What dog breed is best with kids??

dirty_magic

topsales wrote: »

I have just recently bought a Cavachon puppy - Bichon Frise x Cavalier King Charles and she is the loveliest, sweetest natured dog I have ever had - and I have had a few!

My mom has one and he's gorgeous but he's a bit mad. We had a bichon frise before and I think they are a good choice for kids too. They don't moult so they're less likely to affect allergies and ours had a lovely temperament.

teddysmum

dirty_magic wrote: »

My mom has one and he's gorgeous but he's a bit mad. We had a bichon frise before and I think they are a good choice for kids too. They don't moult so they're less likely to affect allergies and ours had a lovely temperament.

But there is still the cavalier health problem likelihood, especially with a cross breed as the breeder is less likely to have a good knowledge of the dog's ancestry (not the pedigree, but the freedom from disease).

trolleyrun

I would at least consider a rescue dog. Rescues have all kinds of dogs, from puppies to older dogs. Many have been put in there through no fault of the dog, but owner's circumstances changing (eviction, health etc). It's often easier to adopt from smaller rescue centres compared to the big ones, such as rspca, dog's trust and battersea. A friend of mine got a dog from a small, fairly local rescue. Home visit and a bit of paperwork plus an interview and the dog was ready to go. Her next dog, she went to one of the big ones, to a branch 150 miles away, as she'd seen a dog on the website. They made it very tricky to adopt, such as wanting 10 visits before even doing a home check. My friend negotiated, and did two visits per day 5 times. It's only due to her perseverance that she got the dog in the end, many would've given up.

Both dogs are brilliant, by the way. Loving, suitably bonkers and happy. My dog came from the same small rescue as my friend's dog. Again, home check, interview and some paperwork and she came home with me.

I personally would only get a rescue dog in the future. I thought carefully about getting a dog before I did, and she comes first, no matter what happens in my life. I'd happily go without holidays, heck, I'd even go hungry if it meant my dog was safe, fed and happy.

Sorry, I went on a bit then. To the OP; consider all options before buying a puppy. Perhaps you can find a rescue place that uses foster homes, then you'd know more about the temperament and suitability.

Cuilean

sheramber wrote: »

Beagles also like the sound of thier own voice and bay rather than bark.

One who came to my training class used to bay loudly with joi de vivre.

If you have near neighbours that may be a problem.

In defence of beagles (And I don't say that very often! ) ours is not at all vocal, unless you're the postie, in which case it must be conveyed to the poor postie that they are not welcome inside the property boundary. Once the postie has departed, we have silence again. We have more bother with her snoring than anything else - it's like a 737 at take-off :rotfl:

She is certainly stubborn, and when we first got her (She was a rescue through Beagle Welfare) we were on the phone to the rescue co-ordinator every week, begging for help. All credit to my husband though, he is a stubborn as she is, and within a few months we had a dog trained to perfection.

Beagles are incredibly food orientated. I'm sitting here typing this with a bag of crisps, and she's sitting next to me on the sofa, eyes boring holes in the side of me. She doesn't steal from plates or the table, but if you are daft enough to leave something lying around in her reach and then leave the room, she'll try to snaffle it.

Exercise is very variable with her. My husband likes cross country running, and she'll run every step of the 10k with him. On the other side, she's just as happy with a trot around the village and wasting her day on the sofa. When we adopted her, the rescue centre told us to get high fences. I think ours are about 4 feet high. She bounces off them to say hello to the neighbours, but she couldn't get over them. We certainly wouldn't have any lower than 4 feet, but I think six feet would be overkill for her.

Beagles can be very loyal creatures, and she's definitely happiest when her "pack" is all together. We don't have children, but she's brilliant with our nieces, and loves seeing my friends' kids.

Is she the ideal family dog? I don't know. My husband thinks labradors are better, because that's what he grew up with as a family pet, and they're certainly very popular with families in the village where we live. I agree with everyone who's said that the best thing to do is go and spend some time with the breeds you're considering before you make any decision. You can read every book on a breed, but it's no substitute for actually meeting them and finding out their quirks. I wanted a beagle for nearly 10 years before we got her, and even with all that reading time, and time I spent with beagles and their owners didn't prepare me for the madness my hound has brought in to my life :rotfl:

codemonkey

Paradigm wrote: »

I prefer a puppy that I can train to how I want it, not someones cast off with whatever, unknown, problems it might bring.

