seems to be working but I just don't trust her since her initial reaction.  Any ideas why (could be her unknown past) or a better way to introduce her to children.  All my dogs have been good with kids.

Answer
Hi Deborah,

If she is barking and growling (even a little) then she is saying that yes she is not thrilled with young children. 3-6 year olds are loud, they don't move fluidly and to a breed like an Aussie, they act like rude puppies in need of herding.

My experience has been socialization to children when they are young is good, but some dogs just don't like kids.

If you can have the child be the pre-cursor to good things (at a safe distance) like handing you the leash for a walk, or tossing treats, then she may gradually accept the ones that are closest to her. But those kids have friends!

You may want to encourage her to leave when she sees kids. And be extra especially careful of that one kid, the one who LOVES dogs and won't respect the dogs space.

If your instinct is to not trust, honor that and make the decision for her-remove her when children come over. Not all dogs like kids, it's when we try to force the issue (with good intentions) that there are problems. I am sorry that I do not have more to offer, but with kids, there is simply no room for error. If they are bitten, it will change their relationship with animals forever.