Good family dog?

[jellybean]

Believe it or not, we are thinking about getting a dog. Not today, but maybe within the next year or so.

I am a little concerned b/c my two todders are 2 1/2 and 18 months old and we want to have more children. My friends that have dogs and kids have not had any problems with their dogs and little ones, but it still makes me kind of nervous.

I have looked on the internet about breeds of dogs that are good with kids. Seems like golden retrievers, labs and springer spaniels come up a lot. We do have a fenced in yard so there is room for the dog to run and play.

Just wanted to know your experiences, especially if you have kids.

Thanks!

 

[MissAva]

What size dog are you looking for? What do you expect it to do? Mostly play with you and you family or wil it be chasing deer out of the yard?
Personally I love and adore my Boston Terrier becuase they are such loving sweet dogs, they are smart and very easy to potty train and both that I have had have done very well around little hands that poke and pull. If you dont mind a small pony Greater Swiss Mountain dogs are great as well, extreamly loyal calm and they get along well with other animals.

 

[jellybean]

Sorry- I should have been more specific.

I don''t want a really small dog. I want to mainly have it play and be a good watchdog. We have deer near here (b/c we are near a forest preserve) but I haven''t seen any in my yard since we put the fence up.

I have also read a little about the swiss mountain dog. Just afraid of too much hair. Plus, we have very hot summers, and I know it''s not good for any dog to be outside too long in the heat. We have really cold winters too (live near Chicago) so we have weather extremes here.

And yes, "calm" would be a good thing! My two kids are really active...so a border collie would not be a good choice for us!

 

[PaulaW]

I can''t speak highly enough about Boxers. I''ve had them all of my life and they are the best dogs. I''ve also had a cocker spaniel, a shnauzer, and a pit bull (who are also very sweet), but by far, the boxers are my favorite. Tyler is the most recent who really was a gift to my dad and lives with him now, but she is so sensitive, it''s amazing. When he''s sick, she''s very quiet and comforting to him, when he''s feeling good, she wants to play. They''re really cute too!

 

[Kaleigh]

I grew up with yellow Labradors. They are very sweet and gentle dogs. Also I highly recommend that you adopt a dog as so many need a good home. Those dogs that are rescues have that certain something about them and they will be loyal to you and your family as long as they live. Just a thought.

 

[mrssalvo]

Well, I second the yellow lab

After hubby and i married I wanted a dog. we knew we were going to have kids, so I did a ton of research. Labs, retreivers, etc. are very, very good with children. Our local vet owns a puppy adoption place where they take in puppies from unplanned pregnacies

i didn''t want to adopt a older dog with kids in the home because without knowing their history I just didn''t want to take a chance on any surprises. we were able to adopt Zoe at 6 weeks from the little puppy shelter which was the best of both worlds for us. My doggie will let the kids do anything to her, take treats/food right out of her mouth, pull her tail, ride her, whatever...and she just sits back and takes it. Of course, i teach my kids not to mistreat animials but a 1 year old doesn''t always understand. The one downside I can see is they do shead. Little blond hairs are all over the place. I have to vacuum just about everyday. If you are planning on an outdoor dog then it won''t be a problem.

 

[fire&ice]

Standard Poodles are nice dogs. They are hypo-alergenic & shed the undercoat only. Ditto the retriver/lab route - though labs can be dog agressive.

And, having spent years in dog rescue, -in general - mutts have the most even temperments. My friend has a lab mix of some kind & she is a doll with everyone; but, she does bark a very scary bark.

The most important thing about dogs and children is socialization w/ children when the dog is young. The other is that you are a strong alpha. Dogs will naturally challenge the young and worry about pack order if you aren''t head b*tch.

 

[jorman]

Okay, so you want a large playful dog, who is good with kids and doesn''t shed???

Let''s see...

We have an Australian Shepherd, Boomer, and he is by far the most loveable, loyal, obedient, smart boy EVER. He LOVES kids, but he sheds like a maniac. I will say that he is only 2 and has NEVER been a hyper dog. Our next door neighbor also has an Aussie, named Shadow, and she is very well behaved, great with their kids and isn''t hyper either. They are usually between 50 & 70 pounds, but short and slightly squatty.

