Best Dog Breeds For Kids?

[JennyC]

I am thinking about getting my five year old son a dog. I would like a medium sized dog ( about 20-60 pounds) that is not too high strung. We have a medium sized yard, so the dog would have room to run around. So far I am thinking about a golden retriever, but they get a little larger than I would prefer. I am grateful for any advice!

[darlindeb25]

Well, labs usually run a little bigger than you are wanting, yet they are the best dog for kids. Labs are very loving, and loyal. We had an australian shepherd mix, and she was a sweetheart too, only weighed 45# her entire life. We also had a cockapoo, and she was wonderful too. Sometimes, it's not the breed, it's how the dog is raised and loved. Collies are always a good choice too, but lots of maintenance fur wise, as is an aussie.

As a rule, mix breeds are much calmer dogs. Purebreds tend to be more highstrung.

[GFqueen17]

I would definately say labs, even though they are a little bigger than what youre looking for. If you can find a lab mixed with a breed that is smaller then it would probably be the size you want.

[tarnalberry]

I'm partial to them, having had them all my life, but I'm voting poodle. I had toys growing up, and a standard now. (Neo, the 15 week old standard poodle puppy: Open Original Shared Link) He does wonderfully with everyone we have over (he's met scads of people - early socialization is vital), and he loves playing with our neighbor's one-year old (the youngest kid he's met). He's met lots of other kids on the hiking trails, and loves them too. (I think he knows the difference between young kids and adults - though I think 7ish is his dividing line, based on behavior. He's not rough with adults at all, he's just that much more gentle with younger kids.)

Poodles and border collies are unofficially the smartest dogs out there, and man do they learn fast. Even the smaller breed poodles aren't necessarily high-strung; though puppies can have a lot of puppy energy, they are pretty good at reading the family energy level and moderating their own to that. (Assuming you get them a basic amount of exercise regularly, of course. Neo would probably find some fascinating to him - and annoying to us - mischief to get into if he didn't get his daily walks.) And they are *definitely* a _family_ dog. They can be good "guard" dogs, in that they will alert you if they detect trouble, but with some regular training, they will happily maintain their pack hierarchy. (Neo knows his pack spot - on the bottom - and follows us pretty much wherever we go. Preferably following me over my husband, but either will do. We are his pack, and he stays with his pack. )

Are they high maintenance in the cleaning department? Kinda. I think some of the things you'll read and hear are over blown. Yes, you should brush them every two or three days - but if you're doing it that often, it's a 15 minute thing while watching TV that they enjoy as a bonding experience. Yes, you should bath them every two weeks or so - but again, if you're doing it that often, it takes about 40 minutes for the wash and dry (and drying is what takes so long, so sometimes, he gets half dried, and then plopped in front of the fireplace ). And yes, they should be clipped ever six to eight weeks, but I'm doing Neo every four right now (myself because it's cheaper, though that takes more time and produces much less "pretty" results ), and it takes about an hour and a half for coat, face, feet, and nail trim. The nails I try to do every week, but with a dremmel, it takes about 10 minutes, and the feet/face trim I try to do every two weeks, and that takes about 30 (because I am *not* skilled at it ). Outside of the brushing, I figure that I average about an hour a week grooming him. Not the end of the world. And what you get out of that is a dog that doesn't shed, and has low dander, and low dog smell.

They do require mental stimulation, because they are smart dogs and can get bored easily. But if you do some consistent training - 10 minutes here and there (I do it while I wait for food to cook, while I wait for my husband for something, just after getting up in the morning, etc...) really makes a difference. They can be trained to do all kinds of things: hunting (what they were bred for), tracking, service dogs, agility, herding, etc. (My husband's favorite part about their trainability - took Neo about a week to housebreak, and we had two accidents after that, both from us not paying attention to his signals. If he didn't have such a stomach issue from stress after the transition here for three days or so, I'll bet it would have gone faster.)

Before dismissing them as prancy, poofy, fru-fru dogs, go meet some standards. They are as well behaved as they are trained, and I suspect the reason most people think of poodles as little yippie dogs is that they toys are cute, and the people who get them spoil them and doing train them " 'cause they're so cuuute". /eyeroll (To be fair, the toys I had as a kid weren't all that well trained. They were well behaved for being untrained, but they were not rigorously trained at all.)

