[alexbookhyip]

This is one of the most annoying myths about these dogs..

If they were BRED to be "nanny dogs" then why are they called American PIT Bull Terriers??

/mini rant

[goolen4you]

i never heard they were bred to be nanny dogs i have heard that they were known as nanny dogs at some point

[Nppracph]

Omg so irritating I was thinking about this the other day.
I'm pretty positive it's the Staffordshire bull terrier that is the dubbed nanny dog and people have just changed it to APBT's.

[CruzIzabella]

i never heard they were bred to be nanny dogs i have heard that they were known as nanny dogs at some point

Which they may or may not have been in certain circles but in the end of the day, you still have an animal that was originally exclusively bred to be Dog/Animal Aggressive and whether or not they're good with children is very much beside the point.

[flueftArete]

My Staffie friends say it wasn't Staffies, it wasn't the APBT, but I've read of Saint Bernards and Newfies being called nanny dogs. I remember reading that's where the name "Nana" was pulled from for the name of the Peter Pan character.

[dremucha]

Pit bulls were known as Nanny dogs throughout the first half for the 20th century. They were portrayed as family dogs (Spot on the Little Rascals, Buster of Buster Brown Shoes, the RCA dogs) and a symbol of American strength, "talk softly and carry a big stick."

Being designed to fight and being incredible children are not two mutually exclusive traits. Few other breeds are as trustworthy with children. They seem to be drawn to children and kids are mesmerized by pits. They're confident yet humble and they even put-up with small children whom don't know better than to pull on ears and tails.

[LfYaRf1S]

I don't know that they were bred to be nanny dogs, however, they were well known AS nanny dogs.

[animilius]

I don't know that they were bred to be nanny dogs, however, they were well known AS nanny dogs.

^this, they were never bred for it but it was realized that they were good with children

[arriftell]

Pit bulls were known as Nanny dogs throughout the first half for the 20th century. They were portrayed as family dogs (Spot on the Little Rascals, Buster of Buster Brown Shoes, the RCA dogs) and a symbol of American strength, "talk softly and carry a big stick."

Being designed to fight and being incredible children are not two mutually exclusive traits. Few other breeds are as trustworthy with children. They seem to be drawn to children and kids are mesmerized by pits. They're confident yet humble and they even put-up with small children whom don't know better than to pull on ears and tails.

No, these are certainly not mutually exclusive traits. I have seen the same dog get into a truly scary fight with another dog because the owner failed and then put up with attention and handling from toddlers that made me cringe because the owner failed.

And that's why I wish the "nanny dog" thing would go away. Because owners often fail. They fail to train their dogs or their kids and that phrase "nanny dog" gives people the false impression that these dogs are safe unsupervised with kids when the reality is that no dog is 100% safe around kids and supervision is necessary. Things like temperament, training, previous experiences with children, a difference in the way humans and dogs communicate all play a role. But that is something not many outside forums and a few breed enthusiasts want to talk much about.

A well bred, temperamentally sound, trained, American Pit Bull Terrier is one of the finest( if not the finest...but I might be biased ) dogs to have when raising children and will put up with crap that would make me bite someone. A badly bred, unsound, American Pit Bull Terrier can be a nightmare.

I shudder to think how many people got a Pit because they have been hearing "nanny dog" decided to get one without researching the breed, the breeder/rescue where they got their dog, without understanding the training and exercise necessary, and then tossed the poor dog in with the kids without bothering to train either the kids or the dog in manners.

[SkatrySkith]

You're right in that even a pit can be conditioned to dislike children. However, if this is a discussion about nature vs. nurture, I'm sure you'll agree -- all things equal -- pit bulls are naturally incredible with children.

But yes, if you allow your dog -- any breed -- to jump on children and be hyper and bite playfully, you're going to have a mess on your hands.

In reality though, it takes about 5 minutes to teach a dog that when children are around, he's to sit down, calm down and pay attention. Even a six month old pup can be taught quickly that when children are around jacking around is out of bounds.

