Bullmastiff and Children - Comprehensive Information on Behavior of Bullmastiff With Children
How a dog behaves with a family has a lot to do with the breed of the dog, its age, and general temperament.
There are some family dogs, like the golden retrievers and Labradors, who are capable of loving a family even if they are much older when adopted into it. However, the same is not the case with all dogs. The younger a dog is when you bring it into your family, the easier it is for your dog to deal with the members. Your bullmastiff, for instance, is a gracious dog that can gel well with the family.
If you respect your dog and love it the way dogs should be loved, the dog would be a great addition to the family.
A bullmastiff and children is not always a good idea though. Dogs are not toys. They are living beings that have feelings and get hurt when handled roughly. They also have very strong survival instincts and may attack when they think they are being threatened.
If your children know how to respect dogs, your bullmastiff will have no problem with the child. However, in case you have a child who hasn’t had any contact with animals before, a bullmastiff may not be the right choice for a family pet.
Behavior of Bullmastiff With Children
Bullmastiff and children should not be left together unsupervised. A child may unintentionally be cruel to the dog, and a dog with a temperament as independent as a bullmastiff’s could simply snap back at the child, causing grievous injuries. Usually, bullmastiffs are gentle dogs, and if they have had enough of you or your child, they will simply move away and turn their back to them. This should alert your child that the dog is at its wit’s end and will snap back. For very young children, this concept may be a little difficult to follow.
Though your bullmastiff will love affection as well as your company, it will not tolerate cruelty. Most bullmastiffs are extremely willful, and their power and strength may make them unsuitable for very young children. Bullmastiffs often knock over a small child unintentionally. It is therefore important for you to have all interactions of your bullmastiff and children under your own supervision.
Do not allow their wagging tails to knock over a child accidentally.
Another thing that you should be mindful of is to never allow the dog to play bite with your children. If you have a bullmastiff with children, and they are playing together, make sure there are no teeth involved. Discourage any kind of rough play between the bullmastiff and children as that may end up in bruises.
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