What in your oppinion would be the best family dog?

Question

My sister is thinking of getting a dog. There is her, her husband, and their 6 month old baby. They want it to be an inside dog. One who will scare away people it does not know. (you know if anyone one were to try to break in) But they also want it to be a gentle dog, so that it won’t harm the baby. So what do you suggest?

They want it to be loyal to them but gentle with the baby (you know one that won't jump up one the baby) It does not have to be a puppy either.

Their house is plenty big so a bigger dog (not huge) would noit be a problem

Answer 1

A min pin or a mini daschund.

Answer 2

Labs are not great inside dogs, I know mine sheds continuously and is so big. We also have two shepard crosses that don't mind being in the house, but I would go with something smaller and shorter haired if they want it in all the time and have a small child that will be crawling all over the floor soon, nothing like dog hair on a soother, ew! I definately agree with rescuing a dog, all of ours have been and we've never had a bad one. It just takes some thinking. If you are very active and like taking baby for walks in the stroller, or hiking with the baby pack, you could do with an active, dog like a doberman cross or a boxer cross, the reason I say cross is because they have fewer incidents of physical and mental instabilities. Both of these dogs have short hair and are big enough to scare someone off. I have also met a lot of staffordshire terriors and "pitbulls" that would never let anything happen to their families and are very gentle with their kids. You would have to know what you were getting into though. If you are a couch potato family and like to lounge, you would drive some of the more active dogs to destructive behavior, so be aware. E-mail a shelter and be very honest about your lifestyle and someone there will probably be able to set you up with a dog that you will be happy with and that will be happy with you.

Answer 3

I have a shitz-tzu and she is a wonderful inside dog,she isn't as territorial as a chihuahua that most of the time only likes one person in the home and tries to bite everyone else,but my dog barks at people knocking at the door or if she sees someone outside,she was so easy to train and she listens great and she isn't really hiper but she still loves to play!!I have heard yorkys are good too.I really wouldn't get anything bigger than a shitz-tzu,or like a jack russell because that would be just too big for an inside dog in my opinion,and I have come to learn the bigger the dog the bigger the messes!!!Jack russels are very active and require a lot of attention,you really should research the differences in the breeds of dogs so you can decide which you think is the best for your family so you don't have to return the dog or take it to the pound because it knocked the baby's bassinet over with baby inside because the dog was so excited.

Answer 4

I like the suggestion to check out the akc, above.
Here is my personal experience.
1. I had a terrier of mixed background. When my daughters were 2 and 3 years old, it attacked the 2 year old. We were so stunned we had the dog put down.
2. we then got 2 labrador-german shepherd dogs. Both female. They were fine with the kids and would bark and look aggresive at strangers but actually were very gentle. The only drawback was that they shed hair all the time. We had to keep them barracaded in the kitchen as that helped to keep the fur level down. This meant that they were not very well integrated into the family. They lived a long time and we put them down last year due to their deteriorating health.
3. we got to know a local breeder of whippets. eventually we found a whippet which we could rescue from a divorce -turned out the divorced couple did not want their dog (can you imagine). This whippet is unbelievably wonderful. He follows us around, sits with us on the couch. He has such short hair that basically we detect no fur shedding at all. He can be bathed in about 30 seconds and he is very human oriented. THIS is the kind of dog to make anyone just love dogs and to add life to a family.

That is my suggestion.

Not sure what the akc says.

By the way, we get to take the whippet out to our friend's place so they can chase lures -a sport called luring, enjoyed by whippets and their owners.
3.

Answer 5

well let me tell you something, you can't get a gentle dog and a guard dog in one package. you either want them to be aggressive and protective or loving and calm. i wouldnt suggest getting a dog that will be used to guard the house unless you plan on never bringing this dog inside the house. if a dog is raised to protect it is not going to be gentle and calm around a baby. also, just because the dog isnt a guard dog doesnt mean that it wont protect you in some way. it will let you know if someone is at the door, or near the house. so look for a watch dog instead of a guard dog, i think it would be better for the family. any type of lab retriever is good, also boxers.

