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 😃

Another vote for the shihtzu or Lhasa Apso they have been the best around my special needs daughter and no shedding as they get their hair cut every couple of months.
Love a walk but don’t need loads of exercise. They’re just the bomb. I love them 😍

I'm very surprised a beagle is recommended. Every city beagle I know cant be let off lead. They're all a bit overweight as a result but have no recall and this is with people I would deem good and experienced owners. Brilliant dogs but not for the faint of heart in my experience,

We have been looking into this for ourselves, we would love a dog but don’t want anything too jumpy or high maintenance. After all the research what kept coming up was greyhounds, I was surprised how perfect they are as family pets, they only need short walks twice per day, are very lovable, affectionate mostly very calm docile, sleep Nearly 20 hrs per day, you don’t need a garden they actually recommend them for apartments. We are in touch with a few greyhound rescue sites and we are waiting to adopt one. Most are ex racing dogs, very well trained and just need a loving home.

Also I read that they are hypoallergenic and shed very little xx

Greyhounds are great family dogs, as are lurchers, both great with children in my experience and always in need of a loving home.

@Trixiepixie6 greyhounds are lovely dogs. If you have small children though, always make sure the rescue has tested the greyhound with them. If they’ve come straight from the track, they’ve never met a child before and some are a bit funny with them. We had a foster grey who was perfect in every way but she just couldn’t cope with kids.

I used to breed Boxers they are very good with children, very protective and lovable dogs.

@Trixiepixie6 there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. They may shed less but there’s no guarantee that they won’t trigger an allergy.

Specific breed is one thing part of the equation but the most important part is to make sure you read up on canine behaviour and positive reinforcement training as ignorance about these issues is what creates problems. Have a look at In Defence of Dogs and watch some of KikoPup's videos on YouTube. Total Recall is a good book to get once you have the pup.

Total Recall is bloody brilliant. I think people need to be careful when looking for dogs that are good with kids. All dogs have the capacity to scratch or bite or knock a child over. I’ve aimed for my children to leave the dog alone unless she’s actually seeking a fuss. And for the dog to leave the children alone unless they want to interest with her. I never allow the kids in the dog’s bed and they leave her alone when she’s eating. They eat at the dining table so she doesn’t bother them. It’s about boundaries and respecting each other’s space. But a LOT of that is to do with the training. Yes of both the kids and the dog!

I have a cavapoo and she is brilliant - calm at home, loves cuddles etc. But also loves running at the park.
Small - about 6kg and fully grown. Does not shed. We all adore her.

Cavaliers are prone to lots of health problems. It’s sad but I would avoid them. Or a cav Cross. The sort of people who crossbreed these popular crosses are highly unlikely to do the necessary health tests on each parent before breeding.

My parents have always had border terriers. Lovely dogs, and great when I was growing up, we got the first one when I was 10, but I just don't quite trust their current one with my toddler. She's a nice dog, but I think she has the capacity to snap and has sometimes lunged towards him (but never actually touched him) when they're going for the same ball etc.

On the other hand, my sister has a mini poodle/bichon cross and she is incredible with children. Fun, really enjoys playing but incredibly gentle and patient. I think she might be my toddlers favourite family member!

Oh, and my parents in law have a Labrador, who is lovely but too big to play with my 2yo without knocking him over (she sometimes knocks my MIL over!) and a cocker spaniel, who is scared of him.

I grew up with boxers and they are amazing with kids, they adored my brother and I and were so gentle with us. I'd definitely recommend. We had a border terrier when our first was born but he was too hyper around her. We lost him before dd2 was born and we're waiting until she is 5/6 before getting anything else and then we'll probably go labrador.

As others have said, it's an individual rather than breed. DS is now 2 and adores our collie and min poodle but they were both adult dogs before he arrived. The inevitable mouthing and trying to toilet train dog at the same time as toddler plus actually give up time to training them properly suggests you should leave it a bit longer to be honest.

And DS can walk the poodle on the lead himself. Because she is trained properly!

BUT: even the mini poodle, at half of DS weight, can knock him over or upset him when she jumps up.

AND he dislikes it if she's on my lap for a cuddle

Labs are fab and my dog of choice but they are definitely not for you if you want a low shed breed (they shed like a bastard) and are are a heavy large breed and waggy/enthusiastic so can be clumsy around small children. They are very gentle, trainable and sweet natured adults but they are very ‘mouthy’ (aka bitey) when puppies, normal for the breed but not good around small kids.

I have a goldie and his relationship with my one year-old DS makes my heart happy. Sheds like a mutha though.