5 1/2 year old all of a sudden afraid of family dog ??

[pittsmom]

My 5 1/2 years od sun is all of a sudden very fearful of our family dog. The dog is a large lazy lab that we have had since she was 6 months old- she is 8 now- and my 4 and 5 years old have grown up with her. They can pull on her- ride her like a horse and she loves every minute of it. She is as gentle and great with kids as any dog could ever be. She has never made an agressive move toward anyone. Out of the blue - he will not be in the same room as her, get near her, feed her or walk near her. He says "she follows me around" and that he is afraid she will bit him. I have asked him if she has done anything to make him afraid and he has said no. I asked him why he is afraid and he says just that- she follows him - it makes him nervous. I asked him if he had something happen with another dog that scared him- the answer is no.  Is this something to be concerned about ? Should I just ignore it and hope its a phase that will pass ? My 4 years old daugher is still attached as ever to the dog so no issue there.
He is in general kind of a nervous child - he worries a lot but I have never seen him fearful of any dog.
Thanks for your help.

[mom@homenow]

I think something did happen with the dog that he is afraid to tell you about. Not knowing your son, that's just my opinion. Even the most gentle, tolerant dog will snap or growl when scared or provoked enough, and if indeed they "pull on her" and "ride her" in play, he may have overstepped the boundary with her when he wasn't supervised. Also, she may not have been meaning to be defensive at all, she may have nipped him in play if he was rough, just like dogs nip each other. He has reached an age where in her mind he is no longer a baby to be tolerated like a puppy, and she is no longer young she has reached middle age and may be getting weary of the rough housing.

[pittsmom]

Oh wow! Thank you for that response. I never thought about that and I bet you are right. I have been so focused on the fact that she is so gentle that I never even considered that maybe he had been too rough with her and she responded to him with a playful nip or something - I mean she weighs 85 lbs  - shes a big dog - and maybe he just saw her in a different light. I will ask him about that tomorrow. Thank you so much for your perspective on that.

[AlfTheAli3n]

Yes, maybe your Son had a mild 'encounter' with the dog, and it left a lasting shock, and I don't doubt the shock would have carried into bad dreams, which to a five year old, could be just as real.  Your Son is wise to be cautious of the dog, the dog could cause some pretty nasty damage, but given that he's known for being friendly, then I wouldn't discourage playing with each other, so long as it's 100% supervised.