Help me find the right hilarious little dog for the kids

[CindyLouWhoo]

I've had dogs since I was little so we are an experienced dog household. DDog passed a few mo the ago and I'm ready to start thinking about a new dog. Our last dog was a rescue and a big working/guarding breed. Whilst he was utterly bomb-proof with the kids he wasn't much fun for them. As we now have two kids under the age of 8 we will need to go to a breeder. They adore next doors JRT but I'm not sure I can quite handle a JRT. I was thinking a border terrier? Any other suggestions?

Get a retriever, I've always wanted one but don't have the space. All that I know are playful but so gentle.

I love terriers , maybe I've just had naughty ones but walks were never relaxing, recall was always hit and miss.

A mongrel may be good, They are usually healthy, live longer and have brilliant personalities.

Everyone finds sausage dogs hilarious, some are good with kids.

We have a miniature poodle. She's a smart, funny little dog. Great with our kids.

“We have a big house/garden and can do walks x2 but I don't want so high energy that the dog needs hours and hours of exercise/mental stimulation every day”

You might have got better answers if you’d put that stuff in your OP.

Borders aren’t that dissimilar from JRT in terms of energy... but they aren’t actually supposed to be dog or cat aggressive so if not judge much on your neighbours tbh.

Is size an issue? Because labs and staffies are your best bet for playing with children.

"You might have got better answers if you’d put that stuff in your OP."

Possibly. Or possibly people shouldn't have been such arses?

Our border terrier is no fun for our kids. He only loves me, he's like a cat. Sleeps on my lap whenever he gets a chance. Won't play really but loves walks. When my dd was tiny she put her face right up to his and he bit her.

I think my dog may be moonlighting in your house 😂 ddog snarled at DS when he first started crawling and ever since then has slept with one eye open when DS is awake, I trust him fully because he knows not to trust DS and he stays out of his way. Oddly enough when ever DS is ill ddog will go and sleep on his bedroom floor.

Borders are game dogs, they can be high energy when they want to be, they can be couch potatoes when they want to be, they can be highly trained and responsive when they want to be and they can be pig ignorant with no recall when they want to be. Mine lives happily with cats and chickens yet knows that pigeons must be chased from the garden ASAP!

I wouldn't change him for the world.

Pugs are well known for being clowns. They're brilliant dogs if you have kids. Also, if you really research well and use a very reputable breeder, they won't have breathing problems. It's a shame people tar all pugs with the same brush.

I had JRTs growing up and they were fabulous, characterful, hilarious (yes.....hilarious) little dogs. When we had kids I really wanted to stick with terriers after having had such great dogs but I did want something less terrier than the JRTs we had had. Border terriers are generally considered to be less feisty and calmer and we've certainly found that to be true with our dogs.

Cairn Terrier! They love children and are very game for adventures/dressing up/silly games/endless games. Mine has a decent amount of energy, but she doesn't need hours of exercise every day.

They're also the right size and temperament to take everywhere. My Cairn cross rides the subway with me, comes to the farmers market, flea market, brunch, bars, the park, everywhere really.

I also have a JRT but he's a total loon.

My parents’ dog when i was an older teenager was a boxer and she was HILARIOUS and so much fun. Our only regret was always that by that time there were no younger children in the family for her to play wiith, as she loved them and any visiting child got played with endlessly. But v.boisterous and v.v.v. energetic, so probably not what you’re after.
Our various other breed family dogs before and after have been kind, reliable, grumpy, patient, intelligent, stupid or curious, but only that one was hilarious, so i totally know what you mean.
FWIW, with terriers i’ve always thought the species varies between about 90% lovely, and about 10% snarly and bad tempered. One of my childhood dogs was one of 10%, and he never changed temperement despite having a lovely life. It came as a shock to me when i met various friends’ JRTs and discovered they were fun, friendly, family dogs. Not sure there’s any way to tell which sort you’re going to get in advance though.

I’ve got a Golden Retriever and he is a loveable fool
However, because he is fluffy with a big grin it’s easy to forget that he is a big powerful dog that can ( and has) hurt both me and the dc by accident
He also gets a bit snarly at the vets ( probably due to a traumatic experience when he was neutered and it went a bit wrong)
So while they are generally great family pets ( and I’ve had 4 Goldies) they are not without problems - but so are all dogs

I'd steer clear of pugs unless you are very careful . Several of my friends have and all have endless vets bills, one needed a facelift as he couldn't breathe properly 😔.

You have to be very careful with all breeds of dog, not just pugs. They all come with their own hereditary health issues. It's not rocket science to find a decent breeder.

I do adore pugs but I think I need something a bit bigger/robust. The kids are very good with dogs but they are still small kids who fall over etc. We do like to go on lots of walks on the weekend and I think I'd end up carrying a pug. DH is going to need a bit convincing for any small dog and a pug or any toy dog might be a step too far. He would quite happily get another large dog but I think while the kids are young something smaller that the 7 year old could manage on the lead a bit would be more suited to the kids.

How long is he going to be 7?

Maybe think in terms of next 5-7 years rather than right now? Will your kids still be interested as teens, or will it be more your dog once they’re older?

Our border collie was a proper loon sometimes, if you play-fight with her and stick your bum in the air and hands on the floor like the dogs do when they play.. She would run around the room in circles skidding everywhere.

She's older now but I still do it while my 2 year old sits on the sofa, and 2 year old can't stop laughing!

Boxers and Bulldogs are also clowns.

And my border loves cats.

What is a PVGB?

God forbid that someone wants a dog that their kids can play with. 🙄

It seems that only Very Sensible Questions are asked here, otherwise you will be vilified for asking any other questions. And it had better be a rescue or you will be struck down by the smite of Doghouse MNers.

We do like to go on lots of walks on the weekend and I think I'd end up carrying a pug

You'd never outwalk a standard dachshund.

Cindy-I really think that a Border is as near a perfect fit as you're going to get. Dp didn't want a small dog, but we got ours accidentally (long story) and he loves her. She doesn't feel like a small dog if you see what I mean.

@Haint
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit_Basset_Griffon_Vendéen

I've had many different breeds and I'd suggest either a black Lab or a Golden Retriever. IMO, both are very playful, easy going and easy to train, and due to their size they can handle a bit more 'rough and tumble' play with children than a smaller dog would. They've also both loved fetch and 'hide and seek' games with us. This is where the kids would hide whilst we hold the dogs and then we'd release the dogs & they find the dc using their noses (and usually following the stifled giggles).

The smaller dogs we've had, whilst friendly and playful, have definitely been more wary of young children, simply because they can get hurt more easily.

Our Saint Bernard was fantastic with babies and young children, and happily allowed them to clamber all over her. She loved trying to sit on their laps for a cuddle (she was so big that she used to squish them, which the kids found funny), and she loved their hugs, etc, but she wouldn't really play fetch etc, so wasn't playful in that way.

HTH. I think it's good that you're trying to find a dog that suits your current lifestyle.

Our Springer Spaniel is the most gorgeous, sweet tempered dog ever. Great with kids and very playful when younger. Big but not too big, a great family pet.