My cousin and her husband have a chocolate lab, Simba, and they have a 2.5 year old and a 2 month old and that dog is GREAT! Tanner can pull on his tail, ears, step on him, lay on him, chase him and Simba just eats up the attention and loves that little boy. Simba, like most labs, also sheds quite a bit.

If you are worried about shedding, but love the size and qualities of a lab, there is a relatively new breed called the "Labradoodle". It is a mix between a Lab and a standard Poodle. They do not shed, and have such sweet soft surly faces.
I have heard good things about them.

Here''s a website that offers a little info: http://labradoodle-dogs.net/

Another good medium to large dogs who are good with children and extremely loyal are border collies, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds.

Good Luck with the puppy search and let us know what you decide!
-Janna

 

[Angel7]

I have a black lab and agree, great dog, very protective. (They say this is more true about females as oppossed to males?) May be a myth, who knows. Although, labs are VERY hyper until about 2 years of age. I''m sure that''s true with any pup though. But at least in my case, she is constantly bursting with energy!!!

 

[jellybean]

I grew up with a poodle, so I want something different.

We would probably adopt but I don't want a dog too old b/c I want it to be used to kids. In our local newpaper they always have the "pet of the week" that is up for adoption and a lot of them are younger dogs. I'll have to research more to see what the best age is.

I think I am the head b*tch, so that won't be a problem.

In general, do female dogs have a better temperment (ie. more easygoing) than male dogs? I thought I had heard that too.

My son (the 18 month old) LOVES dogs. Unfortunately, he tends to get right in their faces, which always freaks me out. He likes giving lots of kisses. We were at the park recently and a family had their lab puppy with them (it was 11 months old). So cute! Even though the dog was a little hyper (obviously expected with a puppy) she let my son pet her and give her a treat. My son doesn't always understand the word "gentle" even though I am right there holding his hand.

My DH had read that having a dog when you're young actually decreases your risk of asthma and increases your immune system. Anyone else heard that?

ETA: I know all (well, most) dogs shed but I'm looking for one that sheds less, if possible. My DH's uncle has a retriever and she sheds these really long hairs. I also had a german shepherd as a kid for a while but we had to get rid of it b/c it bit my sister totally unprovoked. We have friends that have an australlian shepherd so of course they are recommending it.

Their dog is soooo smart! I'll look into the labradoodle too.

 

[Demelza]

My current dog is a German Shepherd and I had 2 others as a child. There are many wonderful things about shepherds -- they''re loyal, smart, incredibly sweet with their pack members, and did I mention loyal? Howard is by far the most cuddly dog I''ve ever had. I have to say, however, that as much as I love Howard, I don''t think I would get another shepherd. They are extremely protective which means I have to be very careful about who I let into the house. I can almost guarantee that if a shepherd is raised around kids, it will be their most loving and loyal protector. But, as with any guard dog breed, you have to be careful around strangers they might mistake as a threat to their family and/or territory. It''s a lot of work. The other huge problem with shepherds is that they are incredible shedders!!! I''ve never seen anything like it. And it''s pretty much all year round. We also had a black lab growing up (actually, she turns 16 in a few days!) and she was a perfect family dog. A bit hyper as a youngster, but very sweet and playful. She isn''t very protective per se (we always joke that she would lick a burglar to death), but people are often scared off by any large dog breed. Anyway, that will be my next dog. Or maybe a labradoodle. I''m very intrigued by the no shedding business. We saw one a few months ago and they''re very cute.

 

[jorman]

I have heard that children who have dogs are more likely to:

not have asthma
not have colds as often
develop higher levels of confidence and self esteem
develop levels of responsibility earlier than children without pets
develop a sense compassion and empathy

I read the article on Labradoodles, and although I have never seen one in person, they seem great. Little to no shedding, possibly non-allergen producing, good with kids, smart, clever, loyal and friendly. Sounds like the perfect dog to me.

