Does anyone out there have personal experience with these dog breeds and small child?

Question

Have 2 teenagers and a 2 and a half yr old. What has been your experience with the cane corso, the neopalitan mastiff, bull mastiff, english mastiff, great dane, english bulldog. I know alot from reading about these breeds but want to hear from people who have owned them with children. thanks

Thanks to all those who have already taken the time to answer. You all have been very helpful!!!!!!

Answer 1

I don't know about the others and I don't want to scare you but my Uncles ex had a great dane and it was playing with my cousin when he was i think 3. The dog got a bit too rough and bit my cousins head putting its teeth through his cheek and leaving a flap of skin hanging off his head. My cousin needed stitches. I'm sure the dog didn't do it on purpose but I think they are too big/rough for very small children as they don't know their own strength sometimes
Having said that if you are careful with them and they have lots of exercise they might be ok. My neighbour had one and the only problem they had was that it took a chunk out of their pet chicken! they had kids but I don't remember how old they all were. Some were young i think.
Hope this helps. You need to teach dogs to be gentle with children from the start and make them realise they are not playing with another dog but something fragile.

Answer 2

I own a Bulldog, and have four small children ages 9yrs, 5yrs, 3yrs, and 1yr. My bulldog is great with my kids. She is very laid back and never gets really hyper even during play time. My youngest was born after we had our Bulldog for about 2yrs, and I never had any problems with the dog and new baby. She did not seem to get jealous or anything. She would even get off the couch if someone went to sit down on it with the baby. I must say I think she favors my 3yr old. My 3yr old was an infant when we first got our dog, and the dog would follow her all over the house as she crawled around. The closest she has ever come to being mean is when my daughter wonder out of the back yard to the front yard, and I had not noticed. Well this man who was out on a walk came up and started trying to talk to my daughter, and was telling her to come to the fence. I do not know if my Bulldog sensed something was wrong or what, but all of a sudden my dog started barking and growling really loudly(totally not like her). I relized then that my daughter must have wonder to the front yard while i was helping her brother. I ran to the front afraid the dog had hurt her, and the dog was standing between her and this man just growling at him. As soon as my dog saw me, and I picked up my baby, she stopped barking. The man said he was just afraid she had gotten outside by herself, and wanted to take her to the door, but I am not sure. I think if that was the case he would have come in the gate, since you must enter the gate to get to the door. My Bulldog has never growled at anyone else(before or since) not even the mailman or anyone entering the yard. i think she may have saved my child from a horrible fate that day, and I will forever be gratefull. I also think the dog could sense that the man was not a nice man. Anyway my bulldog still follows the 3yr. old everywher she goes, and I think she would tear someone up if she thought that her or any other member of the family were in danger. That is where it ends though. They are not guard dogs and would probably help someone rob your house if that person petted them on the head, and then leave with them. These dogs love everyone and will love attention from anyone. I think they are agreat family pet, probably the best. Well that is my story. Good Luck and I hoped I helped answer your question. I have very little to no knowledge of the other breeds.

Answer 3

I Have Never Owned Any Of The Breeds You Have Named Off! But I Have Been Told By Breeders And I Know By Research That Great Danes Are Wonderful With Children. They Are Known As Gentle Giants. I Have Always Wanted A Dane. Im Planning On Getting One Next Year.

Answer 4

Hi we had at one stage an english bull terrier and a bull mastiff and both were very headstrong and powerful dogs, the EBT was very stubborn and wasnt great around kids as he simply didnt understand his position in the chain, the Bull mastiff was like a gentle giant, but the kids were always told to respect the dog and dont play tug with them.
The size of a dog isnt the issue, its the lack of training that usually causes the problem, on the otherhand the wrong type of training is criminal.....

www.eurobichons.com

Answer 5

Personally know FAMILIES with english mastiff and great danes. Absolutely no problem. Mastiff is big lovable lug and Great Dane is exactly like the Marmaduke cartoon. Refuses to believe he's huge. Now size is a factor along with strength - things do get knocked over, chairs get swiveled even if you are sitting in them, but all with love! Remember, dogs become the way you treat them. If trained with gentleness and firmness and you become their pack leader you won't have problems. I've had shepherds and shepherd mixes my whole life and have never had problems with my kids or their friends. I wouldn't under any circumstances though leave a child alone with any dog because what is a playful slap to a child of any age can be interpreted (sp) to be an aggressive move to the dog.

