What breed of dog is good if you have small children?

I have a 4 yr old son. He loves animals and I want to buy him a dog. I want something that is quite butch. He spends too much time in the house. I dont want a nancy dog! But does any-one know of any dogs that are good with children.

    What breed of dog is good if you have small children?

    I have a 4 yr old son. He loves animals and I want to buy him a dog. I want something that is quite butch. He spends too much time in the house. I dont want a nancy dog! But does any-one know of any dogs that are good with children....
    General Dog Discussions : What breed of dog is good if you have small children?...

    • Hi BrettI have a westie and shes great with kids, shes a rescued dog to and was treated badly. As soon as i got her home it took her a day are too to come around but WOW she just fits in like a glove. My kids are 8,4,18months

    • Definitely a larger breed, as smaller ones could get injured by a small child or end up nipping. Also, the sporting group (labs, golden retrievers, etc.) are known for being great with kids, along with the herding group (shelties, collies, shepherds). The only thing is many of these dogs require a lot of exercise- and I mean a lot! You should also train them as a pup in how you'd want an adult dog to behave; meaning, if you don't want an 80 pound lab jumping up on you, don't allow your pupply to do it when he's little. All dogs require consistant training, and you should supervise your son while he is with the puppy. If you teach your son to be gentle with a dog and vise-versa, they can have a lifelong friendship!To add a personal recommendation, we own a boxer, and he is great with small pets and kids. Everyone I've met says that boxers are very good with children and they are easy to train. The other nice thing about this breed is that you don't have to groom them, and they don't shed much as their hair is so short. This is another active breed though, so be prepared for daily walks! The good thing is it gets me exercising!

    • I would recommend American Staff Terrier. They are great dogs and very loyal to children and owner. Your child must respect any breed of dog in your home and you must teach your child not to hurt the puppy or be mean in anyway.

    • We recently decided to bring a new puppy into our home, partly for our 3 and 5 year old children. We have 2 other dogs, but they are 7 and 12 and not really into playing with our boys. We debated various breeds and our narrowed down choices were a Golden Retriever, which are just excellent dogs with great temperment, and a Border Collie, which have a high energy level and require some specific needs, such as plently of excercise.Our boys have a high energy level and we decided to go with a Border Collie to match that. We wanted a breed that could keep up with them. Some say BC's are questionable with children as they have that herding instinct and tend to be nippy as a result. This is the only issue with them and children and it's not aggressive by any means, they just try to herd the children and nipping is a part of that. But we are vigilent about working that part of the behavior out and it's getting better each day (our pup is 4 months now). The high energy level is great to have because my kids can toss her a ball for hours and she'll keep on playing. She runs around and plays chase with them in the yard, they chase her, she herds them... it's so funny to watch. And when the mellow moments hit, she's as affectionate with my boys as ever.So I think they are a good breed for active children. The BC really needs a ton of excercise and the daily walk is not really good enuf. They need more mental stimulation like chasing a ball or frisbee. We are training towards agility for ours.So like everyone else, I'm biased, cuz I have one. And there are lots of great breeds that are good with kids. I prefer to take in at least a medium sized dog as I worry about a tiny one getting hurt by my hard playing boys.

    • Its good that your son loves animals - this is something to be encouraged and owning and teaching him how to care for a pet will help his development. Good luck!Butch dogs are not generally good with children because they are strong and need firm handling. Although it will probably be an accident a butch dog will easily hurt your son. Nancy dogs are also not good because a boisterous and lively 4 year will be too much and it'll get scared and stressed! You don't sound like an experienced dog owner so if I was you I would go to a rescue centre where they can match you with a suitable dog. With a young child you won't want a puppy as you will spend the same amount of time cleaning up after the puppy and training it as you will looking after your little boy - you'll be exhausted! Also puppies go through biting stage and jumping stage - easy to hurt your son and make him frightened of dogs.Good luck finding a pet even if you have to wait until hes a bit older or at school!

    • Border collies. Dont get a mutt because you dont know how many or what breeds are in it. Some breeds are more prone to antisocial behaviour. My parents got our old border collies when we were about five and they were fine. Very loyal dogs and very protective of young.

    • I have spaniels they are good with children, My child grew up with dogs, (a German Shephard) but you have to train the child how to treat the dog.Remember a child will think of it as a toy at first. It must understand that when a dog is tired it must left alone, and also not to tease it. After saying that, dogs make lovely pets for children if trained (the dog as well as the child!!!)

    • I have a one year old....I own a two Brittanys and a German Shepard. All my dogs are very tollerant of my son, and have never biten anyone. My shepard even allows my son you use him as a pillow...kinda cute. Brits are good, a smaller breed, 25-30lbs....while GSD are bigger. Both these breeds a lot of execise. They are also protective.

    • boxer dog. they are gentle,playfull,energetic which is a plus with children,intelligent & they also look the part if butch is what you want. they love humans big or little. i have 2 boy & girl & 3 children. good luck with your choice.

    • I can tell you what not to get! Don't get a Great Dane, I don't think they like kids and they like jumping up on people. They also destroy everything they can find. Huge dog = huge destruction! Dachunds also don't like kids a lot. Pugs are great with kids, but I don't think it's what you had in mind.