I have a son who is going to be two soon. i just got a pit who i a little over two. should i trust her?

Question

I have heard about pits attacking children, but I love the breed. She is very sweet but I am scared to let my son around her. I am worried about what she would do. She is very playfull with me and other people that live in the house, should I let my son around her?

Answer 1

My own sweetest dog in the world...pit bull..attacked my 3 year old daughter..When he grabbed her, he was only wanting to play, but he dragged her across the yard by her shoulder, and shook her... It wasn't because he was mean, but only that he didn't have common inhibitions.
I wouldn't leave them unsupervised..Playing together in the house is likely to be fine, but only when you are in the room full time..if you leave the room, the dog leaves the room..even for a phone call, etc..

Answer 2

Just like we train our dogs, it is also important that we train our kids!!! Our children need to know that pulling on ears and tails is not appropriate. NO small child should be alone with ANY dog! Pit bulls often times have a bad rep! They can make the best family dogs there are!
Understanding the breed of a pit bull and their behavior/requirements is the reason that pit bulls have a bad reputation! PEOPLE often do not understand this or provide the proper care. Socializing your pit bull is something that should of already been done, and needs to be done regularly! I often tell people to take their pit around the neighborhood to meet the neighbors! It is good socialization for the pit, as well as lets the neighbors not be afraid of your dog! It is a normal instinct and problem that comes with the breed to have people automatically fearful and cautious. By not knowing your pits upbringing, it is important to make sure you understand and can provide the breeds needs!

Answer 3

Never leave them alone together, as with any breed. Pits are fine if they are trained well and supervised. Please see below.....

In recent years, pit bulls have gained more than just a foothold in the public awareness. Unscrupulous breeding and negative media attention have resulted in many apartment complexes, neighborhoods and even counties imposing bans on the breed, citing them as "inherently dangerous" to the public.
But did you know that pit bulls, despite the fact that they were originally bred to fight with each other, were also bred to be trustworthy and friendly to people? These dogs actually earned the nickname "nursemaid's dog," because they were so reliable with young children.

Today, however, the breed often attracts the worst kind of dog owners--those who are only interested in them for fighting or protection. It's a shame what has happened to this loyal and affectionate breed-but as the pit bull population has increased so rapidly, shelters are now struggling to deal with an overflow of image-plagued, hard-to-place dogs. And despite its illegality, people are still training and breeding pit bulls to participate in dog fights in cities and towns across the country.

Answer 4

I had a pitt bull myself and love the breed. I come from a large family with cousins ranging from 8mths-27 years of age and we never had a problem with them around the little ones. Right now we have 4 pitts in the family and call them family (they even paw the b-day & x-mas cards).

If you son and the dog have never met before, introduce them outside of the home. This will make the dog less likely to try and protect thier territory. Also make sure to keep an eye on thier inter action. Make sure your son doesnt come running towards the dog. And please dont let your son "pat" the dog on the head. Most breeds hate this!!

And like with any animal, watch them. And remember there is no such thing as a bad breed, just bad owners.

Answer 5

common sense says what?.....NO... dont leave a two year old around a dog in any circumstance......the dog may not mean to hurt the child but if it is stepping on the dog,pulling ears ect.the dog will finally say "enough" and do what it would do to an annoying pup...now I'm not saying to isolate the dog just be very careful in introducing them and always supervise ....also does the dog have a background of being with children....if not then at 2 years old with no kid experience you need to be very,very,careful....I would never adopt a 2 yr. old dog into a home with small children because it is taking a big risk not fully knowing the dog...this would go for ANY breed....a bite from a poodle can be deadly on a 2 yr.old....PLEASE use your head and dont put your dog or child in a bad situation

Answer 6

I have two pitbulls, one who is 2 and one who is 7. Since you got him at an older age, I would suggest contacting the previous owner to find out if he was around smaller dogs or children growing up. If there was not a lot of contact with smaller dogs or children you should monitor the dog's temperment. Lot's of people think pits are vicious which they most definitely are not. They have the ability to be dangerous if they are raised in an abusive environment. It's kind of like picking on a guy who is a bodybuilder. They don't go around punching people, but if you punch them they can hurt you, lol. The age of two for pits is when they start to become more mild and out of the whole puppy stage. If it were a puppy, you would have something to worry about, since they like to playbite stuff when they're young. But at two they are pretty calm and friendly. My dogs have never bitten anyone and are quite friendly to children they see outside.

Answer 7

First of all, if it's possible, find out if the parents of this pit
are related to each other or not. Though this sounds weird, it happens all too often. If they "are" related, I would not keep the dog, and here is why. The pits that are related to each other are most certain to bite/attack, than the one's that are not related, and it usually starts happening when the dog is around one to two years of age. It has to do with their brain. Second, before people started breeding brother/sister or father/daughter pitbulls,
the pitbulls were wonderful family dogs...very gentle. So do your homework and maybe go from there. Good-luck

Answer 8

NEVER leave a child that young alone with ANY kind of dog.
Your son is too little to know how to treat a dog, he simply can't help but to accidently pinch the dogs ear or pull on its tail or mouth. Now the dog may put up with this behaviour or the dog might maul your son... Do you really want to take the chance of finding out though?
Just so you know, A labrador or cocker spaniel is just as likely to bite a child that age as a pit bull. Its not because your Pitt is Vicious, it just can't stand being hurt.. and since your kid can't controll himself yet.. any dog could hurt him.

Answer 9

Wow, I was just discussing this same issue with a friend yesterday! My oppinion on that is that I wouldn't even think of taking a risk with my kids. The chances might be slim that anything would ever happen, but the slighest chance it whould, isn't ever worth the risk. In fact I wouldn't take the chance having a dog until my child was at least 5 or 6. When they are better able to understand how to behave around them. I got bit by my grandmothers dog when I was 3 years old. I never forgot that.

Answer 10

Pits are very UNPREDICTABLE. They have been known to be in the family for years and just snap as well as being in the family for a short time and snap, and all it takes is one quick bite and God forbid you have a two year old who is no match for a Pit if it clamps down. Please appreciate the dog from a far, I am sure you would rather have your kid around then a dog. My friends pit was part of the family for five years and one day it attacked his 4 yr old girl and almost tore her calf off. So needless to say, get rid of the dog or if you choose get rid of the kid, your choose and a easy one keep the kid