[springfield]

Hello there
I am new here and would like y'alls opinion on something.
I am interested in which breed you all think would suit a young family ( mum, dad, 2 year old and 6 month old).
I have owned a dog before, and English bull terrier who I had from a pup and died when she was 7 due to kidney failure.
Any advice on the best breed would be greatly appreciated.

 

[stacey101]

Hello there
I am new here and would like y'alls opinion on something.
I am interested in which breed you all think would suit a young family ( mum, dad, 2 year old and 6 month old).
I have owned a dog before, and English bull terrier who I had from a pup and died when she was 7 due to kidney failure.
Any advice on the best breed would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome! well, are you interested in small, medium or large dog breeds?
whats your life style like excerise wise?

im sorry to hear about your loss

 

[Bordermom]

How much time do you have for a dog? Who is going to take the dog to classes? Are you ok with dog hair on the baby's stuff? Do you have time to housebreak/potty train a puppy? Walks? Are you ok with the kids possibly stepping in the odd poop, or can you put in a dog run (I would suggest a dog run attached to the house somehow, we have a dog door that goes to the dog run, there's a pen on the inside, so the dogs are safely contained even with kids opening doors and coming and going, it also means the yard is poop free)?

The giant breeds have some great family dogs, but they are BIG dogs and their lifespan isn't always as long - 7-10 years usually. Tiny toy breeds are too fragile for small kids. Puppies in general can be a lot of work and mouth/chew on kids as part of their normal behavior, but once you get past that and housebreaking not as bad. You should consider a rescue dog that is past the puppy stage and the teen stage, one about 18 months or so that's used to kids and calm might fit in perfectly. My first foster was a border collie/husky/? mix that was about 40 pounds, good with everything including kids - they'd bump into her or whatever and she'd just kinda sigh and grin at me. She moved into a house with three boys and they're still thrilled with her!

 

[Avie]

Agree with above. What kind of dog do you like? Do you want a puppy or an older dog? Any specific requirements you want the dog to (be able to) meet?

 

[springfield]

Thanks for all the replies.
Ok let me give you an idea of life with my bull terrier. I got her at 8 weeks from a local breeder. She lived in the house and I house trained her etc. She slept in a sky kennel or vari kennel I think they are also called. She also had a large garden and a run with kennel outside where she would stay if I was out working. Now I am married this is not an issue as my wife stays at home with the kids. I live in the same house so the new pup will have the same lifestyle including a large garden and run if we need to use it.
My bullie walked with me every morning, sometimes on a leash or sometimes we would wander through the fields and she would run free, she was well trained and never wandered. We would have regularily gone for walks in the mountains and she loved the beach and to swim in the sea.
The only thing that has changed is that I now have a wife and two kids, one is 2 years old and the other is 6 months. My wife is also a dog lover, her parents have a lasa and her father is adog groomer.
What I really want to know is your opinion on the best breed for a family?

 

[stacey101]

We understand what you asked Just to see what size you were interested in! haha well.. heres a small list

Newfoundlands
Papillon if your kids are gentle
Golden retriver
Pug
Beagle
saint bernard

in my opinion shih tzus as well

 

[luvmyfurballs]

You just can't go wrong with a golden retriever when you have kids and you already have a groomer in the family...a real bonus

 

[Bordermom]

It's hard to say exactly what breed is perfect for a generic family!

One family might want a big dog like a newf that the kids can't damage and can pull a sled in the winter for fun. Another might want a lapdog that isn't going to take up too much space.
One family might want a active hyper dog that will play fetch for hours. The next family might want something that has enough energy to make it onto the couch and isn't going to demand they take up jogging 20 miles a week.
One family might want 'no shedding' as a high demand, the next might not want the extra work and want a 'wash and wear' type dog.
One family might be very strict and army drill in personality, so a dog that isn't going to cower when told to SIT would work better. The next family might never raise their voice so a harder type dog would rule the roost...

There are several 'what breed is best' quizes out there, my suggestion is have your wife do some looking and come up with five breeds or a 'ideal dog profile' and you do the same, on your own, then compare notes. The ideal is not to focus on a breed, but what that breed means to you. So instead of just 'border collie' put 'border collie - smart, active, athletic' and so on. Then compare and see. A lasa is much different than a terrier and so on.

 

[springfield]

Thanks for that. Has anyone had or know anyone that has had experience with a bull terrier and children?

 

[hanksimon]

A bull terrier can be just fine with kids, if he was raised with them, and if they learn how to treat dogs. You'll have to teach the dog Bite Inhibition, and do lots of socialization with other kids.

You might consider a rescued adult that's already been trained with small children. I know you prefer a bull terrier, but you might also consider rescuing an adult Golden or Lab. They are fairly tolerant of children and forgiving of mistakes.

 

[xxxxdogdragoness]

It's hard to say which breed is good with kids, I have an ACD Buddy they would be excellent with kids due to his good nature but his breed typically isnt one of the first chosen when it comes to homes with kids. On the flip side I have met many labs & goldens who are NOT what I would I would call a good family dog at all.

