Best breed of puppy for children?

[Skull candy]

So my little brother and sister want to get a puppy, our old dog died about 3 weeks ago and now they want a new one. Our last dog Coco was a labrodor and from when we first brought he fit right into the family. So whats the best breed of dog for children???

[Nenya]

I'd definitely go with labradors or golden retrievers, they're pretty friendly dogs

Border collies are also quite friendly but if there are young children around then it might try to herd them

[Anonymous.]

Well, if a labrador fit in your family before, that might be a good choice. If you want another type of dog, I'd go for the small ones. My favorite is the yorkshire terrier. And I have one myself. They are just about the friendliest dogs I've ever had. My friend has a chihuahua. They're cute, some may be yappy, but there are a few that are very friendly.

Hope this helps.

[Paix et Amour]

i would say either golden retriever, lab, or dalmatian. we had a dalmatian when i was younger, and they are really sweet dogs.

[Heartlines.]

I was going to say Golden Retrievers as well. And any type of Lab.
They are GREAT with kids. <3

[Serene]

That's funny, I used to have a Lab names Coco as well.

A Border Collie or Australian Shepard would be good with kids, although they tend to nip them if they're getting too loud or rambunctious - so they're good babysitters

[Floriferous]

I have an American Eskimo and she's a sweet heart. I know that mine doesn't bite anyone, she just barks a lot. I'm not completely sure if all of them are like that though.
My aunts own a lot of dachshunds and they are some of the sweetest dogs I've ever seen. One of them always snuggles up with me when I go to their house.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are also rather friendly puppies. =)

[Verità]

Labs and Golden Retrievers are typically good with children, but it all really depends on their upbringing and training. I had a Labrador when I was younger that hated both me and my sister until we were both around 6 years old.

Also, make sure you look into certain needs about breeds before you make a big decision. You should especially look into how much exercise they'll need, whether or not drooling is a factor you mind, and genetic defects the breed might have that might potentially affect the animal later in its life. Surgeries for animals can be pretty expensive.

If you look online, there are a bunch of in-depth survey-type websites, where you can put in information about where you live, if you have kids, etc, that would give you a list of breeds you could look into. Depending on where you acquire the animal, you could also talk with one of the employees and get their opinion as well.

[imissyou]

i would definitely say border collies. i have one, well she lives at my mums, but she was mine when i lived there. she is so sweet, lovable, and she doesnt even bark! she has never ever gone for anyone, but they are good protective dogs. the first time she barked was because we had a new window cleaner who went round the back. my dad used to clean the windows before that and no one else went round the back. she was just trying to protect us they are playful, but not too boisterous. but i would say go for a female. let us know what you get
xx

[Anthropomorphic]

Labs can sometimes be too eccentric around children; they are usually docile but you're always taking a chance with them.

A golden retriever is exceptionally calm and loyal (I own one, and have for the last twelve years). If they're trained very young, they should give you no problems whatsoever.

A collie can be very good too, but it tends to have clinging issues sometimes. I've known border collies to answer only to one master, and to become extremely fidgety and nervous when that master isn't around.

[BlueWolf]

I agree, a Lab or Golden Retriever are GREAT with young children. They are friendly, playful, and sweet. Some small dogs are okay too, but they tend to be nippy and are not recommended for children under the age of 12. It really depends on how old your younger siblings are.

Border collies are amazing, beautiful, sweet, and playful dogs. THey are one of my favorites, HOWEVER, they naturally have a lot of energy and do best with A LOT of play time and places to run. They are probably happiest with work to do and a lot of ways to burn their endless energy. If you can keep up with one, they too would be great, but think carefully before getting a border collie.

I really would not recommend an Australian Sheperd. I've had family members who have owned a few and they are VERY protective over family which is a great thing, and most of them are very nippy. I wouldn't want one biting at my younger siblings. However, this doesn't mean that they are all like that, just be careful when picking out a puppy.

Certain breeds are trained for different things, so they may have different insticts and this can influence their behavior. But, ANY breed of dog can be trained to be very loveable and friendly if brought up correctly. I even had a beautiful red nose pit that was honestly the most gentle and sweetest of all the breeds I've owned and been around. And closely behind was my Siberian Husky who I had for ten years and would tolerate me tormenting him when I was little.

So the best advice to give, is do your research and bring them up well and it's all good! I would strongly recommend a Golden Retriever for children though. If you want a small dog, becareful because they do have fragile bones. A gentle giant might be best.

I hope this helped! This is from a lifetime of experience owning and working with dogs at my local animal rescue center.

Goodluck!

[Thirteen]

Any kind of Lab/Retriever is good, Collies are good, as have been said. But English Mastiffs are good (although VERY big, they grow to be 150lbs!), and well, most dogs are good, as long as trained right.

But, I'd say go to a pet store (i.e. PetsMart) and get a guide for buying puppies. They may have some breeds that you never even thought of, that would be great around children.

