On dogs: we are looking for a clever medium-sized dog who will be very gentle on little ones...Cocker Spaniel?

Answer 1

That was the exact same question I asked my local dog club 4 years ago when we had two young children (3 &5) and wanted our first dog.

The answer was unaminous....a Lurcher. Specifically a greyhound/border collie cross. What great advice that turned out to be.

She has the gentlest nature and is the envy of all our friends who have labs and spaniels. She loves everyone and everyone loves her.

The kids can (and have) pull her, climb on her and she doesn't bat an eyelid. You can even take a bone from her whilst she's eating it...have you ever heard of a dog doing that? She learns new tricks in a flash and is as bright as a button.

If you can't find a Lurcher breeder near you, get a greyhound or whippet. Don't listen to anyone who says they need lots of long walks because it's rubbish. Mine justs curls up by my feet under my desk all day.

If you want a great book on dog training etc, can I recommend Daniel Stevens excellent dog training manual. Everyone I know now has a copy. Really worth getting.

http://www.trade-secrets.org/stopdogbarking.html

Answer 2

Hi,
I have had dogs all my life, including cocker spaniels. They can suffer from something called cocker rage - when they snap and become very grumpy all of a sudden. Some of them (mine is one of them!) can be very hyper and need a lot of excercise also or they will wreck your house when they are puppies!
The friendliest most placid dog I have ever owned is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, my mum bought us this little treasure when we were at primary school, he has never growled or went to bite anyone no matter how he was treated! My little bro was a complete pest to him, from dressing him up to sitting on his back etc and he puts up with everything. He is now 16 and deaf with a terrible heart but he wags his tail continually and still is the friendliest most placid dog I know! He could be left alone with children from day one as they are an extremely gentle breed.

Go for a Cavalier King charles if you want a charming little dog with lots of personality but not a bad bone in its body!

Good Luck.

Answer 3

Although I hate to judge a dog just by it's breed, I vote no on the Cocker Spaniel for children; even though it was my first dog as a small child. But that was back in the early 70's just before their popularity explosion. After that happened, everyone bred them for the $$ and mucked up the temperament. They can be snappy.

I would stay away from some of the herding breeds like cattle dogs and some border collies. Some are wonderful, but you need to really pay attention where you are getting it from. They are bred to work, but some have a more intense personality than others and can be way too hard to handle. As a matter of fact, a friend of mine who is a very experienced agility and obedience competitor and Border collie person just had to rehome her border collie to a WORKING farm. The dog fixated on everything to the point of obsession and became dangerous to her sister's children. Of course that's just one case, I also have friends with Pet Therapy Border collies that visit the hospital and see kids and patients. So - watch the line that the dog comes from - in every breed. Cattle dogs have a strong personality and can be strong willed.

I like the Pug and Boston Terrier for children because they are small but sturdy (not dainty like toy dogs) and "normally" tolerant. Labs are great, but take a while to mature and settle down, depends on the age of your kids, if they are too small then I wouldn't. A lab will be jumping on them and knocking them down - in a friendly way of course! Some breeders (mine for instance) won't sell a dog to a home with children under a certain age.

Any dog can be bad, you need to train properly and never leave children unsupervised with a dog. Most dog bite victims in the US are children, and the majority of those were bitten by the family dog.

Answer 4

I must live with the world's best cocker spaniel. I've heard that cocker can be snappy with kids and i had actually forgotten and i had my god child for the weekend (he's 2) they had the best time. Now the dog got a little jealous, i was sitting on the futon and Nathan (baby) was playing next to me and Shadoe (dog) had to be right there with us. But they fell asleep together on the futon and the best,
Nathan has a little Debbie donut in one hand and one of Shadoe's toys in the other and was running thru the house and every so often he'd slow down and check to see if Shadoe was still chasing him. They chased each other around the house for about 20 minutes. Good luck with your search.

Answer 5

i think the other post is right... you cant be sure of any dog around kids..but i have heard cockers can suffer rage syndrome ... and/ or be snappy. Im not sure if cavalier spaniels suffer the same or not but i have one and he's an absolute star around kids..... all in all if you have a pup and train him well and bring him up around your kids they should...magic word i guess should be ok with them.. there def are breeds out there which are much calmer and gentler than others... cant think of any off the top of my head... mayb contact some breeders...... shelties are lovely...quite delicate so naturally gentle but again you have to make sure u train them well as they are a herding breed......
good luck do lots of research and try to email a cocker spaniel breeder they will know best. :)

Answer 6

No terriers and no spaniels. I had (and still have a couple of dogs) It is my experience that an English bulldog is absolutely great with children. There is no incident recorded where a English bulldog has bitten a child - as far as know. It will not do tricks for anyone and will not be taught any.
The other is a border collie, but because of its intelligence, it could get up to a lot of mischief and could drive everybody nuts. It must be kept busy and it enjoys "helping" with the children. You need to be a dog person to keep this dog.
A labrador (two years and older) has no equal when it comes to children.

Answer 7

I would say the best family dog to get would be a staffordshire terrier. They may look ferocious, but they are one of the most sociable dogs you will find. Good with people and other animals. They are very strong and active though, but they don't malt, and are a small enough breed.Strongly recommend seeing BOTH parents if buying from breeder to check out temperaments. Mungrels are also good dogs, as they don't inherit any specific temperament (or complications like hip dysplasia). Do NOT recommend spaniel with children, they tend to be very nervous dogs. Good Luck

Answer 8

It depends how old your litte ones are. If they are under 5 years old, it won't matter what breed you get, they will end up hurting it without realising they are and it will end up being afraid and biting them.
Cocker spaniels are very busy active dogs and I would not recommend them with small children. Generally the larger the dog, the more tolerant it will be but if they are allowed to treat it like a toy, maul it, sit on it, poke in its ears, eys and not allow it to eat or sleep in peace, the dog will end up another rescue statistic because it bit a child.

Answer 9

Some cocker spaniels can be snappy especially the solid colours (e.g. golden). For this reason, I bought a blue roan 6 months ago for my child (even though I preferred the golden) and he is such a gentle, loving dog that I bought another blue roan 2 months ago. There is no aggression in either of them - in fact they are the complete opposite (e.g we can take their food away while they are eating and they don't get annoyed). They just love to see us and are forever kissing us and their tails NEVER stop wagging!!

Answer 10

I think the question is, Should you get a dog with little ones in the house. It will depend on how little, little is. A dog isn't a toy and you must be confident your little one is old enough to understand that they must be gentle with the dog.

Any dog, regardless of breed, may well bite if it is caused pain or constantly tormented, even by a child. Maybe better to wait a year or two.