I am, of course, a HUGE fan of Aussies. They are super sweet and so good natured. We do not have children, so we didn''t know how Boomer would react to them. We were at a hot air balloon festival in Texas and these little girls (maybe 3 or 4 years old) wanted to pet Boomer, but you could tell they were a little afraid (he is big and one of his eyes is very light blue). Boomer REALLY wanted them to pet him and could tell they were scared, so he laid down, rolled on his back and stuck all 4 paws in the air. They weren''t afraid anymore and he loved the attention. He knows over 30 commands, is completely house trained and crate trained. He doesn''t beg, doesn''t try to get on the furniture and doesn''t jump. He loves to go on walks, loves to play chase and LOVES compressed rawhide. He is also a huge snuggle bug. He is blue merle (black, white and grey with a little tan) but there are red merles and tri-colors. There are also miniatures- who are just a little smaller. Oh- and they don''t have tails, so you don''t have to worry about getting whacked in the face with a thick lab tail.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 9/8/2005 12:02:43 PM
Author: jellybean
My DH had read that having a dog when you''re young actually decreases your risk of asthma and increases your immune system. Anyone else heard that?


ETA: I know all (well, most) dogs shed but I''m looking for one that sheds less, if possible. My DH''s uncle has a retriever and she sheds these really long hairs. I also had a german shepherd as a kid for a while but we had to get rid of it b/c it bit my sister totally unprovoked. We have friends that have an australlian shepherd so of course they are recommending it.

Their dog is soooo smart! I''ll look into the labradoodle too.

That''s a shame about the shepherd biting your sister unprovoked. I think there''s been so much inbreeding with shepherds, that many of them turn out with unstable temperaments.

That''s interesting what your husband says about dogs decreasing the risk of asthma. I have asthma and was diagnosed at about 4. We had dogs my entire life. I wonder if they had any impact on my allergies. I was never really allergic to them which is curious given that I was allergic to most everything else. Maybe being around them since birth created an immunity??

 

[jorman]

Here''s a tip for anyone with shedding dogs or cats.
If you do get a lab or long haired dog. Ask your groomer to "deferminate" him.
Defirmination is a process where they place a special conditioner over your pets coat (this works for cats too) and use a special vibrating comb. This process removes all the shedding undercoat and makes for a much more enjoyable summer. We have had Boomer defirminated and it is AMAZING! We recommended the process to friends and they could tell a huge difference as well. It is not expensive. Maybe $10 in addition to the normal bathing fee. Totally worth not vacuuming every 5 seconds.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/8/2005 10:04:36 AM
Author: kaleigh
I grew up with yellow Labradors. They are very sweet and gentle dogs. Also I highly recommend that you adopt a dog as so many need a good home. Those dogs that are rescues have that certain something about them and they will be loyal to you and your family as long as they live. Just a thought.

I agree, but I adopted a yellow lab and he bites. He was great with my daughter and her friends almost all the time when they were little. Almost anywhere he was they could throw themselves on him and he would never have dreamed of snapping. (Not that I allowed this!!!)

He did nip one child on the front porch, though, because that's his problem area. I still have to take extreme precautions to be sure he doesn't bite anyone on the front porch. He feels he is supposed to guard the house . He also nipped my daughter once when he was on her floor at night. We think he was asleep and she tripped on him. ANY dog can bite (although my last dog, a female Golden Retriever, never did once in her life).

I am saying that a Lab or a Golden is a great dog with kids and is also big enough to scare away intruders, but that a dog is still an animal and one has to remember that.

Deb

 

[Jennifer5973]

Date: 9/8/2005 10:04:36 AM
Author: kaleigh
I grew up with yellow Labradors. They are very sweet and gentle dogs. Also I highly recommend that you adopt a dog as so many need a good home. Those dogs that are rescues have that certain something about them and they will be loyal to you and your family as long as they live. Just a thought.

This is very true; everyone I've ever talked to about dogs cites the fact that rescue and adopted dogs are even more loving and loyal. Perhaps, they *know* on some level that they have been truly saved.

Some rescue dogs need a little more patience than others; some integrate immediately into a family with minimal training, while others need extra patience and care to overcome prior abuse and/or neglect. It is crucial to examine how much patience and extra attention you have for the animal you're bringing in. Puppies have their own issues and are a lot of work, but rescue dogs can need just as much effort for almost as long.

