I hope so too, I have dogs and there's no reason for them to be in the garden all the time. There are a lot of kids in my neighbourhood so I only let them loose in the garden once it starts to get dark, then most of the kids have gone inside. During the day I'm either out there with them or I take them to a dog park. I hope your neighbours aren't selfish about this.

I see this with so many children. Yes I understand why the children are afraid of the barking, but a lot of the time parents make their children afraid of dogs.

I have two ideas. One, arm the kids with dog treats and have them make friends with the dogs (get your neighbor to help). Two, put up a wooden fence that the dogs can't see through.

My 1 year old is scared regardless of my attempts to show him that not all dogs are dangerous. I don't let him think that he can just go up to any animal though, but I don't terrify him either.

My 1 year old is scared regardless of my attempts to show him that not all dogs are dangerous. I don't let him think that he can just go up to any animal though, but I don't terrify him either.

Let us know how everything works out.

Is it just me or did OP comment the same comment twice?

People need to understand that most kids are terrified of dogs because they're probably unfamiliar with them. My dog (chocolate lab, very friendly) is a lot bigger than a 1 or 2 year old and his tail could probably knock them over, even though the worst my dog could do is lick you to death. I really hope you're neighbours are understanding of your situation. Dogs don't need to be outside all day, Good luck OP

Have the kid safe one's of you guys' lap, while the other parent plays with the dog. Or invite your neighbors with the dogs and ask them to show you how the dogs like to be patted. Let your kids used to be with these dogs but able to "ignore" them.

Invite your neighbors with the dogs and ask them to show you how the dogs like to be patted. Have the kid safely watching from one's of you guys' lap, while the other parent plays with the dog. Let your kids used to be with these dogs but able to "ignore" them.

Best of luck OP! I've had bad experiences with my next door neighbor's dogs before. They barked at all hours of the night, and they sounded like they were trying to kill each other; this was not an ordinary bark (which I could have otherwise tolerated). After my next door neighbor ignored my family's numerous pleas to keep the dog inside or get a no-bark collar of some kind, I eventually ended up calling animal control who then gave her a warning. The dogs stopped barking about a month later (I think her daughter now has one, so they can't "fight" with each other).

This is so common. Ten years ago, our neighbors asked us to take care of their dog while they went on vacation. When my mom and I went to feed the dog, she started chasing me and I started running up the steps. The dog actually tackled me and my mom tried to help me but she couldn't get the dog off of me. I was traumatized for a while. One of my Girl Scout friends has Down syndrome and she's terrified by dogs. She once refused going into our leader's house to go to the bathroom because the dog was inside.

Hope all goes well.

My sister's pitbull is the same. The bad thing about his tail though is that he can't feel it so he'll hit everything, including some guys manhood.

Why just pick up and move for kids that don't even know how to "play" a 2&1 year old? What were they gonna do? Crawl on the grass? Resulting in your next FML saying how you thought lil bobby was eating chocolate but it turned out to be dirt from the backyard? Parents these days jump to the dumbest ideas

87 - Guessing you never had kids from your ignorant comment. My niece was walking at 1. Hell most are able to start walking before the age of 1 or later. 1 and 2 years are very capable of playing. Running around playing with toys the parents most likely bought for their children. Plus, I highly doubt they would keep their children unsupervised.

You may need to get a more expensive fence that can block out the neighbors yard. My ex neighbors would deal drugs and their yard was trash so we paid to have a bigger fence installed with their permission.

It's hard to try to convince anyone, not just a child, to not fear dogs anymore. Many children are terrified of dogs when they're younger because to them they're creatures who can make loud noises, jump up, or lick their face--- all are near the top of the list of terrifying things for many children. Forcing a child to pet a slobbering dog may only make her more afraid and could turn her dread of dogs into a lifelong phobia

Just remember, they probably bought that house so their dogs could have room to play in their backyard. While they should train the dogs better, it is unfair to execpt them to stop using their backyard for the purpose they have it. They have as much right to their backyard as you do to yours, and they were their first. It's not their fault the realtor lied to you. I do wish you luck. Hopfully this whole thing can be worked out in a way that makes everyone happy.

Please shut up. Your opinion is as irrelevant as mine

If no compromise could be made with the neighbor, maybe It would be a good idea to plant some tall/thick shrubbery in front of the fence? I hope everything works out for you all!

Didn't read all the comments so not sure if it has been said before, but something that helped with my family is we put up a wooden fence. Not sure if you are able to do such but it blocks the dogs from sight and it seems to help out a lot. Just food for thought. Good luck OP

87, you're a complete idiot. You don't buy a house for a year. The young age is irrelevant. They will most likely be living there for years, and the kids will grow up. I really hope you don't have kids.

A fear of dogs is healthy for little kids. They don't have good judgment of a friendly dog vs a wild or diseased one so until they grow up a bit I think it's okay. I would be cussing out a realtor though.

Yes, let's lock toddlers outside with something that terrifies them. That's what all the BEST parents are doing!

she didn't say whether they were toddlers or teenagers.

Actually, she did.

She said they're 1 and 2. Not exactly teenagers.

How would researching to find out if your potential neighbors have dogs or not help? That could always change. They can get a new dog anytime they want before or after you move in.

Oh bullshit. The neighbors were there first. The dogs didn't hurt them, if OP really doesn't want her kids around dogs she can move.

idiot. People are allowed to have dogs. Dogs bark. They moved there knowing there were dogs. The size is irrelevant, all dogs bark.

A small dog ,say a shitzu, is a lot less terrifying than a large dog, i.e. a Doberman, Rottweiler, or Pitbull.

**** wrong post

I was right the first time. Ian stupid today aren't I?

94- I would rather hang out with Dobermans, Rotties and any other large breed you can think of over those little yappers. Most of the time, the little dogs aren't trained properly because they're small and cute, and do minimal damage if they do bite. The only dogs I've ever had a problem with have been Jack Russells, and I've been around dogs my entire life.