Dog breeds that won't turn on children

[Chickpearocker]

I really want to get a dog but with having a toddler I'm terrified of getting a dog that would bite it seriously hurt him. Are there any breeds that are safer than others, or less likely to turn. I've been told that surprisingly smaller breeds can be quite viscious even though they look small and innocent. Please help!

Chickpearocker I found having a puppy hard and I don't have DC. The biting can be relentless until they calm down and if you have young excitable DC around then it makes everything much harder. Yes people manage it but lots don't and then want to rehome the dog after a short while because they have had enough and thought having a puppy would be easy.

Puppies bite, puppies have needle sharp teeth, puppies get over excited, puppies chase and bite moving humans.

Toddlers are unpredictable, toddlers move erratically, toddlers squeal, toddlers stumble and fall over, grabbing the first thing they can to regain their balance.

Mixing the two together is a recipe for disaster.

Dogs are a privilege not an automatic entitlement.

For your child's sake and any potential pup's sake, wait.

I waited til my DD was 5 before we got our current dog.

I did have a toddler and puppies. They spent a lot of time separated from each other, not because my DC was a danger but because it is incredibly difficult to supervise both and manage housetraining at the same time. It's doable but far from ideal and with the benefit of hindsight I probably wouldn't do it again.

Of course there are good rescues and less good. The less good ones may well be run by people who are well intentioned but lack experience and behavioural backup. (One rescue local to me regularly advertises pairs of puppies who 'must stay together' which I find particularly cringe-worthy.) The good rescues will view each application as an individual case.Some will not consider giving you a dog until you have visited at least twice, completed a contract and had a home check. I suspect they have a much lower return rate than others. A good rescue will give you lifetime support and contact with behaviourists if necessary,

Not all rescue dogs come with behavioural issues. Most puppy farmed dogs though do have many, many issues - think of this before you buy one off Gumtree.

As pps have said, unless you have loads of dog experience and are prepared to take on whatever you get, you need to research your rescue - follow them on FB to get a feel for how they describe the dogs, ask other people who have rescued, look them up on the rescue review site

As much as I'd like to get a rescue dog I feel like it's not going to happen for me unless I wait another 3 years. For that reason I think once my toddler is around 3 he will have enough sense to know to give the dog space etc, I'm thinking of getting a dog which doesn't have endless amounts of energy or the drive to hunt or protect.

I would love a huge fluffy dog but I know it's not going to work so thinking of going for a small non snappy breed. A dog with a short to medium coat.

Thank you for all the advice, I am not going to buy from gumtree etc as I believe that really should be banned. I will go to a reputable breeder and if they tell me to sod off so be it.

I will be investing in dog training classes and I know once I have the dog I will give it endless amounts of love and time just as I did my son.

It's really difficult to find a reputable breeder. KC reg means next to nothing. The "mother" bitch you are shown often isn't the actual mother. I can't find the facts and figures but I am sure I heard something like more than 3/4 of pups sold are from puppy farms.
It took me two years to find my pup. Start thinking of exact breed. Grooming and exercise requirements?
Non snappy? Puppy? You won't find a puppy that doesn't bite. They all do.

I think the best way to find a good breeder is through word of mouth, in Northern Ireland I'm hoping that will be easier as it's quite a small place. I am prepared to brush the dogs coat every day but would send them to a groomer as often as needed. As for exercise I think I can provide around an hour for just me and the dog.

I realise all puppies chew and bite I'm meant non snappy as in once the dog is grown. I find some breeds a bit nippy I suppose, I'm thinking Of Yorkshire terriers. Maybe that's not the breed but individual dog I'm not sure.

"I think the best way to find a good breeder is through word of mouth"

Sadly, not often as a lot of people think not seriously dodgy is the same thing as good.

Yorkies can be very nippy, you need to do A LOT of research

finding a reputable breeder is an art. Its soo soo easy to buy a poorly bred pup (and i don't mean that in a snobby way, I mean it in the nutritiion and genuine care the breeder provides to the bitch and litter). I know not all breeders sleep next to their bitch due in whelp and newly whelped, but most care enough and are committed enough and to feed the nursing bitch her own night feeds, etc.
Who do you take a 'recommendation' from? How do you know they are any good themselves to be recommending? or what experience or knowledge they have in order to make such a recommendation.

it takes time and research.

I think you're right that Yorkies can be snappy, but I also think it tends to be down to socialisation. People think that small dogs are harmless so they don't really bother to socialise them properly as they assume that they either couldn't do much damage or the person/other dog could easily defend themselves - this isn't necessarily a conscious thing, but just more that if you got a German Shepherd, you'd make definitely sure that you trained them well and made sure they were well socialised around people and especially children if you had children, because you know that can be a dangerous dog if it becomes aggressive, but if you get a tiny "toy" breed then there's the temptation not to really think of it as a dog - and I think a lot of people don't. My ex in laws always had nippy terriers, but my stepmum's terrier was bombproof and lovely with DSis and I as children, until she got older and her arthritis made her too grumpy for my half siblings who were then toddlers (luckily in their case she was able to go and live with another family member).

I suppose it's like anything in life if someone else has a good experience you tend to think it must be okay, for example if I was looking for a child minder and a few different people told me they were happy with their child minder I would then think I could use the same child minder.

