Seeking Dogs Good with Kids

Hi S.,
We had a Collie (Laddie) when my sister and 2 brothers were growing up. He was wonderful; smart and gentle. When he got older he would sit in a big, over-stuffed chair and watch "Lassie" on TV!
For several years after I first met significant other, Dave had a Golden Retriever named Chammy. He was sensitive, lovable pet. We lived in Phx and Tolleson when he was with us and he used to try to sit in his water dish when it got too hot.(It was a huge plastic tub.) We also had a Keese-Hound. She was a smaller dog but very hyper. She barked a lot and never learned not to jump on people.
I never had a Beagle but I have heard that they are nice dogs. Maybe a Vet would be able to tell you which breeds are good with kids. S.

I have an extremely good dog that is Queensland Heeler. She is great with my kids but only tolerant of strangers. In my observations of other dogs the golden retrievers are the best with kids (and strangers) hands down!

I spoke with my vet about dogs and kids cause I was worried about how my two labs would react to a new baby. The vet told me that for any age of kid labs are great. It may be a bigger dog than what you are looking for. My best advice would be to talk to a vet and then take the kids to the shelter and see how they interact with the dogs they are interested in.

Small dogs can be too active and are prone to medical problems. Dogs who are mellow and loving are Lab, Cocker Spaniel, Border Collie, Cattle Dog, etc
Check out AKC on breeds of dogs they have great info on dog behavior.

Hi S.,

I am a local pet sitter and have been around animals (mostly dogs) all my life. To be honest with you I wouldn't recommend getting a puppy at all. It sounds like you have a busy and active home with 3 boys, I would be more inclined toward an older 3-5 year old dog that's in need of a new home. Petfinder.com has incredible listings for every breed of dog out there and these dogs are often trained i.e., housebroken, good on leash and socialized. Some of the best breeds that are great with kids are larger dogs than the ones you mention. Labs are great with kids, mastiffs, setters (Gordon in particular), golden retrievers, newfoundlands are probably the best breed with children I've ever seen. And never underestimate the power of the mixed breed, Heinz 57 variety of dog.

Good luck.

N.

We just got a Basset Hound puppy (Lucy Goosey Longdog - LOL) and she is really great with our 4 young kids. Because they are low to the ground, they aren't prone to jumping up on people, and are gentle as can be. Although they grow to be a large dog - just with short legs ;)
She likes to play, but she's also calm enough after playing that she's a good napper and lap dog. It's the best of both worlds.

We also have a 2 yo Doberman who is hyper-crazed with energy. Although GREAT with my kids and other dogs, she is a SPAZ and a HALF! LOL Poor Basset can barely keep up with her ;)

I had a beagle growing up and they can be hyper themselves. They like to dig and howl too :(

Good luck!

In the past I've gone to this website to get information on each breed and their reliability with children. Good luck! http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/children.htm

I just learned about a great website that might help you with your search. WWW.dogsindanger.com is a website that has good dogs in need of a home before being euthanized w/in the next 30 days. These are usually dogs that are already trained and or house broken. You should look at the website and see if it interest you. There is a beautiful Cocker Spaniel that will be euthinezed tomorrow, try to look at the website ASAP.

I grew up with a mini schnauzer and he was my baby - but I would not recommned them for small children. They are very territorial and possessive. I got mine when I was 14 and we had to be really careful with my siblings.

I have heard good things about beagles but they do bark a lot. Pretty much all "small" dogs bark a lot.

We have 2 boxers and they are the absolute best family dog in my opinion - we also did lots of research before hand. I have a 4 year old and one due in May and they "take it" pretty well.

Good luck!
C.

S.,

I have to totally disagree with the people that don't think Schnauzers are good for kids. We have two young children (4 and 6) and our 6 year old has special needs so there are times of tantrums and screaming, and definatly over loving of the dog. My kids can get very wild and we have not had a problem. The dog gets right in there with them and thinks he is a kid too. It is very entertaining!

