What dog breed for a family?

[bumpershoot]

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LOL, you're serious right?... it was NOT the CANE CORSO! Please read my post above and please stop giving me heart attacks people!!

give a person a chance to type!

 

[SillyChicken]

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LOL, you're serious right?... it was NOT the CANE CORSO! Please read my post above and please stop giving me heart attacks people!!

give a person a chance to type!

I'm sorry.... passions flaring up my typing fingers to full speed!!

 

[bumpershoot]

totally understandable!

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

PUG!! Pugs are great family dogs if you can deal with the shedding, as are Boxers (although they are hyper as young dogs, but they do eventually calm down) We currently have a Boxer, Chihuahua/rat terrier cross, and a basset/beagle mix. We HAD a Pug and I adored her but my DH was allergic to her hair and it was everywhere. We are currently searching high and low for a rescue Poodle or Poodle mix for our daughters, but most rescues wont adopt to families with kids EVEN though we are fosters for Pug Rescue and the SPCA, and we own a small dog.... go figure but be prepared for that if you do decide to adopt (which is all we do)

 

[NewHopePoultry]

I had a Doberman in the past and loved him, Sadly he was stoelen after having him only a few months.
I dont beleive the bad hype about breeds, and American Pit Bull Terriers are my favorite breed(had one as a kid),but due to our family household, one wouldnt work out for us.
Right now my daughter is very young,but we are already working on "petting" the doggies nicely.
I dont really like herding breeds, and it wouldnt be fair to one in my small house and yard.
My husband wants an English Bulldog,but they cost so much.

Ive looked into the breed things to see what breeds would work for my family,but I like hearing from actually owners as well.

 

[purr]

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I got my first dog when I was 6 mnths old and she was a rat terrier/beagle mix.She was the best dog ever. I rode on that dog ,slept on her , shared all of my snacks and some of hers with her. She was awesome and her name was Patches I had her till she passed away at 11.

 

[WallTenters]

I think the best family dog out there is actually the pit bull terriers. If you get a good shelter dog (there are TONS of them in this breed) or raise one from a puppy (still TONS of them in shelters everywhere). Their main problem is dog aggression, so you'll want to make sure the dog you pick out is friendly towards other dogs.

Other than that, they're awesome. Very smart and fun. They don't have near the health problems that so many other breeds have, and I've seen them as small as 30-35lbs, perfect for a small-ish home you're describing

. I love our labradors, but if I were to get another dog, I think it would be an APBT or a Staffordshire Terrier.

I also think it would be easier to get a pup that's around 6mo-1yr or so, already housebroken, from a shelter. That way you don't have to worry about housebreaking or leash training (if it's a good shelter, they should already be walking a dog that age on a leash daily). Additionally, a good shelter will do plenty of behavior tests for other dog aggression, etc, so you'll know about that all ahead of time.

If a bully is out of the question, well.. I just can't think of a better breed for your situation right now! Maybe a poodle, but only if you can find one over 2yrs, retrievers (which poodles are) can be a bit mouthy and chew up to about 2-2.5yrs. Otherwise, a poodle (without that sissy haircut please) is very sweet, and the medium sized ones aren't all that yappy. The toys can be annoying.

EDIT: Yes, I've had personal experience with all the breeds listed, except I've never owned a poodle, but have had several friends that did and have house-sit for poodle owners before.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

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The ONLY bad thing I can say about Pit Bulls is home owners insurance lol Alot of home owners insurance companies will drop you like a fly if you have certain breeds so be careful about that!

 

[Catstar68]

MomtoSyd&Emma :

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The ONLY bad thing I can say about Pit Bulls is home owners insurance lol Alot of home owners insurance companies will drop you like a fly if you have certain breeds so be careful about that!

Sorry on the breed mix-up. Take home message was though that any dog can be a biter and whatever breed one gets they have to have training. Some dogs have natural ability to perform a task and those natural gifts can be deadly if not managed properly.

Excellent point on the homeowners insurance. Some companies won't touch you if you have a 'problem' breed....whatever those might be according to their statistics. If you train your dog to be a protective family dog and it can back threats with size, fierceness and strength and a neighborhood kid runs through your backdoor following your kid in for kool aid......well then. That just opens a whole can of worms though.....maybe we best not go there.

My lab would bark (maybe) and then once you were in the door would escort you to the kitchen to show you where the biscuits were kept.

 

[brownlikewoah]

3 breeds came to my mind. First, handsdown, cavalier king charles. They are without a doubt the best dogs for children. I am a groomer and have encountered a lot of breeds and I've never had one dare to raise a lip at me. If anything my complaint about them is that they can be too big of babies, but they don't have an ounce of being aggressive or mean in them. Then, there are corgis. They are big shedders, but stay cute for their whole lives, and are a lot of fun. Technically they are working dogs, but honestly I think a lot of the herding behavior has been breed out of them, so they would be fine around kids. And last, Boston terriers, easy grooming, very smart, kind soul dogs.
Goldens may be an option too, but you would need to be careful, in the past few years the breed has really gone down hill, and temperment has gone out the window, a lot of them are now biters. If you go this route I would suggest finding a good breeder so you know a history of the parents.