[317830]

Hello,
Now before we get too far, I am not getting a puppy for my 6 year old and expecting him to care for it

My question is, which breed would be more likely, as far as one can predict these things, to bond with a child?
My last dog was a rescue Berner, and he was 100% my dog, he only had eyes for me . I loved him, but he only tolerated my son because he was a nice dog, and my husband was definitely 2nd string. Granted, my son was 3 1/2 when he died, a toddler and less fun from my dog's perspective.
Now I want to get another BMD because I love the breed, however this may be selfish, as I really am hoping to get a pup that will bond with my son, he is an only child and could use a "best friend". We also have a Maine **** cat who loves me the best.
A neighbor has some Newfie puppies, I know next to nothing about this breed except that they drool and were featured in Peter Pan as the nanny dog. But they are cute, and they are close by, so I am considering one, because I obviously like large fluff ball dogs.
So please weigh in if you have one of either breed who is your child's bff, or was your dog as a child. Thanks!

 

[317830]

Hello!?

 

[Shell]

You're probably not getting reponses because I don't think there are any really active members with either breed. There was one user with a Newfie but haven't seen her around for awhile.

Is the neighbor a responsible breeder so the parent dogs have been health tested and such? Would you be paying full price for a pup? It isn't what you asked, but my opinion is that if I were to purchase a puppy, I would want to a)support responsible breeding and b)stack the cards in my favor for a genetically healthy dog, esp in the case of a giant breed or a breed with known common health issues
Whereas if I am going to be basically rolling the dice on health, I would go right to rescue.

Is the mum of the litter next door a friendly, people social type? If she is a love everyone type than it raises the chances that her puppies will be that way.

I think a 6 year old is very different in interaction with a dog than a toddler. plus, if your dog passed when the kid was 3 years, then the dog was already a senior dog presumably when kiddo was born and probably set in his ways.

Kids are still kinda wild at 6 years so a puppy just really adds to the chaos. If you looked at dogs aged about 1-2 years, you could get a better idea of adult dog personality and see how the dog interacts with your kid.

 

[Zub23]

Truthfully I don't get many responses to my posts on here either. But that's neither here nor there...
I've never had either breed although I am a huge fan of big dogs! I do follow a YouTube channel - Daisy the Newfie and there's a video in which the owner details the pros and cons of owning a Newfoundland. Might be worth checking out. Fair warning though, Daisy is adorable!

 

[3GSD4IPO]

FWIW I know of a Newfie that had to be euthanized for aggression. IMO neither breed is readily bondable to a child (it is a tough call.. some dogs will not work for a child at all). BMD have a LOT of health issues.

I suggest a Poodle. I had Standard poodles growing up and they are always up for a game.. very active and very smart. I was about 6 when we got our first one. He did everything.. from pulling a toboggan back up the hill in winter to riding it down with us! The ONLY drawback with that breed is they must be bathed and clipped once a month. Their hair grows like human hair and just gets longer and longer so must be clipped. We clipped "Pip" ourselves (it became my job) and we clipped him short all over so there was no show clip to deal with.

That dog could swim.. but one summer we spent a week at a camp on a lake and we decided to teach Pip to swim. He totally bought into swimming lessons and would flounder and act like he was going down so we had to "rescue him" from drowning. One morning I looked out the window and there was my Dad on the dock throwing a toy for the dog.. way out in the water. Dog was jumping in and swam like an Otter. Later when we all went swimming he "forgot" how and bought into more swimming lessons.

Best dog ever around kids.

 

[DaySleepers]

While we get a lot of people popping in here, there just aren't that many members who are regular posters. Sometimes that means no one really has the advice people are looking for. The only giant fluffy breed I've had anything more than passing encounters with are Leonbergers (which are lovely, by the way!), certainly not enough to compare and contrast BMDs with Newfies. On top of that, it's a busy holiday season for most of us, even with how strange this year has been, so it can be a little quieter. We contribute here because we're passionate dog lovers and are interested with sharing with and learning from others. Even us mods aren't being paid to be here, so sometimes you just have to give us some slack if we don't have much we can say about a post.

You may have better luck looking for a groups specific to either breed, or for giant breed dogs in general. Forums and message boards are a little passé these days - I personally prefer them, but they're just not as active as they once were. Facebook groups tend to be a lot more active, and I can guarantee you that there's ones specifically for the breeds you're interested in, so that'd be where I'd start for first-hand experiences from owners and breeders.

 

[317830]

While we get a lot of people popping in here, there just aren't that many members who are regular posters. Sometimes that means no one really has the advice people are looking for. The only giant fluffy breed I've had anything more than passing encounters with are Leonbergers (which are lovely, by the way!), certainly not enough to compare and contrast BMDs with Newfies. On top of that, it's a busy holiday season for most of us, even with how strange this year has been, so it can be a little quieter. We contribute here because we're passionate dog lovers and are interested with sharing with and learning from others. Even us mods aren't being paid to be here, so sometimes you just have to give us some slack if we don't have much we can say about a post.

You may have better luck looking for a groups specific to either breed, or for giant breed dogs in general. Forums and message boards are a little passé these days - I personally prefer them, but they're just not as active as they once were. Facebook groups tend to be a lot more active, and I can guarantee you that there's ones specifically for the breeds you're interested in, so that'd be where I'd start for first-hand experiences from owners and breeders.

Sorry, I didn't know I was being harsh. I think I have a feeling as to why these boards aren't very popular.

 

[DaySleepers]

Ah, I didn't mean to imply you were harsh? Was just hoping to give you some context about why you might not get many replies, and thought that a more specialized group might be able to answer your questions more thoroughly. Tone is hard to read through text sometimes, but I wish you all the best, and I do hope you find the information you're looking for.