This is our second schnauzer, and before I purchased the first, the guide book said that they were great with kids and also versitile on space. At the time I was single and living in an apartment. Even though I didn't have kids at the time my dog loved kids and was fabulous with them. Sadly he passed away when my daughter was young.

Two years ago we rescued a schnauzer from the cactus state schnauzer rescue. We brought home Rudy who was five at the time and had been living with an older couple that went into assisted living. Even coming from that situation he was fabulous. In the beginning he was a little uncertain about the crowd of two year olds chasing him(the kids didn't have dogs) when we had dinner guests. Just with any pet I wasn't going to let him be mauled and mishandled by children. Besides for that initial situation he is great with all the friends that are in and out of the house. We don't have any trouble with protectivness. He is just the greatest dog. He is so loving and patient with my kids.

Schnauzers are great since they really love to play, and have very silly antics, yet when they are not playing can be very mellow and easy to be with. Bonus is that they are non-shedding and so darn cute!

If you have any questions just let me know!

J.

S.,

I have worked for a vet for the past 9 years and i can tell you no matter what breed you choose the most important thing is to teach the children how to behave around the dog and to take the dog to training classes. The classes also give the kids the confidence to teach the dog tricks. The basics of sit, stay, lay down. I'd stay away from the very small breed dogs and you may want to consider adopting a dog that is up to 1 year old. petfinder.com is great and you can find just about any breed you want. Also educate yourself about the breed this will give you keys to what you want and don't want. Hope this helps.

B.

We adopted a beagle from the pound almost a year ago. He is wonderful with the children. He is very friendly, he love's to run and he is full of energy. He has been a great dog aside from the fact that he eats EVERYTHING! He is still somewhat a puppy, but it drives me nuts. I do not know enough about beagles to know if that is a trait of his breed, but I do know our other two dogs which are labs, did it as well. It just didn't seem like they did it for this long! That aside, he is wonderful-even with the children I watch. We researched a lot and found a few breeds that we thought would be good for our family. We scoured the papers, Craigslist, and four pounds for three months just to find the right dog. We took our children with us everytime we met a dog, just to see how they interacted. I truly love this dog and think that it is a good breed for children, but it could just be our sweet dog! Have fun searching and finding that perfect addition to your family!

We have a Beagle(Phoebe) and she has been wonderful with my 20 month old! The breed is known to be great with kids!

Good luck!
Jenn

A Black Lab would be my first suggestion. We have a 4 year old little girl and an almost 8 year old Black Lab and he has been the absolute best, most gentle and tolerant dog I have ever seen. Our daughter has done everything to this poor animal short of pulling off his limbs, ears and tail, and he never ceases to amaze me with how he just puts up with it. Never a snip or a growl!
I would venture to say that a Yellow Lab would be the same temperment, and I actually know this too from experience. My sister in-law and her husband have one and she is just as sweet and gentle as our dog.
Now as for Chocolate Labs, I haven't had the same experience. They are a little different because of some sort of cross-breeding that has to be done to get the chocolate color. I don't know the specifics, but their temperment with kids is just not the same. I have a friend who has 3 chocolate females and they don't really like to be around my daughter. They are skiddish and unfriendly, in fact.
Hope this helps you make a decision. Good luck!

HI S.,
We had a boxer who was GREAT with the kids. She was so big that the kids like to sit on her and pretend the were riding her. When she got tired of them, she would just get up and walk away. She never barked, growled, or snapped at the kids. When the kids and I would got to Grandma's house, my husband said she would search for the kids throughout the house. She was truely a gentle giant. Good luck in your search.

toy poodles are great with kids and are very easily trained. They don't shed which is a plus!We have one puppy left if you would be interested.

Hi S.. I would research the breeds carefully. All breeds have good points and a few concerns and you will need to carefully consider the options.

For example, Beagles frequently bark and howl (it's part of their natural job as trackers) so they can be annoying to neighbors. They also shed a lot. The schnauzer doesn't shed but will shred things in the home if they are not getting enough attention. I don't know about cockapoos.

