What is the best dog for kids????

cloudy day

Madame Razz wrote: »

I'd recommend a boxer, they're much more fun than a lab, and equally as loyal etc. They don't shed as much either, and truly are unbelievably brilliant with kids.

+1. prob the best all round family dog out there.

It all hangs on your life circumstances really. What ye like, don't like. Are ye all active or not. Do ye have time for the dog. Have ye any experience at all with dogs.

No matter what you go for, be very very careful about where and who you buy from. There are a lot of health probs out there in pedigree dogs. So maybe a cross.. ( labradoodle ) wouldn't be so bad.

Not all boxers are hyper mad. Some are happy to lay about all day inbetween playtime.

the grooming pa

bookerboy wrote: »

I have two kids age eight and seven.They have decided they want to get a dog and are looking at Labradors and golden retrievers.
Personally i would like the Golden retriever if any.
Anyone have any experience with kids that wanted a dog until they got one or any advice on a good breed to go for.
Her indoors wants a dog that dosen't shed to much and poops once a week(if possible in someone else's garden.)
As much advice or suggestions as possible please.
Is the pound a good place to get a dog?
Thanks in advance
Bookerboy

Hi,
I dont know if you have got you dog yet, but I have a Lab and I groom dogs professionally for a living, Labradors molt more than any other breed so if you are house proud, these are not the dogs for you, most of the short hair dogs loose a lot of coat with the change of season, poodles, bichons and varieties of these dont loose their coat, but do need a lot of grooming, Border terriers are very friendly little dogs, great character, dont really molt, have a coat that is usually hand stripped twice a year, fit in well with children and are small enough to bring with you in the car etc, good with children, intelligent little fellows, cockers, cavaliers and most spaniels need grooming, do not take a shy retiring dog as this CAN be a sign of difficulties in the future, it is important to socialize you puppy as soon as all vaccinations are complete and you have the all clear from the vet, smaller dogs like toy poodles are lovely but can park a lot, schnauzers are a great little dog, and are easy to fit in with families, hope you find a lovely little dog and remember not to rule out the rescue centres, lots of loving dogs looking for a good hom. remember that your children are not old enough to mind a dog, that will be up to you, vaccines, holidays, grooming, kennels, walking, poop etc take care and have fun.
www.thegroomingpad.com

The Sweeper

I'd differ slightly from the approach of breed recommendation, and say you simply cannot guarantee the behaviour of any dog based on breeding. Use breed standards to guide you in terms of level of exercise required, cost to feed and medicate (larger dogs cost more), potential health problems and predisposition towards tendancies like herding, guarding, roaming etc. but don't assume it's the be-all and end-all of what the dog is going to be like.

YOU shape your dog. Its temperament is in your hands. Its behaviour depends on your control. Its adjustment depends on your interaction. The only thing that's near-100% guaranteed through breeding is appearance.

Lemlin

A dog behaviourist expert recommended the following breeds to me for a house with kids:

Cavalier King Charles, the Japanese Spitz, the Pug, or the Beagle.

She said that each has "greater tolerance and biddability" than most other breeds.

I have a cocker spaniel and the expert said she sees alot of those nipping at kids and that they have short patience. I certainly haven't seen that with my dog who is great with kids.

That said, a dog's socialisation period takes place from week 8 on. Some people don't like to take pups until they are 12 weeks old but you really should be taking your pup at 8 weeks.

That allows the dog enough time to be with its mother and to then get used to its new home. Take your dog at 8 weeks and make sure it gets used to being around the children in your house.

getz

most people in the UK will always tell you to get a staffie,its now the most popular breed,the good thing about the staffie with young children is that it can put up with rougher handling [the kind young kids give] than other dogs,

Whispered

I'd reccommend a staffy.
Taken from a website

There are only 2 out of 164 registered CKC breeds that by their very breed standard must be good with children: Staffordshire Bull terrier is one of them.

When university researchers in the UK were asked to rate the best 10 breeds for children they selected the Staffordshire Bull Terrier for their list based on its "bomb-proof" nature.

Most importantly, when researchers in Germany studied inappropriate aggression in several breeds they found the same level of inappropriate displays of aggression across all the dogs in the studies with one "notable" exception. None of the Staffordshire Bull Terriers displayed any types of aggression disorders. (The same could not be said for the test group of Golden Retrievers.)
The history of this breed does go back to dog fighting in the 1800s. However, this does not make them fundamentally different from other breeds. In fact, 88 of the 164 recognized CKC breeds were originally bred to something of equal severity, from hunting and killing fierce predators (including bears, badgers and lions) to biting or attacking people.
Few realize that all of the "bully" breeds were killed without hesitation (culled) if they showed any sign of human aggression. These dogs lived in the family homes of poor people; because of this they had to be excellent around families and children in particular. This resulted in a dog of exceptional intelligence and temperament.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a one of the friendliest and silliest breeds in the dog world. They are highly intelligent and extremely submissive to people.
But what really sets the breed apart is their instinctive love for children. They have earned the title of "nanny dog".

arybvtcw0eolkf

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

YOU shape your dog. Its temperament is in your hands. Its behaviour depends on your control. Its adjustment depends on your interaction. The only thing that's near-100% guaranteed through breeding is appearance.

I have to agree with this.

I met a young couple from this forum a few days ago.

They were considering getting a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and live around the corner from me so I offered to meet up on Portmarnock beach.

Thankfully it was empty (due to the weather) so the lads could be let off the leads and run free.

'Ruby' is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, whilst 'Richo is more the Pitbull - and a more gentle pair you wouldn't meet.

Anyway this was commented upon and I said "You know I find a dog can usually reflect its owners personality" - and I do believe this is largely the case.

