Is having an American Staffordshire Terrier a good idea for a family that has kids?

Answer 1

Yeah, if you adopt one that is labeled good with children. There are a lot of American Staffordshire Terriers in shelters right now because they weren't allowed to keep it where they live, neighbors complained just because of the breed, not the temperament. Look through this list for your state to see if any are near you.
http://search.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi?pet.Animal=Dog&pet.Breed=American+Staffordshire+Terrie&pet.Age=&pet.Size=&pet.Sex=&location=35220

Answer 2

A well bred Am Staff, from a reputable breeder; is one of the best dogs you can have with children.

Originally bred to fight other dogs, they were NEVER allowed to bite humans in the dog fighting pit. Humans had to handle the dogs used in the Pits and if a dog bit a person; they were culled (yep, that means what you think it means) from the breeding program. There were also considerable financial penalties for the owner of such dogs. Surfice to say that biters were not tolerated and never survived to be bred.

Severe, maybe. But what it did do is produce a gene pool of dogs bred to never bite a human being. Other dogs, yes. But never a human.

Know right up front that this is a breed who must be well behaved from the get go. This means obedience training done right!!! No "cookie" classes for this dog. To be a responsible owner and advocate for this breed; your dog must be under your absolute control at all times.Check out www.koehlerdogtraining.com; they may be able to refer you to a trainer in your area. Koehler training is the way to go with this breed.

On the other side of the coin; the dogs making the headlines today have several things in common. The biters are ill bred mix breeds, often times neglected and abused, quite often trained to attack people and almost always owned by irresponsible and/or negligent people.

If you want an Am Staff do your homework carefully!!! Do not buy from a newspaper, or the guy down the street. The AKC site (www.akc.org) has a breeder referral page, which would be a good start. You might also find a Yahoo Group devoted to Am Staffs; where you will find breeders who would welcome the opportunity to help someone new to their breed. The Am Staff also has a national breed club, which you could probably find on Google.

Do your research and you will find an excellent family pet. Good luck.

Answer 3

The American Staffordshire Terrier and the American Pit Bull Terrier are the same dog. "Peaty" of "Our Gang" was dual registered as the two breeds.
They have been known as the "Nanny Dog" because they are so great with children.
The Pit Bull was the most popular family dog from the 1920's until the 1950's. They have fallen out of grace in recent years because of the ghetto mentality that has taken them as their killer dogs. Any report in the media of a dog attack is a Pit Bull. If it is another breed it does not make the news.
When my daughter brought my one month old grandson for his first visit she sat him on the floor in his carrier. The Pit came over to check him out with a sniff. She then laid down next to him and stayed there for the next hour, she would not leave his side. When he got older she would put her head in his hands and let him pull on her ears while she licked his toes.
The Pits are the greatest family dogs!

Answer 4

I'd say only if you train it, and socialize it very well. Take it to an obedience class, and train it. Get it neutered, and never leave your kids unsupervised around it, Children poke, and prod, and hit dogs. Children just generally provoke them, unknowingly, often causing many bitings, or attacks. American Staffordshire Terrier (a.k.a. pitbull) are very intelligent, and loyal dogs. If treated well, raised well, and trained well, It holds the potential of being a very good family dog, but any dog that is untrained, and is poorly taken care of is a danger to any family.

Answer 5

You will get a lot of opinions here. I have a stafford and he is the best dog, these dogs are easily trained and that's where the problems lies. To many they are like bling, a must have. Sadly a lot of these people enjoy teaching them to lock there jaws, they enjoy making them aggressive this is when accidents happen. ITS DOWN TO HOW YOU TRAIN HIM, and I would suggest you get a dog not a *****. The bitches can be a bit more temperamental. They are good dogs and they are good with children. Good luck.

Answer 6

Yes they are great family pets b ut make sure you get one from a reputable breeder. Ensure it is health tested and registered with the ANK.

Answer 7

not a good dog but get a lab