what kind of dog is best for my two boys?

Question

my kids are now 3 and 6. i promised my oldest that when he turns 10 we would get a dog. what kind of dog is a great family dog (inside and outside dog)? will be patient and loving toward the kids? and can train good?

Answer 1

My first question to you would be, how mush area will this dog have to live in. Do you live in an appartment, or do you live in the suburbs or a small ranch. Your living conditions usually dictate what size dog you might be looking for. Large dogs are great for living where they can get allot of exercize. Medium size dogs also require some area for getting good exercize. Smaller dogs don't need big areas to exercize and make great dogs for appartment dewelling. As far as breeds of dogs go, most of them would make great family dogs. Personally, ruttwillers, dobermans, sheppards, pitbulls, boxers and a few other larger dogs I don't recomend as a really good family dog unless you are looking for a dog that would be used for pertection of your family. Retrevier, labs, austrailan sheppards, border collies and other dogs of this type make wounderful family pets.. Smaller dogs like poms., papeons, pugs, shelties, also many other smaller breeds make great family pets. Also look in your local dog shelters for great home pets. Next, how much time do you and the family have to put into a pet dog. Having a dog is like having another child around the house that has a very different temperment?? The younger the dog the more attention it is going to require and the quicker the dog will emprint on your family as being his pack. The next question is, is this dog going to be a pet or a pet/working dog or pet/breeding dog? If the dog is just a pet, then please have the dog fixed so as to not have any pupies or nutter the male dogs. Having male dogs has some draw backs. If you don't nutter them they will get out and try to establish a terratory and they mark or urinnates on everything that is in his terratory and that includes in the house also.
There are allot of good dog books that can be found in pet stores and book stores for first time pet owners..
Feeding your dog should be done once a day and follow the feeding instructions on the container. Don't over feed your dog.. The reason for the once a day feeding is to keep the dog in good body shape because over feeding is not good for the dog and it also creats allot more waste (dog poop) that you will have to clean up.. Also if you leave a full dog dish every day it will lead to ants and couch rotchs in your house and its not good for the dog. Never feed dogs from the table, bad habit and again not good for the health of the dog.. If the dog you get starts to chew on things, get them some beef bones to chew on. They will learn very quick that, that is the only thing they are safe to chew on, and its great for thier teeth and gums. I keep allot of bones around for my dogs.. Well, I could go on all night. I wish good luck with your new dog. Please remember that this dog will be a part of your family and it will be needed to be considered in any future planning of the family..

Answer 2

Some of the breeds that people recommend for kids astound me!

I'd recommend one of the Sporting breeds for a child (but NOT a Weimaraner or a Dalmatian!) My all-time favorite mid-sized dog for kids is the English (or Welsh) Springer Spaniel. They require some grooming, but don't shed too much, are generally great with kids and easy to train. Females are a little bit easier than males, but either should make a terrific pet. They will need a good thirty minute walk every day.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Pekingese are great too and need less exercise. They are small, sweet and quiet.

Vizslas, Setters, Labs and Goldens are usually great with kids but they're bigger and are very boisterous until they are about two. Labs shed a LOT.

I'd also suggest reading some really good books on training. Try not to do it randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also! These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com
What All Good Dogs Should Know - Volhard
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin
Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan

Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.


Whatever breed of puppy you decide on DON'T go to a pet shop or buy one off the internet!!!! You'll pay top dollar for what is usually a poor quality puppy mill dog. And you'll be supporting one of the cruelest industries in the country. The breeding animals are kept in deplorable conditions. They probably haven't been vaccinated against contagious diseases or tested for any health or temperament problems or genetic diseases - that costs money and cuts into their profits. A female is often bred every time she comes into heat. When her poor little body can't take it any more, she is often clubbed in the head and tossed into a dumpster or an open ditch. Most puppy mills ship their pups to pet stores at wholesale prices and many pups die before they even get there. These "breeders" have figured out that they can use the internet to ship a dog directly to the customer and thus make more money by cutting out the middleman. If you buy a dog from out of state, good luck getting your money back if there's something wrong with the pup. These people count on you becoming instantly attached to the poor little guy and being willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars at the vet to treat whatever is wrong with him.

Find a good breeder by going to www.akc.org or talking to people at dog shows. You can also find info about the breed clubs on the akc site - they probably have a rescue group where you can get an older dog for less money.

Find a breed rescue organization by going to www.akc.org - you can get an older dog for less money. Be VERY careful about getting a shelter dog with children that young. You are often adopting someone else's problem dog. And people often lie about the dog's temperament, hoping he'll get a new home that can deal with him.

Answer 3

The kind of dog that you have the time and resources to properly feed, keep healthy, train, and love until its time comes. Do breed research to help determine what kind of dog will best suit your living situation. If you like a particular breed, definitely investigate breed-specific rescue groups. Good ones will be very helpful in helping you decide if it will be a good fit. And I cannot emphasize enough - find a local dog-friendly trainer and take a class. - g^2

Answer 4

Definitely a Scootish Terrier. Scottish terriers are very beautiful dogs, tough, good temper, have alot of patience, very playfull and uber intelligent. they will protect your children with their lives. I had a labrador, witch would be my second choice. But the Scottish terrier have much more savvy and are easier to handle, because of their size. They are very active and flexible (can do anything) and they do not get obese like labrodor/golden retrievers. Very good guard dogs as well. I will leave my scottish terrier alone with a school of minors and there won't happen a bad thing, a least not to the children.

Answer 5

I can recomend a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, they are kind and loving, full of energy without being hyper, they are excellent with kids and they are reasonbly easy to train.

I grew up with 2 Cavaliers in the house and love the breed. A big dog in a small package

Answer 6

Our first dog was a Boxer, and he was the most loving animal I ever saw. His best friend was our orange tiger cat. They played and slept together like Disney animals. He was terrific with my very young son and loved being around people. They shed very little and train well, but you have to be consistent-teach no jumping on people or nipping ( common training for all dogs). Puppies love to jump up to greet you but a boxer will grow to 65-75 pounds.

Answer 7

Golden Retriever.

Answer 8

Labs, or Golden Retrievers are good family dogs. I have two small half poodle half cockerspaniels, and they're great with everybody. They're supposed to be very expensive because special hybrids are paid top-dollar now-adays. (I got em for free though lol)

Answer 9

Australian Shepherd. They are good with kids and very smart. Beautiful dog. Just watch out for the hair.

Answer 10

Labrador Retrievers!!! Definitely!

The breed is exceptionally friendly, intelligent, and good natured, making them excellent companions and working dogs. Labrador Retrievers are known to be one of the fastest learning breeds of dog and respond well to praise.

We actually have one...and they definitely make excellent companions!