Our nextdoor neighbour has just got a puppy of this breed but she couldn't pronounce what it was crossed with so I'm not entirely sure yet! If it helps, it's a mottled colour.

The problem is that my 4 yr old daughter often plays at their house with their 5 yr old and has even spoken about having a sleepover there. I am now a little worried about whether this could be a risk with the dog (they are not the most responsible of pet-owners/parents - their last dog escaped through the fence and they never found it again) and there have been several stories in the news lately about small children/babies being attacked by dogs.

Does anyone know what this breed is like in terms of suitability/tollerance with young children? I don't want to stop my daughter playing with her friend but they are usually in and out of each other's houses and gardens all the time and I'm a bit concerned - especially about when the dog gets older and bigger! I have read that they are often used as guard dogs and can be possessive about their territory so am not sure how they take to having other people on the premises - especially small, noisy children!

It's hard to really judge what the dog is going to be with children.. I have heard of a mastiff cross being great with children, but then she was brought up correctly.

If you are worried about your children then go round and spend some time with the dog, see how it reacts to kids and also pay attention to how the adults deal with the dog. I think that's the only way you can reassure yourself.

x

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Ive seen very friendly bull mastiffs and then the other end of the septrim. All i can say is early socialising is a must and good training as the damage that can be done with a dog of this size is awful. But saying that anydog can do damage if not under control. It depends on how your neighbours bring up this dog and if there children are taught to respect the dog as well.

id go round one day for a while and see the dog see what its like, if you know them that well you should be able to talk to them about your concern about the dog and the kids.

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Stryder the Utonagan


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Forget the dog!! if your concerned regarding the parenting of your neighbours then personally I wouldn't trust them to take care of my little one dog or no dog.

Hear Hear!

I think, had it not been for the dog, I might have considered letting her sleepover although I have been putting it off. They're not awful or anything, and I'm sure they'd treat my daughter well as they like her, it's just sometimes their supervision isn't quite what ours would be. My daughter is reasonably sensible though (as 4 yr olds go) and we live in a quiet cul-de-sac so I wouldn't have been too concerned at that. It's the dog that worries me more.

I trust my daughter not to wander off, play with sharp objects or cookers or drink unknown substances etc as I've always drummed these things into her and she does know the rules. The girls usually just play dressing up or sit colouring etc so tend to be no trouble. The problem with dogs is that they can be so unpredictable and I'm not sure they would keep it seperate from the children or always fully supervise the children with the dog!

I've seen it tonight and he's only a puppy at the moment. He seems to tollerate being carried about by their daughter, but as I said, it's more what happens when it gets older and bigger! I'd be worried about it escaping into our garden too like their old one did. The fence is in a state and needs mending before they could let it out!

The sleepover I could probably avoid by saying her friend could sleep here instead, but as it's a quiet street the children all play out when the weather's nice and they go in and out of each others houses & gardens. It would be really hard to try and stop her playing over there completely!

The dog will be used to being around children as they have 3 of their own, but you just can't predict how they'll react can you and it only takes one incident!!!

My bullmastiff is absolutely rock solid with children but that doesn't mean that i would trust other ones that i didn't know how they had been brought up.

mastiffs and bull type breeds tend to be very tolerant of children some are even protective of them but i think it all depends on how the dog is brought up, if i were you id go and see the dog with the children afew times before you make your mind up or have the sleepover at your house

I have no idea about the breed but i would be very honest with the neighbours right from the start.
I don't think you can pinpoint specific "breeds" as being good or bad with children ALL dogs have the potential but maybe some are capable of greater damage.

I would tell the neighbours that you are worried following the recent news reports (make it sound like YOUR problem not theirs and i am sure they will be sympathetic).

Ask them if they can make sure the dog is supervised when your daughter is round their and see what happens. As recommended visit regularly and observe how they treat the dog, what is the dog like (bearing in mind puppies are very excitable whatever the breed).

But it is more important how they treat the dog. I am sure someone on here with more knowledge of the breed can tell you how they SHOULD be training the dog and what to look out for.

It's a tricky situation but only you can decide once you have got to know the dog. Make sure your daughter knows EXACTLY how to behave around the dog i found this recently as we just bought a dog and my son is 5 Get Dog Smart.

Hope this helps