Why is my little girl acting scared of the dog?

[Parent-of-a-few]

Everyone in my family love dogs. But when we go over to my brothers house, my four year old little girl gets scared out of her mind. My brother has a 260 pound English mastiff, the dog is really sweet. But for some reason my little girl doesn’t want to be anywhere near the dog. From day one, she has just been terrified of the dog, she was really hesitant to meet the dog the first time, she did it. But then I noticed that she was afraid.

why is this? We have a border collie at home and they get along and play together just fine. When my brothers dog starts barking or stands up, or just walks near her, my daughter will run to me begging to be picked up. She doesn’t even want to be in the same room as the dog, even when I’m holding her In my arms, she doesn’t want me to go anywhere near him.

of course I respect my daughter and I make sure she feels safe. But why is she like this?

My brothers dog has done nothing wrong. Why is she acting so scared of him? Like I said we have a border collie at home and they play together. Is she just pretending for attention? This is a super sweet dog.

I always listen to my daughter and pick her up in my arms and make sure she feels completely safe, but it’s not really fun when we have to constantly be thinking about separating the kid and the dog.

[Iona_RO]

Hi @Parent-of-a-few 

Thanks for reaching out for support, it's really great to hear that you aren't pressuring your toddler into interacting with your brother's dog and are there to give her reassurance when she's scared. 

Our forums focus on supporting parents of teenagers, however this article from Raising Children's Network might have some helpful information around why your daughter might be experiencing these apprehensions with this dog. If you feel like your daughter's anxiety persists, talking to your GP or a counsellor might be something to look into.