Pet for 4 yr old?

[lala76]

Hi,

My 4 yr old loves Grandma' s pitbull chihuahua mix. He is like a mini pit bull with a narrow snout. My son is ADHD - very intelligent, but excitable. So I would like a pet and will take time to get one that won't hurt my son or be hurt by him. He's learned not to pull tails, ears, touch a dog when eating or bother it in its bed. I was thinking a small (25-35lb) pit bull mix might make a good companion since my son is a pit bull in human form - he requires exercise and firm but loving discipline! But maybe that's too much in one family (I am a single mom). I was thinking of a young dog from humane society that has been temper tested and has some basic training.

Do you experienced folks think this is a good idea or not? If maybe - under what conditions? What sort of human/owner training would be recommended, and what dog/breed specific training? Any other recommendations?

 

[borzoimom]

well... when my daughter was 4 we have many dogs but the best pets for her at the time were actually guinea pigs.. She adored them..

 

[Tankstar]

I would go with a older (a few years old) dog from a good rescue, that has been temperment tested, thus you dont worry about the puppy stage and being a single mom with a hyperactive child too. A dog can be a great way for a child to learn responsibility and patience, but you must remember at 4 years old, 98% of the weight of the dog (training, vet care, walks ect) all will be on your sholders too, so think long and hard. Do you want a dog too? If so, go for it. Dogs are great, great listeners, friends, and sometimes therapists lol.

 

[Gempress]

Hmm. I think four is a fine age for a dog. Old enough to know how to treat a dog with respect.

I think a pit bull mix would be good, and your idea of a temprament-tested young adult is a GREAT idea. There are many pitties on this board who live with children. And before their reputation turned to mud, pit bulls were once considered to be an ideal child's pet.

But if you get a recue dog, be 100% sure he/she is good with children. Get one that has been fostered in a family with young children, or get a dog that has lived happily with children in the past. You can't be too careful when it comes to your child. Good luck!

EDIT: Forgot to add. If you get a pit bull or pit bull mix, be sure you realize exactly what kind of challenges come with it. Like any breed, pit bulls have their own special strengths and weaknesses (like being prone to dog aggression). Also, certain cities and counties are banning pit bulls and pit bull mixes.

 

[borzoimom]

( I am still trying to figure out how a chihuahua and pit were bred.. I mean - how elevated one to uh mate the other... ?)

 

[shadowfacedanes]

I've seen a chi come darn close to tying with a rottie bitch. She laid down for him and it was game on for the chi. Luckily the rottie owner intervened and got his bitch away from the chi in the nick of time.

You think a chi vs. pitbull mating is a stretch....you should've seen the bassett/dane litter we took in to foster years ago.

 

[AGonzalez]

Gempresses suggestions are good! I think the Pitties tend to mesh well with children, though I am biased with having 2 of them and my oldest child is 4.
I think getting a young adult that has been fostered around small children is a wonderful idea! Granted you never want to leave a small child and a dog alone unsupervised, but getting one that's been with a family that has children and is used to them being loud, etc is greatly in your advantage! Also a dog that has been fostered has a more known history, the family that fostered them can tell you how the pet behaves and if they have any quirks, which will be in your advantage to knowing more about the dog instead of working with a dog that you don't know as much about!

Good luck with your doggy search!

 

[borzoimom]

I've seen a chi come darn close to tying with a rottie bitch. She laid down for him and it was game on for the chi. Luckily the rottie owner intervened and got his bitch away from the chi in the nick of time.

You think a chi vs. pitbull mating is a stretch....you should've seen the bassett/dane litter we took in to foster years ago.

:rofl1: ohhhhhhhhhhh stop ... stop you are killing me here... :rofl1:

 

[CharlieDog]

I once had a Siberian Husky/Cocker Spaniel

No lie. A family friend had an oops litter, both dogs were purebred, and someone the sibe got OUT of his crate, and tied with the female THROUGH her crate.

They didn't know until they took her to the vet for some shots. All they saw was that he was out of his crate, and that was the only possible time for it to happen.

Dogs. They is wily.

 

[CharlieDog]

That is Charlie^

Once I had someone try to argue with me about his breeds. I know both his parents, I was there when he was BORN.

 

[Maxy24]

I think a small Pit Mix (more like a Staffordshire Bull Terrier I guess) would be perfect so long as you remember they tend to dislike other animals (but if you get an 2-4 year old dog you will already know if he has this problem or not) and need lots of exercise, check out petfinder.com and even though this is a dog for your son, he will probably not due all his dog duties (whether that's feeding or brushing or whatever) so you'll have to step in and do them for him so the dog stays healthy and happy. I was four when we got Max, he was a Shar-Pei/Lab Great Dane, maybe some other stuff mix.

 

[bubbatd]

I'd go with a larger dog personally !

 

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

I'd go with a larger dog personally !

Hmmm...like a golden?

Hate to break it to you, but they're not the perfect breed for everyone, even if they do have kids.

To the OP: I think an adult pit or pit mix from a rescue would be perfect!

 

[release the hounds]

I think any dog is fine, but I would go with an adult dog. No puppy stage to go thru, no biting, and all that. Plus you'll know the temperment, how well it gets along with kids, etc. But don't get the dog for your son, YOU have to want the dog as well, since most likely you'll be the one taking care of it.

 

[mjb]

We hired a behaviorist to work with our dog, and one of the services he offered was going with a family to the Humane Society to help in picking a good match. He said not too many people have actually used this service since most people don't even know about him until they've had problems!!

I don't know if you would be interested in having someone who's knowledgeable about dogs and temperaments to go with you, or even if it's easy to find someone like that.

Just thought I would pass it along.

 

[Suzzie]

as long as the dog is good around kids, i don't think it much matters what breed you get, though it can't be too big to knock the kid over. Not every breed is perfect for everyone, that's rather a given that doesn't need repeated in every thread as we are all incredibly familiar with the concept.

I suggest finding a few dogs YOU think would work out (after examining their temperament) and let your son pick out his new pal. Definitely one that's at least a couple years to get past the chewing/hyperactive/piddling stage.

I got my own personal first dog when I was 6, and it was the greatest experience ever. Of course, my mom did all the feeding, brushing, etc hehehe... I did walk him though....

 

[shadowfacedanes]

Hmmm...like a golden?

Hate to break it to you, but they're not the perfect breed for everyone, even if they do have kids.

To the OP: I think an adult pit or pit mix from a rescue would be perfect!

WTH? That was rude. ASSume much? I must be reading different text than you because I didn't see Grammy say a golden. I saw her say "LARGER" which uh, is a whole helluva lotta breeds.

 

[bubbatd]

^^^^ thanks for the support !!! That's exactly why I didn't mention any breed .!

 

[Kayota]

At least 15 lbs for sure, no herding breeds because they tend to treat kids like sheep. Pick out a 3-4 year old mutt at a shelter.

JustaLilBitaLuck, that was really uncalled for. When she said "larger" she could have been thinking "Great Dane" for all we know.

 

[Backward_Cinderella]

:rofl1: ohhhhhhhhhhh stop ... stop you are killing me here... :rofl1:

Bear (the chunky one in my signature) is a GSD pug mix.