What dog breed for a family?

[SilverPhoenix]

I agree with everyone urging you to adopt! There are so many wonderful dogs in shelters waiting for the right person for them. I've done a lot of foster care with animal rescue groups, and let me tell you I've never had a foster dog I didn't like, mutts and purebreds alike.

Almost any dog can be a wonderful companion and friend with proper training and socialization.

That said, along with the breeds Jamie_Dog_Trainer recommended you stay away from, I'm going to be honest and say that a herding dog may not be the right fit for you. They are absolutely wonderful dogs, I love them with all my heart and they're my favorites easily, but they do tend to nip children and can sometimes be too high maintenance or need more exercise than most families can provide. Herding dogs work for my household, but many of them are turned into shelters every year by families who are off-put by the constant, frenetic energy, and nipping habits. They're prone to fear biting because they're so sensitive, and they can become neurotic if not given enough stimulation, both physical and mental.

I'd advise you to do some reading about different dog breeds, and then go check out the shelter and PetFinder to see what you can find. Oftentimes mutts are absolutely stellar dogs. Also, don't adopt until you've observed the dog in multiple situations and gotten some time to see how they settle in your house. Most rescues and shelters offer a two week trial period, and while it's heartbreaking to give up a dog that's not right for you, it's better not to risk it if you see warning signs.

Good luck in your search! Let us know if you find a good dog for you. I've found this breed selector from AnimalPlanet is pretty accurate and thorough: http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselectorindex.do

 

[Anianna]

I'll parrot SilverPhoenix; it has also been our experience that herding dogs are more mouthy with children than other breeds. (I would say that it isn't nipping so much as mouthing, but to a young child teeth are teeth and even just mouthing can be scary and dangerous). It has really taken a lot of patience and training to get our German Shepherd to stop mouthing our kids, and a lot of that was training the children how to respond properly to the dog, which is more difficult with smaller children or children who tend to be timid around animals.

I would also recommend avoiding breeds that are generally more difficult to potty train, such as chihuahuas, at least if your daughter is very young and cannot be expected to help effectively with the potty training.

 

[reveriereptile]

My SIL has a golden retriever that she has had bred a couple times. Her dog and all the puppies were very friendly and loves attention. There is also a black male lab that lives down the road that comes over and loves to be pet. My SILs GR will usually grab a sock or whatever she can find to bring to you for attention cause she wants pet. I'm not a big fan on the looks of them. I'm more of a english bulldog type myself but after being around her dog and helping with the puppies they are definitely good with children. We have cousins and neighbors that come over that are all different ages and they love the GR. She was even a good enough dog that after she was done nursing her puppies the cats (old enough that they shouldn't be) would even be allowed by her to nurse. That was a sight to see the cats nursing on her when they were full grown. My FIL has a border collie that is a nice dog but she acts like she has an obsessive compulsive disorder. She acts like she is always being yelled out when she isn't and whenever someone starts up a car/four-wheeler she has to chase it or bite the camels, cats, birds, or anything she can find. I've seen her run over my MILs pekingese and bite her cause she didn't want her following along. She does bite the cows on the back of the heels. Part of her herding instinct. She isn't really to good with children and wasn't to good of a mother since she wanted to help get the cows in and would run over her puppies to get out the door instead of nursing them. So I definitely agree with Silver Phoenix about herding dogs. Definitely look up breeds that are good with children. Even if you are considering a mix try to figure out what breeds the mix is to give you a clue to the behavior. If you adopt ask the person you're adopting from if the dog has been checked for any behavioral problems. You might dog a image search and see what dogs you like the looks of and do a background check on the breed. Another thought is becareful with dogs that are very loyal to the family since they can have problems of becoming to overprotective and might try to bite someone visiting or walking by.

 

[Shannon33]

