Which breed of dog is good with an infant baby?

Question

We have a one month old daughter and my wife always wanted to have dog. Which breed is good with small children and how long time should we wait before we get it?

Answer 1

My suggestion would be to stay away from the very small breeds because a lot of them are nervous of very young children and they can get nippy. American cocker spaniels are also not reliable with young kids.

If you get a puppy soon, the dog and your daughter can grow together. The large majority of dogs are good with kids, but it's important that right from the beginning you teach your daughter how to treat dogs.

When my oldest son was about 6 months old and sitting propped up on the couch, my male afghan liked to cuddle up right next to him. My son would, of course, pull the dog's hair and he just sat quietly and waited because he knew I'd be right there to uncurl that fist. It took no time at all to teach the baby not to pull hair and him and that dog spent a lot of time together. A real important part of children and dogs is to supervise when the kids are really young and teach them to respect dogs and you'll be fine with most breeds. Do a little research when you find a dog you like, talk to people who have them and you'll know which breeds you should stay away from.

Answer 2

Why are you looking for a little dog vs a big dog? Smaller dogs are just as apt to bite as a big dog. And often smaller dogs are less tolerant as they feel they have to defend themselves more than a larger dog would against kids. And have you had dogs before? Remember that even though you are getting the dog for your older kids, YOU will ultimately be responsible for this dog and it's care. You mentioned babies, will YOU have time for a new dog? The size of the dog is not as important as the temperament of the dog you finally choose. The best way to attempt to secure a good temperament is by getting a pure breed dog. Check with the AKC for breed temperaments. Some really large breeds are excellent with small children such as Mastiffs, Newfoundlands, or even Boxers. These breeds have been known to tolerate "bad behaviors" ie. ear pulling, ear poking, etc. YOUR job will be sure that your kids never do these behaviors. Yet some smaller breeds like Cocker Spaniels have been known to be less tolerant and biters. Check with a local dog trainers for recommendations. Trainers have seen first hand when people pick the wrong breed for their home when they get the call for help. Go to local dog shows and meet with other dog owners. Call dog rescue groups and find out which breeds might work for you. These people want to stop the "cast offs" from occurring in the first place and are very knowledgeable about the breeds they rescue. Finally, find a breed that matches your family's life style. If you are homebodies or couch potatoes then a high energy dog is not for you. If you expect this dog to go for long walks with you then a chihuahua is not for you. If you don't have time to groom the dog then don't get a breed with a high grooming need. I think you get what I mean. I believe that all dogs deserve to have a forever home. Too many end up in shelters because no one bothered to research the breed before bringing it home. Good luck! Dogs are WONDERFUL companions and GIVE more than they take!

Answer 3

It sounds as though you don't have very much experience with dogs due to the specific parameters of your question.

It really is how the knowledgeable owner raises their dog and knows about 'threshold issues' that makes it a success.

What is a threshold issue? When one sees that the dog has not learned enough self control. Absolutely EVERY breed has examples of owners that did not know how to teach self control to the dogs. Recognizing areas where the dog is pushing the limits is the forte of the experienced owner.

I think you will have your hands full raising your child, and the cute idea of a little lassie dog growing up without issues with your child can be a quaint one.

People outright recommending breeds, know FULL WELL that thousands of these dogs are destroyed every year because the dogs were not taught self control.

You will need time to be able to take the dog training and to supervise the dog during its first couple years growing up. You will need a securely fenced property and should carefully choose the source of your dog.

Many of the dogs in rescue are excellent choices for people who have TIME and experience to work with the baggage that the dogs carry. Even the youngest pup will not have self control until trained.

What will you do if the puppy nips hard at the infant while playing? What would be your first reaction?

If you had already raised a dog to young adult stage, you'd already have all that behind you and would have learned to recognize potential training issues.

It is not a question of breed. There is no natural "Lassie" dog out there. No where.

Please wait til you have time to take on two very time consuming challenges. We all have a lot to learn while raising a child. Upping the ante and trying to raise a perfect childproof dog at the same time isn't impossible, but the odds are that the dog usually loses.

Congratulations on your new daughter! The choice to raise her with a dog is a good one, but you need the voice of reason to stay with your decision. There is no one great breed for kids. Visit my 360 page to see pics of children with dogs. These are kids that were born into families that had owned dogs for years before.

Answer 4

Any dog can be dangerous to a baby if you don't know it's history, I'd recommend waiting till the child is a little bit older before getting a dog,but if you are wanting to get on right away a puppy is the best to start with so the child and dog grow together, you need the dog to be used to ears and tails being pulled cos children can't resist.

