We are looking for a loving family dog? I have a 2 yr old daughter?

Question

I know the obvious breeds would be a labrador or german shepherd.

I just wondered what other similar sized dogs are good suggestions.

I don't want a dog that sheds a lot, but I do have the time for daily walks and I have a HUGE fenced back yard. A good watch dog too, I need to feel safe if I am home alone with my daughter.

Does anyone have mixed breeds such as the lab/poodle, goldendoodle?

thanks in advance for any advice from dog owners!!

Answer 1

funny...to me Lab or German Shepherd aren't the obvious!

Seriously, I would wait until your daughter is older for several reasons..having raised pups and children alike. Safety for both, and your sanity!

Puppy training, potty training while supervising a toddler...yikes!

Puppies like to jump up and bite ...just puppy playing. But puppy can scratch faces, bite noses, and knock a toddler over

Toddlers can, in their lack of understanding, poke puppy's eyes, strangle-hold puppy, step or fall on puppy.

Take your time researching for a breed, researching the care and training of a puppy. And at the same time preparing, "training" your daughter how to treat puppies.

Wait until 5 or 6 years old at least.

..don't fall into the "designer dog" thing. I have had a few "labradoodles" in training classes. There is little physical "consistency" with them except they have rather curly hair...big size difference, from about 17" to about
27 "......goofy, independent, difficult to train. Think of the combo of the breeds in a mixed breed....

Dog shedding....dogs do. That shuld not be the priority of why a breed is chosen. The most important thing in chosing a breed is temperament and trainability.

Think of what a breed was bred to do. There are temperament traits that "guide" them to being good at the particular job.

Thinking temperament and trainability, I would suggest you look at

Golden Retriever
Australian Shepherd
Shetland Sheepdog
Collie (they come in smooth variety too)
English Cocker Spaniel
English shepherd

You may want to go to akc.org and find their calendar of events to locate a dog show in your area. That way you can go and see all the breeds in PERSON!

Then, you have to find a GOOD, REAL, reputable, responsible breeder.....ideally the pedigrees will have conformation champions as well as dogs that have gotten obedience, agility or rally titles as well....proving soundness in body as well as mind.

If you decide on a mixed breed.....think of the characteristics of the breeds it is a mix of......

Answer 2

First off, forget the goldendoodles and labradoodles - they are mixed breeds - not breeds at all and only bad breeders breed them to sell to people for big bucks. They DO shed, some of them quite a lot, and they are NOT hypoallergenic. This is a big breeding scam. If you find a cute one in a shelter and adopt it for $50 that's one thing but don't pay a breeder or puppy miller hundreds or thousands for one.

If you say watch dog, I hope you just mean a dog that barks at intruders. Any thing else is a dog that needs extensive training to be a proper protection dog, otherwise you have a dangerous dog that might bite a friend of your child, a delivery man or another innocent visitor. So be sure you know what you want.

After that, there are plenty of dogs that would meet your criteria,many of which are nice mixes at your local shelter. Your primary concern is a dog that is large enough that it won't be injured by a rough toddler (many breeders won't sell to people with kids under a certain age) and is good natured enough to take some rough handling. Very small dogs are subject to injury and fracture and can't tolerate rough play. That's why labs and goldens are mentioned a lot. One option is to go to your local shelter and try and find an adult dog that successfully lived in a household with kids before.

Two year olds are a lot of work and so is training puppies, so I'd suggest a well-trained adult dog for you. You already have your hands full.

Answer 3

First, you should consider dogs that are not known to be overly independent or difficult to train.. this means Great Pyrs and Huskys are out... sorry but these dogs, although great, require an exceptionally experienced owner and are very independant. There are plenty of medium breeds that would be a good fit for your family... the most well-known being labs and retrievers. However, you many find a good match at a shelter and I would suggest an older dog... over 2 years. Small children may interfere with a puppy's training and an overly playful puppy can often frighten children (especially during the "chewing phase" where it is frequent that a pup might bite (not intentionally) a hand. or chew your child's toys. ;-)
There are plenty of great breeds and mixes you just have to know where to start... I would suggest petfinder.com....

