I'm thinking about getting my 8 yr old and 10 yr old daughter a pit bull...should I ?

Question

I grew up with pit bulls. I absolutely loved my dog! He was so lovable and obedient. However, I have always had my reservations about owning a pit bull while my girls were young. Not because I feel that the breed is vicious. But because their bite is so deadly and it is extremely hard for them to let go once they latch on. Even while they are playing as puppies their little teeth get caught on things. Anyway, my girls are older now and would not stand at eye level with the dog now which was a huge concern for me. My only concern now is that my 8 year old is very hyper and her touch is rough. We had a **** zu that used to snap quite often at her. I know that a pit bull would not be so quick to snap as a **** zu is. But, I would like to hear the thoughts from others that own pit bulls with hyper children lol

Answer 1

I think that the fact that you have any doubts at all pretty much answers your question all by itself, without having to ask for opinions from others who don't know you or your children.

Not much beats a mother's instincts regarding her children. You only have 2 of them. Even if you were to have more, the ones you have now are irreplacable should anything bad happen...no matter how remote the odds. You just have to ask yourself....is that really a gamble you're willing to take? Or would you rather go with a breed that is incapable of maming or killing a child? (At least when they bite, they are giving you a warning. Once a pit bull 'warns' you, it's too late....simply by virtue of their physique and jaw structure.)

Pit bulls can be GREAT dogs. But I would never allow them to be around children....simply because the CONSEQUENCES if anything happens are too tragic, not because of any likelihood.


ETA: No, not all of us get our opinions from the media. I, for one, am perfectly capable of (and actually quite good at) forming my own unbiased opinions based upon personal experience.....I'm innately a very scientific, analytical, and logical person. I can guarantee that I have seen many, many, many MORE pits of all backgrounds in my 27 years of experience in the veterinary profession than just about anyone here (unless they are in the same line of work or a major rescue organization....not just an individual who does rescue.) I even see more of this breed than many DVMs, also.....because many doctors refuse to see them (but I will), and because these dogs typically respond better to females than to males they don't know. I have had *plenty* of good experiences with this breed. But I am also smart enough to realize that while a Chihuahua, Yorkie, or any other small breed may be actually MORE inclined to bite a child than is a pit bull, I have yet to read about or see a child permanently maimed or killed by one of them. That's not uncommon with pitbulls, however....no matter what the level of training. Again....it's the consequences of what *might* happen that are more important than the rate/risk of incidence. Every single RESPONSIBLE pitbull owner/breeder/trainer I know and have the pleasure of working with recognizes and will tell you the exact same thing. It's the irresponsible people who refuse to acknowledge those facts and adamantly defend 'their' breed no matter what. IMO, that's as irresponsible and unintelligent as advocating leaving a loaded gun lying around the house, just because you yourself have done that for years without anything bad happening. But you just never know when it might go off. Even if that never happens for years, the FIRST time it happens is often too late. The fact that it might have been lying around for 3 years without it happening does not mean it is automatically safe to assume that it never will.

Answer 2

Pit Bulls are great dogs that are so playful but like rumor has it they can be very aggressive around food, toys, and even they don't know they show aggression when playing. But I don't want you to be wrong, they are such great dogs and I don't want to stop you from getting them. Maybe wait until your 8 year old is 11 and your 10 year old is 13 if they still want a dog you can get one then. It also has an advantage since they are older, you would know if they still want a dog and they also have more responsibility so you can get more help. And about the still want a dog thing, usually little kids want a dog so much then when they are older they want to get rid of it so then they won't actually have to take care of it. If you really want a dog, I recommend a beagle, golden retriever, labrador retriever,bulldog, or kuvasz which are all great family dogs and good with kids. Actually great with kids they will want to play constantly but settle down during the night so it makes the perfect companion. Seek looking into these. I hope this article helped you. As you can see, I provided links to all these breeds below and the one with the star next to it is the pitt bull in case these don't interest you. The one with two stars is the website with all the information. And the one with three stars is my dog website which should have some information, it has not been updated since 2004 since I have not gotten any time and also forgot my password. I hope to talk to you again on this to help you sometime soon.

Answer 3

Ok just reading what some of these people have to say makes me mad, of course they get their view from what the media says but whatever. Whether you get a Pit Bull or any other dog, your girl is going to have to learn to not be rough with an animal. My brother is always rough and my chiuahua/terrior mix bites him everytime he comes around now cuz she knows how he is. If you have the right enviornment for a Pit (meaning you dont have to chain the dog and have a fenced in backyard for it to run) then you are on the right track. Definately get the dog spayed/neutered as soon as you get it and then enroll it in obedience classes. Im assuming you were going to get a puppy since your girls are young and would want one. Get the puppy around as many people and dogs as you can while its young and you will have no problem. The reason these dogs "turn" is because there is some factor that makes them do this (whether it is chaining up or constant abuse from small children or an adult). With proper care, these dogs are the best family pet for anyone because they are so good with children. Also if you didnt care about getting a puppy, find a pit bull rescue around you and see if you cant find the right dog for your family from there

Answer 4

I have a 4 y/o and a 7 y/o. I can't say they are of the "hyper" nature but my 1+ y/o pit bull has been STELLAR with them so far. The youngest is actually the roughest with her and she loves him to pieces. I have a pic of my youngest and her with him SITTING on top of her (and they are about equal in weight) and she has the BIGGEST smile on her face.

