Thinking about getting a puppy in the near future?

Question

Any breeds that are particular good with children? (I have a 2year old son)
I have grown up with Newfoundlands which are great but far too big!

Answer 1

Hmmm...

Now with a 2 year old, you want a dog that isn't so small that he can hurt or frighten it by falling on it .

On the other hand, you don't want a dog that is sooo big that he is intimidated by and can't hug it and pet it comfortably.

I usually recommend some of the non-sporting breeds and the herding breeds for kids - particularly where the child may need a keeper and a playmate playing around the house and yard for several years yet.

Read about the breeds on the AKC website: (you can look them up by Group - herding, non-sporting, working -thats newfies - etc)

http://www.akc.org/breeds/index.cfm?nav_area=breeds


I grew up with Boston Terriers - they are great with kids. Run and play with them and small enough to cuddle while sturdy enough to wrestle. My one Boston whipped through the top AKC obedience title with me training and handling before I was 12

Another good breed is the Corgi - either Pembroke or Cardigan. Wonderfully devoted small and very sturdy herding dogs.

Australian Shepards are medum size bundles of energy and adore children and watching over them.

Ditto Border Collies

Pugs can be good to - be careful even the best bred are running about 60% have hereditary orthopedic problems

Shetland Sheepdogs are another small tough breed that loves kids and loves to watch over them.

All of these herding dogs are far far more easily trainable than a Lab and give the Goldens a real run for their money.

Goldens and Labs are always popular but they do get to be good size dogs long before he is the same size as they are. Also, most people don't realize that Goldens are total wimps about pain - the breed that ranks NO 1 for biting the vet is Goldens. (Had them for 28 years - the overbreeding to meet popular demand has RUINED the breed. The health problems are legion - allergies, orthopedic with hips and elbow and one of top 3 cancer rates of all breeds.)

Labs are laconic - getting them to promptly obey is not in the cards- they do things at their own speed. (Hated to see them in my obedience classes - they would do it but it was always half-hearted and 'aw, thats good enough" - also, they are SOOOO overbred these days (as in too many are being bred) that a lot of health problems are cropping up more and more.


I would stay away from the hounds - unless you have a large property with a 5 ft fence - these guys LOVE to run - off to any place they can when ever they can. Maybe a Bassett - if you don't mind that hilarously mournful howl - they tend to be lazier and less motivated to boogey down the road for the sheer fun of it.

Most of the sporting breeds are very very high energy. Compared to the laid back Newfies, they are rocket propelled.

And Jack Russells are a hyper active nighmare.


Now when you go to the AKC website, when you click on a breed, a description will come up. On the left hand side is a column and down near the bottom of the column you will see two links:

"Breed Club"
"Breed Rescue"

Click on Breed Club and follow the links to the National AKC parent club for that breed. It will give you all kinds of information and a breeders list or a breeder referral contact.

DO NOT GET A PUPPY FROM A BACKYARD BREEDER - THEY DO NOT PUT THE TIME AND EFFORT INTO THE BREED TO UNDERSTAND IT AND ITS PROBLEMS, PAY FOR THE HEALTH EXAMS OF THE PARENTS FOR HEREDITARY PROBLEMS , KNOW THE TEMPERMENT TENDENCIES OF THE BLOODLINES INVOLVED.....

A breeder contacted through the breed club will abide by the Breeders Code of Ethics; stand behind their puppies; know the bloodlines and behavior and temperments and health of the family; give a written contract; and be available for help and advice.

Even the best show dogs produce puppies who won't quite make it in the doggy beauty pagents of the AKC -maybe a nose 1/8th of an inch too long or other minor things. Pet puppies by really top quality parents cost less than show prospects.

By the way, sometimes breeders have adults which they have bred and raised and need to place. Maybe they had thought the dog would be a great sow dog and as he grew up, it turned out to be not. Maybe the dog did mange to finish his Chanpionship but the breeder still does'nt think that he/she (typically she) is quite of the caliber to be bred and be bloodstock. Maybe it was adog they bred and the owners (per the contract) returned the dog becasue they couldn't keep him or he turned out not to be a show dog.


Another good option is if you find a breed that you love, adopting an adult through the Breed Club's rescue. Click on Breed Rescue for the breed and it will take you there.

Now every rescue is very careful to get to know the dog - temperment, behavior, do they like kids - and the age groups, level of training, and health. They take great trouble to match the dog to the home and vice versa. They are always available for help and advice about the dog.

Dogs lose their homes for a lot of reasons not their fault - death, divorce, marrying someone who is allergic or having a baby that turns out to allergic, moving unable to keep them, owner in financial difficulties.....

This can be a very good option - do you really want to be potty training 2 babies at once and have one taking the crayons too the wall as the other chews them up???

Expect that a reputable, reliable and responsible breeder and breed rescue will interview you as much as you them.

I wouldn't recommend either of my current dogs for a 2 year child - the one is an Aussie/Chow mix and the Aussie part is fine, its the Chow-chow. The other is a Kuvasz - ancestor of Great Pyreenes and 29" and 115 lbs at 2 1/2

Good luck

Answer 2

I agree that Golden Retrievers are great family pets. They still have that puppy hyper phase (but there isn't a breed that won't) and they are gentle when older. They are a good sized dog (tho not as big as a Newfie), but you could contact some breeders to see if one has a bloodline that's mostly on the lower end of the scale for the breed standard. Females will tend to be a little smaller too.