I have lived through both extremes--my first dog was adopted from a shelter and moved in immediately without one peep or problem--fully trained, gentle and a lover form day one. My second was neglected for a long time and it took 3-6 months to overcome separation anxiety and to "break his shell." I'd do it 1,000X over though--the ROI is immeasurable. I remember calling the rescue lady and crying that i didn't think i could take it; she said, "I fear that if you give up now, you'll miss out on a lifetime of a wonderful companion." Boy, was she right.

They key is knowing yourself, your family and your tolerances/limits when it comes to what you want to deal with. The worst thing anyone can do is adopt a dog and return him; it does 100X more damage to the animal on top of what's already occured. That is why most shelters and rescues are very strict about the adoptions; the need to minimize the return rate for the animals because it makes it twice as hard the enxt time to get the dog adjusted.

All the "technical" stuff aside, for me, a dog is a member of the family and I personally feel that this is the most important element of the approach to getting a dog as a pet. He/she is not disposable if he gets sick, becomes inconvenient or loses novelty.

ETA: In terms of "breed," you can get some adorable dogs at the shelters/rescue. There is a rescue for every type of breed you can fathom, and some really adoaable mixed breeds (like my two fuzzies, if I don't say so myself!

)... So many litle "Benjis" and med-sized mixes...soem of the most gorgeous and gentle dogs I ahve seen ahve been Collie/Shepherd/Lab/Retriever (some combination thereof) mixes--what dolls! Plus--like people--the dogs become increasingly more beautiful as you get to know them and they grow to love and trust you--their inner beauty is what makes them truly special.

 

[EdSkinner]

try going to the Humaine Society of the United States web site. From the home page go to pets--pet care--to selecting the right pet for your family and making the right introduction.

 

[mrssalvo]

I personally just don't trust older dogs from shelter's around my kids. they are wonderful pets and do become members of the family who adopts them and when my little ones are older I would love to adopt more. but for me, knowing there would small children and babies in the house, it just wasn't worth the risk. my dad has an adopted dog. they are not sure of his age but he is a true sweetheart. after 3 years he is still very scared of strangers. he never warmed up to my little brother and will not go outside and play fetch, which is what my 16 bro wanted a dog for. he is a perfect companion for my step-mom who loves to nurture and the doggie loves her for it. however, when my little ones get down on the floor to watch him or try to play he often will nip at them. it scares me to death. dogs are dogs. all dogs are different, i just found a way to adopt a puppy from a shelter so I knew how it was raised and could socialize it myself with my kids. i do think children having pets is a wonderful experience in just about every way.

 

[Mara]

Personally I'm not a huge fan of labs because we see them EVERYWHERE, they are too common. I like unusual dogs, mutts, mixes, or breed dogs, that look different or are more unusual in some way. We have so many labs around here...not a fan of the big lab drool either.

I wanted to speak up here, because I am also not a fan of large dogs. Not to offend anyone hopefully, because we all have our preferences (aka some would think that Portia is a lap dog...and my uncle calls her that every time he sees her even though she could run laps around him!) and that is what makes the world go round...but here's why I know I'm not a fan of large dogs and figured I'd throw it out there just in case..because I know sometimes people buy dogs and don't realize that large is different from small and then there are medium too. We have a couple up the street who are totally overwhelmed by how large their yellow lab male is getting, I see him dragging the poor girl down the street, he can't play with the other dogs because he jumps and falls on them (he's still a puppy at 8 months) and everyone is freaked out by him. I'm sure over time he will stabilize but for now they are hugely overwhelmed. He is about 90 lbs right now!!

