What should I do before adopting a dog to make sure they have no behavior problems?

My local kennel took in two dogs displaced during the Katrina Hurricane and are now trying to adopt them out, both are young pitbull mixes who seem very sweet and affectionate. I'm interested in taking one home, but with two small dogs beside me and a 5 year old child that visits often I'm worried about having an aggressive dog. What things can I do at the kennel to check for aggressive behaviors?Thanks for the good answers so far, though the link isn't right I managed to figure it out Megan, I have no idea what your trying to say.

There's really no way to know for sure unless you spend some time with them. They may seem sweet now but how will they react to your kids and cats? The pitbull breed is a fine breed but it all depends on its raising and training.Its very hard to teach an old dog new tricks but not imposable .You will have to watch them very carefully for a while before you can trust them.Good luck

Lay the dog in your arms like a baby. Calm it down. Pet it. Say "Good,boy.". Stare down into the dogs eyes and if it looks away from your eyes it's okay. If it stares up into your eyes without looking away there might be an aggression problem. Also, while the dog is feeding. Take the dogs food away from it. Give it back. Take it away again. Do the same thing with a couple toys. With the dog laying down on the ground comfortably. Walk "through" the dog. Make the dog get out of your way. These few things are pretty good indicators on aggression. Nothing is fool-proof. At any sign of acting out. You'll have to weigh your options and maybe take it back.

Check http://www.dogmamship.com for good answers!!Regards

Well i have heard from many people that pitbull's are very good dogs but they can also turn on u or the child that comes over often. I would say it wouldnt be the best choice cuz the child could easily upset the dog and it could turn and bit her. U can get the dog but be very cautious about the interaction between the dog and the child.

ask the vet if it likes ______ ps ______ means blank you deside

Wherever the dog is located the shelter should do a temperment test and you should be able to view this. the test should consist of food aggression, the ability to touch the dog anywhere, toy aggression, dog aggression and there are many other tests that should be done. If this cannot be provided then you should consider finding a rescue group that will only take dogs from shelters after they have done their own personal temperment evaluation. Remember though, they are animals and we can never be 100% certain of their behavior even if we have raised them from pups.