Don't get me wrong though. I cringe at the behavior of some of my neighbors' dogs around children and it makes me twice as nervous when it's a pit bull bouncing around acting like an idiot.

Unrelated, but to illustrate the fact that my pits certainly aren't beyond reproach: at the mother's day party a while back, one of my dogs shoved his nose right up the back of my sister-in-law's skirt as she was walking away from the lunch buffet. She screamed, spilled half her plate down the front of her shirt and turned bright red as she glared at me.

Of course the dog had a satisfied look on his face, like he'd just swiped his card at the Golden Corral and proceeded to go to work on all the food on the floor. My sister-in-law wasn't calling the pits "nanny dogs" that day.

[enurneAcourdy]

Before they were known as bloodthirsty killers, they were known as the nanny dog yes. Of course it is true that the original purpose of the breed was to fight but like somebody said they could do both. They were also known as farm dogs and stock dogs. We all know where the breed's history lies, or should but they are capable of a lot of things.

The individual dog is what matters most, but more often then not a pit will work out around kids. The biggest danger I've noticed is that the young ones can be wild and not really pay attention where their claws go or who they knock over when they play.

[Bromymbollile]

Maybe I should rephrase this. Saying they were meant to be “nanny dogs” as an argument against them being bred to be pit dogs isn’t helping anyone. It feeds the myth about dogs being FORCED to fight. It also hints to dog aggression being the same or similar to human aggression. We all know the truth and it’s this reason that I take exception to people telling me they were “nanny dogs” and dogs that were trusted to be around children could never do what we “claim” they’re capable of.

[teergoBissono]

I have 4 dogs each of a different breed and have trained and showed dobies in the 80s and early 90s.Any dog raised with children and taught to respect them can be ok and trusted and vise versa..kids should never be allowed to tug,bite,pull on a dog in the first place and excpect the dog to "take it" nanny said dog or not.Certain breeds not raised with small children are not automatically safe around children again dubbed nanny dog or not.I have an Amstaff thats not raised around small children..my son is 12 and as big as I am but I would not trust him with a pinching pulling toddler or crying infant around.I have a cocker spaniel that will bite the pants off any kids period.No dog should IMO be dubbed a'Nanny Dog" just plain stupid.

[NickGrass]

Right? How many idiots see them called a "nanny dog" and think its acceptable to leave their child alone with a dog because hey! It's a nanny!

[GreesyBeeva]

Right? How many idiots see them called a "nanny dog" and think its acceptable to leave their child alone with a dog because hey! It's a nanny!

You would be surprised ..ha..ha..You hear of small kids being mauled all the time.

[JesikaFclq]

One of the worst things i hate about Pitbull information sites on the internet is, they try to fight the negative myth's about the breed with positive myths of their own. Misinformation is still misinformation, and most of these people do more harm than good.

[VFOVkZBj]

http://thetruthaboutpitbulls.blogspo...-revealed.html

[vaalmerruutel]

While I do believe (with bias of course) that pits are the best dogs to raise children around, I guess that wasn't the OP's point.

While I agree that some pits aren't fit to spend extended periods of time with children, I'm still not convinced that the label "nanny dog" is a bad moniker. You have to admit, it's better than some of the other tags associated with the breed.

With that said, it's true that misnomers and poor information encouraging everyone to own a pit is probably what has led to this breeds current situation.

[feseEscaple]

Our Stella is certainly a nanny dog. She will guard my daughter's bed and room against our other dog and from strangers apparently. I was walking up the stairs one night (our room is downstairs) and she came bolting down the stairs at me in the attack stance but stopped when she saw it was me. Put a kid on the floor and she will lay right next to them and not move.

[TypeTeasiaDer]

APBTs were called "nanny dogs" by people on the internet trying to make the dogs look good by saying false things. Every site I've found it on were also saying stuff like "Bred to fight bulls" or "Bred as cattle dogs". Yet I cannot find 1 old clipping or book referring to them as "nanny dogs" at the time people claim them to have been labeled such.