What breed of dog is good if you have small children?

Question

I have a 4 yr old son. He loves animals and I want to buy him a dog. I want something that is quite butch. He spends too much time in the house. I dont want a nancy dog! But does any-one know of any dogs that are good with children.

Answer 1

Contrary to popular belief staffordshire bull terriers are the most soppy gentle dogs i have ever seen, my family has had them for years and when baby relatives have come round they have been able to pull their ears and tales and make lots of noise without the dog getting remotely irritated, I would trust one round my children (if i had children) although slightly worried about posting this as its down to how the individual dog has been treated, so if its been well treated or you get it as a pup i think it would be ok!
Staffs are not dangerous like everyone thinks they are

Answer 2

Its good that your son loves animals - this is something to be encouraged and owning and teaching him how to care for a pet will help his development. Good luck!
Butch dogs are not generally good with children because they are strong and need firm handling. Although it will probably be an accident a butch dog will easily hurt your son. Nancy dogs are also not good because a boisterous and lively 4 year will be too much and it'll get scared and stressed! You don't sound like an experienced dog owner so if I was you I would go to a rescue centre where they can match you with a suitable dog. With a young child you won't want a puppy as you will spend the same amount of time cleaning up after the puppy and training it as you will looking after your little boy - you'll be exhausted! Also puppies go through biting stage and jumping stage - easy to hurt your son and make him frightened of dogs.
Good luck finding a pet even if you have to wait until hes a bit older or at school!

Answer 3

We recently decided to bring a new puppy into our home, partly for our 3 and 5 year old children. We have 2 other dogs, but they are 7 and 12 and not really into playing with our boys. We debated various breeds and our narrowed down choices were a Golden Retriever, which are just excellent dogs with great temperment, and a Border Collie, which have a high energy level and require some specific needs, such as plently of excercise.

Our boys have a high energy level and we decided to go with a Border Collie to match that. We wanted a breed that could keep up with them. Some say BC's are questionable with children as they have that herding instinct and tend to be nippy as a result. This is the only issue with them and children and it's not aggressive by any means, they just try to herd the children and nipping is a part of that. But we are vigilent about working that part of the behavior out and it's getting better each day (our pup is 4 months now).

The high energy level is great to have because my kids can toss her a ball for hours and she'll keep on playing. She runs around and plays chase with them in the yard, they chase her, she herds them... it's so funny to watch. And when the mellow moments hit, she's as affectionate with my boys as ever.

So I think they are a good breed for active children. The BC really needs a ton of excercise and the daily walk is not really good enuf. They need more mental stimulation like chasing a ball or frisbee. We are training towards agility for ours.

So like everyone else, I'm biased, cuz I have one. And there are lots of great breeds that are good with kids. I prefer to take in at least a medium sized dog as I worry about a tiny one getting hurt by my hard playing boys.

Answer 4

Definitely a larger breed, as smaller ones could get injured by a small child or end up nipping. Also, the sporting group (labs, golden retrievers, etc.) are known for being great with kids, along with the herding group (shelties, collies, shepherds). The only thing is many of these dogs require a lot of exercise- and I mean a lot! You should also train them as a pup in how you'd want an adult dog to behave; meaning, if you don't want an 80 pound lab jumping up on you, don't allow your pupply to do it when he's little. All dogs require consistant training, and you should supervise your son while he is with the puppy. If you teach your son to be gentle with a dog and vise-versa, they can have a lifelong friendship!
To add a personal recommendation, we own a boxer, and he is great with small pets and kids. Everyone I've met says that boxers are very good with children and they are easy to train. The other nice thing about this breed is that you don't have to groom them, and they don't shed much as their hair is so short. This is another active breed though, so be prepared for daily walks! The good thing is it gets me exercising!

Answer 5

Lab and Shepards are great for kids. It is also good to get a puppy (not even a little puppy but a dog that is not full grown yet) so they can grow up together. That way the dog will be used to your son and will protect him. Just make sure your son knows how to behave around a dog and not poke them in the eyes and that sort of thing. We have a border collie, shepard mix and she has grown up with my son and she loves other kids as well. Good Luck

Answer 6

A 4-year old child is much too young to have a dog! At that age he will not be able to control it properly while walking it.

Who wants the "quite butch" dog - you or your son? I would have thought that a 4-year old would have preferred a cute fluffy little dog rather than a butch dog that will pull him over and knock him over when it jumps up at him.

Generally dogs and small children do not go well together.

I suggest you get him a smaller indoor pet and encourage him to get out more by you going out with him and playing football.

Answer 7

I have spaniels they are good with children, My child grew up with dogs, (a German Shephard) but you have to train the child how to treat the dog.Remember a child will think of it as a toy at first. It must understand that when a dog is tired it must left alone, and also not to tease it. After saying that, dogs make lovely pets for children if trained (the dog as well as the child!!!)

Answer 8

Basically any breed of dog are good with children. It would be better to get a puppy so that it can bond with the children and can be trained. Smaller dogs may be better with the size of them although some breeds are known to be snappy (eg. Silky Terrier). It really depends on what the dog is taught is right and wrong from a puppy. Taking your puppy to obediance or puppy preschool classes teaches them simple yet very helpful tricks (eg. sit, stay, come, drop and how to walk on a lead properly). See your vet for infromation on these classes as they usually have them on offer. If you are not buying a puppy froma petshop eg. private sale then it is a god idea to see the parents of the puppies and spend a bit of time whith them to see their personalities and if their healthy etc. I currently have a Rottweiler and an Australian Terrier but believe it or not the Aussie Terrier is more ferocious than the Rottweiler. If you get a medium or a large sized dog it is a MUST to get them trained as because of their size they are harder to control. It really depends on the person interested in dogs to make the decision on what breed to buy.

Answer 9

I've had the best luck with mixed breeds. they seem to be the calmest and most appreciative of all the dogs out there and there are so many to choose from that need a good home. on top of that they usually don't cost an arm and a leg either.

Answer 10

Well I am a huge fan of the Labrador Retrievers they are by far one of the greatest dogs. They love all people and things, they are the greatest with kids and they are highly intelligent and versatile. I have owned almost every breed out there and the Labs have been by far the most impressive. My Lab goes swimming with my nephews all summer, he plays fetch with them, hide and seek in the house and in the winter he out there joining the snowball wars. Thet are extremely affectionate and loyal you would not be making a mistake by getting one.
And there are also the Pit Bulls and I am not be crazy. They have a bad rap nd by their breed standard before people get ahold of them and train them to fight they are extremely loyal,loving dogs who are GREAT with kids. My Pit Bull can not get enough "torture" from my young nephews. He tolerates it all.
No matter what dog you get or what breed you get it is all how you raise it. There are some breeds there is no way you should have around kids but you also have to consider you will being giving the dog most of his care. The Labs are the best all around dogs mine is my babysitter. There are extremely easy to train. The Pits are great dogs but they are Terriers amd can be a little difficult to train (that goes with any terrier thats probally why they call him "tenacious terriers") But honestly if you got your son a puppy he would have a great dog they are not vicious by nature.