First off you have big dog poo. Gross! Not like I love picking up poo anyway but larger dogs have HUGE poo. That's like 4x the amount of poo a smaller dog has. Each time! Then there's the drool...alot of big dogs have drool or saliva problems. I love it when big dogs in the park come up to me and deposit a big goober on my leg...thanks pup. Awesome. Now not only is my pant stuck to my leg but my dog wants to sniff that area every 2 minutes instead of walking. Some of the owners here said they have had to dedicate full days to cleaning their dogs drool/spit/goobers off the walls. Truly not a recipe for a happy home? Then you've got the big dog walking. This is nothing else convinced me I would not make a good large dog parent. My friend here has two dogs...a small Shitpoo (or whatever they are called) and a medium rescue mutt that looks alot like Jennifer's Elmo but with floppy white slipper paws, too cute. Some sort of poodle mix probably. Anyhow, she has her hands full with those two. She dogsat for another friend who has a large puppy pit-mix...friendlist dog ever but 70 lbs of pure muscle at 8 months didn't really know how to use it. I'd look out the window at the park, and start laughing hysterically since there was my friend being literally DRAGGED down the sidewalk by this 70lb dog because it wanted to walk. The two other dogs were just along for the ride. One day I was out there too with P, and she gave me the leash to hold for a sec on the big dog and he took off, ripped it out of my hand and broke my thumbnail halfway down into the bed. OW!!!!!! Lots of blood and screaming and chasing of the dog ensues. Joy! Oh and then it started to rain too.

So there's my two cents on big dogs. I love dogs and I love petting them, even when they deposit a mouthful of drool on my pant leg...but in reality I think I am a smaller dog person, or maybe a medium (aka 40 lbs max) but nothing more than that. I just wanted to throw in my experiences re: larger dogs because if you have not had one yet or experienced life with one, there are other ways they are different than small dogs!

So now my two cents on dogs with kids. Some breeds are not meant to be around kids. There is a great book out there that we saw once but I can't recall the name (so helpful I know) that actually had all the dogs and rated them and one of the rating items was children and if it was a good dog around kids. Kids usually harass the dog and tease it and/or are rough with it and some breeds just can't handle the nuisance. The funny thing is that Westies are NOT children dogs AT ALL because they usually have attitudes and don't like to be picked at or bothered alot. But we raised Portia differently...she's very used to us touching her and picking her up, pulling at her tail or whatever and we did all that because we wanted to desensitize her to what others (and children too) would do to ther when they met her or saw her. So when she sees kids now, they run up to her and pat her on the head (which is normally like a hard slap in child land) and she kind of flinches away but doesn't snap or do anything...if they pull her tail or try to pick her up she just kind of sidles away and looks away...she's very calm. It bodes well for any future kids if we have them, but I just really like that she is so easygoing. Part of it is her personality and part of it is how we trained her. So I wanted to chime in and also say if you have your heart set on a type of dog, don't totally dismiss it if people say they aren't good with kids. Not one person I have ever met told me that Westies liked kids or were tolerant, but our dog is. So I think you can mold a puppy (if you get one)....with a rescue it's different and I would definitely not get a breed that is child-intolerant as a rescue because that's too hit or miss, you have no idea what kind of background that dog had. So if you do a rescue, a lab or some other REALLY inanately friendly dog would probably be a better idea.

Lastly, re: a puppy or a rescue...IMO for KIDS depending on how old your children are, I would always do a puppy first because that way the puppy grows up in your household with what you train it and instill in it's mind. Rescues are hit or miss and they can be alot more responsibility depending on what their background was. I would get a rescue for a 2nd dog personally or in a household with only adults. I have heard too many horror stories about rescues who just weren't nurtured enough in a household or with children around and personally I think that rescues need more focus and more care and sometimes that can't happen when kids are the focus and/or the kids don't GET that the rescue may have had a hard life before etc. So that is why I say for me it would depend on how old the kids are, aka do they understand the ins and outs of a possible rescue or are they younger where they are still in that 'lets pet the dog' (aka hard slap on the head) stage?

Gosh look at this long rambling post...sorry to monopolize! I just wanted to throw in my ten dollars.