Answer 5

Well, it is hard to say which breed is "good" for the baby, the baby is still to young to interact with the dog. But there are some breeds that are less desirable for a baby, because of jeaslousy.

I heartily recommend, "Paws to Consider" by Brian Kilcommons. It lists breeds by personality types, and it is fun to read. Mr. Kilcommons is a dog trainer of national reputation.

Answer 6

labs are great around kids, as are shelties, and collies.
German shephards are protective but do not do well with kids. Chihauha's do not do well with kids. Shitzu's, Lasa Apso, and Cocker Spaniels all get jealous of yound children. Hope this helps. Have you consider speaking to a kennel about this, and see what suggestions they have on a good breed for a yound family?

Answer 7

There sure is some scary ignorant 'advice' on this site. It scares the crap out of me to see it and think that people may actually follow it.

For the love of God, do not get a dog right now. Your baby daughter at one month of age is so young that she demands so much attention that now is NOT a good time to be able to devote the needed attention/training/care to a new dog or puppy when it needs it most. You will end up with a MUCH better behaved and better adjusted dog if you WAIT until you'll be able to devote the time/attention/money/training that you'll need to in order to have the kind of dog that you want for your family.

Also, babies make high squeaky noises, don't know any better than to pull sensitive ears and pinch hard, are not seen by dogs as alpha leaders to be respected (because of NATURE, not because the dogs are "bad", etc)...even the best breed of dog with children will growl/snap if the child physically hurts them, and who is to blame them? And the child doesn't know any better when that young.

Wait until your little girl is a few years old at least and can be taught how to properly treat the pet and has the capacity to know to be very gentle, etc. This will help keep her from bites that are not the dog's fault...again, any dog in pain will nip out of sheer instinct of trying to get away from the source of the pain.

When you DO get a dog, you will still need to always be present when child/dog are together. It is irresponsible to leave a child alone with a pet until the child is well old enough that you can trust their behavior together.

When you DO get a dog, again, for the love of God, do NOT listen to some of these morons and get a tiny or toy breed like a chihuahua, pom, maltese, shih tzu, etc. A growing child can accidentally slip, fall upon, drop things, etc., on top of these breeds and seriously hurt or kill them!!!! Go for a medium sized breed that is known for being laid back and calm.

DO NOT buy from a pet store...those overpriced dogs are crap...idiots buy from them not realizing that for a MUCH lower price than what they are paying for those puppy mill dogs, they could have bought a dog from a REAL breeder with a lifetime health guarantee that the breeder has worked for generations upon to breed out genetic health problems and a lifetime of support from the breeder and an agreement to take the dog back at ANY time during its life if you cannot care for it any longer for ANY REASON. You cannot, I repeat CANNOT find a reputable breeder in a newspaper ad, either...you need to search them out by going to the breed club of the breed you think you're interested in and have them refer you...those breeders have signed a code of ethics with their clubs and are going to know everything about that breed and then some, they'll answer any and all questions about the breed, and want to make sure that the right dog for you gets to you. For example...if you're interested in a samoyed, you go the the Samoyed Club of America website and email them for a list of breeders in your state. Do NOT go to a pet store nor to a newspaper, those are ignorant money making backyard breeders that just put two dogs together that are the same breed, technically anyway, and don't know nor usually care about the generations back of careful breeding necessary to ensure good temperaments and lack of genetic problems....hell....most of them don't even have any idea WHICH genetic problems are specific to their breed~!!! Just having a pup that is 'vet checked' means nothing except that the puppy was healthy on the day it saw the vet...it can't tell you if the dog is at a high risk of developing hip dysplasia or progressive renal atrophy in five years...that will cost you megabucks and tears....your breeder will know not to have used any dogs in their program that passed that on and will guarantee against it, and if the dog DOES develop it will make it right with you, but again, has taken WAAAAAY more precautions for years to make sure that it DOES NOT happen to you...way more precautions than anyone else.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 8

I wouldn't recommend getting a puppy this early. Wait until the baby is at least 6 months old. Then get pretty much whatever breed you want. Let the puppy grow up with the baby. They will become inseperable. Depends if you want a large dog, or small. Stay away from chihuahuas, and daschunds.

Answer 9

the best dog to have around children is a lab. they are great protectors of children as they will not let any strangers or other animals around the children. in many cases they are like having a babysitter that have in many cases safed children from getting hurt. many hero dogs stories are based on labs not only good around children but makes a great pet for the entire family and the easiest dog to train.

Answer 10

My German Shepherd is the best around babies. When my children were little he would fetch diapers for me. He was the best babysitter ever. Very protective and very gentle. He would even come and get me if the baby would wake up or cry.