Help!....My son wants a dog!

[clucky3255]

HAHA poor mousy!

LOL!

 

[gg706]

Thank You ALL! Such WONDERFUL advice!!! I knew I could count on my BYC friends! My husband and I DONT really WANT another dog.....that said I do have time etc. to take care of another dog. Although I will hold steadfast on my contention that it IS my SONS dog...He MUST provide most of the care. Otherwise I think the lifelong lessons are lost. If all else failed I WILL care for the dog if necessary......take it in as one of the family and be quite satisfied, although rather disappointed in my son. I will not get rid of or attempt to rehome the dog if my son does not do as promised. He is only 9, so promises are hard to keep....but I will be there every step of the way.

 

[gg706]

There seem to be ALOT of Pit Bull full bred and Pit Mixes here in our rescue dog organizations.......any thoughts on that??????

I didn't really think of accepting a pit into our family as my child's dog...but most....seems like 90 percent of the short haired dogs are pit or pit mixed....NOT sure here in Georgia. Anyone have experience or advice on Pits?

 

[Paigej]

I have three. They're pretty smart dogs and very eager to please. They need an owner willing to train them and keep their minds busy and they need a moderate amount of exercise. Mine are all couch potatoes in the house but very active outside. We do obedience, agility, conformation, and weight pull with ours.

 

[gg706]

Do you think they would be good with a child. I have "trained" dogs for obedience since I was 10 and am a VERY good pack leader.Which IS kind of a problem as they all seem to follow me...... I see dog language, that others don't see as any big deal.....but my kid is new to all of this. Do you think a Pit mix is a good "starting"dog? I am concerned about the aggression and the dog bonding to me and NOT to my son as other's have brought up.

 

[leadwolf1]

Personally, I would not pick a pit or pit/mix for a child. As you say, there is just too much 'dog language' there that can be missed by a child. I have no personal problems with pits and I think they can make great pets. I just wouldn't want my child to start out with one as his first dog. I currently have 3 akitas and a shiba. For the most part, I am lead..except for the one male that I mentioned. I love my akitas and personally think that they make wonderful pets. That being said, I would not recommend or encourage any first time dog owner or child to try and handle one.

 

[Paigej]

You don't have to worry about anything lol...kids to pit bulls are like or your favorite thing times a MILLION.

The American Pit Bull Terriers come from Staffordshire Terriers in England who were known as nanny dogs back in the day. When they were bred for fighting in the states any dog who would bite a human was culled so the breed leans more toward dog aggression than people aggression and those are completely different things. Most terriers are more dog aggressive than other dogs and it's completely manageable if the dog does have it to some degree. If you get your dog from a shelter it will be temperament tested with people and dogs so you'll know what you get with that particular dog. I say go for it...but I'm a little biased I can't wait to raise my future kids in a pit bull house.

 

[gg706]

WOW, I have some things to think about.....They DO temperament test them at the shelters here but at Animal Control they DO NOT.....so it is up to you and family to make it work or see if it works. I guess I would DEFIANTLY need to get a puppy at Animal Control to "form" it into our life. per say....or a pup or adult at the shelters as they temperament test. We do have an existing dog AND cat so the new dog will HAVE to accept that as part of the deal.

 

[gg706]

Sounds like possibly IF you get the right one...it is a match made in heaven..IF not it could be a nightmare!

 

[Paigej]

I'd recommend going with an adult that's temperament tested and good with other dogs since it will be your son's first dog. With any puppy whether from a breeder or a shelter you have a general idea but never really know what you'll end up with. Good luck with whatever you choose!