Answer 4

I had a Golden who lived to be 15 and was wonderful with children. A friend with twin girls said she (my dog was female) was a better babysitter than any person she could find (sorry, but she didn't cook). She shed, but less than a labbie. Those short labrador hairs are tough to get out of carpet etc.
Any dog mixed with a poodle would shed less, but poodles are near the top of "most biters", so I wouldn't trust any poodle mix with kids as much as I trust Goldens or labs.
I now have a Welsh Cardigan Corgie and he's a great dog--very smart, mild shedder. (Corgis are the dogs the Queen has. Mine is the variety with a tail).
The biggest problem with labs and goldens are that they are bad puppies in the sense that they dig and chew. They are great adult dogs. You deal with the digging or chewing by crate training. My dogs (aka "the freeloaders") always go into their crates when we leave. They do not mind it. It's their dens.

Answer 5

You probably will do best with a mid-sized; nothing too frail and not too massive. Labs have a better temperment overall than shepherds.

All of the herding dogs have a tendency to be a bit mouthy or to nip. You'd have to be very carful of the family lines on a German Shepherd to be sure you are getting a sound temperment...and they shed.

Poodles and their mixes are the easiest on the whole shedding thing. They also have great temperments. Goldendoodles and Labradoodles seem like a perfect option. Bischons are a bit smaller, but they are sturdy and fun-loving and not big shedders either.

^..^

Answer 6

The best dog i had for being good with children was a Great Dane and they shed no hair---and as a watch dog they are second to none----you wont fall over a Great Dane as they dont get under your feet,and they are very intelligent taking an interest in their surroundings---a good cross breed is a rough collie----german shepherd

Answer 7

If you want a smaller breed of dog then you should probs get a miniature schnauzer or a bischon frise because they do not shed so much and are lovely with children but if you are willing to get a bigger dog really you should consider a labrador retriever. They are unbelievably greedy and loooove their food but have the biggest heart ever! They are beautiful kind dogs and are great with children and I have experience with that because I am 14 and my black lab died on christmas day but he was 16!!!! 2 years older than me =) he was absolutely lovely with me from the start and loved to play with me and he was never ever aggressive to me or any other dogs when we were on a walk but did steal my bacon sandwiches and toast on many mornings before school =D I would never have swapped him for the world and I think labradors are the loveliest breed of dogs personally, but it is really up to you, happy choosing!!

Answer 8

Even though you don't want a dog that sheds a lot, I would suggest a Siberian Huskey. They are very, very protective (I have 2). The oldest, 12-years, will sit in front of me at my feet if anyone comes into the house ... even if she knows them ... until I tell her it is okay. The other dog will stand between the other person and I. They love being outside where with your fenced in yard that would be a bonus. They are loving to their owner/family but will be very protective of you and your daughter. My two love kids and they get along well with our three cats.

Another one would be an Austrian Shepard .. but I think that even though the Huskey sheds, that is the route I would go.

Good luck.

Answer 9

I think you should get a golden retriever. It is a very family-friendly dog. They are very easy to train, mellow, and in ost cases are very good with children. When I was a baby my parents bought a golden retriever and ever if we were messing with it it still didn't care. So I say you should get a golden retriever. But goldens shed a little. But a labradoodle, a mix between a lab and a poddle. It's big like a lab but has curly hair and doesn't shed like a poddle. And I hear it's a pretty gentle dog.

Answer 10

Boxers are famously known for being really good with Children.

I have a boxer puppy and he LOVES kids. They are very conscious of their size.

I would highly reccomend a boxer. They are wonderful family dogs.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/boxer.htm

I wonder why everyone that suggested boxer got a thumbs down. they are wonderful and loving dogs. Very good with children and shed a minimal amount.

Some people just dont like them b/c sometimes they look mean with their ears cropped but they are about the most loving dogs I have ever seen and they are very watchful.

Also very smart and easy to train. My boy is 11wks old and is house trained, can sit and shake and is very watchful.

Most of the little dogs are very tempermental and not easy to train.