Please consider carefully before going with a mixed breed if you're getting a puppy. There are some health concerns with every breed (on the easy end with poodles are needing frequent ear cleaning to prevent ear infections, on the more serious end is an increased tendency for Addison's and bloat if you're not careful regarding feeding), but some of the mixed breeds can have more issues if there is not rigor in crossing lines. For instance, goldendoodles are cute (my neighbors have one), but there are problems - as a "breed", not with each individual - with their jaws from trying to cross wide jawed and small jawed breeds.

If you opt not to get a rescue (which we would have done if we didn't have a seizure-prone bird that required training a puppy to avoid carefully), I URGE you to take the time to find a GOOD breeder who has spent the time finding appropriate lines to cross, does full genetic and other diagnostic testing on the parents, to minimize the risk of problems that breed is prone to. One of the reasons we've had such a good time training Neo is that he was WELL taken care of at his breeder, being taught from the age the litter started getting teeth to not bite, learning to sit and attend for meals, learning about inside and outside pottying, being well fed and well groomed, learning his pack hierarchy with humans, and so forth. (Not to mention already being microchipped, besides the normal vaccinations. And not to mention the great advice and support. Well worth a three hour drive each way.)

So, my two cents (and more) after having gone through the puppy acquisition process recently.

Edit: I forgot to mention sizing:

Standards tend to run 20-26" at the shoulders and 40-60lbs (males are bigger than females, size can vary greatly)

Miniatures are between 12 and 15" at the shoulders (just smaller than Neo in his most recent pics, who's about 17" at the shoulders right now) and 15-17 pounds.

Toys are smaller.

[home-based-mom]

Watch Dogs 101 on Animal Planet or visit this site Open Original Shared Link. They discuss several different breeds every episode and rate each one on several things, including whether or not the breed trends to make a good family dog. There is a LOT to know!

[ShayFL]

We have 2 Great Danes and 1 Standard Poodle. Danes are the best dogs all around with regard to temperment and activity level (unless you want a dog that needs loads of exercise). Danes sleep a lot. They just want to be loved. But they are BIG.

So I vote for poodle too. I have had a miniature and now a standard. They are great.

You could also opt for a labradoodle (no to low shed) or goldendoodle (ditto). The best of both worlds.

But they will need exercise so they dont get fat (labs, goldens and poodles). We throw a tennis ball for Lucy the poodle at least 2 times a day 15 - 30 minutes a pop.

[Darn210]

I personally vote for the pound puppy. Our current dog and our previous dog were both animal shelter dogs. Mixed breeds tend to have less gentic issues. Both of our dogs were about 6 months. We absolutely did not miss the puppy stage where you have to get up in the middle of the night because they don't have a big enough bladder. House training took considerably less time. With mix puppies, it may be hard to tell how big they are actually going to be but at the 6 month mark, we could tell that we were going to have about a 30 - 40 pound dog (which is the size I prefer). You can still get the puppies at the shelters, too, if you really want that experience.

I had originally thought of getting a border collie (or border collie mix) because this time around (my kids were 4 and 6 at the time), I wanted a playful dog. I talked with a lady with a border collie rescue about getting a herding dog - we had friends that had a shepard and when they started having kids, they started having problems with the dog. They eventually had to find him a new home with an older couple whose kids were grown. The dog was nippy and it was totally instictive. He was trying to herd the children and that's how they do it. She gave me some good advice for looking at dogs at a shelter and it really helped me pick the sweetheart of a dog that we have now. She told me that when visiting with the dog in one of the private rooms, the dog should be interested in the kids but not obsessed (which indicates a high herding instict). The dog should be happy, friendly and inquisitive. I wasn't quite sure until we "played" with three different dogs in the private room. The first didn't want anything to do with any of us . . . just wanted out. The second wouldn't leave me and just ignored the kids' attempts to play. Then the third dog was all over the room . . . checking out the kids, checking out the toys, checking out me, back to the kids, chase something that they threw, run to the door cause she heard something, back to the box of toys, back to the kids . . . tail wagging constantly. Yep, that's the one I picked. As far as I can tell, she has no "herding-type" dog in her mix but I think the advise was pretty good and worked for us.

