Bull staff pups are they safe around young children?

Question

I have recently got a bull staff pup, she is about 8 weeks old, I have a 4 year old son and I'm expecting a new baby in the next couple of weeks, family and friends are really trying to put me off her by telling me that they are very jealous animals and because it's a bull staff that she will more than likely bite my son. At the minute she is very friendly, my son is a bit frightened but he likes playing with her, but I've also noticed that she is snapping while playing. What should I do?

Answer 1

No dog irrespective of breed should be left unsupervised with a child.

Answer 2

I am assuming that she is a staffordshire bull terrier?
These are very powerful dogs but there is no reason why this dog if brought up well and trained properly will not be great with your kids.
No dog should ever be left unsupervised with any child especially one as young as 4 - thats labrador or staff etc. This is because they excite each other and can provoke bad behaviour in each other. Properly supervised however they'll have a great time.
When she starts to bite and snap - all puppies do this, its normal - say NO! and stop the game. Teach your son to do the same and she will learn to behave because if she doesn't, the game stops and all she wants is a good game! Also, encourage her to play with toys like balls and ropes and old knotted tea towels. Rough and Tumble games with fingers etc are a very dangerous thing for strong dogs like staffs and children. Accidents do happen and kids are easily scared and hurt. No pushing, chewing games should ever be allowed.
If you stick firmly to these rules your son and pup will grow up together and be the best of friends.

Answer 3

Work with the pup lots yourself to get her trained not to bite or at least not to snap, do this by yelping when the pup bites you too hard, ignore her and then make her sit in front of you to make up. If she is jumping up and snapping yell 'no' at her.

When the pup is old enough take her to a good training and socialisation class where she can play lots with other pups, this is when pups learn the most about biting!

Most importantly ALWAYS supervise your little boy when he is playing the pup, make sure that you are down at their level and that you could intervene quickly if you had to.

All puppies bite but you need to train her not to snap, it's ok to let her nibble your fingers though as this will teach her to be gentle with her mouth.

Perhaps you should ask your vet if this breed is good around young children?! All the best for the new baby and with the pup :)

Answer 4

Puppies play with their mouths, so you should only let them play together when you are playing with them. When she mouths your son, intervene and make it clear its not ok.
Let her mouth a rag toy instead, offer it to her in place of your son or his clothes.

This stage will last for a couple of months so just be patient. You must also never let her mouth anyone else's clothing or hands; make it clear that humans are not to be mouthed but her toys are ok.

Make the play sessions low key. And always take the toys up and put them away at the end - they are your toys and you are letting her play with them.
To teach her to give up a toy without resentment, choose a word such as 'give'. You offer her a fragment of cheese and say 'give' in a friendly, not a stern voice. When she takes the cheese you take the toy and make a fuss of her. When she's eaten the cheese you give the toy back.
That way she'll think you are guarding the toy rather than stealing it from her.

Get your wife to have a teddy bear or baby doll that she treats like a real baby until the baby is born. That way you'll be able to see the pups reaction to the baby, the pup will get used to the doll getting more attention.

Answer 5

every dog has the potential to be a danger to kids and none should be left alone with children for the sake of both dog and child,but if you teach both dog and children where it is they are in your"pack" hierarchy then you end up with well mannered children and a lovely tempered dog,teach the dog its unacceptable to bite by showing its hurt you(it doesnt want to hurt you, its only playing )when it nips while playing dont hit it!just say "ouch" and then ignore it,if it does it again say "ouch"louder then move away from the pup,it will soon learn that by biting you and making you go"owie"brings its game of rough and tumble to an early end and it wont be happy having noone to play with so it learns what the limits and rules are from an early age.staffs are mostly people dogs(i dont think they believe they are dogs at all *L*)they are very loyal and i think are one of the best breeds to own,not highly strung or cowardly like a lot of breeds,the staff approachs you head on it doesnt need to sneak up on you or try to herd you like collies,they are quite cocky in general but are easily trained and give love and affection,they get a bad press but ignore the critics its down to training and how you teach both kids and dog what it is you expect from them.but you are going to have your hands full with a new baby on the way,so im not sure that your timing in getting the dog was great,but as long as you get the support you need,you will end up with a great dog and a great family.i wish you all the luck in the world.but you need to read a few books on dog care and get some more tips on socialising your pup.

Answer 6

these dogs are normally very child orientated and love company,the snapping while playing is normal puppy behaviour all pups do it and its easily trained out of them,every time she nips tell her no firmly or make a high yelping sound as this would be what her litter m8s would do and it would end play.maybe your friends and family are more concerned that you wont cope with a new baby and a pup which will get more boistourous yet.always make sure you never leave your son unsupervised with your pup and make sure she's got a safe place to retreat to when she wants to rest a crate would be ideal for that.good luck

Answer 7

I'm no expert...but only a little bit is down to the breed, the most part i think is to do with how you bring them up.

As for the snapping get the dog trained,that is not exclusive to staffs other breeds can do that to. it just needs be learnt what is the correct behaviour that you expect.

Answer 8

we have a now 3 year old bull staff male and got him when he was just a puppy. we have 2 young daughters 5 and 6, and he has always been very good with them. He definetly has a very good temperment and as lng as their trained properly I think things should be fine. We have never had any problems and the girls have loved him since we got him.

Answer 9

staffies in general are known for being "nanny's little helper". they love kids. However, you dog needs to learn that snapping when playing is BAD. puppies need to know that any mouthing behavior is NOT acceptable, not with adults or kids. hook up with a reputable trainer in your area to stop this detrimental behavior immediately, especially if you are going to have another baby. Aws the owner of a bull breed you have to be extra responsible to insure that your dog is going to be a breed embassador and NOT fodder for further predjudice.

my staff licks every baby/small child who will let her. i would trust her more with kids than with adults. still you should supervise your staff with your kids just to keep tabs on any developing behavior.

good luck and enjoy your staffie responsibly.

Answer 10

If the puppy is snapping I would say you got an overly hyper one who just is going to end up causeing you trouble. Some are fine around kids but, others are very jealous. I had two when my oldest boy was born and they were great with him, very protective of him they both slept at one end of his crib, the only problem was they wouldn t let anyone but me hold him. I am the one who carried him in and showed him to the dogs and I am the only one who didnt get barked at and almost bitten for holding him. needless to say, the dogs had to go. We tried for a minth to break them of this and they had it in there mind. So, I would say its time to get rid of the pup until your kids are older.

Answer 11

First of all dont ever let her put her mouth on your children or yourself. If she does that stop playing with her right then.And if it continues use your hand like another dog's mouth and "bite" her.You can do that on her shoulder or anywhere basically. She needs to know she is not in control of anyone, and she needs to learn to respect all the members of your family.I wish you the best of luck.