I am looking to get my son a puppy for christmas.?

Question

First, he is only going to be 18 months so it will be a family pet. Is he to young to understand and enjoy a puppy?

and second, what is a good breed of dog around young children.

Answer 1

Bad bad bad idea. It would be fairer on both the dog and the child to wait until he is 4 or 5, so that he can enjoy the dog and knows how to treat it. No dog should be expected to put up with ear and tail pulling, it is just as important that your kid is dog friendly as your dog is kid friendly. When you do get a dog, make sure that it has its own quiet space such as a crate to go into when he wants to be left alone, and make sure that your son knows not to bother the dog when he is there.

Christmas is the worst time to get a puppy. The environment and excitement would be far too overwhelming for it. It is hard enough for a new puppy to get used to its home, why make it anymore difficult? The best thing for a puppy is to arrange to get it when you have vacation time but nothing out of the ordinary going on, so that you can help it settle in when there is a calm environment.

It sounds adorable to get a puppy at Christmas time, but you will end up with a much more calm, balanced dog if you wait for a more appropriate time. When that time comes, i'd suggest you look into the original purpose of certain breeds rather than just going for one you like the look of. Make your life easier by getting a breed that is more easily trained. I've had various hound breeds, and they have all been wonderful with children, but they also have a tendency to follow a scent and refuse to come back, so I would not trust a young child to remember to keep them contained. Golden retrievers are wonderful with children and easily trained, but their size and energy when young can make them a bit much for small children. You might look into getting a young adult retriever. Labradors are very much the same. The Flat-Coated Retriever has the same loving nature as a Golden, but is generally a little calmer. I would say avoid any breed with headstrong tendencies, as a headstrong dog coupled with a headstrong toddler could drive you crazy! Why not go to a dog show and talk with breeders to find out what you like and what will suit you? Then you could meet various examples of each breed, and see how they can behave when well trained, rather than being put off certain breeds due to a neighbour's poorly trained dog. Or you could go to your local shelter, meet various dogs, and maybe find the perfect purebreed or mutt that suits you. Just make sure you go in knowing what you want from a dog, so that both you and the dog are happy. Although puppies are cute, generally with an adult dog you know exactly what you are getting in terms of temperament. You also avoid the playbiting and chewing. Having said that, I went to the Humane Soc. looking for an adult dog that nobody wanted and came home with a 13 week old black lab/golden. She is a wonderful dog that I wouldn't trade for the world, and sometimes just going with your gut is the answer. I have a bad habit of bringing home every waif and stray, but it is surprising how some dogs you think you want you find you make no connection with when you meet them. The right one will pick you.

And remember, no matter how good you believe the dog is with your son, never ever leave a young child alone with any dog.

Answer 2

Puppies or any new pets are not a good idea at Christmas. Can you get him one after the holidays? It is so stressful for them, new environment, the chaos etc. Not to mention the dangers of chewing on cords, trees, ornaments etc.
I dont think 18 months is too young. My 20 month old loves animals. When he gets to daycare he goes to say hello to each and every cat and the 2 dogs. He also loves my brothers dogs. We have a cat and he has never been rough with him either. But they wont understand any responsibility etc for some time yet. If you really want a pet, please try to wait until after Christmas. It will be better for all of you.
Oh and I forgot to mention breeds. You may have good luck at a local shelter. Pure breds can be high strung. I did have an English Springer that was great with kids, but she was VERY active. All of our other dogs have just been your run of the mill mutts. Love them and they will love you right back!

Answer 3

First don't get one for christmas. Christmas and puppies are a bad idea.

Second consider a rescue or shelter dog rather than a puppy. Though you can find puppies there too.

As far as breed it really depends on your situation and type of dog you like. Check out these sites:

Answer 4

Christmas time is not a good time to get a puppy. With everything that go's on at the holiday's want till after the first of the year to get it. And teach your little on to be easy with the puppy it does not matter what kind of dog you get he has to learn to be kind.

Answer 5

Please do not get a puppy for your son. He is too young. I would wait for a year or two more. A breed would probably be a mutt since they are really smart and really friendly. I had mine for a years and she is good with my 3 year old son. I adopted her at a shelter for senior dogs. I would go to a shelter and bring your son with you, but wait a while.

Answer 6

not a wise thing to do at this time,I would wait till your son is older and not an impulse buy for x-mas. labs make one of the best pets for a family with kids,wait as family you are not ready. I love animals and know that they are just like having another child in the home.

Answer 7

My son is 19 months now, and we got our Doberman, about 4 months ago. They are the most loyal puppies, he is my second Doberman, and would not get any other breed. They are the best.

