What is the best breed of dog to get if you have children?

50 bread of dogs

Of all the dogs I have met Goldens are the most generally happy and tolerant, great kids dogs, but they shed like a bitch, need plenty of attention and are prone to health problems.
Labs are nice, but tend to be a bit dense and love to dig. Great dogs if you can survive the first 2-3 years.
Mastifs are not mean dogs, my wife had a friend with one and he was really sweet.
I hear Boxers are really good kid dogs as well, and they are short haired, which is a good thing!
I personally would never get a smaller dog for kids. I think having a bigger dog is actually better because the dog won't feel like the kids are going to break it when they are playing. Read as less chance of biting. About the only small dogs I like are Corgis and weiner dogs. Toys are right out... (of the window)

NEVER get a cocker! They used to be a great breed, but it is very hard to find a good one any more, and they will bite. Also skip Chows. They were bred as fighting dogs and for food, and like to chase and eat smaller critters (kids). Where do you think the term chow comes from?

Mutts are the best! Just do some research a bit on the mix. Dogs such as Chows are not that great with kids and tend to be one owner dogs. Mutts are great because they do not have the genetic defects that so many pure breds do

individual personality will always matter more than breed.

you may want to try and adopt a mature dog that already
has a known temperament and history.

if you're only willing to consider a puppy, then learn a bit about
temperament testing and try to evaulate a whole litter.

for very small children, you don't want a dog so large that it could
accidentally hurt them. you also don't want a tiny dog that feels
threatened by every wild gesture. you want a dog that will
patiently put up with any/all accidental abuse a kid and his friends
may put it through; tail-pulling, horsie rides, fingers in the ear, etc

herding breeds are sometimes a bit too enthusiastic about their job;
nipping at the heels of a child to 'herd' them,
which might be scary to them and misinterpreted at aggression.

all this still leaves you with a wide variety of breed choices.

to respond to some BS in this thread, an American Staffordshire
Terrier (often called a 'pit bull') is actually a good choice
IF you get it from a responsible breeder, and not some ghetto
poseur trying to breed for all the worst characteristics.

they're a medium-sized dog with a high pain threshold.
if he's well bred, nothing the kids will do should bother him.

our current dog is a cross-breed rescue, and when we take him
to the vet to get his shots he's happily oblivious to the needles.
when we got him neutered, he didn't even notice.
when my cat scratches him in his face, he just grins.

my brothers 2 'pure' pitbulls are the same way.

I'll also second the Boxer recommendation.

I have a golden retriever and she is the best dog with kids you will ever find. In fact i gave her to my daughter so she can be with the grand kids full time. ( and she lives out of town). The fur can be a bother, but they can be clipped in the spring.
The other great dog for kids, if you like big dogs, is the irish wolfhound. They are huge, but just as good with kids as a golden. They are poor guard dogs because they don't have a mean bone in their bodies. The goldens will at least warn you if someone they don't know is around.

My next dog will be a Kuvaz






Kuvaz -Always ready to protect loved ones even to the point of self-sacrifice. Extremely strong instinct to protect children. Polite to accepted strangers, but rather suspicious and very discriminating in making new friends. Unexcelled guard, possessing ability to act on his own initiative at just the right moment without instruction. Bold, courageous and fearless. Untiring ability to work and cover rough terrain for long periods of time. Has good scent and has been used to hunt game.

chihuahuas

forget a dogs get a cat.

cats are fucking lame. they have no personality.

My son has a Jack Russell Terrier who is his favorite playmate, he's very cute, playful and affectionate...

If you can handle how much energy they have (they bounce like there on a pogo stick for hours on end), thay're extremely interactive, their small (great for appartment life) they have very short hair so there's little maintainence and they make you laugh a lot.

Beagle, very loveable and easy to care for too...

hounds or labs

Golden retrievers are the best dogs to keep with kids

I've got four shih-tzus...I wouldn't call them kid dogs.

Golden retrievers....now, that's a kid dog.

my folks are vets

i'd go with a lab, nice temperment most of the time, eternal puppies...they bounce around like puppies till they're arthritic and just can't bounce anymore

goldens are sweet, but tumor factories like you wouldnt believe

cockers can be snappy, and they have ear problems and eye problems.

some of the bigger breeds are nice, great danes...but they have shorter life-spans

remember if you're going to get a dog with long hair, you're going to have to deal with a groomer on a regular basis.

Damn. Trim those nails.

pit bull