 

[mrssalvo]

Mara,
you bring up good points with the large dog things. I think it all depends on how they are raised. My dog never jumps, it's always polite and does a good job of not pulling when i'm walking her and pushing my double stroller, of course she does have lots of drool, especially after a good run

It drives me nuts when I see dogs walking their people. they just didn't train them right as puppy's. Think of all the seeing eye dogs. they are usually labs, goldens, or german shepards and always well behaved. I like little dogs too though and I would take any of all the dogs we see here

sometimes i wonder if we should have gotten a smaller breed b/c they always look like puppies. they stay small and my kids would stop asking for another puppy

ETA: Jellybean, it was mentioned a couple of times here but my lab was a lot of work and had tons of energy until she turned 2. she needed lots of outside playtime and constant monitaring. She chewed up all the baseboards in our house, right before we were putting it on the market

i felt guilty leaving her in the crate and let her loose unattend too soon.

this was bad for us and dangerous for her. they really can be destructive until they outgrow puppyhood. she still has lots of puppy playfullness but is a lot calmer now. hubby used to ask when she was going to turn into the lazy dog he'd dreamed of

 

[fire&ice]

While I understand your sentiment about older dogs, many are great with children. At the shelter I worked at, we evaluated the dogs & how they reacted in many situations. I wasn''t the only one evaluating. All volunteers had to cronicle their time spent with the dogs & make notes. I have to say - many just go with the flow. They just love to have love. There were some that we would not adopt out to homes with children. If you work with a good no shelter/rescue group, they usually know their dogs. In fact, we had safe houses with smaller children. In all the time I volunteered, I only encountered one agressive dog. This may appall people; but, we humanely put him down. He went after 3 separate people including me - very unusual as I was the one feeding him. He wasn''t right in mind & was an accident waiting to happen. I have a near zero tolerance for agressive dogs (I mean the ones that bite at will unprovoked).

It''s weird - but I''ve seen more agressive pure breed dogs than mutts. At the kennels, I didn''t even see much resource guarding - strange considering some came from near starvation conditions.

But, it''s true that with a puppy you can moniter & socialize from the beginning. But, that doesn''t guarantee success. And, does take quite a lot of patience, work & money for training help.

...just a thought

 

[fire&ice]

I hate to rain on your small dog loving parade

but in general, trained correctly, big dogs are much more calmer than small dogs. There is definite truth to small dog hyperactivity.

 

[Kaleigh]

I have 2 Bichons and they are great with kids. Are they too small for you???

 

[jorman]

I agree with Mara about the Poo, but I wouldn''t trade my big poo making, slobbery, 70 pounds of "taking me for a walk" dog for anything in the whole world!

I have had small dogs, I have had big dogs. I have had pure breds and I have had mutts.
This Aussie of mine is by far the MOST WONDERFUL puppy person EVER!

He is my first boy and it has made a huge difference. He seems to have this laid back, not a care in the world thing about him. My girl dogs in the past have been a little on the cleopatra, premadonna, my way or the highway types and Boom Dog is SO the opposite.

I agree with Mara also on the "get yo-self a puppy" idea. If you have children, it is the best way to go. It may seem hard for the first few months with the training and the constant potty trips outside and you feel like you are always saying "NO!", but the puppy grows into a loyal dog, not only for you, but for your family and that is a huge deal when your kids are little.

I love mutts and adopted dogs (i love any dog), but when your babies are, well, babies- their safety should come first.
I have a horror story about an older lab. It is always good to know what could happen.

A friend of mine had a new baby girl and a black lab that was about 8 yrs.. The dog and the baby got along fine. The baby then became a toddler and started walking. She accidentally fell onto the lab, who was sleeping, and the dog bit her cheek and left an opening the size of a half dollar. After the dog bit her, she became aggresive to my friend and her husband and they had to put her down, in fear that she would bite someone else.

 

[Mara]

oh mrs salvo i know there are big dogs that are impeccably behaved, one of the families here has a retired racing grayhound...she is SO calm and mellow. almost sleepwalking. she's beautiful and loves people but not so much a fan of dogs, just sidles away from them. she also sheds HORRIBLY...especially when she is stresesd, aka when Portia is sniffing her and I pet her, a big handful of hair comes out. it's kind of sad. but she's a great dog. but still! BIG POO!

i wanted to also say that a dog is never really a known quantity...as AGBF says, they are still dogs and sometimes they can surprise you (and not always in a good way)...even if you get a puppy and train them there is no guarantee on how they turn out, just like a rescue is no guarantee or any other type of dog.

