Researching dogs, should we get a Beagle or a Labrador or something else?

Swans1912

Have you considered a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? Thats what we have! They are a small to medium size dog. They are great with children, so friendly, are relatively easy to train and require a moderate amount of exercise.

f1re_cr4cker

my pug is fab with my 2 and 3 year olds!

orlao

Can't really comment on beagles as I only know one or two but take into account that lab puppies are very bouncy but TBH that could be said of any medium or large puppy:D just a thought because you have small kids that could be knocked over.

I also wouldn't get a puppy with such young children if only because any pup will have *accidents* indoors to start with - bad enough at the best of times and toddlers always find it before you do:eek: and all pups will mouth at some point which can scare the kids plus the time required for training if you want to have a nice dog you can take anywhere which would be difficult to find with children to deal with too.

FWIW, I would look for a rescue dog with a known history with small kids, past the nutty youngster stage:rotfl: :rotfl: rather than thinking about breeds IYSWIM. You would probably have a better chance if you research the rescues policy in advance as so many of them won't rehome to a family with under 5's but I believe the Dogs Trust will ( as someone else mentioned) and your local rescue might.

Actually I think a greyhound sounds perfect.....they don't need loads of exercise, usually walk well on a lead and not all of them eat small furries;) , don't take as much space as you would think, are very gentle dogs plus the rescues policies IME are less rigid than many other rescues.

moomin5

Greyhounds do make great companions, i have 2 and they are very easy to have around (must sleep about 20hrs a day) and don't require as much exercise as many dogs (2 x 20 min walks as minimum). They are a docile, laidback and rather tolerant as they are used to being handled. However i think it you do need to supervise interactions and teach children how to behave around the dog i.e to leave it alone if its retreated to its bed or looks like its resting (i wouldn't say asleep to a kid as they often sleep with eyes open) to avoid any problems.

Greyhound rehoming groups normally assess the dogs suitability for cats/kids/small dogs and match it with the correct home as its not in their interests to have a dog returned. Adopters are usually contracted to return dogs to them if circumstances change.

http://www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=40

They aren't seen as trainable as some other breeds, although ours passed KC bronze award pretty easily and can do all the basics such as sit/down/stay/wait & indoor re-call and there was a greyhound in the gold class. Outdoor re-call can fail if theres something to chase (greys can spot a moving object upto 1/2 a mile away), so off-leading is usually not advised.

IsoChick

Mrs_pbradley936 wrote: »

You do not torture them in order to gage that! You observe their response to stimuli for example I would not expect a Boxer or a Staff to yelp if they have an injection at the vets. Quite a few German Shepherds would as will Border Collies - not all of them but enough for people who study these things to predict tendencies and behaviour.

My two scream like they've been stabbed when they get injections! :eek: We've even tried it without me in the room, to see if they were picking up on my feelings etc...

hethmar

Perhaps they are a pair of wooses

IsoChick

hethmar wrote: »

Perhaps they are a pair of wooses

Oh, they are!! Boxers can often be a bit melodramatic, espcially boys!

suki1964

IsoChick wrote: »

Oh, they are!! Boxers can often be a bit melodramatic, espcially boys!

Like all men then

Bean_Counter

We have miniature schnauzers. Our kids (7&8) love them. The dogs are a good size in that they are small enough not to be knocking things (or the kids) over yet big enough that you are not standing on them all the time.

They have a good temperament and don't appear to shed at all.

lesley1960

becs wrote: »

Having been the very lucky owner of a much loved Bagle for 13 years I would strongly recommend against getting one! They are fabulous dogs that really are full of character but they are almost impossible to train! Yes you can do the sit stay and come etc but once they get a scent of something then forget it! We did years of constant traing including a police dog trainer all to no avail in that situation! Also they are very greedy dogs and eat absoloutely anything that is not secured away! Ours ate a 5lb fully iced and marzipanned xmas cake that was at the back of the worktop, 1lb of brie that was locked in the larder-he opened the door! And a brand new sealed tin of quality street from the back of the dining table, he took it into the hall, removed the seal and lid and ate the chics wrappers and all! He also ate the wallpaper to waist height in the kitchen, chewed his way through the kitchen door, and ate half the carpet tiles in the kitchen!
Beagles are also very prone to epilepsy, we thought ours was just bad at housetraining as kept having accidents during the night, it was only one night when we heard some noise downstairs we went down to see him having a fit which is when the accidents were occurring. He was a lovely dog and we miss him dearly but I would be very reluctant to get another beagle.
Some friends of ours who have 2 small children have just bought a cockerpoo (cocker spaniel x poodle) and it has the most fabulous temperament and is just the right size for the children and full of fun.
The thing my parents found when trying to get a rescue dog was all of the rescue centres they went to locally would not allow any of the dogs as being suitable with children. They obviously have small grandchildren visiting but no children at home. I think they just wanted to cover themselves and weren't prepared to allow any of them which seemed ridiculous! Luckily the dogs trust had a much more realistic attitude and they got a gorgeous patterdale terrier from them but had to go 100 miles to get him!

Yep ours did that too , lf a door swung to as you went out of the room he didnt have the sense to hook it open with his paw , he just burrowed through !