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Original poster

Want to get a dog, What breed is best with small children?

87 replies

mmmmchocolate · 13/02/2006 19:51

I have a 17 month old and hoping to have another in next year. WE like springer spaniels or cockers any one any ideas and advice? ta x

OP posts:
mumfor1standfinaltime · 13/02/2006 19:54

Springers are very excitable and bouncy dogs, my Nan had one, very sweet and friendly.
I prefer labradors.

brimfull · 13/02/2006 19:58

bearded collie,very gentle and amusing

golds · 13/02/2006 20:00

we have a dog she's 6 months old now, she is a right mixed bag, but I believe has got all the qualities of a perfect dog, from the best breeds.

Her granmother was a collie - so has great intelligence

Her father a golden retreiver - so gentle and placid

Her mother a staffordshire bull terrier - supposedley great with children.

She looks like a collie, broad like a staffie and long haired like the retreiver.

We got her at 7 weeks old from a private house, she settled in well and we all totally adore her

Original poster
mmmmchocolate · 13/02/2006 20:01

bearder collies look so cute and wesite gives 5/5 for being good with children. i will suggest that. what are the coats like to look after?

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 13/02/2006 20:08

bichon frise are very child friendly i think (but don't drop them)

as a general rule mixed breeds are often the best pets

Piffle · 13/02/2006 20:11

Springers = HAIR!
Cocker spaniels are sweet dogs

brimfull · 13/02/2006 20:21

you do need to groom them,I found I'm allergic to the hair so we get her clipped every two months so it's really easy.

Good thing is they don't moult(sp?)YOu have to brush/pull the hair out.

As with all dogs they need training esp if living in a family.Easy to train though.

7777777 · 13/02/2006 20:51

ive got a jack russel, had him from 12weeks, now a year old, i find him a pain in the ass but hes brilliant with my toddler. puts up with a lot of pulling and being jumped on and has never snapped or nipped. i think ive been lucky tho, coz ive met some jacks that are real little gits!

CelluliteQueen · 13/02/2006 21:03

I have a Miniature Schnauzer - she is so good with my DS and she doesn't moult (but has to have her hair cut every 2/3 months). They are wonderful dogs with wonderful personalities.

Passionflower · 13/02/2006 21:37

Anyone got a king charles spaniel, any views as I am thinking about getting one when DD3 starts playschool. Also are males or females better with small children and other pets (ie two cats). Ta, end of hijack.

magnolia1 · 13/02/2006 22:47

My mum breeds cavalier king charles spaniels. Great with kids but tend to have major heart problems and weight problems too. She has lost 4 in the past 2 years

I have a springer X staffie and she is FAB with the kids. Also have a staffie puppy who is a nutter but sooooo good with the kids too.

magnolia1 · 13/02/2006 22:49

Doesn't matter what sex you get if you are getting 1 TBH, Males are a bit more excitable and may pee up things Girls have seasons which can be messy unless they are spayed. Your cats will be boss no matter what

ShaysMummy · 13/02/2006 22:55

i know you have not said you like them but i have 2 female black labradors and they are very sweet. my 6mo pulls their ears and fur and bites (!) their heads etc and they dont mind at all.
in fact they seem to enjoy it, they close their eyes and totally relax!
in the states they are known as 'nanny dogs'
i didnt want labs when we went dog hunting but we fell in love when we saw them as pups.
they were here before ds was born and they have taken to him just fine- no jealousy at all.
a word of advice- i think it is better to get pups although its nicer to rehome. reason being, dog homes cant always guarantee any dog rehomed is safe around kids.
sorry it's long! had to promote the trusty lab!!

Passionflower · 13/02/2006 22:58

magnolia that is so .

lars · 13/02/2006 23:01

I have a cocker spaniel not a year yet, they have a lovely nature. Also don't get as big!! larsxx

Passionflower · 13/02/2006 23:04

ShaysMummy, we visited friends with a lab last week and he was lovely with the DD's. Let DD's 2 & 3 get into his bed, and DD's loved him. I thought DD3 was going to have a nap in his bed at one point.

