WHat kind of dog would you buy for a family?

Question

I was wondering what kind of dog would you get if you could get one for a family. What dog would you chose?

Answer 1

It would depend on the family, honestly. If there were small children in the house, I'd stay away from the excitable breeds and go with something like a lab or shepard that are calmer and can be trained fairly easily. If the children are older and can run and play with the dog to help him or her exercise and use up energy, then a high energy breed like a boxer or beagle would be good.

Answer 2

All depends upon the family. Do they live in the country, the city, an apartment, big rambling masion?
Are there babies? Teens?
Is everyone gone to work and school all day and at soccer and ballet all evening?
Are there cats or other animals?
Can they afford to feed a big energetic dog.
Can they afford regular gooming for a prissy type?
But since you asked what I would chose.
Scottish Terrier is what I chose.
They are very intelligent, funny, love walks and outings of all sorts. They are terrific looking. Will keep the place free of any vermin. They are good at guarding the place if barking like they are Great Danes helps guard.
If they grow up with children they love the children and will give the kids hours of fun fetch and mock soccer.
After all that is said and done they will keep your feet warm all night long. Very Presidential dogs!

Answer 3

No one can answer this question for you. You haven't told us anything about your work schedule, your finaacial situation, your lifestyle, your activity level, your home situation, etc. Any answers you get will just be uneducated guesses from children telling you their favourite dog - dogs that will probably be a terrible match for you. I mean blindly telling you to get a boxer if you have tentative kids and a small yard is ridiculous. Telling you to get a shih tzu or pom if you have small kids or you work all day would be stupid. Telling you to get a St. Bernard or Bulldog if you live in Tucson with no air conditioning would be cruel.

The best thing you can do is visit a shelter or rescue group and see if a dog fits your needs. http://www.petfinder.com The next best thing is to watch a dog show - they are constantly on Animal Planet and USA and write down maybe 10 breeds that appeals to you and you family. From there, visit http://www.akc.org and go to the "breed" area. On the left will be a link to the breed flyer, breed club, and breed rescue group. Click on each one and learn as much about the breed as possible.

From there if you decide you want a purebred puppy, read sites like

http://dogplay.com/gettingdog/index.html...
and
http://www.geocities.com/bluegracepwd/wh...

to help you find a reputable breeder.

Good luck to you

Answer 4

If you have children, A German Shepherd is the most loyal and trustworthy dog that you can own. If this is your choice, please be sure to go to a reputable breader, you can Google breeders in your area, ask the breeder how may litters per year they have. If a dog is having more than one litter a year, find another breeder!
DON'T get a Shepherd mix, you never really know what the mix consists of. DON'T go to a pet store, many pet store puppies come from puppy mills, from mothers that produce each and every heat cycle, these puppies tend to be sickly.
A Shepherd needs to be trained, you must start this at an early age, they tend to grow very fast and you don't want to start house training a seventy pound dog.

I hope this helps.

Answer 5

Well, before I make any breed reccommendations, I have to tell you that most of it depends on your family. If you have young children that are afraid of big dogs, I recommend a small, loving dog, such as a Bichon Frise, Lhasa Apso, Yorshire Terrier, or a Fox Terrier. If your children are older, or just not afraid of large dogs, I recommend a Labrador Retriever or a Golden Retriever. But never EVER buy a Pit Bull as a family dog that is likely to be picked on and bothered a lot. They are prone to be quite dangerous sometimes. I hope I helped you. GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS! =)

Answer 6

You get alot of answers for all of these specific breeds, and yes, they are all great, but please also put on your list of considerations a good, old fashion mutt. Mixed breeds are absolutely great and do not have many specific medical issues that alot of breeds are predisposed to.
It would make a wonderful family outing to visit a local shelter, spend time with some dogs in need of a home and decide together as a family on a dog that fits right in. This would be a wonderful experience to share with your children.

Answer 7

There is a site that begins with: Choosing a Dog for the Family.

Go there and research your question. This is not the place to find your answer. There are just to many other factors about your situation that is unknown. This site will help you answer those unknowns to determine the right breed for you based on your families activities, ages of children, etc.

Best to you in your search. It will work if you do your homework most extensively.

Answer 8

I have questions for you..
How old are you kids and how many?
How much time do you have to spend with the dog?
Do you plan on it being and inside or outside dog?
How much activity do you want you dog to have?
Are you worried about having a big dog with little children?
You have to ask yourself these questions before you can even determine what kind of dog to get.
Look on the AKC website below and it might help you out. Also call up your vet or a professional trainer. They can help you pick the best dog. A trainer might even be willing to go to the shelter with you to look for a good dog that needs a home. Heck if you lived near me I'd help you!!

Answer 9

I like what Katasha said. All that is true. You need to consider what type of lifestyle you have, and if there are any small children. If you travel alot, and would have to put the pet in kennels, I would not get a dog. If you find you are very busy and would not have the time to properly train the dog, I would not buy one. So, you must consider alot. "A pet is a big responsibility" --cheesy, but true.

Anyway, I would choose a golden retreiver. :] I like those!! They shed though!!

Answer 10

It depends on the family. Yahoo has a breed selector you can use to find the breed suitable for your family. You should be asking yourself questions such as do you want to groom often? Do you want a small, medium or large dog. What activity level do you want?

For me I chose a Rough collie. I love grooming and the herding dog traits fit my family perfectly. But they require a lot of grooming and shed a whole lot.