Dangerous dogs with children

LillyJ

daisykinn1 wrote: »

tbain wrote: »

Actually in 2004 (not sure about current years) there were more dangerous dog complaints about yorkshire terriers and cocker spaniels than any other dog.

Due to the staffies look they are more attractive to careless owners, they are the modern day rottweilers, another fantastic dog if in the right hands. This is NOT their fault. As a breed they are actually very loyal but this means they are easily led in the wrong direction. This is probably another reason why they're popular with unsavoury characters.

That is very true, their loyalty can be their downfall when the person they are loyal to is a scumbag.

I find I get some dirty looks in the street. Our dog looks lab in one light and rottie in another. People come up to him and go "ahhh what a cute lab" and start stroking him. THen they say "oh he isn't full lab, what's he crossed with?" When you say rottie they pull away and make their excuses.
Not everyone I have to say. Some people say what lovely dogs rotties are, and it tends to be either people who have owned one, or know one, or know alot about dogs.

Some people just tut and say to their kids "come away that is a naughty dog"! Talk about instilling fear of dogs in kids! Far better to teach them how to behave around big dogs, especially strange ones, so that they know what to do if confronted by one.
I have to say if my dog was off the lead (which he never is) and a child screamed and ran away, he would run after it to see what was wrong. This could give the wrong impression, and who knows what would happen to my dog.

The fact that my OH is young (23) and often walks him alone leads to more comments, but in fact he is a police officer and so well aware of the law, and is a responsible dog owner.

The worst comment I have had, which upset me, was my grandmother last week. I went to visit her and she asked what my dog was. I told her, and she said. "if he has rottie in him, he needs to be put down, they are banned, and he will turn on you at any time!"

MrsTinks

Funny you should mention police... I live next door to a police dog handler and he obviously walks his dog a lot in the village. Once he was walking the dog down the road we live on a small child ran out from his house ACROSS the road and towards the dog. Dog obviously got excited and my neighbour shouted to his parents to please retrieve their child as this was a police dog.
Well... the abuse he got! If it was a dangerous dog then he should be muzzled and not walked in public! If it wasn't safe for their child to run up to it then it shouldn't be allowed out... He just stood there totally gobsmacked!
Now the dog wouldn't purposely hurt anyone, it's well trained, but the fact they were happy to let the child not only run out onto the ROAD but up to a strange GSD (huge one) and then have a go at the handler for asking them to not allow their child to run up to him. I live next door and even I haven't petted him because he's supposed to only bond with his handler, if he gets friendly with other people it could distract him when he's working.
Anyway he put the dog back in it's kennels and walked over to talk to them - guess being an ex-community liaison officer came in handy, but even now they let their child run up to strange dogs. Mine wouldn't purposely bite a child, but if a dog gets startled then any dog could turn round and bite - if ever there would be irresponcible parents then I think they are them...

I'm just glad they don't have a dog as frankly I could see them leaving their child unsupervised with it...

MrsTinks

Going back to "dangerous dogs" then many many many years ago I lived next door to 2 Old English Mastiffs (the biggest weighed in at 100Kg...) - the biggest slobberiest most laid back dogs you have ever met! They were petrified of my little puddytats who were only kittens back then. These dogs were so good with kids, but woe be anyone who might look slightly threatening at the baby in that house! I have NO doubt the male dog would have done some serious damage if anyone had threatened the kids.
Ferociously protective, but incredibly well trained, they had to be If they decided to go one way on a walk... well that would have been the way you went!
Personally I'd have a rottie in a heartbeat DH grew up with them as his aunt bred them and he was round them from the time he could walk. Used to drag him self up to stand using the dogs jowels... and the soppy things used to let him! Not saying I'd recommend that! But says a lot about them as a breed if you ask me

LillyJ

MrsTine wrote: »

Funny you should mention police... I live next door to a police dog handler and he obviously walks his dog a lot in the village. Once he was walking the dog down the road we live on a small child ran out from his house ACROSS the road and towards the dog. Dog obviously got excited and my neighbour shouted to his parents to please retrieve their child as this was a police dog.
Well... the abuse he got! If it was a dangerous dog then he should be muzzled and not walked in public! If it wasn't safe for their child to run up to it then it shouldn't be allowed out... He just stood there totally gobsmacked!
Now the dog wouldn't purposely hurt anyone, it's well trained, but the fact they were happy to let the child not only run out onto the ROAD but up to a strange GSD (huge one) and then have a go at the handler for asking them to not allow their child to run up to him. I live next door and even I haven't petted him because he's supposed to only bond with his handler, if he gets friendly with other people it could distract him when he's working.
Anyway he put the dog back in it's kennels and walked over to talk to them - guess being an ex-community liaison officer came in handy, but even now they let their child run up to strange dogs. Mine wouldn't purposely bite a child, but if a dog gets startled then any dog could turn round and bite - if ever there would be irresponcible parents then I think they are them...

I'm just glad they don't have a dog as frankly I could see them leaving their child unsupervised with it...

Oh dear I suppose there are bad parents as well as bad dog owners....