Just my opinion

Slightly off topic, but I object to my rescue dog being thought of as "someones cast off". I know he can't read or anything but its a bit insulting.

I went for a middle aged rescue dog, simply because puppies are hard work. I don't have time to train properly and it would be left alone longer than I'd like. In that manner, an adult rescue dog, combined with an excellent dog walker suited our circumstances. For others, a puppy from a good breeder is the best option. It depends on a lot of variables.

If you call my dog a cast off again I will send him to do sad eyes at you.

pawsies

Paradigm wrote: »

I prefer a puppy that I can train to how I want it, not someones cast off with whatever, unknown, problems it might bring.

Just my opinion

Puppies are not necessarily clean slates and can have behavioural issues from birth.

Nothing is guaranteed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD1P2TeS_eg

RuthnJasper

elsien wrote: »

It's as much about lifestyle as it is the breed being good with kids. For example (generalising madly), greyhounds can be a bit couch potato like and may not like very busy loud environments, staffies like to be around people, can be exciteable and high energy and might not take to being left if you're out working without getting a bit destructive. King Charles are the same in some respects but with more fur! And possible more health issues
So are you an active family, a quiet family, a houseproud family - that's as important as how a dog might be with children. Plus if you're getting a puppy there's no guarantee it'll be anything like the breed standard anyway.

Edit - with staffies and other bull terriers, lovely though they are, you also need to take into account the public perception of them. In some respects you need to be more careful in public than with other dogs purely because of how people can react even when they're doing nothing wrong. Just another point for consideration.

Cannot echo highly enough the good words for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. I had all the usual common prejudices before having one myself and definitely did NOT want one. Until I had one. Jasper was far and away the finest of dogs (even though it took a while for me to find that out for myself - here is a link to the page on "his"/my/"new-dog-Gisele's" website which describes his introduction into my life: http://jasper-thedogsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/wednesday-23-june-2010.html).

Jasper saved my life twice and didn't have a malicious bone in his body. The breed was developed as a fighting dog, but one who could be parted from his combatant during the heat of a dogfight by human hands. In poor households (late 19th and early 20th century), particularly the East End of London, a family's Staffy would often be fed before the children; the income the dog brought in from fighting and ratting was so important. In addition the injured dog would, if necessary, be transported back home in the pram with the latest baby of the family. Despite their reputation (usually due to witless owners), they are trustworthy and loving dogs.

Don't give them raw broccoli or boiled egg though...

Good luck, and best wishes with whichever dog you go with. Please do consider a rescue dog, if you can. xx

scotty1971

A greyhound-ex racer if possible,they make great and loving family pets.big,lazy and fun dogs.plenty of ex-racing charities where you can go and visit and get the right dog for your family.

cheepskate_2

Rather than look at the breed of dog, as all breeds brought up properly and with children from an early age will be good with them.

You have to decide if your family is energetic and would like a dog that needs lots of excercise or wether they would like more of a lap dog , where its small amounts of fun and lots of cuddles on the lap.

All children are different and getting this right at the begginning is what makes a good dog for the family.

Once you choose the "breeds" you then again have to choose the personality of the dogand decide how good your training/family are...no good getting a really extrovert/strong willed personality if this is your first time into dogs or your a bit of a walkover when it comes to training, thus a quieter one would be better suited and more easier to train

Katiehound

Since questions are being asked about beagles may I suggest a Lakeland Trailhound? These are ex-racers, or may be young dogs which have never made the grade because they don't actually like racing!
My first trailie went on to get her KC Good Citizen Gold (first of the breed ) and met 11K (yes, I mean 11,000) local children when working for Blue Cross visiting schools & youth groups.
Okay they are hounds, are food orientated because that is how they are trained,can develop professional deafness when the nose is down! but they are also cuddle monsters.
The backgrounds to the dogs are known to the coordinator- some are brought up with children or cats for example.
I got my 4th trailie in May. He is not only a beautiful boy but so gentle too.
See my dogs here: stories 1 & 6
http://www.trailhoundwelfare.org.uk/category/stories/
For more about the breed, rehoming etc look here:
http://www.trailhoundwelfare.org.uk/