Best dog breed for…

[beans1992]

A family of first time dog owners with sensible/well behaved but young children, and two bunnies (these are kept in the garden but I don’t want a dog with a strong prey drive).

Willing to wait for the right breed, advice appreciated! TIA x

puppies will see other pets as household members not prey (not all, but most) it’s that rabbits are not exactly hardy so you need to go for training the puppy to completely avoid them

We had a male rabbit who lived in our garden. Our JRT- was scared of him to the point where the dog wouldn't go out into the garden. And if he ventured that far, the dog would end up in a corner with the rabbit keeping a close eye on him.
Male rabbits can be vicious.

“Male rabbits can be vicious.”

Oh aye - I’ve seen them chasing off visiting cats, lol, but they can also basically die of stress, so it is worth being cautious.

Obviously with a caveat that you’d need to seriously do you research to find a good breeder, but a CKCS? I’ve never met one that wasn’t beautiful with children.

Shetland Sheepdogs are excellent with children and animals -ours all mingle with our rabbit and chickens

If I’m being totally honest I’d wait until your children are a bit older to get a dog. I got my cocker spaniel when DS was 9 and even that was a challenge at times. Puppies are hard work on their own but throw in bad weather, school runs, after school clubs, general illness and daily life with small children and it can be overwhelming.

@Sinuhe

puppies will see other pets as household members not prey (not all, but most) it’s that rabbits are not exactly hardy so you need to go for training the puppy to completely avoid them

We had a male rabbit who lived in our garden. Our JRT- was scared of him to the point where the dog wouldn't go out into the garden. And if he ventured that far, the dog would end up in a corner with the rabbit keeping a close eye on him.
Male rabbits can be vicious.

Any rabbit can be territorial. My boy is a delicate flower who wouldn't say boo to a goose. My girl however, would fight anyone and is always underfoot to see what you are up to. Unneutered rabbits can be far more territorial than neutered ones - my girl was named "Avril" when she was found as a stray and went to rescue as she was extremely "punky" and almost unapproachable. Spaying pretty much calmed her down so at least she can enjoy a head scratch but will KICK YOU TO DEATH if you try and pick her up for health checks.