Make sure you choose an intelligent breed.

Labs are great family dogs. The do shed and can become large. I have 2 chocolates so I am biased towards them. They ADORE their owners. You will never feel so loved as when a lab comes into your home!

Don't purchase a dog based on cuteness. The cuteness wears off fast when the dog is destroying your house, annoying your neighbors, and requiring a lot of grooming.

Good Luck,

T. C.
Spa Girlfriend Parties
www.spaescapescottsdale.com

We've had a cocker for 4 years now and he's the most relaxed dog, great fit for our family, as well as the friends that come with my kids, I highly recomend a cocker spaniel, and everyone that "meets" my dog loves him right away.

Bichons are great with children. So gentle, social, and sweet. Wouldn't hurt anyone. They're white fluffy dogs that don't shed but need a lot of maintenance: daily hair brushing (not that I'm quite that diligent with mine) and hair cuts every 30 to 45 days. They're so worth it, though.

I recommend looking for dogs at the Maricopa Animal Control Center. There are so many sweet dogs there who need a home. It's so sad. Dogs from there tend to be so loyal because they know you rescued them from an awful, awful life. Good luck.

Golden Retrievers are great with even infants. I am a mother of 7, grandmother of 20 and I think they're the best...L.

Our minature schnauzer we had when I was a kid did wonderful with all the babies my mom babysat over the years. Beagles tend to be less tolerant of children according to owners I have known over the years. They are a more aggressive breed in general. I know nothing about cockapoos though, sorry. Good luck!

the best breed for a family with young kids I think is golden retevers or labs I did have mini schnauzer and my mom and dad still beed them they were good with the grand kids Im not to sure about the the other beeds so I would pick one of those but just to let you know if you do get a mini schnauzer they have bad teeth almost any mini beed has bad teeth when there older a lot of biger dogs have bad hips when they get older so keep that in mind when you are going togo pick ur dog and I would take the kids with me and see how the dog act with them and dont rush into it make sure thats its the right dog for your family I hope I have helped

Hi,
I have a bassett hound and she is the best with kids I would recommend a bassett to anyone with kids. If you have more questions or want to know more just e-mail me at ____@____.com
Have fun,
K.

Hey S.,

Our family just welcomed a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel into it...and we could not be happier!!! I too have a very hyper active child he is almost 4 and does fantastic with the dog and vise versa. I also have a 17wk old son and 2 small daycare babies and the pup does great with all of them! He is hyper outside and relaxes and snuggles when he is inside! The are low maintance as far as grooming but they do need lots of attention and can not be left alone all day...they will get depressed. They are also very very intellegent dogs...he will usually listen to a simple command like NO or Stay the 1st time I say it...which is more than I can say for my 3.5yr old LOL. I have also heard good things about Beagles but have never owned one. I found the pup that was right for us on www.nextdaypets.com its a great website with every breed imaginable and it gives you all the contact info for the breeder.

I can't give much advice as to which breed you should get, because I believe that any dog could get along with children, it just depends on how it was raised/treated. I would suggest the humane society of southern arizona, www.hssaz.com... they have wonderful pets, most of whom have been given up by previously loving homes and have a little box on their info card, saying if they were good with kids or not.

there's a website called cyberpet.com that has a great search engine to help you find a pet. you type in what size dog you want, how smart/easy to train and how good for children. i think another criteria has to do with shedding. then it tells you the results and every bit of info on the breed, their needs, etc. this is how we decided on our bichon frise 9 years ago.

