ok. I've had it of media mind-polluted people warning me about my pitbull being together with my two young children. first of all, it doesn't matter what kind of dog one has, it is about the way the dog is raised. second, the fact that pitbulls can lock their jaw into one tight grip doesn't mean they will or do every time they bite or snap at anything. third, there are more people bitten by labradors and chihuahuas than there are people bitten by pitbulls. unfortuntately, a pit lashing out makes a much better story on the news than a chihuahua losing it. ;)
fact is, dogs are animals with innate instincts and that should never be forgotton when having them together with unpredictable little kids. however, I can tell you from my own observations that nothing in that department is just black and white, either.
Our dog, named Trouble (he already had his name when we got him as a month-old puppy. he is now seven.) learned how to deal with little children over the last few years .. and is still learning, actually. It has been an amazing process to watch. When we didn't have kids his whole facial expression would change when he was approached by a child, depending on the child's age. Most uncomfortable he seemed to be with toddlers. He seemed to sense that a) the adults were tense and watching his every move (so he would just sort of freeze) and b) this little human wasn't quite as easy to read as the grown ones. it was more like an animal.
the latter statement I can particuarily verify with the way boys act around Trouble. it's fascinating to watch. somehow they instinctively manage to demonstrate all kinds of agressive dog-behavior, which confuses Trouble. While the girls are either timid or straight-forward with Trouble, the 2-year old boys grunt and growl at him, try to mount him, or suddenly charge at him with growling sounds (if you have a dog, you probably know...basically, this whole behavior palette is quite similar to the typical dog-socializing-dance...i.e. those boys, sometimes without ever having seen a dog, demonstrate strikingly similar behavior as two male dogs show when they first meet...or when they socialize with other dogs, generally). This, I understand can be confusing to Trouble so I watch him around little boys quite closely. He behaves, however, I can see his excitement and alertness... his fur stands up and his facial expression is completely different than when dealing with a little girl.
Anyway, fact is, Trouble has come a long way. I remember when Maia (our older one) tried to climb on top of him as a baby and he growled, immediately chastised for this behavior by me, of course. Nowadays, Maia can step on him, climb, fall, trip over him and he won't even budge. She can pull his tail, his ears, pinch him, hug him however she wants, she can take his food away, his bone (!) and the latter is huge, for he would not give his bone to anyone before she was born...he's just happy someone is giving him attention, I suppose. Nayla is his new favorite... He's quite bold with her and just kisses her on the mouth whenever she is placed down on the floor somewhere, which he would have never dared to do in my presence with Maia (i.e. he knew her mouth was off-limits... no licking). Also, he has become protective over Maia.
anyway... I have to end my nature observatory log for today...gotta work.
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