We are considering getting a dog/puppy - as a sort of additional protector for the family, like on the frequent trips to our nearby creek, and for when the troops are out in our yard. We already have a six-foot fence, but it seems last week someone pulled into the driveway (outside the fence) and asked our 4 year old if she wanted an ice cream. She knew to say no and come inside, but it still makes one wonder. While the fence essentially did its job, my bride would feel more comfortable with a dog out there as well, to discourage anyone looking to do the wrong thing.
Anyway, the real reason I am posting is because it is looking like we could get a rescue pit bull/pit bull mix puppy (~8 weeks when we would get her). In the very short time we have been considering this, we have discovered that people have very strong opinions about this. We probably would too, except that a family member has a rescue pit bull and it is the sweetest dog. Our family member trained the dog intensely - - week of training with a professional, Cesar-Millan type - - and very structured environment for the dog. When they came to visit us, the dog, without any prior training, would put itself between the outside of the group and our youngest, who was then a year and a half, keeping him with the rest of the group. Granted, this was just in our back yard, so it wasn’t necessary, but no one taught the dog to do that, it just did it. That really made an impression.
In my brief review of the somewhat voluminous material available online, it appears that most problems with pit bulls are with unaltered males, and that most are not really family pets that experience problems. That being said, there are still more fatal attacks with pit bulls than with other dogs, and of course we are concerned with having little ones around. That is why we would like a puppy as opposed to an older dog. We want to know the dog will obey when it is bigger. We had a chance to get an older (11 months) pit bull mix, but that dog was big (probably over 65 pounds) and while I think that dog was trainable, he was so big that the training process would have been even more critical, and we didn’t feel like we could make that commitment, whereas with a puppy we can be in on the ground floor, so to speak.
So, what type of dogs have you all had that were good family dogs? Any good experiences with pit bulls or pit mixes? Bad?
Will get calmer after that. Don’t yell and don’t hit her. Don’t chain her up, don’t lock her up downstairs. My dogs greet guests, check them out and then go take a nap. They are pack animals, like to socialize and like being with their pack…that’s you and the family.
Can you post a picture? Sounds adorable. At 10 weeks, just remember not to leave her alone for even a minute! 
They get up to trouble even faster than small children