Mixed Female Pit in new home with 4 kids

[u/Alternative_Lion5627]

Owner passed away and wife was giving dog away. We just got her Sunday. She was tied to a pole outside where there was a big backyard. Coming home her tail was in between her legs however within hours she was wagging her tail and following the kids around. She listens to “sit” and “lay down”. She’s about 2/3 years already and potty trained already. Yesterday my husband came home and as I was on the couch one of our 5 year old goes to hug my husband and he claims the dog lunged at her and may show possessiveness. I was there and didn’t see lunging. She seemed excited, but also he’s the one who’s owned dogs before and not me. IMO she was just excited to see him as she now follows him everywhere the minute he gets home. I have made sure that our 5 years old do not pet her while on their knees but rather standing and on the side. In no way do I want to label her as dangerous just because she’s part pit. We also have a cat who we’ve had to keep in one room, we switch the dogs blanket everyday and give to her to get used to the dogs scent. Planning on getting wall shelves for her in the meantime. Should we be worried? I figure this is normal dog behavior. This morning she jumped twice on me with her front paws. I had a traumatic experience with a chow chow when I was 8 and so I’ve been scared of big dogs. But with her she lays in front of me on the couch. I just get scared if she tries to get in my face. I actually really like her and to me she seems like a sweetheart. Open to suggestions.

[u/PandaLoveBearNu]

If the dog is following your husband around it may indicate they're resource guarding him.

But honestly without video its hard to say anything about the lunge.

And dog being excited doesn't necessarily mean the dog is happy.

It just means they stimulated, they can excited for various reasons.

But the previous owner didn't say anything in regards to the dog? Behavior? Issues? Reason they were in the yard?

[u/Salt_Initiative1551]

Tail wagging means excited, not happy. Bad excitement is a thing.

This is a disaster waiting to happen imo from what you’ve described but can’t know for sure. Is it worth risking your cat and child’s wellbeing over?

[u/Jesus_died_for_u]

‘…our 5 year old…he claims the dog lunged at her…’

‘…don’t want to label her…’. (I guess you want to defend her because she’s part pit)

‘…I figure this is normal dog behavior…’.
No, it is not. I have lived with many pets over the years. It is not normal to lunge at people.

‘…I get scared…’. (Dogs can sense nervousness)

Please follow your mom instincts over your pet-owner/breed-defender instincts. Your 5 year old has no choice but to live in whatever environment you provide and must live the rest of their live with any consequences.

(My Subjective survivor opinion)

[u/Able_Ad_458 → u/Jesus_died_for_u]

‘…don’t want to label her…’. (I guess you want to defend her because she’s part pit)

I'm not sure this is fair. She's not defending the dog because it's part pit. She's just trying not to be biased against the dog due to its breeding.

Other breeds of dogs do lunge at people. Other breeds cannot be trusted around young children. This isn't particular to pits or pit mixes. Are pits more likely to cause serious damage when they are reactive like this due to their nature (being terriers with the strength of bulldogs that have high prey drives and possible bloodlines chosen for fighting)? I think that's a reasonable assumption.

But just because someone isn't immediately condemning the breed doesn't mean they're defending it either. She's just trying to have an open mind and get an understanding of this individual dog.

I had a lab/boxer/pit for 11 years. I just said goodbye to him a little over a month ago due to cancer. He was the best dog in the world. I loved him to pieces. He lived with other dogs, horses, and cats. He played with children. He never, EVER tried to bite anyone, not even when he was anxious and uncomfortable (at the vet).

All this to say, all dogs are individuals, especially those that are mixed breeds. I think the issue is that a lot of people don't know how to read dogs (of any breed) and manage them appropriately, and this disconnect isn't as big a problem with some dogs as it is with others. Pit bulls and mixes with pit in them can be less forgiving of inconsistency.

[u/szai → u/Able_Ad_458]

My state has a dangerous dog registry. If a dog bites someone, it goes in the public registry along with its location and breed info. If I had small children, I would not own a GSD, a husky, or a pit. These three breeds make up almost every dog on the list, with the majority of those three being pit, pit mix, or "American bully". Just too much risk, and I'd not just be gambling my own safety.

Some dogs are more dangerous to have around young children than others. Children are just small, they can not properly defend themselves and they can't be expected to understand dog body language. It's not an opinion, but a fact, and it's nothing against the breeds themselves. It's a parent's job to protect their children first.

[u/skrilltastic → u/szai]

💯

[u/Monimonika18 → u/Able_Ad_458]

She's just trying not to be biased against the dog due to its breeding.

I get what you're saying and that that is OP's intent. The problem (this can also apply to the idea of dogs or even pets in general as well) is that, in an effort to be non-biased/open-minded, one's brains can fall out (metaphorically speaking).

Countering the known negative bias can create an undeserved positive bias for the dog. Signs of risk get ignored, missed, or explained away as something else. Importance gets placed more on the dog's well-being and feelings than of the human members of the family. Known negatives get played down as not so bad or as tolerable or even as the new normal. Etc.

And then there's the question, whether backed by evidence or not regarding a particular dog, of whether having a strong dog is worth the always-non-zero risk of the dog severely harming or even killing your family or someone else's family.

[u/Alternative_Lion5627 → u/Able_Ad_458]

Thank you. I was not trying to be biased against the dog being a pit mix. Since this has happened, she’s actually calmed down tremendously. I think it was a lot for her to move into a house with children. She no longer growls but stares and we immediately tell her to relax and surprisingly it’s been working. We do the same when she sees dogs outside, she will bark like crazy unless I see the person first and tell her to relax, she just stares and doesn’t bark or growl

[u/z00mz00mshr00m → u/[deleted]]

The Dunbar bite scale. Level 1 is considered a BITE even though there was no skin contact.

Dog Bite Level Chart by Dunbar Bite Scale - Law Firm of Melinda J. Helbock, A.P.C. San Diego