Well, I too wanted a great family dog, and I did a lot of research and talking to people about their experiences, including my vet and two different trainers. Dobermans came up several times. At the time, I was like "Really???" I kind of had an image in my head of this big bad scary dog. Well I did a lot of reading about them and even joined a few forums and my perception of them totally changed. Last year we went ahead and brought our Doberman into our lives and I could not be happier. Now I know some will say, "ok, that's ONE dog" but everyone I have ever talked to who has or has had one says the exact same thing.
My dog is by far the most sweet, loving, dog I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. They are nicknamed the "velco dog" and for good reason! They just want to love and be near you constantly. They are also VERY intelligent. In fact they are ranked 5 on the Intelligence of Dogs list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Intelligence_of_Dogs. This makes them highly trainable. Mine was a breeze to house train and to learn his other house manners.
I do not have children but he is SO gentle with my nieces. When my friend came over with her new baby he kept going up to her in her seat and ever so gently pulling her little booties of so he could lick her feet! lol
He is also very sweet with other animals, large and small. He loves the cats! We have a neighborhood turkey who sometimes wanders into my yard and he always goes up to her and licks her! lol , he doesn't even try to chase her, just licks her to death with his little tail wagging the whole time, she puts up with it, in fact I think she likes it lol.
They also shed VERY little and require no grooming. I know some people find them intimidating looking. Mine has his ears left natural, so they are floppy like a hounds and he just looks cute! It's also nice to know, that although gentle and sweet, this is breed that could and most likely would protect you if the need arose. They are also considered a medium sized dog and not terribly large.
If you want to go the adoption route there is some very good Doberman Rescues out there.
Besides plugging my own dog here, lol, I too agree with others who say there are some VERY nice dogs at shelters waiting for homes. This too takes away the puppy time which many of us know is NOT fun!

 

[dntd]

I think it doesn'tmatter what breed you must find the right dog with a good temperment, don't go for the cute one, the most outgoing or shy. Make sure they love food because training will be so easy. We gave a am cockerspainal(black ones do not turn like the yellow ones do) to my parent because they were 1ooking for a older dog(she was 2) and my dad had a heart attack so a well trained dog that wouldn't be too much work is what they wanted. My girl was easy to train as she loved food, my bischon hates treays and has been more pig headed and usually she tries to dominate me so I have to put her in her place. I am looking for a good guard do soon,I was hoping akita but that might change if i can find a well bred g shepard.

 

[SillyChicken]

Quote:
How many Cane Corsos have you worked with?

I ask because I have 5... and been involved with and working the breed over 10 years. I would agree not to recommend them for this family because they require space, an active family, and demand alot of attention and training, and someone with dominant dog experience. However, I disagree that they are prone to biting family or don't have the temperment for it.

All dog breeds have temperment and stability issues in one form or another. My advice would be to do alot of homework, think honestly about what kind of dog they will really have the time, money and patience for. They should honeslty consider their children, how they behaive in general and around animals and go from there.

 

[greyartist]

How old your daughter is should be a consideration. How active she is and how much "play" you want. If you all are busy doing stuff and don't want a demanding dog then I would suggest adopting a retired greyhound. I have 2 and most groups will let you try them in your home before committing to the adoption. They are very people oriented, sweet, and low maintenance, and they are already house trained. Mine lay on the couch all day. They are happy to see you when you come home and do fine with a short walk or small fenced yard. They are also refered to as velcro dogs, they like to be in the same room with you. Lots of good info at getagreyhound.com

Whatever you pick, please adopt from a group or shelter. Give a dog a second chance and they give so much more in return.

 

[Catstar68]

Wasn't it a pair of Cane Corsos that killed a woman in an apartment building hallway a couple of years ago, while she was putting her keys in her own door and they were setting out on a walk with their owner?

I've worked with thousands of dogs and any dog will bite if it has been abused, is frightened, unsocialized or has a screw loose due to bad genetics.

I've always had good labs.
With bulldogs you might as well start a vet fund for all the surgeries (ectopic cilia in eyes, elongated soft palate, stenotic nares....) and dermatologist appointments you'll need for it.
Dobies are nice but I've found many to be 'fear biters'....I have no idea why. They are adorable though....totally squee pic of the dobie and cat.
IMHO....get a nice mutt with a mix that looks like it might be devoid of a breed with a high prey drive (husky comes to mind...) and spend the time to socialize it and attend to it's psychological well-being everyday. If you do not have the time for this....get a nice cat.

Good luck on your search.

 

[Catstar68]

Quote:
Greyhounds are so sweet! All that I've met are super family dogs. You'd think they would need a ton of exercise but they really are couch potatoes!

 

[taraann81]

Quote:
I though they were presa canarios?

I would also stay away from Borzois and Basenjis. If you research these breeds their biggest fans will admit that some lines have a "mean" streak in them and Basenji's being somewhat primitive have been known to have un provoked attacks on family members. I know there are probably more "good" dogs than bad in all of these breeds people have said to "watch" out for.
But some breeds are more family friendly than others.

I vote Bullmastiff! Great with kids, natural protectors, stable temperaments and don't need a lot of exercise.

Plus who doesn't love a bully!! Look at that face.