Now from personal experience, we have an American Eskimo and she's great with our boys. Friendly and loves everyone. This is a medium size breed (less than 50lbs for the standard size), but they do require regular coat brushing as they have a fluffy type of coat.

I would agree that a small breed is a hard call with a young child. It really depends on your child tho in this area. If you feel your child will learn quickly the appropriate ways to treat a dog and how to play with it properly, then a small breed might be okay. I've had Shitzu's in the family for years and they are really wonderful dogs and great with kids. Light shedding too.

We have a 3 and 5 yr old, boys with very high energy levels, so we decided to get a Border Collie puppy recently. Not a breed for everyone tho as they are very smart and active dogs that bore easily with destructive tendancies being a result of that boredom. We had a game plan how we would properly accomodate this breeds specific needs, before bringing one home.

Answer 3

I think the very best would be a Labrador
Retriever. They are intelligent, affectionate and can take a lot
of abuse from children without getting grumpy. A Lab is most
likely to lie on the floor, wagging its tail, as your toddler
plays his stomach as a drum set. They should receive firm
obedience training, but they will make excellent pets.

Second is the Golden Retriever. They are reliable, loving and
very sociable dogs that will also be able to take some rough
handling from children without getting too upset.

Third is the Basset Hound. Lazy and stubborn they most certainly
may be, but also very sweet and gentle. They adore children and
can be very affectionate with them.

The best choice for young children is always going to be a puppy
born and raised in a household with children. A good dog is one
that already has a history of pleasant interaction with
youngsters.

Introduce the dog to your children before you agree to purchase
or adopt, and make sure that there aren’t any personality
conflicts. The dog should be attentive, loving and gentle even if
the children are a little rough with their affection. If the dog
or puppy plays well with your children in it’s current home, it
will probably play well with them in your home.

Best of luck, and happy puppy hunting!

Answer 4

Labrador's and Golden Retrievers are great with kids, two of the most patient dog breeds ever! And you really will need a patient dog with such a young son!

In general, like others have said, the larger breeds are best with children because it won't be as easy for a child to hurt them accidentally, but I have found that most terrier breeds are also pretty good with children, they learn very quickly, and they have lots of energy, which is fun for kids. I'd recommend a rat terrier or a jack russel terrier. Or some sort of terrier mix.

Answer 5

generally, any breed is good with children. I have 3 children ages 9yrs, 6yrs, and 10 months.

I have 2 Toy Yorkshire Terriors, the small ones. This breed is not said to be good with children of a young age, but my little 10 month old just rags them to bits, i'm trying to get him just to stroke them at the moment.

Dog shelters are good as these dogs are in need of a loving caring home, but they can have some problems due to how they have been tret in the past.

Either way get a puppy and let the children and the dog grow up together, you may also want to consider the male and female side, males tend to be more playful but females can be more patient. (In my past experiance's)

Answer 6

Nobody has mentioned Irish Setters.

I know that they can have a scatty reputation but they are great with children. We got our first one just before my son was born (not great timing but at least I got the puppy's toilet training out of the way before I had to start on the nappies)

She was so gentle.

I'm a bit older now & am on my fourth Setter (though we did have two at once). The current one, though not used to a child living with her, loves to romp with my young niece & nephew.

None of my four have ever guarded their dinner bowls or worried about sharing their bones (ick!). The current one regularly acts as surrogate mother to kittens - which has got to be an indication of her sweet nature.

Yes, she does like to have a good run & is playful - but she's quiet around the house & happy to snuggle down with you in the evening to watch tv ... though she does persist in sitting on the settee right beside me ...

Yep, I'd definately recommend an Irish (Red) Setter.

Answer 7

I hope to get a cavalier king charles pup next week, they are quite small but don't look breakable and they are brilliant with kids and other pets (lucky because we've got both, an 8yr old, a 2yr old and a mad cat). They are happy to be indoors but also love going out for walks, they are described as being 'ideal apartment dogs' which is good because our house is only small, see for me they're perfect and I'm so excited I just keep telling people how wonderful they are. It will be strange because I've grown up with big dogs but we just don't have the space. I hope you find your perfect pooch.

Answer 8

English labrador is a great family pet. Not the American breed cos they can get quite big, whereas the English one tends to have shorter legs, but they are prone to obesity, so it would need lots of exercise. The best thing is, they are so placid and fantastic with kids. A word of caution: training must begin early on and labs can get distructive when bored, so invest in a good cage to keep it in. As long as you introduce the puppy to the cage early on and are consistant with using it, he will get used to it.

Answer 9

Go to a shelter and ask if they have one on hand that you could introduce the children to. If the puppy actually likes children, that's a great indicator.

Don't go with a tiny breed with a 2 year old. Toddlers tend to accidentally hurt them.

Answer 10

May I suggest that you get a fully grown dog. With a fully grown dog, what you see is what you get. A reputable rescue can help you find a dog that is known to have good interactions with kids and needs a home. With puppies you will be facing teething and puppy nips, double-duty toilet training, etc.

Once you get your puppy or dog be sure to attend obedience class, provide adequate supervision when your child is with the dog, and appropriate exercise for your animal.