OK, this is going to sound absolutely crazy and you probably won't believe me, but if you talk to other people who have them you'll see I'm not crazy. Wolves are actually really great pets. We've had ours for just over two years now and he is wonderful. He is VERY protective of our 6-year-old daughter and although he is VERY strong, he has never once broken skin on me, my husband or daughter when he plays with us... not even with his sharp little puppy teeth! He also seems to be aware of how strong he is and who he is playing with. He plays very rough with my husband, is a little gentler with me and he hardly ever uses his mouth when he plays with our daughter. We do have to watch his back end though because he gets excited and will knock my daughter over with his butt! He only barks when someone he doesn't know comes to the door and he doesn't howl as much as you would think! We have a hard time trying to get him to howl. He is a beautiful animal and he is very intelligent and I feel very safe when I'm home alone with my daughter. You have to make sure that you get one from a breeder who knows what they are doing though. When wolves are mixed with certain kinds of dogs (I don't remember what kind exacty) they have a bad temperment. The lady we got ours from actually rescues them and has four of her own, so she knew her stuff. Now, if you happen to be interested you can get ahold of me and I'll give you the name of my breeder or any other info you may want.

I have bred, showed and trained dogs for about 60 yrs. My advice is to scratch your first two choices. The beagle will be loyal, affectionate and patient with your chilren but will play. If you can consider a larger dog, would suggest a Golden Retreiver or a Border Collie (check them out in the movie Babe). They are considered the most intelligent. They are loyall, affectionate and protective. Best yet, they will play all day. They require lots of exercise. Whatever type of dog you get, be sure to neuter it and get its shots. Suggest you visit a resuce society and check out the pups or older dogs. The staff will happily tell you what they know about the dog, ie: tricks he can do, if housebroken, etc. I got my first Border Collie about 8 yrs ago and she is my best friend. Choose wisely and train your dog as you educate your children, with love and understanding. Your family will have a new best friend. Good luck!

I have a friend who is wanting to give her sweet little dog away to a good home. She is a small short haired dog who is good with older kids like yours. If you are interested, I can send you her phone number. My email is ____@____.com I don't think she wants any $ for her dog, just a good home.

Check out the French Bull Dog. They are excellent with kids. They are strong little dogs, so they are less likely to get hurt by accidents (dropped, etc). One note on this dog- they can NOT swim. Good luck!

You should go to the pound and have plenty of time. Take the youngest with you and don't tell him you are getting a dog. Just say you are visiting the dogs. If the dog can handle the five year old then it will be fine with the others and if you dont find one then he won't be disappointed because you were just visiting them anyways. I did that and found a great friend in a Border Collie. It took about 3.5 hours and 2 pounds to find the perfect match but we did it.

My parents got a black lab in 94 and he was extremely loyal and had an awesome temperment. He was stolen a few years later. When my youngest (she is 6 now) was almost 2 they got their 2nd black lab Shadrack. He also was the best dog in the world. He occasionally would steal the kids food lol, but he never ever snapped at them and never left their side. He would let them crawl all over him and play catch. He to was stolen and then was hit by a car and we had to put him to sleep. My parents now have their 3rd black lab and this one (Phantom) they got as a 2 month old puppy. He has been a handful lol. But he has to be the best yet by far. Labs are wonderful, mellow natured dogs and absolutely love children. He has bonded with both my daughters and he is now huge, but he still gets to sleep in the bed with my parents. I personally have a siberian husky puppy she is about 12 weeks old now and she is great with the kids also. She loves to play with them. I think any dog and any breed if raised from puppy with those kids will be a wonderful dog. But if you do a lot of outdoors stuff like the lake or park or so on I would very much recomend a lab!!

My family has three beagles. They are great dogs. They are kind of hyper and you definitely have to train them to stay down or they will jump because they are kind of hyper. They are great with my two year old son though. It is amazing how gentle they are with him compared to me. They do not jump on him, they let him pet them when they are eating (well two of them do the other one won't let anyone near the food). They love to be petted and played with. If your hyper son will run and play with the beagles they are great. Even as puppies they are a lot of fun. I don't know much about the other breeds though. Good luck and have fun. Oh yeah, beagles can be quite loud if you don't train them at what they need to bark. We lived in the country with our first dog and she barked to warn us someone was coming up to the house or walking by and now we live on a busy street and she barks all the time and has trained the other two dogs to bark when she barks. So you will want to work on the barking if you do not like loud barking.