Answer 6

My suggestion is to contact a local rescue group that fosters their dogs and tell them what they are looking for. I foster dogs for a group, and right now, I can tell you I have a white german shepherd, female that will fit what they want. I also have a chocolate lab, well, he's wonderful, but too rough for a baby. That is the benefit of adopting a dog that has been fostered. The person who has been caring for the dog, will know if it's a good fit for the family and what they are looking for. Search on Petsfinder.com and see what you come up with. There are so many wonderful dogs out there, just waiting for a loving home

Answer 7

I have many years of experiance with a variety of breeds. I run a rescue and the one dog that fits all your criteria is the APBT, American Pittbull Terrier. Also known as the American Bulldog and American Staffordshire Terrier by the AKC. Contrary to popular belief this dog doesnt need to be raised from puppyhood to be loyal and protective. It has been naturally bred into him. He has a higher bite tolerance which means small children can pull on this dog and will not get a reaction other then him getting up and walking away. This is because in the breeding for pit fighting, owners wanted they're dogs to last as long as they could without reacting to the pain. If one of these dogs showed the slightest bit of agression towards humans he was immediatly put down and definately not bred. So for hundreds of years this dog was bred for a higher bite threshold and least amount of human agression. 99.9 percent of dogs that are documented on lethel attacks are NOT APBT's. The News adds that regardless of the actual breed. Last week an infant was killed in it's crib by the family pet. What kind was he? It was a Wiennerdog. Im sure he was not an abused animal. The females are better at babysitting and less likely to wonder. Get to know some in your area. If this animal is banned in your area, like some are you can get an AKC registered one with the differant name. It's the same animal though.
One last thought to add: Pit Bull is not a specific breed of dog, but rather a term used to describe several breeds of dogs with similar physical characteristics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_bull
I have listed some site so you can better inform yourself .
NO they dont get meaner as they get older. Thats just absurd. They get calmer if anything.
No Im not a breeder of these dogs, I dont own them and Im not a defender of them. But I have spent a large amount of time with many dogs in this breed catagory. I love all dogs and work to help all breeds, but to me it is what it is, there is no reason for me to be biased.
Spell check isnt working sorry.

Answer 8

Definetly depends on your lifestyle and desires.

I really do recomend starting with a rescued dog or pup. You could go to petfinder.com. there you can do a localized search of adoptable pets. If you choose one(more), take the time to look up it's breed(s) on the internet. You should beable to findout a lot about tempermants and needs. Also, the adoption agency should be able to tell you quite a bit about that pet. Make sure you visit the pet first.

Another option, volunteer as Foster Parent for pets at a local animal shelter. 1) You would get to learn a little more about what works for you. 2) You'd be helping a pet in need 3)You may eventually come upon one that you want to adopt.

Answer 9

I would suggest a Pitt Bull Terrier.
If you raise it from a puppy it will be the best dog in the world.
They protect the house and children very well.
Don't freak out on the mere mention of its breed.
You can raise any dog to be vicious, But if you show a dog love then you will have a great animal.
My Pitt loves children, My niece used to pretend that she was unconscious and that dog would run and get someones attention for help.
She loved the neighbors little girl who was two years old.
And she is a great guard dog as well.

Answer 10

A Golden or Labrador Retriever would work. Lots of people say that they don't work well as guard dogs, but my Golden starts barking so loud as soon as she hears someone close to the house and getting near the door that we've actually had people say they thought there were two dogs inside (of course, what a potential intruder doesn't know is that she's barking because she wants to see who it is, not to be menacing).

Answer 11

You can't beat a lab or lab mix! They are big enough that the child won't hurt it and very loving dogs. They don't shed as bad as some others and are big enough to hug on. At 90 lbs. mine still thought it was a lap dog! They are very smart and easy to train and are as loyal as they come! Thought mine would go through the window when someone came to the door so they are great watch dogs!