My friends son is thinking of buying a rottweiler and has a child age 3, although he's thinking of getting a puppy, i don't think its a good idea what your views on this... :(

Shouldnt be a problem if the child is taught to respect the dog. Rotti's make lovely family pets in the right environment. I'm sure there'll be some rotti owners along soon to confirm that. I think he's right to go for a puppy tho, unless he can find an older one that's been brought up with kids.

Ditto! It's how the dog is treated and trained, the small child must also repect theat dog's don't like being blown at or tails pulled.
If all is well, there should be no problem although I would be dubious about small child getting knocked for six if dog gets excited, like pup's do.

my 15 month old is constantly getting knocked over by the GSD who just barges past as though she isn't even there! lol. His tail is also good for fanning in her face which she doesn't like much. Add an over-zealous springer to the mix, and the poor child doesn't stand a chance :hihi: Mind you, the GSD was here before the babies, so he does kinda figure HE has right of way, not her! lol

LOL.:hihi::hihi: Mine will tolerate child but eye's constantly while lil lad plays with her paws, Your's actually MOVE???? This one just sit's/ stands or lay's anywhere right in front of your feet so you can't move. Thinking of changing her name from "sheba to Shift!":hihi:

are these all rottweilers?

I would agree that the issue is more likely to be with a large and boisterous puppy mixing with small children rather than with a Rottweiler-specific thing.

EDIT- my large and boisterous dog is a GSD rather than a Rottweiler.

are these all rottweilers?

Mines a particularly senile GSD...lol Or she acts it at time's:hihi: Still renaming her "Shift!"

I think the only problem you have with large breeds and kids, (if the right trainings given to both dog and child) is that they may get knocked over a bit.
I have a large gsd and my mum has a gsd/rottie, both are absolutely fantastic with all kids but can be a bit clumsy.

I wouldnt...but i've had this discussion with a rottie owner and she thinks it's not a problem...basically the way I see it is that I would never have a child around a dog in the top 10 most dangerous dogs in the world....why even bother taking the risk....im sure theres lots with lovely dogs of these breeds..but if i were a parent the statistics would make the decision for me.

I Agree with Lyndix i have had to Rotties there loyal lving family pets they just need the right training and the child has to understand that dogs need ther own space aswell ,If your son sets aside a spacewhere the dog can be with no interference from children adults they will learn that they can go there to relax in peace.

Im sure you will find it to be a valued member to the family

doesnt really matter what breed you go for, if the pup is treated with respect and properly trained, comes from good stock that has been bred for good temperament -and the youngster(s) are taught how to behave around dogs. All the rotties Ive ever met have been big furry teddybears that have been brought up as part of the family (so not locked outside and used as guard dogs) and the children theyve grown up with have all been taught how to behave around dogs. That's the key.

I'd agree it's how they're brought up. I know of lots of rotties and other 'dangerous' dogs and large dogs which are much better with kids than my dallies. (To be fair, one of them is a bit blind, deaf and going senile).

That said, even well trained dogs can be VERY boisterous and rotties love to have fun. It's SO important that he's brought up with positive but firm training and the rules are never relaxed because I think, like dallies, rotties will push the boundaries if there's any crack in the rules.

Be aware also that dogs, especially pups, aren't that good at determining who it's ok to rough and tumble with and who it's not. My uncle used to rough with his rottweiler and the rottie thought it was fine to rough with the toddlers which obviously it wasn't - rotties are just too powerful to be allowed to pin a toddler down. So he needs to remain consistent if he's going to pull it off.

Has he owned large breeds/rotties before? They're not really the sort of dog I'd recommend as a first dog - nothing against rotties I think they're fab, but I wouldn't recommend a dal to someone who hadn't experience of owning dogs before either.

If it's his first dog, or first large dog I'd be tempted to point him towards a different breed, there are plenty very large dogs, soem are less boisterous :)

I would agree with most people on this thred as long as the child is respectful and the dog is brought up properly i can not see why there would be any problem.

I myself was not a rottie fan until we fostered a poorly/abused rottie and he changed my view on them totally and they are up there with my favourite breed of dog now. :hihi:

Rotties are yet another breed that get bad press and this thred has already seen that people pick up on that.
Any dog either Big or Small can bite and do damage, i have been into contact with lots of dogs big and small and being bitten once and once only many years ago this was by a Jack Russell.

[QUOTE=spottie2101;4127252]Rotties are yet another breed that get bad press and this thred has already seen that people pick up on that.
[QUOTE]

I'm sure there are lovely rotties, but it's still a risk...as is any dog around young children.....theres also good reason they get press..because they are involved in more incidents then most other dogs....a quick search found this little stat (slightly out of date but still relevant)

"Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through 1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996....[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998."

My GSD has a crate with a cover over it, giving him his own "bedroom." He can go in there to escape the kids if he wants to, but to be honest he rarely does - he is happiest being in the midst of his family

Ditto what everyone has said about "its not a breed thing". I have a three year old son with three dogs and two cats in the house, he has been brought up to respect animals, therefore no pulling tails, no disturbing them whilst they eat/sleep and no reprimanding them. He knows that animals can and will bite if provoked and you cant then blame the animal.

I would suggest he introduce the child to as many dogs as possible and teach him about respect before getting a dog of their own.

I adore rotties, if I had a bigger house I'd have one like a shot! I've been brought up round them as my nan's neighbour used to breed them. They were well socialised, lovely big healthy dogs.

As long as you introduce them properly and set boundaries for BOTH the dog and the child they'd grow up being the best of mates :)

My friends son is thinking of buying a rottweiler and has a child age 3, although he's thinking of getting a puppy, i don't think its a good idea what your views on this... :(My views, given that we've had rotts in the family since before they were easy to come by or popular, is that you really do need to obtain one of known good breeding, then bring up both the dog and the children to respect each other and each others' space

My uncle is now on his fourth Rott - having had them since before his kids arrived, one of which is now 21, the youngest of which is now about 8. He has had one dog in this time who was 'wired'. A dog who knew his size and pushed the boundaries, and I wasn't keen on him

For the most part I would recommend a rott as a family pet, but I would never recommend a large dog with small children unless you are already an experienced dog owner, who knows how to keep both dogs and children safe from each other, and how to deal with either party stepping over 'the line' - and I don't mean coming here squawking that the dog needs a new home within 24hrs :mad: ;)

Perhaps you could steer your friend towards a smaller breed, perhaps an older dog who is less likely to break if treated roughly by a child, but who will need less training to fit into family life? (by older I mean 3-5yrs)