I have grown up around tons of different dog breeds since my mom owns her own dog grooming business. I hate to tell you this but other than the cockapoo- both the schnauzer and beagle are not great for children. Schnauzers tend to bite little ones, especially when they move too fast for their liking (my neighbor had one and it bit the two year old all the time). I have seen OK beagles and I have seen really hyper beagles, so again not a great dog for little ones. Labs, golden retrievers, Australian Shepard's (is the one I have), are all good kid dogs. Also, perhaps consider adopting a dog that is through a lot of the puppy stage- thats when they are the hardest to deal with little ones. My Aussie is great with my kids- but if he had been a puppy when they were small it would of been a nightmare- at age four he is still a bit more hyper than I want to handle at times. But a dog with the energy and disposition to handle those boys would be ideal. There are rescue organizations all over the place for the different breeds- i would see if you can visit them- its a great way to see what kind of dog would fit best. Good luck to you and your search!

I think out of all dog breeds really fun and wonderful for kids, Boston terriers they are awsome dogs, and they have such cute personalities, we have one and it has so many different size balls she scoots the ball between her back legs, reminds us of a basketball player, she is so entertaining and we absolutely adore her she is a neat dog, we also are very fond of mix breeds we have had them to till old age and I have no problems with most breeds just has to be a family choice, hope something here helps.

Hi there, Probably as usual getting on this one late. I did want to add my 2 cents. We now own our 2 Shih Tzu puppy. We had a Shih Tzu who recently died. He lived for 14 years. They are great dogs. Very loyal and very friendly to others. We now have another one. After our first one died, we decided we could just have any ole dog again. So now we have a almost 8 month old Shih Tzu. They are great!!!!!

I had a beagle when I was 10, they are great dogs. The other dogs you mentioned do require more care(grooming of their lond hair). I was a hyper child myself and sometimes a beagle can be hyper too. My parents sometimes had to give me and the dog time-outs! They would tell me the puppy was like a little baby and needed to take lots of naps. Beagle's are really smart and your boy's could teach it trick's really quick. My favorite was hide and seek.(Beagle's have a really good sense of smell). Someone would cover the dog's eyes and I would hide out of sight, and she would sniff me out. Whatever kind of dog you choose I wish all of you the best with it. My beagle lived to be 18 years old.The younger the dog the better with your kids. I worked at an animal shelter and there are sometimes problems with older dogs. If YOU are ready to take on a puppy get it as soon as it is weaned from it's mother. So it can imprint on you and the kids. And then it will know that all of you and him are the same family.

Hi S.,
I have volunteered for several animal rescue groups in town and I would HIGHLY reccommend adopting from a rescue group.
I have heard countless stories of people who bought from a breeder and had numerous issues. These days inbreeding is such a problem. If you go through a group they have very specific ideas of which animals are good with kids. Plus you can add a valuable lesson on saving the animals life. =0)
Personally, we have a dog we adopted from a group and he has been amazing with our son (age 2).
Some groups are:
New Mexico Animal Friends: ###-###-####. They are great about returning calls.
City Animal Shelters: 311
Animal Humane: ###-###-#### or ###-###-####
There are other agencies such as PACA, Watermelon Ranch, but I can't find their numbers. If you are interested please contact me and I can look them up when I am home.
Good luck!
D.
____@____.com

One suggestion is to look into a book called "The Perfect Puppy: How to Choose your Dog By Its Behavior" by Benjamin L. Hart (a Vet) and Lynette A. Hart. Otherwise, from direct experience, my parents got a beagle when I was a baby, and my sister (3 years younger) and I loved that dog. It had a great temperament and from what I understand, we definitely had our moments when we were small when we pulled ears, tried to ride her, etc. and she never bit us. She loved to run around and play. My friend also has a beagle with her small daughter (3) and they love it. A suggestion is to get a girl dog, as they tend to be less aggressive. The other dog we had was a Greyhound, and that dog was wonderful too. After reading the book, I think our next dog will be a Vizsla. We have a 3 year old boy and a 4 month old girl.