lastly, i read an article recently about pits and how they have attacked kids left in their swingy carrier things because the movement of the rocker gave them a sense of 'prey'...these were family dogs who had been with the kids for years and never shown any aggression but then the innate reason for the breed just came out and they attacked the babies. the families were shocked. this is a perfect example of how sometimes the innate personality of the dogs and the reason for the breed can just come out. Portia is fabulous off leash but Westies were bred as rat hunters and chasers, and if she sees something running across the lawn, she takes off after it and no amount of calling or screaming her name will get her back. This goes for tiny puppies, small children, etc. When she gets there she doesn't do anything, but it's in her nature to chase down the item and 'hold it' at bay until someone comes to get her. Thank goodness she knows not to leave the park area so I just have to trek all the way to the other side to rescue her from the LEAF or whatever it is that she hunted down.

ETA one more thing! be aware of why some dogs were bred, aka dogs that are herders, aka corgies and other types. we have a few here in the park and they are the sweetest dogs BUT if you stray outside the circle, its in their nature to get you back. one of the dogs runs out and immediately herds all the humans and pets into a circle and then paces the circle back and forth. his owner says he has NEVER done herding in a professional way, he just likes to do it out in the park. but the bad thing is if you try to escape, he'll try to nip you and he will nip smaller dogs around the ankles and stuff. that's how they get the sheep back into the circle! so maybe not the best thing for kids. not sure what all types of breeds are herders, but I would definitely check into WHY the dog was bred and what their purpose was in the past. knowledge is power.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Gosh, we had scads of dogs while growing up--and amongst those my favorite was our Spaniel (American Cocker). Adoring, gentle and sweet. I also loved our Dalmation--but I got the impression he just tolerated us kids.

My niece, Texas, a yellow lab, is a very cute and gentle dog--and I think puts up with a lot since she was alone 7 years soaking up the limelight before my human nephew came along...and she bears the responsibility well (toddlers are trying--you know she is thinking....)..but she is a huge chewer....deep throaty bark would scare anyone away from the yard/house--but she is a scardy scardy

My nephew, Buster, is a sheltie and one of the best family pets I''ve come across--super loving, smart, quiet and lovely temperment. Although I love German Shepards, I would seriously consider having a Sheltie as a close runner up......

good luck!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Ibelieve]

Hi, this is my first time posting on pricescope. (Just found the website the other day) I have a yellow lab, and she is so great with my 2 and 5 year old children. She is huge, over 80lbs. The kids play with her all the time, and even if my son (2) accidentally hurts her, she just whines a little,she would never defend herself or snap at the kids. She loves them. She is also a great security system. She barks only if someone comes onto our property, and she has a loud deep scary bark. I would definitely reccommend a lab. I would get one that is already trained though, or you could hire someone to train it. Our dog was three when we got her. (she''s 5 now) And she had already been proffessionally trained. I''ve always wanted a yellow lab since highschool because there was a blind kid in my school with a sweet yellow lab who was his seeing eyed dog. I used to pet her every day. They are so smart and loyal and easy to train.

 

[fire&ice]

Again, it''s hard to judge the male vs female thing. To make generalizations, males are more laid back. The b*tches are b*tches. The females are more nuturing. They tend to discipline by smacking vs biting. They are quicker to react; but, the male delivers more of a punch.

Also, the female will nearly always be smaller.

It''s equally important to train your children on how to act around a dog.

 

[jorman]

Mara, are you Poo-phobic?

Boomer is a herding dog, but never nips, just nudges. He loves to chase and herd the kids next door and they think it''s fun.
We take him to the park and let the kids do agility training with him on the swng set fort thingy.
He climbs up the stairs, through the tunnel and sits and slides down the slide. Fun for the whole family!

We had dachshunds growing up and they were bred by the Germans to fit in fox holes. My mom has 2 le weiners (as she likes to call them) and they chase anything that moves- leaves, lizards, flies, birds, squirrels, etc. They think they are so big. They weigh 14 lbs. Dachshunds are good family dogs too, but also a good dog to start off with a puppy.

 

[Ibelieve]

Here''s a pic of my beautiful dog, with my beautiful daughter!