Having a pup with a 2yr old? right or wrong??

Hi all,as title suggests,im down on a list for my breeders next litter,and by time we get one,my daughter will be 2 and half.
Now we have done research,been crufts to meet owners/breeders/been other shows to again meet owners with there dogs etc...
even asked vets what breed would they recommend,with kids,majority came back a Stafford.
so im now looking for owners personal experience of having young children and a staffy pup,issues and advantages?
Note breeder we found and met also has a young son about ten,who socialises with the pups.
thanks in adavance for any advice.
Dave and Louise.

I don't have any children so cannot presonally comment although the link below may be a bit more helpful:

http://staffy-bull-terrier.com/staffie_pups_and_young_children

When my first child was born, Bandit was about 8 years old & very set in his ways. Everybody (including my mum) told me to get rid of him because at his age he'd be jealous of the baby.

Not a chance! He was fantastic. My kids (18 months apart) taught themselves to stand up by grabbing him & pulling themselves up. He used to lie down with them & would even let me know if I didn't hear one of the kids crying!

Having a puppy with a toddler is hard work, but fantastically rewarding. You'll need to keep on top of the training, and also teach your child to respect the pup. For example, the pup must be left completely by the child alone when it wants to sleep!

But you can also get your daughter to join in with training. She'll be old enough to understand basic commands & instructions & it'll help to build a really strong bond.

A child can't have a better, truer friend than a stafford! 

It can be hard work, but so rewarding for both dog and child to grow up together, and helps teach your children to respect and have the proper manners around dogs, if they do it from an early age!

Done right it can be fantastic, they are the best of friends. You just need to make sure you teach your child to respect the dog and not use it as a entertainment system

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We got Coco as a companion to our 2 year old 2 years ago, he really wanted a dog (his big brother had his dog around the same age). We have never been able to seperate them,where one was the other was never far away they have an amazing bond and are the best of friends. Logan as with my other children, has always been encouraged to help with the day to day looking after as well as her training this gives them a sense of responsibility and the knowledge that animals are not toys.
But one thing i know he will never have a more loving loyal friend !

that is the most amazing pic      

I think it can be very rewarding but also hard work, were here to answer any questions and offer support

I wouldn't have any other dog around my four children (16, 10, 5 and 3) we have had Marley since he was 6 weeks and he is just turned one and has never once done any remotely nasty towards them, they adore him and he adores them. They have the title nanny dog for a reason x

Hayley wrote:that is the most amazing pic      

I agree..marvelous!!!

Jenny was around 10 when we got our first Staffy , my OH was a childminder and the kids loved the interaction with a pup (very very supervised ) youngest child being 9 months when we first got her , and her family already had a staff . Is that enough for you  

You will get sensitive staffs (like Tilly) that just know when little ones are around and boisterous staffs ( like Tommy that mean no harm but don't know self control) this is the same for all dogs

I have a 2 and a half year old daughter and a 10 week old Staffy bitch and they are hard work together. Each on their own they are fine, but it's the training that gets hindered by my daughter as she's a massive distraction for the puppy, who see's her as play time.
They do have a bond don't get me wrong, but my daughter is constantly getting nipped and bitten (as am I) or the puppy is hanging off her pyjamas.
I do supervise them at all times and give the puppy time out in her crate, then before I know it my daughter has let her out of it. Or she opens doors letting her in to areas she shouldn't have access to yet and crying when the puppy is tearing into her favourite cuddly toy. It's little things like these that are a pain, but I'm sure with time, training and patience things will get better, with both of them.
Mind you I have a stubborn little girl who doesn't do as she's told, I'm sure it's going to be easier for me to train the puppy. The puppy isn't the problem  she's already showing signs that her training is working she goes outside for her business and sits on command. I'm going to take her to puppy classes after her last vaccination as well.

We have young nieces and nephews and our dogs have been brilliant with them. Staffords just seem to be able to read and understand small children better than many other more flighty breeds. Also having a young puppy will mean you can train and get it used to your way of life. The only issue you may have is excitability when the pup is still young but this would be an issue with any breed. With a bit of consistency and training everything will be fine

We got sappy at christmas last year at 7weeks old and our little girl was 1 they have grown up together and know each others boundries sapphy listens morw to my little girl then she does me. Thier best friends. Sapphy is so loyal to peyton and when she cries sapphy will give her kisses and lets her know its all alright. When peytons woken from her nap sapphy is thier barkug at me telling me its time to fetch pwyton my little girl would be lost without her. Peytons now 2 and sapphy is 1 in october. Xx

I have 4 kiddos and three dogs. The kids and dogs go great together. There are just things to be careful of (see link above). Also keeps some of the more leechy type family away. hehehehe

My wee girl is 3 1/2 and we have Bella at 10 month and Bruno at 3. She get's on amazing with them. They probably respect her more than they do me and my wife!!
As my wee one has grown up with dogs the know when she is up for playing or not. The good thing about Staffy's is that they will let the wee one do so much and just take it. Freya lies on Bruno all the time for cuddles and dresses him up and he secretly enjoys wearing a tutu!!
Staffy's and kids are perfect together. Just make sure you give your wee one the basic rules of what not to do to a dog like pulling tails and poking eyes etc

Yes it is hard work, I have a 4 y/o girl, a 2 y/o boy and a 5month old bitch Stafford!! Bella is fantastic with the children and loves to play with them. The only thing I will say is she can be a little over exuberant and she can easily bowl by son over (see my previous posts for story) but we have been on top of her and jumping up is completely unacceptable - she hardly does it anymore. She just wants to get a lick in cause their faces are so close. She also barks when they're on the swing or going on their little bikes in the backyard! She has never growled or anything.

If anything, it is the children that I have to correct to stop chasing her around the room when they want to play and when they want to 'ride her' (Bella seems to enjoy it but I want to give her space too) .

The kids have taken to ordering her about as well  . When we sit down for dinner and she comes over to pick up scraps under the table my 2yo will say 'Bella - bed"!! It is important for the whole family to have the same rules and luckily the kids have just sort of copied us. The dog must stay away from the dinner table when we are eating - its a house rule.

It is important that the puppy has its own space, especially for sleeping and simply just to get some peace!

So its still early days for us so can't say what she will be like as she matures but so far they get on great guns! Good luck with your puppy search and the Stafford is absolutely the way to go...but hey I'm biased!