How do you know if your dog is a child mauler?

Question

I have a pitbull, people say she's a child killer. How can you tell if she'll hurt a baby or not?? I know you can't leave a baby unattended with a dog, but, am I at risk?

My doggy:

http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee334/kwinnypoo/perch.jpg

http://i533.photobucket.com/albums/ee334/kwinnypoo/RAw005.jpg

Answer 1

don't take chances,,,  is your dog a BYB dog/mill dog  or from a reputable breeder with proven temperaments for generations?  and how have you trained her?

Answer 2

Duh, any large stereotypically vicious dog is a child-mauler.  Just look at the proof!

http://xrlq.com/Images/pitbaby2.jpg

http://www.lawdogsusa.org/images/asite.j...

http://www.centerforanimaltherapy.com/ne...

http://www.bigpawsonly.com/dog-images/do...

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/canin...

Those are dangerous animals right there!!  

Answer 3

If you're dog is aggressive and growls a lot and stuff like that, then it's possible. But I doubt it.

People are just afraid of pit bulls because they've read some bad stuff about them. Pits do have a reputation for being violent. There have been a lot of articles about them.

But judging by those pictures, I wouldn't get too worried. She looks very sweet. :D

Answer 4

Some folks just happen to bee having bad prejudgment about some thing they don't even know. That one that knows the least advices most?! I think pets are always individuals, if your dog has no fight background then it's ok. Just buying a pit bulll makes yyou always to spotlight.

Answer 5

Anyone must be crazy to say she is a dog killer.No offense to those people.Does she like or love to spend time with the baby?If she does there is anything to worry about.People say that pit bulls can kill people.It depends if you treat your dog with love and care and looks like you treat it like that.Don't worry.It's your dog you should trust it with your dog.But I wouldn't leave a baby with any kind of dog even a yorkie.

Answer 6

if it starts growling and barking at the child but wiglig its tail then its fine but if its no wagging it tail and starts trying to bite something then i woud not let any childen pet it or come near it

Answer 7

My dog is too-- take a look!

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg37/...

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg37/...

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg37/...

That BEAUTIFUL dog will rip off the babies head! Can't you just tell from that wagging tail and vicious l*****g she does!?

ADD- thx lioness! :)

People just don't get this Q, do they?! BTW, I asked similar Q and got similar answers, but when I asked the exact same Q about my "yellow lab" people told my "Oh, of course not!" http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 8

Wow... you need to hang around better people

A pitbull does not a "child mauler" make. If a dog becomes aggressive it's because of something a human has done, they are not born that way.

And based on your photo's it looks like you have a REAL sweetheart of a dog.

Don't listen to them and if they persist just tell the to shut the h*ll up

Answer 9

Yes, you are ... it isn't necessarily about the dog but about the owner.  Genetic stability of temperament does play an important role but most unprovoked dog attacks aren't instigated soley by unstable temperament as much as ignorant owner unable to properly interact with and read their dog.

Answer 10

Oooohhh....I just love her color.  My favorite Pit Color.

Oh, yeah, definately a people eater.  Make sure you don't give her any raw meat - it'll make her "turn" faster.

Add:  Holy c**p, Phoenix!  I don't think I can even trust my BCx with a bunny - she likes how they taste...lol.  That's pretty impressive.  (Though my cats used to play with my pet rats, so I suppose anythings possible.)

Answer 11

How does your dog behave around your girl now?  Is her body language relaxed, loose, and friendly?  Or does she tense up?  Does she ever stare or growl?  If she's friendly and relaxed and doesn't show possession over food or toys,  the liklihood is probably very low.

I agree, no dog should ever be left alone with a child; children can do painful things without realizing it.

Answer 12

In general  dogs that are raised with children will be of no trouble or danger to their family's own child(ren) However there are circumstances that may excite a dog to hurt a child.Sometimes excessive screaming and running by children can make a dog get too wound up.Also if more then one dog is together a pack  instinct can become present and what one dog does another will follow suit even if it is not normal behavior for the dog.I feel it is best to supervise any breed of dog when children are around,especially when playing.

Answer 13

I would suspect anyone who tried to hurt your daughter would be the one at risk.

Answer 14

First of all, a dog is a dog before it is anything else. A chihuahua and a pit bull are both dogs before they are a breed. A dog is potential, and its owner molds its behavior. If you are honestly concerned with your dog being a danger to the public you need to look at your own raising of the dog. The smallest factors effect him; how you correct bad behavior, your dominance level, health, stress, all sorts of things. Neutering male dogs alleviates all sorts of territorial and aggressive problems, and that is something I would highly suggest.

