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He lunged at a child!

1K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Rain 
#1 ·
I am absolutely mortified. Comet, our 2 1/2 year old lab mix lunged at a child for the first time while on a walk today.
For some background, Comet is usually great with kids. We have several nieces and nephews who he gets along with great. He also has exhibited leash aggression toward adults in the past, which we have been working on (see http://www.dogforum.com/dog-training-behavior/dog-calming-products-273538/). But he has never had a problem with children while on walks.
Today, when we came out of the house for our evening walk, there were several kids outside riding their bikes and playing. One of them was a child who on many occasions has pet Comet in the past. He is a young kid (maybe 5?), but he always asks permission and in the past, we have had Comet sit, and treated Comet when the boy pets him. The boy knows Comet doesn't like to be pet on the head and makes sure to pet him on the back or the shoulders where he is more comfortable. Today, we followed this same routine, but when the boy turned to return to his bike, Comet lunged at him and actually made contact with the boy. As soon as it happened, I pulled Comet back and he barked at the boy until I pulled him back further. It startled the boy, but no other damage. The boy told us Comet did not bite him and my wife, a teacher, checked his arm (his sleeve was dirty where Comet made contact with him) and there were no marks. The boy said he was fine and with no evidence of anything but bad behavior, both sides continued on their way.
I have been freaking out ever since. This is a clear regression after we had been making some progress with his training. What can I do? I am getting to the point where I am afraid to take him out. This was a child that he didn't have a strong relationship with, but did know and had let pet him with no incident before.
 
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