[TakeTheLeap]

We've had the following pets in my house:
A black lab - We ended up giving her away because she chewed everything under the sun. She was a good dog though.
A german shepherd/husky - He was an absolutely amazing dog! He had flunked as a service dog, but was a fantastic companion. Sweet, loved everyone he met, protective, etc.
2 beagles - Both of our beagles have been older. Minnie was adorable (although, she had been crate-trained before we got her so we had problems with accidents sometimes), and Cocoa's just tolerant of anything you do to him but still lively enough to play with the puppy.
A collie - We got Raine when she was about 6 years old, and she's the sweetest thing. She's happy when you pet her and cuddle with her, but she's also perfectly content to lay on her bed. Again, she's very tolerant of the puppy and the puppy has actually made her a little more lively/excited.
An American eskimo - THE PUPPY. She's a crazy little thing. She's about 2 years old now, but I swear she's a permanent puppy. She's active, playful, and a little crazy at times. She really is a ball of constant energy, but she's also SO loving and lovable. She's also loyal, and was VERY easy to train. She got housetrained because she watched our other two dogs and followed suit. She comes when you call her, and she naturally plays fetch.


All in all, I would say any of these breeds would make perfect family pets. We had always had older dogs (at least 2 when we got them) up until we got Chloe (who my brother bought). I would say, as a general rule, older dogs are best for younger kids (not OLD, but not a puppy either) because they tend to be a little more patient as well as playful.

[Concrete Angel]

I'd definitely go with a Lab.
The thing is what kind of dog they would like.
I found my pup in the local animal shelter. She was a mutt.
Mutts can be just about the greatest little helpers ever.
If you want to buy a dog, a Lab/retriever would be a great choice.
But if you're willing to look at adoption, then taking the kids to choose their own dog from the animals shelter would be a fabtastic idea.
All the dogs I've ever owned have been mutts!

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

As a puppy, all breeds are usually fine. The issue comes how they behave and grow when older. This all depends on the size of your siblings but since you had a lab before, you know a lab probably will be a good choice. Small children can be fine with large dogs, such as Newfoundland Retrievers, Malmamutes, Mastiffs, Bernese Mountain Dogs, etc... . These dogs generally don't bark much, although malmamutes may howl or bark more than the others. There's the obvious problem though, in that if you live in a small house, then such a large dog may not be a great idea. There are 4 Newfoundland Retrievers near where I live, the closest is about a 6 minute walk from my house. They're wonderful with children because small kids climb all over the dog and it doesn't mind, it doesn't jump up nor knock the kids over intentionally. One issue with them, Malmamutes and Bernese Mountain Dogs is they all shed barrels of hair.

Huskies are often liked, one of my dogs is a husky mix but they need lots and lots of exercise. If you build a fence, they'll dig under it, jump over it or perhaps through it, unless you play with them a lot.

American Eskimos are great dogs. They're smaller, white fluffy things and no matter how much they age, they always look and act like a puppy.

Others mentioned various small dogs but I'd just say, I'd never get a chihuahua. My cousin and her family has several, I hate all them to death because they constantly bite at your ankles. I'm usually gentle with dogs but for these small dogs, I wanted to boot it away so it'd quit biting my ankles. Their dogs also bite the ankles of strangers, however, I've been over there for years and years.

Border collies may herd the kids especially if they're small but they're amazing dogs. They're lovable, well-behaved, need a good amount of exercise and extremely intelligent.

One of my dogs was an australian sheppard mix and he was incredibly intelligent to the point of being able to count and spell. Whenever we said the word "walk", he'd get excited and run for the leash but that was annoying when we didn't want to walk him, so we spelled it "W-A-L-K" and he then learned that. He was able to count because whenever he came in from outside and his paws were muddy, we'd clean them off. We could count "Paw 1, paw 2, paw 3 and paw 4", and each time he'd give the appropriate paw.

My other dog that is a husky mix can also spell but getting him to count isn't going so well. On good days, he can count "Paw 1 and paw 2" for left and right front paws but back paws aren't going well.

[Ancora Imparo]

It seems like you've already got tons of good feedback from some of the other members but I thought that I'd chip in with my experiences when it comes to dogs. I've currently got a Border Collie cross Labrador who I've had since he was about 12 weeks old. I've got two younger sisters who are 6 and 9 and since the moment we brought him home he's been absolutely brilliant with them so I'd recommend a similar breed. My dad also use to have a Springer Spaniel who was also really good with kids. Good luck with finding a puppy though, be sure to post pictures on here when you finally make a decision!

[Toast]

A mixed breed dog may be good. Why not go down the pound to see what they have for puppies? Any mix or purebred dog including:
-golden retriever
-Labrador
-border collie
-Springer spaniel
-Newfoundland(although they are huge)
is probably a good bet for kids.

[Tara.]

Originally Posted by Amoroso

I was going to say Golden Retrievers as well. And any type of Lab.
They are GREAT with kids. <3

I agree 100%

Exactly what I was going to say.

[snakewhisperer28]

yep, labs and golden retreivers are the best. Tho if you want a BIG dog st. bernards are gental giants. The do drool alot tho