Any dog's bite can be deadly! And if a dog is intent on biting, any dog can latch on and not let go! There is no LOCKING JAW. It just is not true. Any GOOD vet without a bias on the breed will tell you this.

The only reason I would say no to you getting a pit bull or ANY other breed of dog in this situation is the admission that your 8 year old is the one with the rough touch. She MUST be taught how to interact with other living things and if you can't teach her how to be gentle with a dog, you should not get one at all, no matter the size or temperment. Although, pits would tolerate a helluva lot more "abuse" than most. Smaller breeds are notorious for snapping too so I wouldn't focus just on that one aspect.

My best advice if you are going to get one, go to a shelter and get an adult. There are so many dying out there and the puppies, OMG if you haven't raised one in a while, its a big wake up call lol. I learned that the hard way but we are working things out.

And take both the kids and the new dog to obedience classes.

Sure, some pit bulls are aggressive, but that's not exclusively genetics. And remember another thing, pit bulls were not bred to attack people. They were bred to fight other dogs. And the way the breeders chose their next breeding stock, they would fight them to find out how "game" they were. "Game" referring to their drive. Their desire to please. Their tenacity. The will to never give up. That's where the majority of the pit fighting came from. IF ANY of the dogs they handled showed aggression towards humans, they were most likely put down. In the pit fighting ring, the handler had to be able to trust their dogs not to attack them, therefore human aggression was not a trait they wanted to pass along the generations. Real breeders want to better the breed and preserve the "standard." And the real breeders these days want to do it without fighting their dogs. Or without turning their pit bulls into gargantuan slobber monsters with bowed legs and oversized heads in comparison to their bodies.

Pit bulls aren't for everyone. You need to prepare for the unexpected and take precautions to manage your dog. You need to get to know your dog and learn to read its particular warning signs of agitation. And you need to be prepared to seek assistance if you come across a bigger problem than you can handle alone.

Any aggressive pit I've met was raised to be that way. Period.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Lol S H I T ZU was blanked out. Anyway I would say no. Because those dogs as you probably are very strong, and leader type dogs. You can't predict the temperament of an animal until you get them, and you seem to know how to handle them, but considering you child is hyper, I would go for a dog who's more calm in nature. Like a Lab. I am afraid that your child's hyperactivity would make the dog nervous, and your child wouldn't read the signs of an aggresive dog as well as someone who would be paying close attention. Always make sure your dogs udnerstand their limits, and that you and the kids are boss, so they don't misbehave. I have a chihuhua who's doing the same thing to my 8 yr old.

Answer 6

First and foremost, NEVER leave your kids out of your eyesight with any breed of dog! But please don't judge a pit on the media or stupidity of other people....read 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.

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider a pit for your family.

Answer 7

Pit bulls are known for being tolerant with children. Ours just spent a week with three children ranging from ages 2 - 4. The only issue we had was him accidentally knocking them over when he walked next to them. We rescued our dog from the pound; we picked him because he was friendly with cats. He's over two now and still does well at the dog park.

With any large/strong dog, training is extremely important. Better yet, your children should be involved with the training. It's important the the dog sees all members of the family as higher-ranking members of the pack.

If you do get a pit bull or a similar strong dog, neutering the dog will reduce the risk of aggression issues.

In the majority of news items I've read about attacks involved dogs that were trained to be mean. In the Nicholas Faibish case, he was left alone with a male/female pair that were unneutered (and the female was in heat). It's dumb to leave a young child alone with any dog, really.

In our city, the animal shelters are overflowing with pit bulls and pit bull mixes; I wish I could take them all home. If I were you, I'd consider going to the shelter and looking for young animals (less than 6 months) that show good temperament signs, and start obedience classes early.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I have a pittie and a two year old daughter. They've basically grown up together. We've never had any problems. I'd try to find an adult from a shelter who has been around children before, just so you know the dog is able to tolerate kids. With puppies, you can't really be sure of what you're getting personality wise.


Some of the answers you're getting really bother me. Pit bulls do not have a locking jaw. Their jaw structure is no different than any other dog's. And there is no breed of dog out there that is incapable of biting your child. If it has teeth, it can potentially bite. Pitties are actually LESS likely to bite than most other popular breeds. They are known to be very good with children and have been referred to as "nanny dogs" in the past. Of course, no child should be left unsupervised with any dog. And I'm sure that you know most of these things considering you've owned one before. :]

Answer 10

I have a pit bull and a young daughter. I am also a nanny. My daughter gets the biggest kick out of our Pitt and he adores her and my other kids. My little dog on the other hand is snapping at my daughter and other children. If you want to get a Pitt for your girls I would suggest getting a young one so you can train him. Also I have had great luck with mixes. We have a Pitt/ Boxer mix and my neighbor has a Pitt/ Brittany Spaniel mix. They are both wonderful sweet dogs who get along with each other. A word of caution, they are very protective that is why I suggest a puppy so that he grows up with your girls and knows play sounds from other sounds.

Also, we did "startle training" with our Pitt. While he was sleeping or wasn't looking at us we would sneak up and yell or push him off the couch, or pull on his tail gently.
I know that it sounds mean but when he would jump or wake up we would say "kisses" and he would lick you. It worked well. My 3 yr old nephew yanked his tail one day and my pup licked him.

Do whatever you feel is good for your family. They are wonderful dogs if you get one that fits with your family, which is true for all breeds. Good Luck!!