is it wise for me to buy an english bull terrior? ive got 2 boys 3 years and 4 months and a staffordshire bull

Answer 1

First of all I want to say that half the people that replied to this post need to EDUCATE themselves on bully breeds...if you dont know what you're talking about, keep your mouth shut. Pitbulls, bull terriers, staffies,...they all have a bad name already, and it's ignorant people that don't know how to train them and raise them, that make them this way! it's not the dog's fault that he bites and gets aggressive...it's BAD OWNERSHIP!!

If you want the bull terrier ontop of the staffie, you need to take into consideration that they are both bully breeds and you need to make sure that your staffie and the bull terrier are not dog aggressive. 2 bully's at the same time can be a handful, but my neighbor has 2 pitbulls and she has no problems keeping both of them. I have a pitbull and a rottweiler and they love eachother to death (both males).

Like i said, research the breed, especially the BREEDER, and just keep an eye on the dogs when they're around your kids. never leave your kids unattended with the dogs....that's when bad things happen. I'm not doubting your parenting, i'm just reminding. I support the bully breeds very much and i dont feel that they should get banned because of ignorant people that dont know how to raise them! if you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Answer 2

There's one problem that no one has mentioned so far; introducing a new dog into the home upsets the status quo. Things may be fine now, but two dogs have their own problems to sort out between each other as well as having to fit in with the humans. You will have to deal with dominance issues between two bull terrier breeds.
Plus a 4 month old baby is not a human to a dog. Its small, wriggly, makes squeaky noises and smells interesting.
All dogs need to be taught that babies are baby humans. Your dog watched you go through pregnancy and hopefully figured it out.
Recent events show that not all dogs can be trusted to either figure it out for themselves or be trusted to behave well.

I would wait until your youngest child is at least 6 and only consider going ahead if s/he can be trusted to act well around the dog, to follow simple instructions such as 'no' and leave the dog alone when its eating and in its bed, and not nervous around dogs.
I would also look or a breeder that socialises their dogs around small children.
Then be careful to get the right sex. If your staff is a female then don't get another female.
And I wouldn't do it at all until you can safely handle and control your staff.

Please think twice, I know you are attracted to this breed but there is so much that can go wrong and you'd feel terrible if anything did. Try to be content with the dog you have and concentrate on training her to be a great family pet.

Answer 3

Please please think very carefully before going ahead, recent headlines should suggest this breed of dog is not one best suited to being in a family home with young children. I know you have another who you probably adore but a new introduction could be a much higher risk. I would really love a English Bull Terrior personally but as I have a 2 year old my head really says no.


REPLY TO DAISYPOLT: Thanks for the personal email by the way

If you know all about the breeds you would then know that all the training and great ownership skills you can have and gain the dog would still have a natural instinct. You can never know what situation may trigger a response in your dog just like you can't in a human - do you really think a family home would be the responsible place to have any hunting, teretorial etc dog, do you think a family has the time to spend training and raising the dog? I was not saying that these dogs are liable to attack anything that moves but from the sounds of that ladys situation I don't think that dog would be suitable for her. If you are a responsible dog owner surely you would understand that?

Answer 4

english bull terriers are one of the greatest dogs to own,everyone on here thats saying theyre killers etc doesnt know what they are on about,all dogs have the potential to harm.ive got an english bull terrier and a small mongrel,i also have two young step daughters age 8&10.bull terriers are very stubborn and destructive,it takes a very special kind of dog owner to handle a bully,once youve owned one you will never be without one again,they are the most loyal fun loving and affectionate characters you could wish to be round,they will do everything in their power to communicate with you,steal everything you own,and claim youre favourite chair(you wont shift a bully once its comfy) as fantastic as bullies are we must remember their rather dubious history,they were the ultimate fighting dog and remain a very powerfull and protective dog.i personally would not keep a bully and a staffy i think you could be asking for trouble,even play fighting gets rough with bullies and this could cause all out war between a staffy and a bully.bullies are fantastic with children as they are very tolerant,but i should wait untill you own no other dog before getting into nbullies,when you do you wont regret it and you will never look back

Answer 5

please, people, these dogs are agressive when they are trained to be so. bull terriers (american and english) are one of the most loyal breeds. they are not terretorial, but they are extremely protective of their "people". They are very affectionate and loving animals when RAISED PROPERLY.