And I have to tell you. I did see a beautiful border collie at the Humane Society that could not (totally obsessed) keep her eyes off of my son. We weren't even "looking" at her as an option but she could not respond to the people that were because she was fixated on my son. That's a dog that should be on a working farm.

They even have some wonderful pure bred dogs at the shelters. My neighbors got a 6 month old chocolate lab. She was there because the owners got divorced and neither one wanted her. One of the best behaved dogs I have ever met and even though I don't want that big of a dog, I would take theirs in a heartbeat.

[MollyBeth]

I have a Shih Tzu now and when I was growing up my parents had Shih Tzu's. They are very loving and sweet animals. My dog isn't high srung at all. He likes to cuddle up and sleep a lot. They are great for children. My parents have two Shih Tzu's and you should see them play with my little nephew. He is about 10 months and he gets down on the floor and tries to chase them around as he crawls. They love him to death!

[tarnalberry]

My understanding is that it's not so much about finding out what breeds are good for children, as finding out what breeds are not. A family member once had a dalmatian, and those guys tend to bond to *one* person in the family, and "protect them" even from other family members. This proved to be a bit of an issue after the dog bonded to the mom, and everyone else had some work to do with the dog. I'm in no way saying dalmatians are a bad breed, just know that the personality is one that you would have to train with.

(That said, I'm still partial to my poodle. )

[foodlens]

I am super for the pound idea, and thats how I got my first dog growing up--not what my parents wanted or expected (a small mixed breed...something I don't even know, LOL), but we loved each other nonetheless.

Also for high-strung dogs, spaying and/or neutering them helps calm them down. You should do this regardless, unless you get a pure bred and the breeder wishes to use them as a stud or jerk.

That said, if you are looking for a specific breed....

I adore pugs. A lot. And hounds: specifically the basset, the english foxhound, and the beagle.

This is a good website to check out if you're wanting to check out specific breed profiles:

(http:// puppydogweb. com/caninebreeds/index. htm) (without the spaces)

They will tell you the size, genetic problems, whether or not they're good with children (of all ages or specific ages), etc etc.

[JennyC]

Thank you!!! You all have been very helpful! I am considering a smooth collie. The herding instinct is something to consider. From what I have read, the dogs typically stop that behavior as they mature. I have also read that they are supposed to be great family dogs.

[celiac-mommy]

We had a collie growing up. He was the most sweet, wonderful dog. He did need a fair amount of exercise, he loved to run! We ended up having to send him to live with some friends who had a farm (visited often) because we didn't have the room for him to run as much as he needed, but he was really lovely in every way!

[HAK1031]

I personally vote golden retriever. They're similar to labs. I have grown up with a golden (she's still alive...and 4 months older than I am at 17.5!) They're perfect for kids, and the one I have is only about 45lbs.

[ShayFL]

Collies are "working" dogs and need "work" to feel satisfied. They will "herd" children if they do not have animals to herd. They need A LOT of exercise and grooming.

As for the pound. Dont shop adopt is my motto. But for bringing a dog into a home with children, I cannot recommend RESCUE enough!! They screen the dogs very carefully and have them in various environments (children, cats, other dogs, etc.). They know where the dog will be best suited. With a pound dog it is a crap shoot. Yes, plenty of folks get wonderful dogs from the pound. My Mom did once. But my BIL got a dog from the pound for his kids (a lab) and it was a biter. It bit his 5 year old girl in the face. Seems this dog didnt like children getting in his face. With a RESCUE dog this isnt likely to ever happen. The dogs are fostered with children first. They wont place a dog in a home with children unless the dog has been tested with kids. It is a good way to get a dog.

We RESCUE exclusively. It is great. It allows us to learn of any possible defects in the dog. Rescues will disclose things like hip displasia, etc. We can learn if they are "dominant", "submissive" or "middle of the road". A dominant dog will snatch food from children and can accidentally bite them. A dominant dog will challenge adults who do not use dominance techniques properly. A dominant dog will "fight" with other dogs. An overly "submissive" dog will often "pee" all over everything and is easily "hurt". You can never yell at them. They will just "pee". Training an overly "submissive" dog is tricky.

We like "middle of the road". And RESCUE allows us this. They wont place a "dominant" dog into a home that doesnt want that kind of head strong energy.

