Best dog breed with young children

[Helenj1977]

Wasn't sure where to post this but thought here I'd get better advice??

We're looking to add a puppy to our family next year and have started looking at breeds now. We have an 11 yo, 9yo and nearly 1yo. We want to wait until 1yo is a bit older. I'm a sahm so am home all the time.

We were looking at Cavapoos but I'm aware cross breeds aren't always the best option.

In a nut shell, we'd love a medium size dog, great with children, easy to train and low Shedding.

Any advice from dog /children owners would be fab 😃

Just wanted to add, I have Manchester Terriers at the moment and they were great with my kids when they were little. They are small enough to be walked by kids of your on DCs ages and mine have great fun taking them to agility classes and parading them around at fun dog shows. They have very short, glossy coats and rarely shed. Very high energy though, they love to get out and run and run and run!

I have two golden retrievers and they are both wonderful with children. But, as puppies they are a lot of work and very “mouthy”. They also require a lot of grooming and shed constantly (you’ll never have a fully clean home again). They’ll also be bigger than your children, mine are about 5 feet tall when on their back legs, and weigh 29-35kg.
I really love them, and once out of the puppy stage they are gentle and calm, but there definitely are some drawbacks compared to smaller and less hairy dogs.

I miss having a dog so bad.. We had a corgi (he would never be appropriate now, as he was grumpy as sin but he passed when I was 14 weeks pregnant with DS). Anyway might be a bit late loads of lovely dog breeds reccomended :)

My parents have two Bichon frise, my dad needs hypo allogeneic as he's asthmatic so check and they are so soft natured.

DS is 2 and my neice is 1, they have both grown up with them just being there (being tail and ear pulled) and they haven't so much as batted an eyelid.

Other than that they're really lovely affectionate dogs, low maintenance, love walks and cuddles and don't smell or shed.

I agree, SuperheroBirds. I have a golden retriever and he is the love of my life. BUT - the hair! No meal is complete without a good sprinkling of dog hair. And he was a holy terror as a puppy. I had no idea. I nearly had a nervous breakdown and got an absolute pasting on MN into the bargain with the usual "only experienced people should get dogs" abuse trotted out. We came through it, but boy, it was a journey for all of us!

(Btw: Beware of The Doghouse on MN. Another classic was someone trumpeting that dogs should only eat raw food . When people asked about storage of said raw food, the poster said you could keep it "in one's outhouse". Of course! In one's outhouse!)

Lhasa apso my mum has one and she's adorable, brilliant with the grandkids and no shedding.

I have a staffy cross and she's sheds lots and is a right old moan now she's 14.

People suggesting a retriever...she said low shedding! Couldn't get more high shedding than a retriever.

As others have said, it's not only about the breed. My last dog and my current dog are/ were staffies.

Yes, they had some traits in common (didn't like other dogs, loved most people, stubborn as rocks sometimes). They also had other traits which were different. First staffy was frightened of no one and nothing. Second staffy is frightened of just about everything.

Current staffy will drop to her belly and crawl off if a child approaches her.

Both were rescues. First one rescued at age 2, current rescued at 7/8.

I would always favour a rescue dog over a puppy. Apart from the fact a rescue dog needs you most, they have usually been assessed 're their nature. Which you need even more when rehoming with children involved

Labrador.
We had one when I was young he was amazing, gentle and slightly nuts.

Scottish daisy ,You are right .My friend had a Boxer Girl in the 60s and I adored her !.So sweet and patient with Children they are a lovely breed .

Whippet

Labs shed like mad.
Poodle crosses are a puppy farmer’s dream.
I wouldn’t get any dog with a very young child. There’s a reason rescues don’t want to rehome with children who aren’t yet school age. Puppies bounce and bite.

Whippets and Greyhounds are so easy , they run faster than you can possibly imagine but then sleep for 22 hrs.and are very gentle. Love lurchers and would never want to be without one.

Staffies aren't called nanny dogs for no reason.ive owned staffs all my life and my children and grandchildren would be lost without a staff in they're life.best breed for kids without a doubt.

Golden Retriever? Low Shedding? hahhhahhhhhaahahahahahahah

Labrador I have had two and both amazing with young children

I'm going to go a bit against the grain here, find a dog specialist and have them perhaps help you choose a dog? Doesn't matter the breed so much as the temperament. I cant express how long i looked for my dog, meeting various puppies and sitting at peoples houses with the puppies for up to 7 hours. My current dog allows kids to put arms down her throat, let's kids lay on her, pull her ears and tail. Everything. I do not allow such behaviour towards my dog, but I know if it happens everyone is safe with her. She's no where near a guard dog type, she'll lick a burgler to death and help them carry the TV too. Overall she's perfect for me. I knew what to look for in a puppy. I did not go for looks (she's not the most attractive of her breed looool) and I accepted her for her personality. My family in general abroad have always had dogs, all various temperaments for each dog. Breed is also a good indication. I went for friendly breed and temperament which I saw in her as a puppy. Its hard to spot if you're not experienced ie why I wonder if it's worth finding a specialist. This will be your new family member for the rest of their life, it's worth getting it right.

Completely disagree with the comments about Boxers. We've had a number of boxers with small children and they are incredible dogs with kids so long as you've got time to exercise them and you pick a calm one. They aren't all crazy bouncy nutcases, and a lot of them are exceptionally tolerant / loyal with children. Wouldn't ever have another breed now.

I recommend English springer spaniels. My DC have grown up with them, as did DH, & they are wonderful with children. They are high energy though, and they do shed. But I love them.

@Branleuse

Also very good point about the training

I forget some people are new to dogs or have no clue, as I just assume everyone has always had an awesome furry buddy in life!

Border terriers - small, dont shed much at all and are great with children of all ages.

Miniature schnauzer. ZERO shedding, and ours is so affectionate with children. Or a poodle.

Ignore the suggestions of labradors or golden retrievers - they shed like mad!

I’m biased, but I’d never totally trust a terrier with children. Border, jack russells etc I’ve always known to be a bit nippy

How about going to something like Discover Dogs? You can see lots of different breeds and ask their owners lots of questions

Discover Dogs is a great idea.
TBH no young child should be left unsupervised with a dog. It’s not about trust but about being responsible.
Met far too many reactive Borders recently.

Shih tzu for the win! Mine is only 3.5 but from the day I brought dd home from hospital, she has literally been her shadow. Dd is nearly 2.
The patience and tolerance from the doggo... they literally are best friends. Dd always shouts for the dog as soon as she is home from nursery, they spend a lot of time in the garden playing fetch.
At first I was really worried about keeping them apart (being a responsible dog owner), but now, seriously, the dog now does everything dd asks her to, goes for her ball, comes back when she's asked. Dd has her a lot better trained I do!