i rescued an orphaned pitt bull. she is a few weeks old and being fed by bottle. i want to keep her but i have a small child and i hear so many horror stories. can pitt bulls be good family dogs if raised in a loving environment and propperly trained?
2007-09-17 19:24:00 · 21 answers · asked by mypurpleelephant 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Well of course they can! When raised correctly any breed is a wonderful family pet. Just do some research about how to properly raise the breed and educate your child about how to properly treat a dog.
When you do those things, ANY dog of ANY breed will be wonderful.
These are some wonderful videos about Pitbulls:
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=vL1trl1FMUw&mode=related&search=
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=mmwaHMzgrKk
2007-09-17 19:48:23 · answer #1 · answered by Shanna 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Yes Yes Yes!! I have a 13 month old daughter and a 11 month old Pitt Bull. My daughter pokes at her eyes, grabs her nose, throws rattles at her and even crawls on top of her. My dog just lays there and continues to sleep! My daughter will lay on the dogs belly and my dog will rest her head on my daughters lap. It is the cutest thing in the world! Pitt Bulls have a higher tolerance than any other breed, easily trained and very friendly. I live in NYC and everyone comes up to pet my dog and she sits there shaking her tail with a big smile on her face. Just get a few Pitt Bull behaviour/training books, lots of love & exercise and she will be your families life long companion!!
2007-09-18 03:32:32 · answer #2 · answered by danielle_ceb 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
OK, here is what I know.
I have an APBT that was three years old before she ever saw a baby. She has always loved everyone that came to the house. Bad manners and jumps on everyone, except kids.
When my daughter came to visit for the time first with my month old grandson she sat him on the floor in his carrier. My Pit went over and checked him out and then laid down next to him. She stayed there for the next hour. Did not leave his side. I guess that is why they are called the "Nanny Dog".
Now that my grandson is a year old when they come over the Pit will go to him and put her head in his hands and let him pull and play with her ears while she licks his toes.
You are raising a baby Pit with you child and they are going to be the best of friends.
A Pit is the best family dog you will ever find!
2007-09-19 06:46:07 · answer #3 · answered by Tin Can Sailor 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes! I have a Pit Bull and even though she was never around children growing up, she is very gentle and understanding with the kids we introduced her to recently!
My neighbors have also had Pit Bulls for as long as I have known them and even with 3 toddlers and 3 pit bulls in the yard, everything was perfect!
These dogs LOVE people when they are treated right and make wonderful family pets. Actually, my friend has a Pit Bull and a Chihuahua... guess which one bit their 2 year old last week causing him to get stitches? The chihuahua did! out of jealousy because mother was giving the son attention and not the dog. I could never imagine a Pit Bull getting jealous like that, every Pit Bull I have known sits patiently and waits for their turn!
My Pit gets along with everyone including cats, ducks, rodents, and other dogs.
2007-09-18 03:23:29 · answer #4 · answered by Susan 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes! They are suckers for attention. The more people to love on them and play the better. They can be very good around small children. You must teach them not to jump on anyone whatso ever at a small age. I'm warning you they will feel like a mastive when they are full grown even though they will only become medium sized they are pure muscle. They can knock down a full grown person easily. No jumping and you should be fine. They are not violent and mean and whatever else you heard dear. They require a firm hand well voice but you know what I mean. K. They are very smart and easy to train. They will do ANYTHING for attention and love. They crave it. Lots of love no jumping and a firm hand equals good dog.
They are not good guard dogs by any means. Sorry. They just plain suck at it.
2007-09-18 05:18:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes they can, it really upsets me when people automatically say pit bulls are mean attack dogs. Pitt bulls can be very sweet and gentle dogs. They make wonderful pets if they are raised and trained right. My friend is in a wheel chair and he has a pit bull that has saved his life many times, never leaves his side, and is the sweetest dog on earth. Thank you for not automatically getting rid of her because she is a pit bull, good for you. And bless you for rescuing her. Have a great day!!!
2007-09-18 02:38:11 · answer #6 · answered by Sara Beth 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Yes. I just adopted a pit mix myself and she listens to my 3 & 6 year old daughters. She is very sweet and loving. She just wants to be treated as part of the family...ie going on family outings. We take her to the park all of the time and she loves it. We put her in the bike chariot with my 3 year old and take them for a ride around the park and they both really enjoy it. It made me pretty upset when ppl at the park started giving her dirty looks because she was a pit bull. Pits have always gotten the bad rep because of their owners and now that dumb football player has just heightened the intensity even more about pits. As long as you treat her with lots of love and respect, you shouldn't have any problems.
Take her to obedience school at an early age and start training her the right way. Petsmart has a gaurantee on their obedience training. If your dog fails, they will let you take the course again. If you live in Houston, there is a place called pup scouts that offer free classes. http://pup-scouts.com/
Also start socializing her with other small children and puppies and animals if possible. This will get her used to being around them. If they are not used to being around them, it will become unfamiliar to them and when you are unfamiliar with things it may cause aggression and frustration.
2007-09-18 02:50:34 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
I feel very strongly about my answer to your question. Yes, there are many good natured loving pit full dogs out there, and yes, they can be properly trained and make great family pets. BUT...they are genetically wired to be guard/fighting dogs and as you know, there are reportings of pit bulls in the news on a regular basis. WHY IN THE WORLD would you take a chance with your small child if you even have any hesitation or question in your mind whether your pitt bull would make a great family pet. When in question...follow your maternal instinct and PLAY IT SAFE!
2007-09-18 03:36:11 · answer #8 · answered by Cynthia 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋
hire a good trainer and start training asap
yes, they can be great family dogs if properly trained
however the same could be said for any other breed:
a chihuahua who hasn't been trained wouldn't be a good family dog because he would bite, however, his bite wouldn't be likely able to kill you
pit bulls are bigger but the concept is still the same: good training makes a good dog
congrats on the baby pit, she must be precious
2007-09-18 02:54:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
i have had pitts for a long time and kids for 19 years and have never had a problem with the dogs and the kids
dog are only bad if they are treated badly if you want a loving dog be a loving owner
2007-09-18 02:38:04 · answer #10 · answered by debrasearch 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