However experience over the year's has also taught me that some breeds are just angry little feckers regardless who own's 'em.

Choose your dog wisely, because your commiting to it for at least the next fifteen years come hell or high water.

.

CL32

Myself and the GF are looking to get a dog. I was biased towards Staffs before having done much research on them. The more I read about them the more I knew they were the breed for me.

One thing we had to consider is what breed would be good around kids, as there are loads of young kids around here, and one day (hopefully) we'll have a few of our own.

After meeting Makikomi's two theres no turning back! Playful, gentle, smart, silly, great natured and fun. Perfect family companions.

nc6000

We've a 5 month old Cocker Spaniel who so far has been great with our two year old.

Rej

CL32 wrote: »

Myself and the GF are looking to get a dog. I was biased towards Staffs before having done much research on them. The more I read about them the more I knew they were the breed for me.

I couldnt agree more!! we rescued a jack russell/staff mix from ISPCA 2 years ago and he's a loving friendly dog. Would never leave him or any other dog unsupervised with kids though - cant be too safe.

On the pooping issue. we swapped our dogs feed to Burns dry food & he poops a lot less now & hate to be gross, but its easier to pick up now too

jamesm5744

To anyone thinking of getting a Staff, Ive had them all my life, in fact you could say I was nearly reared by them and in my opinion they are the best breed of dog in the world. The rumours are true, the love people, a little too much for comfort sometimes when you're tring to relax and my Bull decides, i know i'll sit on his head!
Now as an adult with my own home and family I have two, a dog and a bitch and believe me there is never a dull moment!
My dogs have zero aggression, other dogs do attack them though so you need to be prepaired for that. Also as puppies they will wreck anything in sight and as grown up puppies (they never really grow up!) they need a lot of exercise and i would call them a high energy dog so be forewarned.
This aside a more loyal, faithful and trustworthy friend you will never have than your staffy! Best of luck with it!

wexford202

I am another staffie lover.

Mine turned 4 yesterday and we had the cake and party hats out for him.

When I got mine as a pup I was very concerned because of the bad press they get. I wanted a dog good with kids. My staff is excellent. they are a good bit of work though as they are true people dogs. They do not enjoy being on their own and either want to be at the end of the bed or on the sofa beside you.

As a puppy I had to sit up for an hour or two in the middle of the night as my pup cried for his mammy. In the end I brought him to our bed and thats where he stayed.

Mine drops my trainers and lead at my feet as a subtle hint for walkies.

.

getz

wexford202 wrote: »

I am another staffie lover.

Mine turned 4 yesterday and we had the cake and party hats out for him.

When I got mine as a pup I was very concerned because of the bad press they get. I wanted a dog good with kids. My staff is excellent. they are a good bit of work though as they are true people dogs. They do not enjoy being on their own and either want to be at the end of the bed or on the sofa beside you.

As a puppy I had to sit up for an hour or two in the middle of the night as my pup cried for his mammy. In the end I brought him to our bed and thats where he stayed.

Mine drops my trainers and lead at my feet as a subtle hint for walkies.

.

one tip i found helpful was with a young pup at night, was to put a old alarm clock[thats the one with the large tick] into a sock,the puppy will cuddle up to it ,because the tick sounds just like his mothers heartbeat,and if the sock is smelly,all the better

jamesm5744

Ha Ha Wexford202, that just sounds so familiar.
You're dead right, they just want to be with you 24/7, thats one thing that they all have in common.
My new pup Belle is 10 weeks old so I had to go through the whole crying thing for a while, it wqasnt so bad though because as soon as she got to know Bullseye (3 year old giant puppy!) she was happy to snuggle up with him.
The alarm clock thing works until they decide to distroy that too, only a matter if time when you're dealing with staff pups, their madness knows no bounds!
Ah well they're only with us for a short while so enjoy them every day..

wexford202

They are truly a fab dog.

When I got mine the guy said to me that they will chew up to a year old and then will stop but mine is 4 and still making his way through my shoes when given half a chance.

They are great for kids though espically when gte when they are puppies. The older ones are fine but just make sure like any type of dog you know it's history before introducing it to the kids.

I have attached a picture of mine I don't know if you will be able to open it though

jamesm5744

Ah he's lovely, big smiley head on him!:D
Great Dogs indeed, well I can safely say I would trust my dogs more than most people and I truely mean that.
When I was a toddler I used to ride around on Jocks back while pulling and dragging onto his ears, never as much as a growl outha him or any staff that we've had.
Now all my family have grown up and the same can be said for every dog Myself, brother or sister have had, cant praise them highly enough..
They are mad however!!

Here's a few snaps of my two, the only time they are quiet!!

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wexford202

They are lovely.

They would melt you looking at them.:rolleyes:

Rexelac

Perfect for kids!

wexford202

Rexelac wrote: »

Perfect for kids!

Yikes!

That's not fair. Look at my attach

dee o gee

OP- have you gotten a dog yet?? Any update on this?

As regards breeds, I think an awful lot has to do with the particular dog and how it is raised. I mean some aspects you can't change like shedding, but labs for example are high energy and can tend to be very excitable, but with good consistent training from a young age can be taught not to jump on people.

I wouldn't rule out pound or shelter dogs, in fact id reccommend shelter dogs, because a lot of the time the dog is surrendered by the owner for reasons such as moving abroad, most dogs end up in pounds/shelters because of owner faults, and not because the dog has something wrong with it. I would definetely reccommend 'dogs in distress', because they have all their dogs in foster homes, the fosterer has a good idea of what that dog is like in a home enviroment and whether the dog would be good with kids etc..