Answer 8

Aww thats so sweet! Well I'm 12 and I think that a Maltese would be best becaus it does not shed is, loving, adorable sweet, playful, and good with kids and people. And hes not to young he'll have fun! If you need any more advice let me know!

Answer 9

Hi! As a Certified Vet Tech, I am a little worried when people with a very young child bring home a dog, because too often the dog ends up in a shelter. That being said, if you are responsible about setting realistic boundaries for the dog and your son, you can have a great experience.

Kids should never EVER be allowed to harass or abuse a pet. I hear so often parents brag that their kids "body-slam", "boss around", carry and drop, pull ears of, pull tails of, their dogs. The parents seems to find it cute and funny. Problem is, the nicest dog will get tired of it and bite the kid one day in retaliation for all the abuse. Guess who gets blamed and thrown out of the house?

Don't allow your son to pinch, hit or pull on the dog. He is - at 18 mo. - old enough to learn how to touch the dog nicely. Don't let him carry the puppy - dogs end up with ruptured insides and broken bones that way. Don't allow him to chase the puppy. Dogs that are tired want to be left alone, not chased. Don't ever allow him to interfere with the dog's food or treats in any way.

Finally, you need to think about the breed you are getting. Do research. It's easy on the net. Find a breed that is patient with kids. I can give you some of my thoughts, from experience.

Great family dogs are Labs, Golden Retrievers, Pointers, Beagles. All of these have their quirks. Do research. Border Collies, Dalmations, Cocker Spaniels, are not good for most families. (Note: Cockers have one of the highest human/dog bite rate!)

Someone here has had good luck with a Dobie. That person is lucky. Dobermanns are GREAT dogs. But I would personally not have one with small children. They are very dominant dogs - sometimes called a "hard breed" by trainers. They need handling by someone very familiar with training...not for amateur dog owners. Other breeds in the same category: Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, Heelers (Australian Cattle Dog), Akitas, Chow Chows. There are others.

Chihuahuas, Toy Poodles and Yorkies are not great kid dogs. They are high strung and can be quite aggressive, actually. Also, they tend to get hurt in houses with kids - they are too fragile.

I have an interesting idea for you. I have recently adopted a racing grey hound. He joins my border collie and heeler. This dog is GREAT. He is low energy (yep - they run around the yard a few times, come in and lie down. That's it!) , doesn't bark, is super gentle, is low maintenance (low shedding, no doggie smell), and very affectionate. I don't know that I would put one in a house with a bunch of kids running around, because greys can be fragile in their own way - but I would sure put one with a baby. Nice, gentle dogs - low energy. (Call your local greyhound rescue for info.) Other breeds with the same temperament are Scottish Deer Hound and Irish Wolf Hound - incidentally they are also some of the biggest dogs on earth! But they are calm, gentle and beautiful. Great Danes are good with small kids, and very protective of them. Again, big dog. A dog that doesn't get too big and is very nice is a Standard Poodle (those are the big ones). They would stand about say, 25 inches at the shoulder. Look it up for sure. Fun, alert, not aggressive, big enough not to get hurt, and they don't shed! Great family dog.

I would stay away from any of the herding breeds - Border Collie (way too much energy for the average household! Many end up in shelters because of it!), English Sheepdog, Collie, Australian Cattle Dog aka Heeler (tend to be nippy and dominant, a hard breed), Sheltie aka Shetland Sheepdog, Australian Shepherd (hard breed), etc. These breeds are wired to herd and to chase and nip - anything that runs. Not a good combination with kids (contrary to what Lassie and Timmie thought!).

BTW - with these breeds who aren't good, you always hear people say, 'but I had one and it was great with the kids!' but I am giving you the big picture, what most members of a breed will be like....) I can say that I have a lot more doggie contact and experience than most people ever will, both as a tech and a trainer... so I know a lot of breeds well. I LIKE hard breeds myself, and my dogs are herding dogs. But with small kids in the house? No way.

Small breeds - terriers can be barkers, nippy and aggressive. Also, a small dog is more fragile around small kids and can get hurt by them - stepped on or fallen on. That being said. . . . I know that Corgies (who are incidentally herding dogs), Dachshunds (hounds) and Schnauzers can be good with small kids.

Finally, make sure that your puppy has a place during the excitement of Christmas to get away from everyone and your son, and get the rest he needs. Teach your baby not to bother a sleeping dog.

If you do this right - I see no reason why the dog can't become your son's first best friend! But both of them will depend on you to keep them safe from one another, and to teach them to treat each other respectfully, so that good relationship can happen.

Answer 10

well first of all dobermands, labadors & bigger dogs are better for a child.

do not get a small dog cause the child will not understand that it is fragile & that it can get hurt easily cause children can kick them & play with it like a stuffed animal.