Springer Spaniels! They have boundless amounts of energy and LOVE kids--I grew up with them and currently have one. I have always trusted my springer with my babies. They can come up to her and pull her ears, sit on her, "ride" her like a horse, pull her tail, lift up her lips to look at her teeth and she just lays there, but when it is time to run around and play, she chases them and fetches for them and just LOVES to run around with them. As with any dog, you will need to train him/her, but springers are naturally good with children.

We too have a Basset Hound and she is great with kids. I have had 2 over the years and they both had the same temperament. They very easy going and sweet but still likes to play. I have a 1 yr old and a 4 yr old and my dog is so patient, especially with my 1 yr old. Good Luck on finding your new family member.

Good breeds, but by far the cockapoo is the best suited in
nature for children....very kind, protective and family
oriented with sweet and playful nature....Smooth temperment.
Have had beagles too; great dogs but better for older boy
who loves a lot of outdoor things.
G. (Grammy, Mom)

Hello There!

Out of those 3 breeds, Beagles would be my choice for kids friendly dogs. The others I've heard can be snippy and have short patience. If you want something small you can also try a daucshaund. For large dogs, you can't go wrong with Golden Retrievers or Labs. My advice is to google dog breeds or get a book on them and most will tell you the breed's activity level, and if they are good with kids, how much exercise they need, etc.

Good Luck!

L. Smith
Owner/CEO - Regionz Kidz
http://www.regionzkidz.com

We have a puggle-beagle mix with pug. He is a great family pet and very cute too. Very healthy and good with my two boys, very protective. He does dig holes in the backyard though but we love him very much!

I have a brittany spaniel and a springer spaniel and they are very good and loyal dogs. My son who is 3 and my daughter who is 1 love playing with the dogs. My kids will jump on the dogs and pull their ears or tails and the dogs don't mind at all. I also run a in-home daycare and the dogs do well with all the children. My springer spaniel is more active and loves to run around. Both of the dogs never show any aggression towards the kids and are proctetive towards them.

My husband and I breed Labrador Retreivers and they are excellent dogs with childres. They are very loyal and loving. They learn quickly and are very gentle. The only thing is that they are a large breed dog, so not a good choice if you are looking for a small dog.

Hi S.,

As kids, we grew up with many different breeds. We had a schnauzer, but found it wasn't always good with other kids. I don't know if that depends if it is male of female. The female's were more protective around other children
It becomes very stressful when your kids have friends over and you have to worry about the dog, his temperment with other children or put him in another room.

I have found the Labrador to be very loving with all children. You may want to check out http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/children.htm

This site has a lot of information on many breeds.
Hope you find it helpful.

D. Z

I am a mother and a teacher. I have all kinds of dogs with my kids and they have all been TERRIFIC. Lets see: Carolina Dingo, Aussie Shepard, 3 labs (they need lots of running space), German Shepard, and a Maltese. Every Dog we have had has gotten along very well will my kids, their friends, nieces and nephews. However, the bigger seem to take “ruff housing” much better then my Maltese. She is very high maintenance and get hurt very easily. My best friend has 2 mini schnauzers. She has 2 kids and they are fantastic with their kids. However I still say that the bigger the dog …the more roughness they can take!

I do not know much about the other breeds. But I have a poodle and an almost 7 month old. Right now he is more hyper than she is but he will come and lay in front of her and she will pet him (pull his hair) but he does not mind. He is very gentle with her. He does like to like but that is just him. I think there are a lot of dogs that would be good with kids it is all about how you raise them. If you get a puppy and let the kids be around it then he will be used to them. I would say DO NOT get a chihuahua. They are not good dogs with children. ours runs away from any child that comes its way and he had also snapped at our neices.

Beagles are good with kids, BUT they like to chew every thing for several years not just though the puppy phase. They also like to bark and whine. Cocker Spanials are good with kids, they like to play but also like to cuddle. The minute we get settled I'm getting one for my kids.