hi i have just bought an american bulldog puppy and will be collecting him on saturday. i have been reading up on the breed and believe they are excellent with children, i have 3 aged 9 6 and nearly 2. but latley i have been hearing alot of bad things said about the breed if anyone owns one with children could you let me know your opinions and experiences please thankyou

we used to live in hertfordshire and my mams friend had 2 children 3 and 9 and an american bulldog, we visited also, i was 10 then and my sister 3 and when i asked mam she said he was great,he was so laid back, he was used to all the toddlers hanging on him to learn to walk, he thought nothing of lying beside us when we were watching the tv,he was always in the thick of things,letting us dress him up in hats and glasses,he even had a frilly tutu on him once, but she said it was definatly the way he was brought up, the children were above him in the pecking order, they used to feed him and groom him brush his teeth ,also training from when he was brought home,everybody was involved,he had to do what he was told by everybody in the house not just mick.
when he was about 10 months old they had about 3/5 months of him just trying to push his luck,not doing as he was told,trying it on,but that was adolescence,and after that he was fine.
i Know this was not our dog but we were around him a lot of the time and mum said he was fine,even with our dogs but they all grew up together.
Amy

thanks amy for your message its of great reassurance and obviously i will encourage my children to show whos boss from a early stage as well as me thankyou
hayley

As with all breeds it depends on how carefully the pups have been bred, if you have checked out the dam and any other dogs the breeder has and they were all OK with your children you should find that the pup will be the same because although you are unlikely to be able to see the sire a responsible breeder would not use a stud or poor temperament.

i have owned ambulls and have friends that breed some of the good lines and types out there.most of them have kids however these people have owned many different types of breeds before and are used to controlling dominant dogs.if you are a newbie in dominant dogs or a newbie to dogs i wouldnt own an ambull.i think they are for experienced dog people.the more the public endup buying these dogs the more accidents bad breeding etc are going to happen and the downfall of the bred like the am pitbull.

thanks for your reply yes obviously common sense would be to watch any dog around children as i will. i have owned a neopolitan mastiff before and what a challenge he was very dominant but great with my chidren and cats. because certain breeds are so large and powerful people presume they always have  a vicious nature very negative i would say. most only show aggression when needed after all most large strong breeds were bred for fighting and protection of property. alot is said about staffs but afew of my friends own them and they are soft as butter. im beggining to think to many people are confusing the ambull with the pitbull. my little ambull is a stunner and hes taken to my chidren and cats already plenty of love and dicipline and im sure he will make a loyal companion and gaurdian of the kids and our home. im going to ignore the bad things said about the ambull as its not been over here long enough for people to judge the breed in such a negative way.

hayley

dont totally ignore the negative things said about the Am Bull! There are a small, very small handfull of good breeders of teh dogs in the UK, and if you are not very very carefull where they come from you could buy into a timebomb.
Dont get me wrong I do admire the Amm Bull, I am a big fan of all the working bulldogs! But the gene pool in the UK is very small, and there are a LOT of peddlers out there.
Most of the dogs I have seen in practice have been extremly nervy, as well as many I have seen at shows such as Ed Rieds.
Some can be pretty dog aggressive, and if from strong working lines will have a high prey drive.
Also, compared to the SBT, they are more inclined to man agression if you do get a wrong un. the breed, when well bred is a popular protection dog, used for manwork.
A lot is said about staffs, and the bad stuff is often exaggerated, but you need to kow the negatives to understand the breed,. Yes they are probably the greatest dogs with people and kids, but... they can have a tendancy to want to mix it up with other dogs. and not aknowledging this has led to many a staff being branded as vicious because he has gotten himself into trouble down the park by getting mixed up in a ruck with a dog in the park because his owner did not want to accept that he could get into a fight if provoked and most certainly finish it..Lets not forget what the Royals ignorance has just done the the EBT!
Get a good Am Bull, you are sorted, get a poor one, and oohh dear.
Also make sure the parents are hip and elbow scored, and preferably the grandparents. Many of the dogs I see have very poor hips elbows etc.
again repeating my point, be VERY carefull where you buy from.
again, I am not putting the entire breed down, just warning there is a lot of chaff in the UK before you get to anything like the wheat!

Well i would just like to say thati have been to a lot of there shows/rallies and i have always been very happy with the dogs they do not want to fight with each other. they are very vocal, but to have lots in one room and all just taking it in there stride i think that the breed is well balanced and i say well done to the breeders in this country for doing a good job( try to keep it good.)

I have a five month old bitch ambull.She plays rough with my staff,but is excellent with my two kids,great temperament.When any breed/type of dog is around kids they should always be supervised,common sense.
As I said she is only five months old,but is already top dog,very dominant and like pyndath says,this is not a breed for the casual owner.

your am pitbull is female what is your staff and what age is your staff.

Think you will find it is an Am Bulldog not a pitbull.

Sorry 2 seconds and I can't edit my post above so will continue here. If you were thinking that if they are both bitches then there may well be some problems when the new dogs reaches her season, I agree with you.

Ambull is american bulldog.My staff is 2-1/2 yrs and a male,due to be fixed next tuesday.

My remark was because someone called it a pitbull