Answer 6

I have a 2 yr old great dane, and can honestly say she is the best dog I have ever had!! As far as kids go...she is excellent. I have a 7 yr old and 2 yr old girls, and they both love her to death. She is also great with other kids that come in and out of the home. My dane just looks at me like "make them stop" when they try to ride her around the house! My youngest pulls her ears, pokes her eyes, bites her tail...and my dane loves it all!

As far as some negatives...not everyone likes a dog that large. She is very intimidating to people that arent dog lovers. Also remember that small dogs chew up smaller things. Where a normal size dog will chew up the legs on the coffee table...mine preferred door frames, and counter tops.

As far as my experience with danes...this is what you need to worry about before deciding to go with a large breed dog: Do your research...my dane weighs 145 lbs and her head is about 45 inches from the ground....which means you will need a large yard, and the large kennel. Believe it or not, danes are inside dogs. They cant handle the cold, and dont do well in the heat, but they do still require alot of exercise! They dont make heartworm pills for her weight, so I have to double up....twice the expense. She uses twice the dogfood my lab did, which means her piles are twice as large! Vet fees are double for any minor problems b/c everything is based off the weight.

If you have specific questions, feel free to ask!

If you are unsure, dont get one. Danes are alot of joy, but also a lot of work. Danes are often abondoned, b/c they get too big, or for the expense...know what your getting yourself into.

Answer 7

My friend has a Bulldog (they're not really "English" just Bulldog) and he is wonderful with her older children and my 3 and 5 yr olds. He seems to know when he is playing with the younger ones, as he doesn't growl when playing, nor is he as rough with them. I think if you raise with a small child, from a puppy, and will proper training on your part, this breed could be a wonderful addition to your family.

My friends dog is actually more of a concern with strangers, as he is VERY protective of his family. But with those of us he knows, no problem.

Great Danes are really good with children, but they often don't realize their own size and strength and so the biggest issue is knocking down a child. Again, good training will be of a great help here too.

Sorry, don't know much about the other breeds you mention. Good luck finding the right match for your family.

Answer 8

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Since it is obvious that you do not have a clue about obedience training, your services should be for free. You cannot train even an adult dog for 8 hours a day. About the most that can be done at any one time is 10 - 20 minutes and that is with an adult dog and not a puppy. The attention span on this baby is extremely short and training session should be no more than 10 minutes and twice a day. Additionally, there isn't going to be much learned if you will only be training for 5 days. Obedience training is cumulative and is done over a much longer period of at least several weeks to several months.
What you can charge is determined by your experience, reputation, and accomplishments and in a case like this, should also include guaranteed expectations. Just working with dogs over several years, is not the experience that is necessary to be a dog trainer. There are too many people who are putting that title to their name and fleecing the public. Don't be one of them.

Answer 9

I like your taste in dogs. I love all of these breeds, except that i have never met a cane corso. I have not had any personal experience with these breeds and children. But i have met a lot of these dogs. The only one that i am uncertain of is the cane corso. But the rest of them, if you get it as a puppy so it is raised around children, it should do absolutely great with children. They are all gentle giants. My only advice is to take them to obedience so you are sure you can handle this dog when it ends up being 120 pounds. And also, with these large breed dogs, i would wait until your youngest gets a little older. Large dogs like this, especially when they are in their clumbsy growing phase, can easily knock down a youngster, and possibly hurt them on accident. If you do not want to wait to get a dog, i would suggest the english bulldog. They are great dogs, good with children, and not too large. Good Luck finding your new dog!!!

Answer 10

Warning about the Cane Corso. It's similar to the Pit in temperament. If not trained properly, Canes can be terribly vicious dogs. Just like with the Pit though, it's the owner, not the dog. Canes have earned themselves a terrible reputation (and lawsuits)...they're just not as well known as the Pit.

ADDED...I'm coming from a research standpoint. I am a Criminal Justice major and have studied this breed extensively as well as the lawsuits involved. Read up on the Cane Corso if you are really interested. You will find that Canes need a FIRM alpha to keep them under control. Just like Pits, they CAN make WONDERFUL family pets, but it takes a strong owner. I'm not downplaying the breed, just giving the FACTS. I personally think they're awesome dogs that just aren't meant for the average Joe. You better know something about them before you jump into getting a cute pup.

ADDED (again).... I apologize for my goof....I was thinking Pressa Canario, I didn't mean to insult the Cane Corso. (I won't drink wine while giving advice anymore LOL!)

Thanks for pointing out my error Dragon fly!

Answer 11

I know from personal experience with a bull mastiff they are so good so gentle so sweet with kids. My parents got one when I was about 2 1/2 and that was the best dog I have ever known. I would get one in a heartbeat if I didnt have my hands full with a basset.