If you are serious about getting this wonderful breed, please do your homework and redearch you breeder. Do not get one from a rescue agency, as you will not know its backround and wether it has a history of being mistreated.

If you properly train your animal and teach your children to respect it (as I'm sure they will do, seeing as you already have a dog) then there should be no problems.

Please do not listen to the hype. Yes, historically bull terriors were bred for fighting, but all that means now is that they have a high pain tolerance as a breed. It does not mean they are automatically agressive. That is something that is trained into a dog, not bred. their high pain tolerance means that they are actually less likely than other dogs to snap when their tail are pulled or their eyes poked, b/c it genuinely doesnt bother them.

good luck getting your new dog!

Answer 6

I would not purchase any dog that has a reputation for being aggressive as a family pet. In most cases, when a dog goes bad it has something to do with the way it was raised. But there are incidents where well raised dogs attached their owner. Kids are going to poke, prod, and pull on their pets so I would never give them an aggressive dog. Even the non-aggressive dog may snap from time to time. I would not take a chance. Get them a lab, spaniel, toy terrier. There are many breeds that are very gentle and playful. Your kids and the bull will love them.

Answer 7

There is a lot of replies here that indicate that some people will give their opinion on something that they know nothing about.
Bull Terriers are one of only a few breeds to actually have a mention of their suitability with children.
Bull terriers are loyal dogs who love to be part of a family, they love children, and get along with other dogs very well if socialised.
This breed is very intelligent (unlike some of the people on here) and they love to learn tricks and are very responsive to given comands.
I would say, if your comfortable with having another dog and you can spend enough time with your dogs for exercise and training etc,
then go for it.
I have two Bull Terriers with two young children and can't fault the breed in anyway, and can assure you that if any of the people on here had spent a little time with this breed before trying to put fear into people, their opinion would differ.

Best of luck anyway Buddy and Merry Xmas!!

Answer 8

Personally I would not. I have a fab little staffy but think he would struggle if a new dog joined the pack, especially when he had all these little humans to protect from interlopers!

Would cause your staffy a fair bit of stress, which could make him feel the need to defend his family with aggression.
If you are determined, get a puppy so top dog status is not in question, and watch them all very carefully. But why upset a perfectly happy little family?
Good luck with your decision, you have a lot of responsibility already so think carefully. Hope it all works out.
xxx

Answer 9

all dogs will make great family pets, all dogs are animals. I have two spaniels and I wouldn't leave them alone for more than a few minutes with my daughter, they have never shown any signs of aggression but my daughter isn't aware enough on how to read and respond to a dogs body language.
Neither does she have the height nor the power in her voice or the ability to control the dog through her posture.
Basically, if your son approaches any dog wrongly and the dog, pet or stranger, feels threatened, the dog will attack in order to defen.
Get the dog, but bring it up well, and don't let the children take the piss out of it and don't let them tell it what to do.
the dog will quickly realise that you are pack leader and your sons are your kids and not to mess with them.
the problems arise when children try to exert control over an animal that will attempt to dominate whether they are man woman or child.
Stories in the news recently have told of labs and retreivers as well as terriers and rotties ripping peoples faces off.
it isn't the breed, it is how well you bring up your dog and how well you supervise your children's contact with them.

Answer 10

I have three dogs now and a six month old. I have been told that it is not a good idea to bring in a new dog till the child is 4-5 years old. New dogs are too excited and can snap or bite not because they are mean just because they are young and still learning. They also may not understand their strength. Our dogs are 4-7 yrs old and do great. Your dog should be past the terrible two's before you bring them around a young child and trust them.