What kind of dog is a good babysitter?

Question

Something that you can leave at home with a few toddlers just in case someone breaks into the house the dog can attack them, but one that won't attack the kids?

I hear that if pit bulls are raised properly they are very good with kids. Is this true?

Answer 1

I hope you will have humans babysit your kids.

Answer 2

Okay, toddlers should NEVER be left completely alone with ANY dog without an adult IN THE HOUSE where they can at least hear them.

However, in the case were the family is sleeping at night, the parent is doing whatever in another room (WITHIN EARSHOT OF THE CHILDREN) or whatever the situation may be, as long as the adult is present, ANY breed that has good temperment is good. I would say a beagle. They aren't big, but they do have quite a bark on them, and they have great hearing so they would hear if someone was breaking in and would bark very loudly.
Beagles are also VERY good with kids, but as with any dog they should never be the "babysitter" without an adult in the house. A dog is not smart enough to know if a child is playing with a match or something like that, and wouldn't know enough to take it away from them.

As for pitbulls, if you get a pitbull PUPPY and NOT an adult, so you can raise them around your children, pit's are great. Make sure you get them from a good breeder, though, like someone else said, to make sure the parents had good temperments. Pit's are not the "bad" ones, it's the bad pitbull owners that make the dogs agressive. Raise a dog to be good, it will be, raise a dog to fight, it will.

Answer 3

every pit bull i have ever encountered was wonderfully fond of children. i have two, one of whom i adopted when he was three years old. he had been abused by the people he used to live with, though i'm not sure to what extent. it all depends on the dog, not the length of time you've had the dog. the only danger our male poses to a child is that he may try to lick the poor kid's face off. don't listen to the people who tell you otherwise, because it is obvious to anyone who has experience with the breed that these folks don't know what they're talking about. you can't confuse the amount of damage a dog does when it bites to its propensity to bite in the first place. i babysit two and four year old sisters, and they are absolutely nuts about both my dogs. and the dogs return the affection the girls give them wholeheartedly. the dogs are naturally careful with the girls, and the girls have been taught how to treat the dogs, how to recognize when they don't want to be bothered and how to be gentle with them. i do, however, have to agree with the people who say it's not wise to really leave a toddler home alone with a dog. the child, the dog or both could end up hurt, even with the best dog. they are animals, after all. i mean the dogs AND the kids...hahaha...

Answer 4

I sure hope you're joking...

Never leave toddlers at home without an adult person to watch them.

But as for dogs that are good with kids, I know labs are but they can be a handful when they are young. Pit Bulls can be nice dogs when raised properly but you still might want to stay away from that breed since they are bred to be fighters.

Also, just some advice when you get pets for kids...remember that pets need attention and respect. They are not toys to be given to children. You need to protect your dog from toddlers since they will pull ears, pull tails, etc. Teach your children to be nice to animals.

Answer 5

I hope that when you say "leave at home with a few toddlers" you also mean "leave at home with a few toddlers and an appropriate babysitter!" As a babysitter, a dog lover, and a HUMAN, I know that there is absolutely no way on earth that you can leave your young children at home with a dog. Pitbulls can be good with children, yes, but you should never leave a dog with a small child unless that child is a teenager.

Answer 6

I own a pit bull. My 13 year old daughter comes in the house after school and before I get home from work. I feel comfortable knowing that Max is keeping his eye on her and the house. I would never leave a toddler alone.

Answer 7

Yes it is true that pit bulls can be excellent with children, but any dog of any breed that a person wants to raise around children should first be temperament tested. With a Pit Bull, it's best to get one as a puppy that has no issues of having been abused and which you can have temperament tested as well as know the disposition of its parents.
No toddlers should be left alone even if it is at night and they are sleeping because they can wake up and get hurt. But if you are talking about a dog that will be protective of their family and good with children, yes a Pit Bull is a great breed.
In fact, they used to be called "Nanny Dogs" and that is what "Petey" was, a Pit Bull, and he was the dog that hung around with the little kids in the original "Little Rascals" show.
I have a Pit mix (mother was pure pit, father pit mix) and she is very very sweet and gentle with kids and I would trust her over the other two who are also gentle but have less tolerance for pain.

Answer 8

Pit Bulls are GREAT with children, regardless of what ignorant people say. Irresponsible owners and breeders cause dog attacks, not dog breeds. However you should NEVER leave ANY dog alone with a child- EVER.

I don't care if you have the most docile dog in the world. I have an American Pit Bull Terrier who is great with kids, such a sweetheart. Though I'd still never leave him alone with kids. A dog big enough to attack an intruder is big enough to KILL a child. Please don't do something so irrepsonsible, and please don't get a Pit Bull... they don't need anymore bad press.

Answer 9

NEVER leave small children unsupervised with a dog! It doesn't matter what kind of dog it is; this is considered unlawful neglect because a dog does not constitute as a "baby sitter".

Secondly, most pits are great with kids, but there are some (like mine) that are too high energy to be trusted in a room with squealing, rowdy rompers. They'll jump on the kids, knock them down, scratch them, etc.

Please do NOT leave your kids alone EVER.

Answer 10

I don't think you want to leave the task of baby sitting to any breed of dog. If you are asking what kind of dog works best with kids... that is a hard one to pin down... any breed can be trained to be a good "watch" dog depending upon your expectations of the "watch dog" they can alert you to danger and many other things. I would say labs are really good with kids. Shepard's are good watch dogs but can be mean when provoked. Small dogs can tend to be a little snippy with kids... you know kids like to pull ears... hair... tails... that sort of thing. So what ever you do as far as mixing dogs with kids ... do your research... train your dog well.... and supervised them together for a long time... before leaving them alone. And remember above all else that dogs are not a substitution for human child care.

Answer 11

Get a Lab! They are so reliable if you bond with them right they won't let anybody hurt you. When and if you do get a dog you need to get it trained, make sure you take it to a trainer that knows something. It may cost a lot of money but it's worth it! Don't get a pit bull unless you can train any kind of dog. Not for first time people! You need to be very smart for one of them!