I suggest going to a rescue, SPCA or humane society www.petfinder.com is a good place to start. It's not so much the breed of dog it's the age, I wouldn't recomend a pup for a family with kids this young.

 

[Bordermom]

There are lots of labs and goldens in rescue, personally I like the goldens better though. Mainly because they tend to have a softer temperament than a lab, and the hair is easier to deal with. Lab hair is straight and sticky, golden hair tends to ball up and roll away....

 

[Amaryllis]

I'd go through a rescue that fosters its dogs and get an adult that meets your needs. Simply tell the rescue what you need and they will be able to match you with a dog that will fit right in. I'm suggesting an adult because temperament isn't set until adulthood. All puppies are cuddly little balls of love, but they may grow up to be an adult that isn't very tolerant of children, so for people with children, I think it's best to go with an adult.

 

[WTFCas]

I think a trip to the shelter or maybe asking an all breed rescue if they have any breeds that might meet your needs. I had an aunt that had English Springer Spaniel that was fabulous with small children. Kate was very forgiving of ears being pulled and didn't shed terribly. She was always up for anything, whether it was hiking, fetching or sliding down a slide into the kid's pool. They're also very nice looking dogs.

 

[Vicky88]

Yes Labs and Goldens are good with children, pitbulls and staffy's are known as the nanny dogs, but any dog of any breed can hate or love children, i have a BC and she loves everyone, and i have two nephews and she is good with them, BC's are known for nipping children and herding them, but my BC has never done this to anyone one, even though she is from a working background, but then again my oldest nephew was 6 months old when she came along so she has been around kids from day one and grew up with him, if you get your pup from a breeder i would make sure the pup has lived with kids, or at least been around kids lots, but then you can only take the breeders word they have, if they lived with kids you would know that they have.

 

[kafkabeetle]

I don't see any reason why you shouldn't get a bull terrier if that's a breed you like. I would just recommend searching out an adult dog who is already good with kids.

 

[georgiapeach]

I suggest a lab. They're pretty durable around kids and not generally snappy (yes, I know there are exceptions, as always). I have pictures of my baby son sitting on my yellow English lab as he laid down on the floor. The dog looked as happy as a pig in slop! When the dog had enough, he'd get up and walk away (and no, I didn't allow my children to abuse the dog - no pulling, pounding or poking allowed).

We tried a golden, and that dog was as crazy as a looney toon - escaped our yard several times and chewed the car cover off a neighbor's car, among other things (that was a $250 oops!!) - he must have come from a poor breeder; at that time, I didn't know any better)!

 

[Candydb]

I f you like the Bull terrier look, you might enjoy a Boxer-- high energy when young but SO great for the family-- tolerant, gentle yet give a good bark and watch the house for you. We had 2 =a male and afemale, maybe a female for a family at first, the males like Bull terriers (and many dogs ) can be male dog aggressive.... My Boxers were young, ages 3 and 2 when our daughter was born, they adjusted beautifully (and we live in the city in a condo 3 floors up)- They have the sense of humor that one needs when dealing with toddlers LOL! Once my Boxer woke me up (I think my husband was off in the kitchen, I work nights so was sleeping) -- b/c my 3 year old was hitting her with a foam baseball bat so instead of biting her the dog walked over to me and licked my feet till I woke up-- I wondered what the thumping sound was....
Currently we have a Bernese Mt dog pup aged 6mo, he I think would be a good choice also-- gently and tolerant-- and much LOWER energy than the Boxers (or even a young Lab or GOlden) were as pups, he is more of a steady calm type-- but also gives a good bark and is watchful over the Household (we bought a house, we are not trying to keep a Bernese in an apt!)... Hope this helps....

 

[springfield]

THANKS TO ALL FOR THE GREAT REPLIES AND ADVICE!!!
Its sucha hard decision to make. I have narrowed it down to to this list:
Labrador
Golden retriever
Bernese Mountain Dog
Bullterrier(staffie or english)
Newfoundland

Any more thoughts?

 

[Bojojo]

First thing to do is to introduce the babys to dogs, many small kids can be afraid of dogs for no reason. I would slowly introduce the baby and 2 year old to dogs (if you haven't already) and find different kinds of dogs, My little niece (8 months) is VERY shy and stand-offish towards small dogs, but seems to like large dogs (she also prefers white dogs to black ones). They may find one dog scary and love another one. Involve them in the process as much as possible, also a young puppy may be a little too rough for them, adults can be more laid back and calm with children. (for example if your kid hates the dog and runs from it, a pup would probably chase them or nip at them, (in turn teaching the pup bad behavior) where an adult may shy away from a screaming running child).

Dog shelters might be too much for the young ones (noisy and dogs can be jumping at the pen etc) Family friends or going to the park when people are walking dogs might be a bit better. I'm a big fan of mix breeds and rescue pets, you can be surprised by what kind of dogs you can find in a shelter who needs a home.