pit bull ?

[thomas]

Ok, I need some info. Im looking at a dog for alot of reasons and I keep coming back to one. Weve had alot of home invasions in area lately and we need a little deterant. Now I have a 3yr boy and a 2.5yr girl and I just dont trust them around a gun(my wife either) Anyway we have an alarm system but thats easily bypassed. We talked to the spca and they recommended pitbull terriers. They said there insanely loyal and great around kids and a good gaurd dog. We dont have a large house or a large yard so the large dogs are out(wanted a shepard but wouldnt be rite) Now im looking and I see so many different terriers such as pitbulls, pitbull terriers, bull terriers, american pit bull terriers. Whats the difference? I like pitbulls and that is deff. a deterent and I hear there great around kids but then i heard the oppisite. Im worried about leaving the kids and the dog together. Can i trust the life of my kids with this type of dog in the house?

[Trash man]

dogs who are trained and brought up right are fine anywhere, the bad ones are brought up by owners who dont care.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

This is just my opinion, but I'd hesitate to get a dog purely for deterrence. If you're not sure about the breed, than there are others that I'm sure would put on enough of a show to make someone think twice about coming in.

I have a couple of cocker spaniels. They're sweet dogs, but I still need to work with them more about calming down when strangers approach the house. They'll claw at the windows by the font door and bark like crazy. Of course, there's some variance between individuals of any breed.

[MN6WS6]

We have a pitbull/lab mix and he is awesome. He is great with kids, and is also very territorial. Nothing that gets in our backyard survives unless he decides it survives. Snakes, moles, rats, opossums, cats, even a raccoon has fallen to my dog. He's taken on 3 dogs at once (2 of them pure bred pitbulls) and got cut up and bitten, but they've never come back for a second try at him. He bowed up on a Rottweiler twice his size that was coming straight torwards me and my brother and the Rottweiler backed down. Points, hunts, retrieves, he does it all.

[ryan34]

I'd be wary of a pit bull from the SPCA. I would be stuck with the idea that they were confiscated from someone that isn't worthy of breeding them. Not any facts here, just what I have in my head.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

+1 concerning adoptions. Without truly knowing the history of a dog, you may be in for some surprises. That's obvious with strays, but even the ones that are dropped off by their owners as well. Sure they could be honest when filling out history on paperwork, but some folks will lie too.

There's also variation between adoption agencies. I've seen one that would've let me have a dog site unseen. Others are very selective about owners.

I'd recommend pm'ing Ken (Wolfdogs). I'm sure he'd have some good advice for you.

[wolfdogs]

A barking dog is the deterrent... a good thief canvasas the homes and when theres a barking dog... he marks that one off his list. Doesn't matter if its an Akita, or a terrier..... cause if the thief wants in, he'll take the dog down... just make sure what you get is a good watchdog barker. We have a golden that alerts to everything.. we know when someone is driving in our court!