Bringing a dog into your home is a MAJOR deal and should not be taken likely. We rescue and work with 1 Florida rescue group. I also participate in annual charity auctions for other rescue groups in the U.S.

So many get the dog because it is "cute" and then they end up in rescue because the are: too big, too dominant, hurt the baby, too active, etc.

[laurelfla]

I have a precious Chihuahua (which is a breed I would NOT recommend for a child, obviously, for size reasons) but I just wanted to chime in since I have learned a lot since getting her. Every dog needs exercise. Play does not count, no matter how much space the dog has, but rather walking or running or engaging in some kind of activity where the dog follows you. They need the mental stimulation and the discipline. Petunia has turned out to be a wonderful dog, but I believe that without her daily walks (which many people automatically assume we don't do because she's 'so small she gets her exercise walking around the house'), she would be one of those "yappy", annoying small dogs that people hate. I make sure she gets her exercise daily, and I know that anything less would be doing what's convenient for me, not what is best for her.

If you get a working dog, in addition to the daily walk (at least 45 minutes), he or she will need actual work to do... if not, that energy can turn destructive. Any of the dogs mentioned here would be great, as long as it gets the proper stimulation. I might vote for a poodle. I think rescuing is a great idea, too, though, especially if it's a foster dog.

Good luck!! Dogs are the best!!

[JennyC]

Thank you so much for all of the replies! We did get a 10 week old collies puppy last night named Ty. He is great! He is such a lap dog, although I know he will get too big for that soon! I already comes to his name, and seems to understand when I tell him "no." We will also start obedience class at the end of the month. And he's a gluten free dog!!! No cross contamination from him! I love that my son can feed him.

[Lisa]

A new baby in the house is always fun. Don't forget to take lots of pictures Jenny. They grow too fast.

[happygirl]

Congratulations on being puppy parents!

[tarnalberry]

congratulations!!!

[JennyC]

Thanks guys! I would have replied sooner but I've been busy cleaning up poop. Sorry if TMI.

[tarnalberry]

I highly recommend bell training, once he's housebroken. (BTW, if you're not crate training, I highly recommend it, and it will also help with the housebreaking. Puppy pads... eh, I don't think they're a great thing when trying to housebreak a dog who can be trained well.)

We put bells on the doorknobs and rang them (and gave him the opportunity to ring them) any time we went out to potty, and it's taken about a week, and he's started using the bells to signal. (His first signal is just sitting in front of us and looking at us; not a terribly clear signal. )

Oh, and if you shop at Whole Foods (and probably most other markets), you can get them to cut up marrow bones for you (just 1-2" thick chunks of beef femur) - a great treat for a puppy. (Though marrow's rich, so I wouldn't feed *too* much.) (BTW - bones are fine if they're raw, but don't feed cooked bones, they can splinter.)

[JennyC]

Bells? That's a great idea! How do you crate-train? I had dogs growing up but they were never trained well. I really want to raise this dog right.

[tarnalberry]

Bells? That's a great idea! How do you crate-train? I had dogs growing up but they were never trained well. I really want to raise this dog right.

Good training is vital! We did a bunch of reading ahead of time, and have been doing additional reading and learning from both a mailing list from my breeder and the training class.

I'm newish at this stuff, but let me pass on the basics that are useful to get started on immediately:

Pack hierarchy - now is the time to establish, and maintain, that you and every other human member of the family is higher on the pack hierarchy than he is. It sounds harsher than it is, but a dog that is low on the pack hierarchy, but very confident of his position will be less stressed. And a dog that knows you are pack leader will not mouth/bite/challenge/disobey in the way that a dog that think it is dominant will. There are a couple of exercises and things to keep in mind to do to start this right away, in combination with general training. (Most of these keep hierarchy in mind, but some are just on their own.)

Physical Exercise

• Lift: with the puppy facing you, place your hands on his chest, under the 'armpits', and lift him up onto his hind legs, supporting him with hands. praise him when he is relaxed, and don't let him go until he has been relaxed for a bit, increasing the length of time as the exercise goes well.
  
• Side Lie: lay the puppy down on his side, feet facing towards you or away from you, and pet his belly, chest, head, legs, feet, face, and ears. do not let him get up if he struggles, but praise him if he is relaxed. let him up when he is relaxed for a short time, increasing the length of time as the exercise goes well.
  
