Whats the best dog for a 4 yrs. old boy?

Question

We want a small size dog that doesn't shed a lot of hair and a good guard dog as well.

Answer 1

Try a cockapoo - part poodle and part cocker spaniel - we have one with a 6 year old and a 3 year old and he is closer to the kids than he has ever been with us! He is the size of a cocker, but with curly - NONSHEDDING hair like a poodle! Lots of fun!

Answer 2

Small dogs often make poor choices as pets for kids because, well, even a small child is 'large' to a little dog. Kids can easily hurt or scare a small dog without meaning to. Little dogs get the reputation of being yappy and noisy because people treat them like toys instead of living beings. A little dog needs as much training as a large dog, and people (especially kids) need MORE supervision and training when dealing will a small breed, because they are more likely to injure the dog. The dog's interests need to be considered as much as the child's, for both of their safety in the longterm.

If you have your heart set on a small dog, I'd recommend visiting several breeders to see what their dogs are like. You will want to select a dog that comes from a breeder who really believes in, and breeds for, a great temperament. If you are open to suggestions, you may want to consider a larger or at least medium sized dog that will be more able to withstand the hugging and tugging of a toddler.

Unfortunately, a lot of the really great dogs for youngsters are also quite hairy. Labradors and Newfies come to mind. One of the things you will want to consider is this: a dog who doesn't shed will be primarily an indoor dog. Can you handle constantly supervising a dog AND a child? A poodle, for example, can't spend more than a minute or two outside in the winter, while you could put a furrier dog out in the yard while you were busy inside.

I'd recommend going to a dog show - see what breeds are out there, and make a list of the ones that 'look' like what you are thinking of. You can then talk to the owners of those breeds- find out how playful they are, if they tend to be shy or scared of children, if they are easily injured, etc. Once you've found a breed that seems to have met your needs, try to meet as many individual dogs as you can. Don't forget to consider rescue groups and shelters, as you can often find a very nice, pre-trained dog from rescue that will save you a lot of time and energy training!

Good luck!

Answer 3

4 years old is young to young but if your already getting a dog for yourself and you want it to suit your child thats different .Dont get the dog for your 4 year old unless you want one to .I have three kids and I will tell you they get bored on things really easy.Its a great experience for a child to grow up in a house with a dog and I would recommend it but the dog needs to be part of the family and it has to meet everyones needs. amedium sized dog is great small dogs are scared alot with kids and big dogs are to big four a 4yr old .Just a medium dog is good .Also people are not perfect so never expect your dog to be eithier.Your child life will be better with a dog .Go looking and you will know when you find the right one .It will hit you like a brick.

Answer 4

1. small dogs dont guard, they re like a doorbell, u ll know someone or something is there but its not going to keep anything safe
2. bichon frise dogs are small and dont shed hardly at all (neighbor has one)
3. generally they are good with young kids but make sure its good with your son before u take it or that u can take it back if it becomes a problem about that later because most small dogs are reallly snippy and bite a lot

Answer 5

My family has had Rat Terriers since I was an infant. They are great, fun, protective dogs but are also small enough to be enjoyable for kids. My neighbors have a couple of large dogs (one is a lab) and while they are nice, well behaved dogs, they are too large for the kids to play with and not get knocked over. So the neighborhood kids come to our house to play with our Terriers.

Just a suggestion. There are other great, smaller dogs.
Beagles are good, Dachshunds are also.

Answer 6

Honestly hun, 4 years old really isnt old enough to have a pet...they dont understand that animals are living things and not toys, they cant comprehend the fact that pulling tails, poking little fingers into various holes and things of toddler nature can & will hurt pooch, you should wait till the kids a bit older really its in the best interest of all involved...not being snooty just tellin the facts

Answer 7

I am hoping that you are wanting a new dog also. My son is great with our puppy Budda and Budda is great with our son, But it is me feeding and me cleaning and me loving and well you get the drift. I love every minute of it but I also got this dog for me. Our dog is a Boxer but unless you are ready for a boxer (most people are not) I would look into adopting a pet that has been around children. There are plenty of wonderful places all over the U.S.

Answer 8

YES! Definitely a cockerpoo.
Cocker spaniel cross maltese poodle. They are the
nicest natured dogs EVER! They are not aggressive,
long-suffering and really great for kids to get used to being around dogs. My parents got me a cockerpoo when I was 4 too
and I loved every bit of him. Unfortunately we recently had to
put him down, but he lived to be 15 years old.

I would highly recommend this breed!

Labradors are pretty sweet too. Might be a bit big?

Good luck.

PS > whatever you do, please dont get a border collie
or any hyper active sheep dogs. They are really not
good for small kids. My cousins recently got one and we've
had to take her because she was so unruly. We have to keep her busy and always need to be consistent - plus give her plenty of space to run! And other word of caution, be very careful when getting dogs from the pound or spca, they tend to be quite aggressive and not very patient with small kids - im speaking from experience.

Answer 9

alot of small dogs are nippers , you have to watch them around children. In my opinion one of the nicest dogs are in the hunting breed, setters, labs and your border collie is probably the best providing you have some space they can run often. I did have a peekineze when I was young and she was the best. I named her peetie, good name for a female wasn't it. Hell I was real young and that is the name I wanted. I will strongly recommend a female whatever you get . Goodluck

Answer 10

The best dog is either a labrador or a retriever, however both or a little large, but they are loveable and also protective.
Most small dogs are yappers and nippers.