Police dogs are a totally different kettle of fish, they can be dangerous but are incredably well trained - but only listen to their owner.

My OH had a run in with one the other week actually, he was making an arrest and the person was playing up, struggling, trying to punch and bite OH. He felt relieved when he saw the dog man coming up behind him, as normally people surrender as soon as they see the dog. But this guy carried on fighting, and the dog man shouted to my OH to get back, letting the dog jump on the offender, who bit the man. Even a GSD biting him didnt stop the guy! The GSD then jumped on OH, who even though he is very confident with dogs admitted he was a bit scared. A single command from the handler though and the dog went back to him wagging his tail!

The story of your husband pulling himself up on the rottie sounds like something my dog would allow children to do! I am starting to think that side of him is a rottie trait. He is clever like a lab, but not as hyper, and I watch telly on the sofa with him with my head on his belly. He loves it! Is unflappability a rottie trait? You could pull him along by his ears and he would just lick you. (not that I ever would!)

Differrent story with other dogs though, he goes a bit loopy when he sees one. I think he is a bit muddled and thinks he is a person, he sits on the sofa watching the football!

orlao

Is unflapability a rottie trait?

Well I think so:D

As well as being very loving and proper cuddle dogs!!!!
Before people start shouting at me I'll just say that they are big powerful dogs that will defend their family at all costs so training to ALWAYS listen to their handler is absolutely vital because they are dogs that tend to try to "mind" their people so decisions must not be left to the dog....personally I suspect that is where a lot of people go wrong with any dog.....they let the dog make bad decisions because they don't make the decisions for the dog IYSWIM.

Most of the rotts I've been around are very loving, bright ( they are good at hiding it on occasion;) ) but one person involved in rescue said to me that they are not the dog for someone who isn't as stubborn as they can be!!!!

LillyJ

I know what you mean about peoples reactions to the breed.....when my boy was 10 weeks old some lady was on her knees fussing the pup and asked what is he? When I answered Rottie she jumped up as if he was going to rip her throat out and grabbed her child!!! He has grown up to be a very tolerant dog of both people and other animals but people still try and tell me that he shouldn't allowed out unless on a lead or muzzled cos " those dogs kill kids". 4 years down the line, if someone is particularly pompous, I just ask if they are giving up their car? When they go why....I point out that cars kill a lot of children and walk away! Maybe not very polite but why should I have to put up with their bad manners? It's not as if the dog has gone up to them, most of the people who give their tuppence worth will walk up to me to have a pop:mad:

Back to the original subject:o NO dog imho should be left with a child.....it's just too much of a risk and if you have an illmannered/untrained dog as the staffie in 1st post sounds like I think it's time for the owners to finally take responsibilty and have the poor dog PTS, not because there isn't a possibility that the dog can't be retrained but because the chances of someone caring enough to do so are slim. At least the dog won't be passed from pillar to post.

Hawthorn

An old friend of mine had two Rotties. Big dogs they were, and this was at the time that Rotties had a lot of bad press. These dogs were very friendly. However.
I went into the kitchen at friends house to get a drink, and ended up pinned to the worktop by my shoulders, being stared out by a hulking great rottweiler LOL. To say adrenaline was brown would be an understatement. The dog hadn't liked it because the owner wasn't with me. She didn't try to bite or show any kind of aggression - just dominance. she kept me pinned there until her owner came in, dissolved in fits of giggles and finally called the dog off when she'd pulled herself together.
I wouldn't like to be a burgler in THAT house LOL.

orlao

Hawthorn wrote: »

An old friend of mine had two Rotties. Big dogs they were, and this was at the time that Rotties had a lot of bad press. These dogs were very friendly. However.
I went into the kitchen at friends house to get a drink, and ended up pinned to the worktop by my shoulders, being stared out by a hulking great rottweiler LOL. I wouldn't like to be a burgler in THAT house LOL.

A friend have mine had a rottie girl who would let anyone in the house......but they weren't allowed out until a member of the family appeared.

It was a farm so if you didn't see anyone on the yard you'd walk in the back door and call....and if Holly followed in in you then had to stay there!

One farrier actually made himself a cup of tea while he was waiting:D

LillyJ

orlao wrote: »

A friend have mine had a rottie girl who would let anyone in the house......but they weren't allowed out until a member of the family appeared.

It was a farm so if you didn't see anyone on the yard you'd walk in the back door and call....and if Holly followed in in you then had to stay there!

One farrier actually made himself a cup of tea while he was waiting:D

I wish my dog was such a good guard dog! A friend of ours who he hadn't met came to stay here when we were away to look after him, and he let himself in and apparently the dog ran up to him with his kong in his mouth and licked him to bits.

I originally thought it was going to be great having a dog when OH is on nights, but he never barks, ever so he is no use at all as a guard dog! I hope though that if people look throught the window they will be put off trying to come in!

Hawthorn

Put up signs on the front and the back They work as a deterrent too.

We have bull terrier running loose, Enter at own risk on ours. Course, she'd probably just lick em to death after helping them carry the stuff out, but hey