• Baby Hold: lay the puppy on his back in your arms, in your lap, or on the floor in front of you, like a baby (depending on how big he is), and pet his chest and praise him when he is relaxed. don't allow him to get up if he struggles, but let him go after he is relaxed for a short time, increasing the length of time as the exercise goes well.
  

Feeding - Do's:

• you, and the rest of the family, eats first. he eats after you, even if you have to munch on a couple crackers first. the pack leader gets his/her pick of the food and gets to eat it first, without the same amount of work, and you are the pack leader. when you are done eating, then feed him.
  
• ask him to sit and stay while waiting for you to prepare the food (and have someone to enforce staying in the sit), and don't let him go to the food until you give him a release (such as "okay" or "you're free" - the former suggested by the training facility I'm going to, the latter being the one we're using).
  
• every so often, not necessarily every meal, interrupt him and take the food away momentarily. if he ever growls, meal's over - you are pack leader and can take food whenever you like. aggressiveness over food is a *bad* habit for a dog to get into.
  

Don'ts

• do not feed from the table. plenty of human foods are fine for dogs (whole 'nother post there), but it teaches begging, and it teaches they they can be at the "first pick", confusing hierarchy establishment
  
• consider not having the dog on the furniture, particularly the bed. the pack leader gets the best bed/resting spot, without having to earn it, and if your dog just gets to lie anywhere, it can confuse the pack hierarchy message. (we took a compromise - ours is allowed just on our couch in the media room, but not on the bed or any other furniture. he also is required to get off whenever we tell him - he's there at our blessing, not his wish.)
  

Commands:

• don't give a command you can't enforce. for instance, don't try to train "come" if you can't get the dog to come to you (by a lead, for instance). don't say sit, and let the dog not sit when he gets distracted by something, put him in the sit.
  
• don't repeat commands. say it once, expect it, then reposition the puppy for him. if you repeat, you're just nagging, and teaching that he can ignore the first X number of times you say it. (just like humans! ) (I find this one hard, and am still working on it myself. I generally catch myself by the second time I say it, but I still say it twice at least half the time.)
  
• try to have one person train one command until learned before other people use it. slight differences in execution, intonation, and exact body signaling can confuse the dog and make it take longer to learn.
  
• train in little increments often throughout the day. 10-15 minutes three to five times a day is a great way to train.
  
• if you need to, keep a lead (either regular length, or longer training lead) on the dog even in the house. that will prevent the dog from trying to play "chase". (never get into a game of chase with the dog when you want them for something - he'll think it's a fun game.)
  

Controlled Walking: start off training to a leash right away, so that he learns not to pull. there's a lot to this, let me know if you want more details

Training Mechanism in General: the main theories of training involve rewarding for doing something right, withholding reward for not doing what's asked, a corrective action, and a punishment. How well each works for any given dog will vary, but punishment is not effective. The most important feature of reward/correction is timing - it must be *immediate* with the request. (That's the problem with punishment; they're delayed, and the dog can't connect the punishment to what he's being punished for.)

• Rewards: rewards are anything the dog wants. that's kinda vague, and it's hard to figure out what's rewarding. food is a pretty obvious reward, and praise usually is too. a toy that a puppy really wants to play with is a reward too. but if he's jumping up on you for attention and you respond by bending down and petting him, he just got his reward for his (unwanted) behavior - your attention. or if he's constantly barking in a yard left alone, he may be getting a reward (self-soothing). easy to use the obvious ones to train behavior that you want, but very important to keep carefully thought out when trying to break behavior you don't want.
  
• Corrective Action: just like rewards, corrections are anything the dog doesn't want. it can be hard to figure out some of these, as much as some of them are easy. don't assume that you know what is a reward (positive reinforcement) and what is corrective (negative reinforcement), because those little guys can surprise you.
  

• withholding a reward is a corrective action (for instance, we stop fetch if he's not "giving" the ball back).
  
  
• verbal corrections can work for some things (great for mouthing/biting - when he tries to bite, you give a loud YELP!, like a littermate would, indicating that he hurt you - play it up and he'll learn not to do it), depending on the dog. but you don't want to "NO" the dog to death either; just like giving commands, he should respond the first time, or you move to a different correction.
  
