Have 2 children, fiance wants a pit/lab mix?

Question

We have 2 young children, and my fiance wants to bring home a pit/lab mix from a friend. He is good at training dogs, and insists he's seen the puppies and they have more of a lab personality, but I'm still wary. Anybody else have pits or pit mixes and successfully raised them with children and other dogs? I have a small mixed breed terrier, and I'm afraid a pit mix would harm the children or my dog.

Answer 1

Pit bulls have a tendency to be dog/animal aggressive, and this trait may come out in a mix as well.

My suggestion is to introduce the two slowly, and make the first encounter off of your property and walk them together, on neutral territory.

Never leave them alone...always supervise. Even if they seem to get along perfectly, because you never know what and if a fight will be triggered.

For the best chances of success, they need to be opposite sexes, and both need to be spayed/neutered to help control/ward off aggression.

I have 2 American Pit Bull Terriers and one heinz 57/pit bull mix, and my children are 2 years and 4 years. You must train your children how to behave around dogs, just as you have to train your dogs how to be around children.

Make sure you check on breed restrictions and bans in your area, and if you are renting you may not be able to keep a pit or pit mix on the premises.

Golden Rule of Dog Ownership, regardless of breed: Never leave small children alone with any dog, for any reason, or for any length of time, no matter how short!!!

Good luck, and I hope things work out for the best! Get your dogs spayed/neutered affordably through http://www.friendsofanimals.org to help keep any aggression down, as well as to avoid any accidental pregnancies.

http://www.libertydogtraining.com

also, visit http://www.pbrc.net for a lot of great info!!

Answer 2

My son had a pit bull several years ago. He got it as a puppy and it was raised around kids and another, older dog. The pit bull was a male and the other dog was a spayed female.

He was the best dog with kids --one of my grandsons was just a baby when the dog was grown -- he could do ANYTHING to the dog and it would just sit there and take it. My other grandson decided that the dog's crate would make a nice clubhouse --so he would go into the crate and push the dog out!

The pit bull never bothered the older dog. I will say that later on my son had to give the dog up as his living situation changed. The person who took the dog had beagles and one of them challenged the pit bull and was killed.

I think that any dogs raised together will work out who the top dog is and there might not be a problem. And a puppy raised as part of the family ( and NOT chained in the back yard all the time!) will be good with children.

Both pit bulls and labs are very intelligent dogs --that should be a good mix

Answer 3

There is nothing wrong with any breed of dog. It is how it is raise and trained. I have worked in the pest control business for 6 years now. I have gone into yards with pits, rotties, and every other breed of dog known to man. I have been bit three times. Once by a weiner dog, once by a poodle, and once by a terrier (which I had to go the the emergency room over). The big dogs are usually the biggest babies!

Just two days ago, I saved a pit bull from bring shot by a sheriff's deputy. The dog "attacked" the man's mother. This is probably the third time that I ever saw this dog, the second in the same week that he got loose. So, I questioned the dog on the "attack". The stupid creature started licking my face and then rolled over on his back and showed me his belly!

The deputy, then calmed down enough to tell me the so called attack was the dog jumping up on his mother. This was poor training, not a mean attack. The dog in question was only 10 months old and his female companion was in heat, so he was just acting like a typical male.

All this being said, pit bulls are not bad dogs, they just need to be properly trained. However, if you are afraid of the dog, then don't get it. Many of the big breeds mistake fear for aggression. They can't tell the difference, that is why there are problems. If you consider getting the puppy, go meet it. Once you meet the puppy, you will be able to judge for yourself if you will be comfortable with it. Don't blame the breed for a few bad owners and bias media coverage.

Answer 4

It is a serious question. Pits have developed a bad reputation, but it's my belief that the OWNERS are mostly at fault, not the dogs. The thing with them is that they are large, heavy and powerful. They have a high-pressure bite meaning that their bites can be more serious. Young children are often bitten in the face and seriously injured because they are closer to the dog's mouth. They also have a tendency to be dog aggressive and can drag a small person right into a fight with them, or hurt someone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. You say your fiance is "good at training dogs" but what does that mean? What training methods does he use? All dogs, and especially the powerful or aggressive breeds like Rotties, Shepherds, Pit Bulls, Akitas and American Bulldogs should ONLY be trained using positive reinforcement, never punishment. They should never be left chained in a yard, and they should have plenty of healthful exercise and socialization right from Day 1. Punishment and chaining can make any dog aggressive and he may strike out unexpectedly when he's had enough. Exercise and proper socialization, plus positive obedience training are critical to raising a mentally healthy dog.
Meanwhile, your first duty is to protect your children. There are LOTS of dogs out there that might be a good choice for your family. If you are uncomfortable with this particular mix, don't do it. You'd never forgive yourself if someone got hurt and you hadn't spoken up to prevent it. It's a tough situation.and I wish you all the best in coping with it.

