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

I have heard labs but they are huge! What do you think?

Golden Retriever.

Shepherds are extremely protective of kids also. But you have to make sure you have a good one and then go through an orientation process with the dog.

One to stay away from with little kids:

Cocker Spaniel

But I still loved mine regardless :winkwink:

from what I've heard any herding dogs are bad to have with children. Huskies are good with kids too

If you have kids, Golden Retriever is the best. I've never seen a bad one.

Labs are real good

Pit Bulls are great if you have kids. feed them raw meat for a year and then throw them in the dayroom and lock the door. Should take care of those pesky kids in no time.

Shepherds or labs i'd say.
Make sure they are trained :)

I was bit in the face by a retriever when I was 5 years old. 2 more millimeters and I probably would have lost my left eye

During high school I worked in a vet's office for 3 years. I got to interact with almost every breed of dog out there and Golden Retrievers were by far my favorite.

When I have children, that is the type of dog I will get for them.

:thumbsup

Norweigan Elkhound :thumbsup

Golden Retriever
Irish Setter

a golden for sure
I have also had good experiences with pugs. my cousin has three kids and they dress him up carry him around in there kiddie shopping cart. he seems like he loves every minute.

I have a 110 lb golden

My 2 year old daughter can pull his ears,,pull his tail,,poke him in the eye,,jump on top of him,,,squeeze his head and he just sits there wagging his tail

I was just about to post that exact same thing but you beat me too it... except I'd recommend starving both children and beasts and beating them every day first.

A labrador... good enough for the blind, good enough for the kids.

Haha:helpme

That's very strange... you are saying dogs are bad with children and after you say huskies are good with children, these dogs are made to run like crazy outside, its the worst dog to have, unless you have a huge outside place and they wont make a good mix with kids, they are made to live outside.

We have a Shepard and he is real protective :thumbsup


Get a puppy

you should go with a bullmastiff or a Napolitean Mastiff if you dont mind big dog, but it will be so protective that no one will be allowed to get near the kids unless the parents are around. Because they are big dog, they wont run over your place all the time like golden...

i grew up with a husky and it was a great dog to me, just speaking from experience

Yup I havd a Husky and my brother and kids came to live with me

3 and 8 and not one bad thing happened

Definitely a Beagle.

My dad had a Norwegian Elkhound when I was a baby/toddler.

It's funny to watch family videos now and see how tolerant and protective that dog was with me, I would definitely recommend one if you don't want a dog that is quite as big as a Lab.

a Big NEWFIE

you can't go wrong with a Golden Retriever. mine had to be put down when I was 5 years old because the neighbor kid was teasing him and got bit.

Golden retrievers are good. Don't get a lab. Many labs are over aggressive. :2 cents:

Check the history before you get one. Breeding plays a big part.

Beagles are good with kids but be prepared for the howling. Make sure the dog fits your lifestyle as well.

I´ve got two and they like children very much. I take them to office and there are no probs with clients.

But you should think of the following: they need a lot time to go out and if they didn´t get it, they are not satisfied and that may cause problems. If you never had a dog before, you should be aware of this.

that is a bad idea IMO.....kids have friends...those friends have parents....I wouldn't want to have to worry about our family dog attacking ANYONE.

They are usually not. But if you don´t take them out long enough every day, they might become aggressive. So it´s usually not a problem of the dog but of the owner.

they are great dogs, ive owned two of them :)
hot linked
http://www.puppydogweb.com/caninebre...ound_corel.jpg

i've had two 100 pound labs and now we have the runt of the litter lab who is only 65 pounds - he's great. there are smaller size labs, and the females are usually smaller too (but, one thing you should know - they shed up a storm).

tosa all the way :pimp

Greyhounds are really good family animals and you can usually adopt them if you're near a track...really sweet dogs.

Whatever you get make sure you check it out in it's home environment first! My personal faves are german sheps, labs, retrievers and collies, we've had all of them and they have been fabulous.

Im still surprise, but its good to know others experience,
cheers

Ive been around the breeding scene for a long time; Basenjis. They dont bark (they yodle), do not shed, and they clean themselves like cats. Great around kids, awesome temprement. Yet like every other canine they need tons of time with their loved ones, or they are more prone to emotional/health problems :2 cents: :thumbsup

That's true that because of the friends of your kids it could be a problm, but it would only be because they are very protective, anyway when you get a dog its like a kid, most of the time you have to check everything they do.

I have a bullmastiff and the only time she attacked someone it was when a drunk guy was in the park next to my house and wanted to fight and he didnt saw the dog. I have a little sister and the dog never bite and have always been very nice.

Goldens really are great dogs. But if you do get one, definitely do some breeder homework and spend the extra $$$ for a quality bred golden.

Only reason I say that is because Goldens are prone to hip, and other health related problems. So a quality breeder will most likely have the puppy's pre-screened for this kind of thing.

Do a search on the AKC website for your area, and I'm sure you'll come up with some good results:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/breederinf...der_search.cfm

you dont want a dog thats big because it can easily knock kids over... depending on how big your kids are. my dog has knocked my friends over while they were kneeling down.

heres an awesome page to look at all the different breeds:

http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/breeds_a.cfm

Bouviers are incredible with children.

That's one of the greatest joys of owning a beagle. It cracks me up every time a police car goes by with the siren on and the dog has to howl along.

You can't go wrong with a lab. Especially if you have kids. They love to play and I've NEVER heard of a lab biting a child. They're not all huge either, ours is 2 years old and she's only 65 pounds:

http://www.naughtyallie.com/guestare...s/lazygirl.jpg

I vote for beagles, too. On the small side, and good natured. I agree about the howling thing. I've had them since I was born, and I've never had one that bothered me with the barking/howling.

When I was growing up, we lived in an area that had wild rabbits, and even though none of the beagles we ever owned were ever trained or used as hunting dogs, they would instinctively chase them. We would sit outside and laugh our ass off, listening to whichever one at the time, howling and trying to track down the rabbit. Great dogs. :thumbsup

german shepards

I've had dogs nearly my entire life .. Shelties, Labs, Retrievers and now Rottweilers.

My 150 pound Rottweiler is probably the most gentle dog I've ever had. We used to have a baby live with us, and he knew he had to lay on his side and not move. Couldn't have him bumping in to the child. He just lay and took whatever the child dished out. The exception being, if a stranger tried to touch the child they'd be eaten.

I am NOT however suggesting you run out and get a Rottweiler.

The fact of the matter is many if not most dogs are suitable for children, but you will need to take responsibility to ensure a SPECIFIC dog will be. Any dog you have will need to be well trained, regardless of the breed. Even the smallest dog could seriously harm a child, if so inclinded.

There are many good internet sites detailing easy ways to mark early aggression in dogs. Don't buy an animal from a Puppy Mill, or mall pet store. Buy your animal from a breeder, or adopt it from a family that can no longer maintain their loved pet.

Please also thing about the health of a dog. If you live in an apartment, a large Lab or Retriever will not be a good choice, even if they are good with children. Match the dog you want to your specific situation, train it will and teach your children that animals speak a different dialect of body language than we do. Any good dog trainer will be able to tell you about this.

Educated children and a well trained dog of any breed, mort often than not will make an excellent pairing.

Daymon

I find keeping a few dozen hotdogs around keeps them happy.

Shih Tsu's :thumbsup