what kinds of dogs are good with kids??

[del]

we're planning on gettin another dog pretty soon. i've always wanted a rotweiller but now that i have kids, that may not be the best idea. so in general, i'm lookin for a medium-sized dog that's friendly and playful. my wife doesn't want a big dog, nothing bigger than a black lab. nothing smaller than say a beagle, height-wise. any ideas? we have a little shih-tzu right now and although i love the dog, it's not really much of a dog at all. just a little hairball walkin around. thanks.

[KatWoman]

How your dog gets along with kids depends on how well-trained the dog is AND how well you teach your kids to respect and treat animals. Granted there are breeds that are a bit tempermental (i.e. Dalmation) and may better be suited to adults only. I have heard that Labs are best with kids, but if you get a Rottie and train it well you should be fine. Stay away from pit bulls.

However, I don't care how good any dog is, I would never never and I mean NEVER leave children with a dog (or any animal for that matter) unsupervised. Kids will tug at ears and tails, and no matter how patient a dog is, that patience will run out eventually.

I have had both a lab (now deceased) and a Beagle (currently have). Both are very loyal and loving. A Beagle is good because he will have energy to keep up and play with kids, but the play could turn into rough play. I also have a Pug but she is little snit....I still love her lots though

Smaller breeds tend to be more nervous and have shorter fuses. I would stick with a medium or bigger sized dog. You and your wife should come up with a list of breeds you can both agree on and then do some research. Talk to breeders and check out internet sites or book stores. I would avoid regular pet stores because they will say anything to make a sale, sadly. Another good source would be a local humane society.

Hope this helps, and good luck in your quest for a good dog. Keep us posted.

[MBTN]

I would have to agree about beagles. They love people and get VERY excited with new people around. They will jump and run a lot. Be careful though, if you piss one off, they will snap. Sometimes for no reason they will also snap. My beagle bit me in the face for no reason once! Then I kicked him in his ass.

[speediva]

Golden Retrievers are often relatively well behaved. Labs are another set that are good with kids. German Shepherds are in between. Some are well behaved w/o training and others can be a bit tempermental no matter what...

Honestly, my family has only once had a pure breed which was a Bouvier DesFlanders which we had when I was just a wee-one. Big dog which I DO NOT reccomend. But the point I was getting to is that we've always just gone to the Humane Society and looked exclusively at dogs who are quiet and not overly active in the cages. Our german shepherd/Chow chow combo was pretty well behaved, fairly intelligent, and only snapped at someone once after having eaten chocolate and provoked for a while. But then we have a Husky/collie/lab/etc. combo who is very high strung.

Do as much research as you possibly can.

[taranaki]

In my experience,the younger the animal,easier they adapt to a child's house.Sure it's a lot of work raising a puppy,but in return you get a much closer relationship for both the children and for yourself.Labradors are great dogs for kids,but they require lots of attention and exercise or they get bored and chewy.If you ever get chance to get a blue heeler pup,they make great family dogs.