Answer 5

My suggestion would be have your kids spend some time with them before taking her home to see if she's gentle enough with them. Even the nicest dog can play too hard.
Also generally, FULL bred pitbulls can be amazing dogs for children. I've seen many pitbulls stand on guard while the children play.
My pit/mix has had a puppy bite his face, tail, legs and probably ever inch of his body and barely showed a sign of annoyance.
All the horror stories you hear about anything "pit" is from neglectful and ignorant pet owners.
If the dog is raised correctly, there's no reason why you and your family won't absolutely love this dog.

Answer 6

I have two full pits and my sister who lives with me has a yorkie and I also have a 12 yo son and a 4 yo nephew here and my dogs get along very well with everyone. My pits are the most well behaved gentle dogs I have ever had. My female lays on her back so the yorkie can play with her. And my male is the 4 yo's shadow. They have never even so much as growled. It's not the breed that is at fault for their reputation, it is the owners to blame. Good training=Good dogs.

We also have 8 different cats that come and go and they have never tried to hurt them. A few of the cats even share the dog bed with them. I am not saying every dog is perfect. Some dogs are unwilling to get along with anyone or anything. You just need to get it as a small puppy and raise it the way you want it to be.

Answer 7

If the dog is a puppy straight out of the litter and not pre owned, with training and positive influence there is no reason why this couldnt be a loving, safe, family dog. Pit bulls can be very aggressive toward other animals but if they are bought up with them they actually are very protective of the other animal. And you couldnt ask for a better dog to be raised with kids. Have no fear, the dog well blend into your family perfectly. Just make sure that you train it well because large dogs can do some damage accidentally if excited. Trust me i grew up with great danes and got bowled over more often than not (it taught me not to over excite the dog then run off not expecting to be chased all they had to do was clip me on their way past and i went flying).

Answer 8

Pit bulls at the beginning of the last century was called the nanny dog for the way they adored kids. There is an extravagant amount of bad information out there about Pits and Rotties. Did you know that the American Temperament Test Society rates their temperaments at above average and at about the same level as Golden Retrievers?? Here’s how they stack up along with some other popular breeds:

Average Rating of all Breeds in this study: 81.0%
Cardigan Welsh Corgi 76.8%
Shih Tzu 76.9%
Old English Sheepdog 77.8%
Beagle 78.2%
Cocker Spaniel 81.5%
Rottweiler 82.3%
Golden Retriever 83.2%
American Pit Bull Terrier 83.4%
Mixed Breed 85.1%

In the ATT test, a dog is put through a series of confrontational situations. Any sign of panic or aggression leads to failure of the test. The achievement of pit bulls and Rottweilers in this study disproves once and for all the old tired belief that they are inherently aggressive to people. (Thanks to Bad Rap Pit Rescue for this resource)

To be fair, these dogs aren’t for everyone - no one breed is universally appropriate for every person. Pits and Rotties, like every dog and dog owner, should go through at least basic obedience training together. Pits and Rotties require a lot of activity, a lot of love and attention, and an owner who understands dogs or is willing to learn. They are loving, loyal and gorgeous dogs. Don’t believe the hype!

Answer 9

contrary to popular beleif a pit is probally better around kids than any other dog, its in a pits blood line to be agressive towards other dogs not people, its because of the strength in their jaws and the infamous lock jaw they have that people will train these dogs as attack dogs on people, these dogs were trained for how many years to be people friendly, now from what ive read about labs theyre good with people too, so youll probally be ok, but like the website i was reading said labs have a puppy mentality until theyre 3 years so dont leave them alone with children ( as with any dog ) because puppies teeth are sharper and puppies are a little more playfull and energetic than grown dogs -

as with all dogs regaredless of breed theyre either going to be aggressive towards another male or theyre not, i have a female that is agressive twoards males, and my mom has a male that is full grown and isnt agressive twoards males at all unless that male goes at him -

i do have pits and american bulldogs and small children around them constantly, my neices play with them their daddy owns a pit, my mother owns a bulldog, and never once have they even looked at a person like they were going to attack or thought about attacking - even when a friends child or children come over the dogs are fine, -

Answer 10

Well- I have met a couple of pits or pit-mixes who were actually very good natured. But unless your fiance is VERY good indeed, I wouldn't want to gamble with the kids' lives, if the dog should go bad.