Best breed for a young family?

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luckilotti

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Hi,

i would love to hear about peoples experiences of dogs with a young family.

We lost the family friend just over a year ago and i feel its time for that void to be filled.

BUT.... we now have a young family - 17 month old twins!

We had planned to wait until the boys were older (despite them LOL at every dog they see and them appearing to love them) but i also dont feel very safe at night without a dog around.

As a child, the dogs that i can remember were both Lhasa Apso's and they were amazing with me and my sister, and when my mum was then a childminder with little ones around.
BUT... i've also heard negatives about them with children - maybe we were lucky?

SO.... what breeds would you suggest?

Ideally, small to medium breed, one that doesnt moult everywhere, and is FAB with childen?

Also - what age would you suggest? a puppy, maybe a 1 year old, or older?

Thanks in advance.
 
I was going to suggest a lab until I saw you want a smaller one
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Mini schnauzers are fab brought up with kids
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Fun little dogs, don't moult at all. TBH I would imagine a pup will be hard work but might be easier to get it used to the children?
 
We had a cocker spaniel when I was little, and he was very tolerant of us. One thing I would say (which I'm sure you already know) is that if you do get a puppy, remember that it will need lots of sleep and the kids can't expect to be playing with it every moment of every day! The reason my beautiful dog Leah was ditched at a rescue centre as a pup by her previous owners was because their kids refused to leave her alone and let her sleep, to the point where she became a nervous wreck snarling at anyone who came near her!

I can't really think of any other breeds.... Staffies are great with kids, but they can be very very boisterous so there might be a problem with them knocking the little ones over! Maybe you could check out your nearest rescue centre for a nice little mongrel?
 
I would have said a Lab. they are so gentle but if you want a small/medium why not look at resues as already suggested. The dogs are temperament tested to be rehomed with children.
 
My old dog was born almost the same day as my daughter and my son was 2 years older. It worked brilliantly, everyone loved each other and respected too. It was magical for the kids to grow up with Badger but devasting to them when he died a few years ago.
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He was the result of the neighbours extremely well bred black lab who got caught by the farmers Australian Huntaway
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I would recommend a lab for a small family, they are so patient and well mannered and there are plenty of smaller ones out there however, I have found the black labs moult an awful lot less than yellow ones!!
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Border Terrier
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Great with kids. We lost our old one last year but got a pup later on in the year. I have 2 smalls and he is great with them and its wonderful to see them growing up together.
 
Cocker Spaniel - cant beat them. My family grew up with our cocker, can do anything with her. she is no trouble atall. Now i have a grandson and she is a good as gold with him.
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i grew up with a boxer (from when i was 2 to 14) and she was brilliant. too big for what you want, i know, and prob not viewed as ideal for a young child... what i'm trying to say is that i think most breeds of dog can be fine with young children as long as supervised and good rules in place.
one that my mum insisted on, which in retrospect was a great one, was that when the dog went on to her bed, i was not allowed to TOUCH or even approach her. that was her haven, to get away from me, as i'd have played with her, 'trained' her, etc forever. she had a superb temperament, never even growled at any one, but i suspect a lot of this was because she was never allowed to get to 'tormented' stage - she knew she had an escape zone!
a lot of my friends had spaniels as children, and very fond memories of them, fwiw. i've met many charming ones and never a bad one yet...
best of luck with whatever you get.
 
I would have said Lab, but then I saw smaller dog, and so now I'm going to suggest Boston Terrier. If you do a search for best dogs for kids, Bostons will come up every single time. Mine is an angel, and will always roll over on her back for the little ones (that is when they aren't throwing the ball for her; Bostons are avid fetchers). They shed only a teensy amount, bark only at the door, and have a good lifespan (13-15 years). They do need a good amount of exercise, but are little lazy lumps when indoors.

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Border Terrier. My grandparents have one and he is hilarious
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My cousins range from 3 years old to 19 and he puts up with all sorts of abuse bless him. He can walk for miles yet is contact to stay at home all day. He is so placid, I have never once seen him even show the slightest bit of aggression even when being "patted"
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by a toddler.

Also, he's a nice size, not too big, but not a poncy small dog that might get hurt by a kid.
 
with out a doubt in my experience a border terrier would be ideal, we have 2 boys and they both adore kids, play for hours yet very cuddly and sleepy when they have to be, a practical size, robust and hardy, minimal grooming, not alot of moulting, very adaptable and accepting of their lot - fit in around you. ideal for a young family but also for the grandparents too! we have spaniels and ridgebacks too but would say your less likely to go wrong with a border than spaniels, who can have that nutty gene!
 
will look up those suggestions thanks.

I would LOVE a boxer, but the time isnt right
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I do actually know a guy who breeds labs and he keeps saying i should have one of his, but i'm unsure.

The 'rules' for the dog will be pretty much as our family dog did when i was a child.
They cant go upstairs (although at the age of 12 the last one thought sod it and used to sneak up!)
They cant go on the sofas etc.
And TBH, even though i have never done this before, maybe spend part of the day in an outdoor kennel? or in another room of the house? Just as i dont think i want it running around all day with the boys. I think they would all need a break from each other!
 
lab bitches are generally a fair chunk smaller than a dog (if sex isnt a problem and u like labs!)

Border terriers and cockers as suggested are all good!
maybe a king charles/cavalier spaniel?? (waits to get told of by splotchy
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and as others have suggested..... maybe a young rescue who is good with children?
 
Good with children are usually dogs that is allowed to meet children who in general behaves well with dogs! Can't be said enough times.


How about a Finnish Lapphund! http://www.finnishlapphund-club.co.uk/ (Who wouldn't melt seeing that first picture...)
Easy to live with, they have a coat that doesn't require anywhere near as much brushing as it looks like (molts twice a year, otherwise I mostly comb a little so they wont forget how to behave when being combed) and they don't bark as easily and as much as some other Spitz breeds do.
Although lets say that you try to train obedience and the dog doesn't sit straight, if you then doesn't ignore the wrong and just encourage him/her to try again, without say "No!" before demanding that they try again, then a Finnish Lapphund will soon decide that if you're going to be like that, you can train yourself because they hereby quit!


Norwegian Buhunds are also an easy to live with sort of dog, have a bit higher herding instinct left than the Finnish Lapphund, if you only have one they also don't usually bark as much as you hear Spitz breeds can do but I wouldn't expect them to be silent in an outdoor kennel. http://www.norwegian-buhund.org.uk/
In my obedience training example the Norwegian Buhund will try more times without encouragement than the Finnish Lapphund.

Otherwise I would recommend anything from a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Cairn Terrier to French Bulldog, everything depends on what sort of dog that suits you. But at least you can trust most Spitzes with one thing, even if all doesn't bark as much as the rumour says about Spitzes, if they do see anything suspicious in or around your house, they will let you know about it too.


Good luck with your breed decision.
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As its a small/medium dog your after its got to be a Cocker Spaniel!!
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My two have been great with the kids - my youngest neice was born 3 days after Sweep and for years she maintained they were twins!!!
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Happy dogs who like the fuss and attention and will walk and play all day, don't really shed - I have mine clipped.

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border terriers are fab. also beagles.

the thing is, most dogs will be good if they are brought up well.

my cousin has a doberman, Beau, and a 2 week old daughter. Beau is so gentle, if Sophie even squeaks, she is at the side of the cot, her nose resting on the side.
 
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