What breed dog to get/avoid?

[kittykorat]

We had a lab mix, shelter rescue dog... we had to put her down on tuesday. She had Addison's disease and had been declining for the last few months. She was weak, and refused to eat.. it was time to do the humane thing.

My family has never not had a dog, and they want to get another dog. I want to wait a couple months and choose wisely.

We have 7 chickens, but they don't freerange.. they are in a coop/run.
The dog will be indoors except when we are outside w/ him/her.

My biggest concern is family friendly- we have 3 kids- ages 6, 3 and 2 months.

My DH wants a big dog.. a german shephard. husky, or doberman.

I prefer a medium sized, low maintenance (AKA short haired, cause I will be the one stuck vaccuuming and grooming) and easily trained dog...
I am home with the kids during the day.. I only work part time nights and weekends so the dog won't be left alone alot... but I do have the kids too, so I'm hoping to find a dog that won't pee on the floor for months, and won't chew up the kids toys for years. I expect a bit of this in the early training, but not for ages. Our old dog... though very lovable, was not too bright, and took forever to housetrain...
I also think medium sized would be better 'cause our almost 7 year old wants to be able to walk the dog- and a big dog would drag him around.
ETA- we also have 2 housecats..

Any suggestions?

 

[chixie]

my labs are great with my kids and their friends... and I have no problems with them and my free ranging chickens...they are the sweetest dogs that I ever had

 

[babymakes6]

You need a Golden Retriever

They are on the larger size, but they are PERFECT with children! They are easy to train-especially house-train, because they are a naturally clean dog. They are also very intelligent, but they love everybody! They do shed a little more than a short-haired breed, though. I would be wary of a Husky-they are very strong and love to run! GS and Dobermans could be a good choice, but they can be aggressive.

 

[Wifezilla]

I would avoid any dog that can fit its mouth over your kids heads. While it is true that any dog can be a problem, why take the risk of getting a big powerful dog when your kids are small?

There are also breeds that tend to bond to one family member instead of everyone...you might want to avoid those too (australian shepherds, border collies, etc...)

Also avoid any type of chow mix. I have had too many friends with chows and chow mixes BITE PEOPLE that I would NEVER EVER EVER own one.

Goldens are nice dogs, but make sure their hips are good. We had an Irish Setter growing up and she was awesome. VERY loving. That dog worshiped my dad but was also very protective of my baby sister. It is a high energy dog, but if you have yard space, the females make good family pets (the males are kind of dopey).

 

[JP33]

As for a family dog, all will say go with a lab, but there are so many that can potentially be the best dog you've ever had.

If you can, please try to adopt a dog, preferably a puppy, one that you can potty train. Older dogs with very bad habits can be very difficult to train. Don't fall in love at first sight, pick a reliable, trainable breed, known for the attributes you are looking for. Stay away from known questionable breeds.

Since you have kids, I would recommend a purebreed, as you could get a mutt with genes from some aggressive breed.

Good luck!


...JP

 

[whitecra]

We had a doberman for 13 years. They are very very smart and willing to learn and please you. She was the smartest dog I have ever had and I want another one. We adopted our son when he was 16 months old and the dog was 9 years old. She took right to him. She protected him. She even change the room she slept in. She was great with him and all kids. Out of the list you said you husband wants I would say a doberman hands down. She was house broke in just 3 days. She was only 6 weeks old. I did have to watch her because she didn't know that she was to bark when she wanted out. She would just go and sit by the door. She never chewed on anything that wasn't one of her toys. I was shocked at that because puppies chew on everything but not her. So what I am saying is get a doberman. We have a boxer now. HE is good with our son. He is smart but he is stuborn.
Chris

 

[CMV]

Golden Retrievers are truly great dogs. I've never had one, but my neighbors and friends have several and every one of them is as sweet and tolerant as can be. Like any dog their personality depends on how you raise them, but if I had to make broad generalizations about a specific breed I'd say GRs are about the best family dogs out there.

Good luck. I am sorry about your old dog.

 

[Brindlebtch]

I agree a lab or a golden would be wonderful if the health checks are passed and a little training is done.
Especially if raised with the kids.

Skip the husky, you would have to do research and find German Shepherd or Dobe breeders that raise healthy dogs with good temperments. I had a GSD that would have died for me and I know lots of nice Dobes, but they will take a bit of training.

 

[CityClucks]

I've never had one, but I watched Dogs 101 the other night and they were highlighting the GoldenDoodle - the Golden Retriever/Standard Poodle cross. Apparently they don't shed nearly as much but retain the good family-dog qualities of the Golden - and the smarts of the Poodle. Weird, I know...

 

[Dar]

Yes Husky's do like to run and the fur is unbelievable...

BUT...

Mine was great with my kids... did not bark alot, if ever... when she barked we knew there was a serious issue..and she was great with the chickens. She is now buried under the tree next to the coop so she can watch over her babies... when we first got the chickens we trained her to think they were babies... just like when there was a human baby in the house so over time she associated the word baby with being gentle

Tala was not pure Husky she was a Malamute Husky cross