Just couldn't see myself with such a large dog.

Passionflower · 13/02/2006 23:06

Are cockers really gentle though. When I mentioned cockers to a friend last summer she said they can be hyper and snappy. Don't know what her basis for saying that was though. Also how much exercise do they need?

lars · 13/02/2006 23:10

Cocker spanile are good with chidren, it's my ds that is hyper, the dog can be at times but he is still young. As for being snappy I don't think so. They are very loyal dogs like alot of attention. I known other people to have cockers with children not had any problem. larsxx

lars · 13/02/2006 23:11

sorry about my spellings here very tired at the moment. larsxx

ShaysMummy · 13/02/2006 23:13

we went for large dogs as we thought they could probably handle rough play a bit better.
females are not big though. ours are very petite, one about the same as a springer spaniel and the other slightly taller.

interstella · 13/02/2006 23:18

We have Cavaliers,my friend breeds them too.All breeds have their particular health achilles heel,hearts are cavs but If they come from a good healty lineage it is perfectly possible to have one with no heart problems,all mine have lived to a very good age with no heart issues.The weight thing is due to people feeding too much and not exercising enough,they certainly do not need to be overweight.Cavs are fantastic with children and other pets,i think they fit in very well with family life.

ShaysMummy · 13/02/2006 23:20

both dogs fit nicely (can both lie down) in boot of volvo v40 which is not a huge car.

golds · 14/02/2006 09:09

whatever breed you decide on, I recommend you get them as a puppy from a private home.

Before we got our adorable Sally, we got one from a rescue center and it bit both me and dd, Sally came already paper trained and used to people. If a puppy is got from a kennel they are allowed to mess anywhere and not as used to human contact.

parkj83 · 14/02/2006 11:42

We have a Parson Russel x, got him from a rescue centre.

The centre were really good - they obviously can't tell the temperament of any dog in kennels, so they have a scheme where you take the dog home over the weekend, and 'road test' it, to see how well it settles. You can keep it for a few hours or a couple of days.

Dennis was supposed to go back on the Sunday, so that he was ready for a castration, but we didn't have the heart to let him go back into kennels.

He's great with DS - really tolerant. But he knows the difference between an accidental poke in his eye, and a deliberate yank on his ear.

My MIL has a chocolate lab, who's fantastic with kids, but this is becuase he came from a home where he 'grew up' with young children. He was a 2nd dog, and the 1st dog decided he wanted to be the only dog, and acted aggresively towards Coco.

This led to the owners looking for a new home, and they offered him to my MIL before sending him to a rescue centre.

There are rescue centres who take in dogs like this.

There are labrador rescue centres and greyhound rescue centres which are always full of nice dogs looking for good homes.

I'm partial to greyhounds, cos they need only a little exercise each day, and they're really quiet round the home.

If you contact each centre, and explain what you're looking for, and your living situation (working hours, how many kids, garden etc), they're sure to point you in the direction of a suitable dog.

LittleB · 14/02/2006 12:27

Dogs can vary so much, I don't think the breed matters alot its more how the dog is trained. I've got two rescue coliie crosses, one is brilliant with children and my dd who is 9 months, the other stays away from young children, but she's 14 so just takes herself off to bed when kids annoy her, she'd never bite. I was brought up with a golden retriever, my parents got her when my mum was pregnant with me and she was brilliant with me and my sister, we learnt to walk hanging onto her. My MIL has a cavalier and he's fine with dd (he's 13 yrs old) he's had a few health probs but nothing major, his shrill bark does wake her from her naps though, but I expect if we lived with him she'd get used to it. Cross breeds are generally healthier, which is why we have two, and I think we'll always have them. Many rescue centres won't rehome dogs to families with young children as they can't guarantee the dog is safe. I'd get a crossbred puppy from a private home, of a type you like.