As far as whether or not your dog is at risk, you need to be able to look at your own care and handling of him and decide for yourself. But as far as just concerning his breed: no. Though a pit can do more damage than a yorkie, it is no more likely to attack. Pit bulls do NOT have innate human aggression. If you have any questions feel free to ask or contact me :] I'll try to help.

Answer 15

You can't tell just by looking.  There are a number of triggers that may set off any animal, depending on history, weather, etc.  Just a few suggestions that you may find helpful:

- NEVER leave your child unattended with a pet.  

- Take your dog to obedience training.  Then do refresher courses on preventing aggressive behaviour (see attached source).

- Train your child to be gentle with all animals, not to scream, or raise her voice or her hands, pull hair, ears, tail or other animal parts.  Punish her if she does!  It will keep her safer in the long run. (see attached source).

- Ensure the food you feed your dog is free of chemicals and by-products.  Many animals have allergies to ingredients, which may trigger behaviour problems.  Wheat is a common trigger (source attached)

- Teach everyone in your family about the warning signs of dog aggression (source attached)

May your family dog be part of your family for life.

Answer 16

First off, you have a beautiful baby and a gorgeous pitt!  

I would suggest gradually introducing the two of them.  Paying close attention to the dog's body language.  If you take your time, and let your pup get to know the baby, and teach the pup that the baby is an alpha, you should have no problems.  

I understand what you are feeling.  I sometimes have the same thoughts about my pit bull.  But he has never once showed any signs of aggression or dislike towards my child.  He's a big kid himself!  

Good luck.

Answer 17

Kristin I have known you a long time. I know darn well your dog would never hurt your baby. You would kill anyone or anything that ever tried to. You trust your dog with your child. You spend so much time working with her that I can't even begin to imagine anything happening beyond her maybe l*****g her to death.

Answer 18

People believe what they hear on the TV and the news, and blanket all pitts as killer dogs.  

If you dog is from good breeding, and has been socialized and trained properly, there is no reason they will attack anyone.  As long as you keep an eye on her when she is around kids, and make sure she is out in the "real world" often, she should be fine.

Answer 19

you have issues if you think the pitt bulls are dangerous. i'm only 12, and i've lived with pitt bulls my whole life. i have 2 now, Roxy and Dixie. both of them love people!!! I once had a dog that used to be a fighting Pitt. I have never met a sweeter dog!!! Pitt's are the best dogs ever.  

Answer 20

I've heard the same thing about my dane and pit in regards to my daughter. Of course- no one thinks our labrador would have potential to hurt anyone while the other 2 dogs are killers.

Here are 2 of my monsters. The "dangerous" one is the less drooly of the two...

http://i495.photobucket.com/albums/rr315...

Answer 21

Oh!  Such cute pictures!  You never want to leave any dog with a kid unattended because sometimes the kid will just be a kid and the dog will just be a dog and someone ends up getting hurt (usually the child unfortunately).  But this can happen with anything from a pomeranian to a poodle to a great dane.

Judging by the pictures I'd say your dog is not going to be aggressive to your baby and might even be aggressive to anyone who tries to HARM your baby.  Pits are great dogs and I wouldn't worry about what c**p the news media tries to scare you into believing.

ETA: I love the other pictures of pits with kids.  SO FREAKING CUTE.

Answer 22

any dog owner is at risk but pets can be trained

Answer 23

You should know your dog better then us. And ANY dog no matter what breed has the ability to turn on anyone, even the person closes to them. But from the looks of it you have NO worries...

Pit bulls are one of the most smart, caring, lovable breeds you can have.

Your dog is Beautiful

Answer 24

dont yell just pretend your gonna hit it with your hand  and if it doesnt flinch your good but if it does than it doesnt mean its a child mauler but that it could snap some day  

Answer 25

I would worry more about the girl some day. Two year olds can be vicious to living creatures! They just don't understand that other people and animals have the same sense of pain in their skin. So they experiment. I have a pit bull and the little girl we babysat was just learning to walk, she was using Sopie's lips to balance and really digging her fist in, also falling and jerking the dogs head down with it. But poor Sopie just let her. I had to put a stop to it, no matter how cute because I felt bad for the dog, and she was looking at me with those sad eyes like, "Mom, please do something..." lol. so yeah, just be a good mommy to both and always watch them, plus never leave a pit bull alone with a basket full of toys!

Answer 26

Make sure you properly socialize your dog with adults, children, other dogs, etc. and ignore the fear-based rantings of the ignorant, brought on in large part by the media who create sensational headlines to sell their product.

http://thetruthaboutpitbulls.com/

Answer 27

anyone can decrease their risk (and that of their children) by learning to read their dogs:

http://familypaws.com/communication/

http://www.canis.no/rugaas/gallery.php

http://home.no.net/solvt/dempende-eng.ht...