What is a good dog breed for a family with a busy 4 year old?

Answer 1

Go to
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com
It has info on many breeds.

There are many breeds that are good with children. But there are so many other factors to be aware of as well.
Can you handle a large dog? (many toy breeds are not so good with children by the way)
Do you have a large yard to excercise your dog? (without excercise many breeds might resort to tearing up your home)
Do you have close neighbors that would be bothered by a noisy dog? (Some dogs are especially yappy, while the basenji for example is considered barkless)
Do you have other pets? (some breeds will chase and kill other small animals)

So make your decision wisely.

Answer 2

You must consider your situation and time as well as your kid. I will assume that like most parents, you don't have an unlimited amount of time to spend on a dog.

For a good, all-around, relatively low-maintenance, family dog, consider a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. These smallish (20-pound) dogs are fantastic with good kids because they're not high-strung and are the perfect size for an older kid to walk. They're small enough to get enough exercise from one nice walk each day. They are straightforward to train and are generally naturally well-behaved. Overall, this breed fits in very nicely with many lifestyles.

I would like to caution you against buying a dog of one of the popular, high-energy breeds, such as Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Weimeraners. I am NOT saying that these cannot be absolutely wonderful dogs, but many people have a distorted perception that these dogs are easy family dogs. They were bred to run and work, and in they don't fit in well with the average family. With enough exercise and training (which is A LOT), they can be great dogs, but most people including me don't have this kind of time. This is why you see so many crazed, hyperactive dogs of these breeds.

I would strongly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of the book I listed below. It is a fantastic resource for dog-choosers, lists both positive and negative aspects of each breed, an has a listing for "Good with Kids?" for each breed.

Answer 3

You can find any of these suggested breeds at www.petfinder.com !! Adopt a pet and it'll change both your lives. You can search any breed and your location to find a homeless friend. The dogs also have descriptions about how they are and if they are a good candidate for being around young children, etc. I find temprement depends more on the dog than the breed, so this is the perfect way to screen your dog! Good luck!

Answer 4

Collies are very calm and sweet dogs, absolutely the best!! They are good for kids too, and are not overly WILD and destructive like a Lab or a Golden, who could unintentionaly hurt the kid just because they are so rambunctious. Collies are much easier to train and don't get so wild, they are more gentle and are really wonderful. If you don't want all that gorgeous hair to keep up, get a smooth collie (collies with short hair) they are still collies, but without the grooming needs of a rough (long haired) collie. Check out www.colliesonline.com for pictures of smooths and a breeder's directory, it has alot of great info. Actually, if you go on that site you can see a pic of my dogs! Just search for "Jerusalem Hills Collies".

Answer 5

We adopted a dog from a shelter last summer.Gilligan is a border collie new foundland mix and I could not have found a better dog for our family.I have 2 kids one has adhd and aspergers syndrome and my daughter also has adhd.They are 4 and 6.Our dog is awesome with them and is very protective.hes also very gentle and has never so much as growled at either one of them.Even after my daughter stuck her hand in his mouth and took his bone.Find a dog that's temperment is good and has no food agression.There are alot of dogs out there and the herding dogs only nip when they are trying to herd the kids back where they feel they are safe.They are not hurting the kids or intentionally trying to nip in an agressive way.Its their nature to protect.

Answer 6

Adult dog who has been around kids before

soft mouthed breeds are best - these dogs are bred for retrieiving and they are more patient and bred to be gentle

never a terrier - since they are bred to hunt they tend to be nippy and high strung
no toy dogs which are nervous and your kid can hurt them
no spitz breeds - they are too unpredictable
herding dogs are too active so unless YOU are really active you wont have time for the kid and the dog

low intelligence dogs like Shih Tzu might be ok but you MUST teach your child to slow down around any dog and MUST watch your kid all the time when around any dog

NEVER allow a kid to pull a dogs ears or sit on it

Answer 7

dachshound, yorkies r realy great! there small good tempered dont take alot of time to take care of, and if they do snap or anything it doen't hurt the kid. we have 6 kids and when we got r yorkie they were all under the age8, busy people we were too! my husban was still in med school, I stayed home, but I did work LOL (i took care of six kids a hamster, 2 fish, and he breed birds too so 15 baby birds at the same time, plus a new pupy, but it was easy. The pup trained easily, it didn't do anything bad, the kids were crazy but played with the dog wen i had stuff to do, so it was quite good (the dog) so yorkie is a best bet!
for anymore question email me at [e-mail]

Answer 8

There's just too many dogs that are good with kids, but you've gotta make sure you train the dog well and give it a lot of socialization. I know my beagle love kids and he has a lot of energy to keep them busy. I also have a sheltie that love kids too. So it's really up to how you train your dog, because most dogs are good family dogs if they are reared into the right direction.

Answer 9

I would stay away from doxies because if your child pcks it up wrong it can seriously hurt its back.All shepards and herding dogs are gonna nip.
Border collies are realy bad about it,
shelties are pretty good about not bitting, they also have a high energy level and are small.
Rotts get a bad wrap butare very maturnal and love kids.I've had three one of which raised my kitten, but they are prone to bone cancer(what i lost mine to)
Poodles are very bitte along with alot of small dogs.
Cocker spaniels are very sweet but tend to get ear infection and many other things.
Dalmations bite like nuts and are way to energetic.
Labs are very sweet high energy and easily trained plus if you get a short hair you don't have to brush it that often.
Bull dogs and pugs aren't good for high energy cause the pushed in nose its hard for them to breath (and run.)
Westies are angles on earth they are very sweet.
Because it sounds like you have our hands full with a four year old i would stay away from long haired breeds(lahpso apso and the other realy long haired dogs)

So in a hole my top four are
shelties(hair is kinda long a two minute brush each day should work)
westies
labs.
Rotties.

oh weimeriners are great too they have soft pallets so they dont like o bite so you dont have to worry about that there also maternaul.

Answer 10

A Labrador, black or golden. If you don't believe me, ask America! They've been voted #1 dog by the AKC for several years. They're super family friendly, smart, outgoing and just plain fun. I've had them all my life and one of my best babysitters (when I was a baby) was a black lab. You can follow the AKC link to find breeders. Happy pup hunting!