If multiple people buy from one breeder and all say their dog is fantastic has no problems etc then why wouldn't I trust them. Obviously you need to meet the person and get a sense of them. I realise it is a money making exercise to a lot of people.

Realistically what more can you really do apart from see the dogs, meet the breeder and see what conditions they are kept in.

Anyone who is breeding dogs is going to be doing it for money realistically. You'll be waiting a long time if you want to look for someone who is only doing it "out of the love of the breed". It's just that you probably want to see they're not only concerned with profit margins. There's nothing wrong with doing something for money, most people have to make a living, it's when someone is acting like the dog is just a free money printing machine and they haven't bothered to do any research or put any effort in beyond the minimum that it's a problem.

I feel like some people prioritise money over the dogs welfare which is disgusting. I don't think dog breeding should be a persons main source of income, I don't see it as an occupation. When you foster kids you get paid but that's not why you do it. I think getting paid for the cost of keeping dogs is fair but using them as an income isn't. But I guess that's what it's all about and I'm probably buying into that.

Going with your childminder analogy... what a lot of people mean is they haven't actively mistreated them.

So with a childminder it's the equivalent of, yeah they're great, they have them in the house and feed them at mealtimes... not, yeah they're great, feed them balanced meals and have activities to help them meet all the early years framework goals.

"Anyone who is breeding dogs is going to be doing it for money realistically"

No, breeding dogs properly and ethically is expensive, decent breeders if they're lucky and everything goes well make a small profit, but they'd make more putting in nowhere near that amount of time at any job.

I think you need to do a lot of research. Talking to one or two people and hearing they are happy with their pups and they didn't arrive full of worms or carrying parvo doesn't mean they didn't come from a puppy farm.

A German Shepherd from a reputable breeder. Lovely family dogs. Got ours when eldest was 6 and middle dc 6 months. Then along came dc3.
She absolutely loves her 'babies', although does like to lick them a little too much. Likes and needs lots of cuddles and 'herds' the little ones when out on walks to make sure no-one is left behind.

I have very limited experience but I wouldn't suggest GSD for a novice with young children.

GSDs do, as a rule, adore children, and are very caring and protective with them. I have really enjoyed watching my kids learn to cycle under the watchful and alarmed eyes of our GSDs. But I'm inclined to agree that a GSD is not the dog for a novice, they're very strong - our puppy is almost a year and can have DH over if he's not careful. I can't take him out at all at the moment because he's too strong and too wilful for me to control.

You can't walk him at all?! Back to training (or cheat and get a dogmatic!) I'm doing both!

Hah - it's the other way round in my house, I'm the only one that can handle walking the dog, though that's because he has issues rather than just size.

I don't think a GSD is a great idea for a novice, but also the OP has said small and not too energetic, so... not a GSD, lol

I know, bonkers isn't it! I wanted a collie type so you can imagine the sulking I do at dh over it we are having one-to-one training with a wonderful guy who really knows his stuff and puppy is very smart and learning so well but given his size vs mine I need us both to be 100% before I venture out alone with him!

That's why people advise rescue especially for first dogs

Because as an adult their behaviour is already known about (mostly) and you can guarantee you aren't lining the pocket of a puppy farmer

Whilst getting a puppy from some might seem really cheap, you soon pay over the odds for vet treatment, treating it when it shouldn't need it, or even putting it to sleep because it's too ill

Please make sure you don't buy from a puppy farm, OP. They are very, very clever at looking like 'home breeders' now. They will advertise, and 'stage' a loving home for the dogs - often with an excuse on the day as to why the mother is not there. Please walk away if this happens. They are unspeakably cruel to the dogs - to the parents, that is. It is so sad, you don't want to be funding that sort of business.

Rescues often have puppies - often from puppy farms that have closed down, or the unsold pups. Better to give your money to a rescue than a farm.

Piece of advice... if buying a puppy. Tell them about your toddler! The breeder will want to see you and your toddler together interacting with the puppy. (I used my boy who is a therapy dog first, to assess families with young children!)
Look at all dogs they own... even unrelated ones. Are they clean, well cared for and well behaved? (Be wary if they only have mum) I say this, because I once rejected a puppy, grandma had a mad moment (barking & running in circles around the garden), that lasted about 15min. As I wanted to breed with puppy, this was a no go for me.
Make sure, you see mum interacting with the puppies- teats should be visible and puppies will want feeding as soon as they see mum.
Visit more than once! (I dislike people who just send a deposit through the post & only meet their forever friend at picking up time.)
Make sure you get a puppy that is growing up in a home environment! If you buy from a genuine farm or professional breeders with lots of dogs the chances are puppy grows up away from the hassle and bustle of home life. This will make it more difficult to settle puppy in your own home.
Also, a popular opinion on NM is, that you have to join a waiting list for a well breed puppy. But, depending on breed and popularity of breeder you might find, that they don't do waiting list! They just advertise when puppies are around 6-8 weeks old. And sell first come basis. I other words, nothing is certain!
Lastly, go with your gut instinct- puppies are cute, but be prepared to walk away if things aren't right.
Hope you will post when you have found your new friend!