  
• physical corrections can be manually moving the dog, or a "snap" on a lead (when walking or training other commands), but *never* a smack or anything else painful from hands (or the dog will come to fear hands). some dogs respond to a small physical correction easily, some seem impervious - use as strong a correction as your dog needs. (mine is generally very gentle, but needs surprisingly strong physical corrections when it comes to that.)
  
  

• Punishment - generally occurs after the fact, and is useless, and just stresses out and confuses the dog. if you can't offer a correction *when the offending behavior occurs* (even if that's lack of desired behavior), then you missed your window, and should just let it pass and do better next time. (another one that I continue to work on, timing is tough!) this is first an issue in housetraining - if the puppy pees on the carpet and you don't catch him mid-stream (and I mean literally midstream), it's useless to 'yell' at him about it. he won't know why you're mad. (on the other hand, if you can't catch mid stream, pick him up, and take him to the appropriate outdoor pee location, and give the appropriate command (e.g. "go potty"), that can be a *great* training tool.)
  

And crate training...

1. Get a crate (not open wire, but plastic - more "den" like) that will be big enough for the dog to stand up in and turn around (but not much bigger) when he's full grown. Have something to pad it with (I use towels because they are easily washable), some durable toys that he won't destroy (like a kong and/or rope), and water in the crate as well. Something that smells like you is good too. Put it in a commonly visited area, or the bedroom. (Moving it between the two is best. We went bedroom since that wasn't an option for us.)
   
2. Throughout the day, and when it's time for bed, give the command you choose (we use "crate", you might use "home" or "bed" or whatever), and guide the dog into the crate gently, but firmly (do not let him run away - start this with your hand on his collar). When he's in, close the door (sometimes holding him in with one hand and closing the door with the other), and give him some treats and lots of praise.
   
3. While training (and this can take a little while), don't wander off for long. If he whines, don't let him out. Let him know you're there - eye contact or moving around the room - but don't let him out or offer verbal reassurance (or you'll be saying "it's okay that you're stressed, that's fine. you'll be rewarded for whining by my voice.") Offer more praise (and treats) when he's quiet.
   
4. When it's time to wake up, or after a length of time during training during the day, let the dog out, but not to fanfare. ("reunions" should always be mellow and lowkey, to keep the dog from getting too hyper and excited, and from getting anxious if your routine varies and you miss a "reunion" (e.g. get home late).) If it's first thing in the morning, go directly out to potty. (And while he's really young, you may need to get up in the middle of the night once or twice to let him out.)
   
5. If he whines at night, do not let him out, except to pee and then straight back to the crate. Praise him when he's quiet again, but don't let him out. (Yes, I know this can suck. I slept on my living room floor for a week and a half, with never more than three hours of sleep the first five days, from the whining and constant flopping and getting out to pee. He settled after two weeks or so. We're still working on crate training for when we leave the house, but he really is a pack animal and hates to be away from his pack.) Be FIRM on this one.
   
6. Eventually, the dog should grow to like the crate, as a place all his own where he can relax. So, leave the door open whenever he hasn't been put inside for a reason, and do not ever bother him while he's in his crate.
   
7. NEVER EVER EVER use the crate as punishment. If you're mad at the dog and need a time out, find another room to "shut him in" if you have to, but NEVER use the crate as punishment. It should be a place of refuge and happiness (once he learns that he can be away from you ).
   

Whew... that was a lot. That was sort of the basics we went into training class with. Let me know if there's other stuff I can help with - I'm going through the basics, so it's good reinforcing. Heavens knows I'm no pro at this, but I'm trying to learn as best I can.

[happygirl]

Definitely recommend crate training. We say "Crate!" and the pup goes running for it.

Great advice, Tiffany.

[ShayFL]

Perfect Tiffany!!

We have used most of these with our dogs and all has been harmonious in our home. We have 2 great danes and a standard poodle. You DO NOT want chaos with dogs this size!!

Lucy (poodle) is the only one who uses the "crate" in our home and it is a lifesaver. Otherwise she would bark all night in the back yard (we have a doggie door to the back). The big dogs share a "doggie room" with Lucy in her crate at night. The "doggie room" is their crate.....

Congrats on the pup!!!