What kind of puppy would you get for a 7 year old boy?

[melodie_a]

Quote:
Actually rescue dogs come in all ages from newborn to seniors. Ours was right at 6 weeks old when we came home with him so any behavorial problems that he has can be credited to us. Our shelter often has momma dogs that are pregnant who stay in foster homes until puppies are born and then the puppies are adopted out not all rescues have behavioural problems either. If you work with a rescue that has a good screening program and really works with their dogs then they are going to know what the dogs personality is and they are going to make sure that it fits your family. The whole object is to place the right dog with the right owner so that the dog has a family for life.

My problem with beagles is that they are often very loud and some close neighbors are not big fans of that. Maybe it is just the beagles that I have known but they have all been crazy hyper until they got older, but that has been the dogs of friends because I have never owned one myself. My husband did when he was a kid though and he loved her but they did have problems with her howling every time she heard a siren in the distance.

 

[maizey]

arroooroooorooo! Is part of the beagle charm. Just goes to show you that its not really fair to ask for a specific breed. People are loyal to what they love and its often a matter of temperment, training and personality over breed. Clearly, I HAD THE BEST BEAGLE EVER and I am beagly biased..

cant help it.. beagles are best...followed closely by min schnauzers (one is sharing pop corn with me as I type) People are as loyal to their dogs as dogs are to their owners..good luck OP!

 

[turney31]

I own a Beagle and have had to go get them miles away from home. They WILL follow their nose. They WILL look for any opportunity to escape your backyard. I do not recomend a beagle for a 7 year old. They are a broken heart waiting to happen. When your son is 12, there would be no better dog than a beagle. At that age your son would be responsible and fast enough to close doors and gates and old enough to catch them WHEN they run off.

I think a corgi would be good. What about a Basset hound? Lab cross? I agree to rescue, if you can. There are tons of pups at the shelters. Good luck with your search!

 

[True Grit]

Quote:
I love my collies and they're good older kids dogs so I agree with you Ewesheep. Of all my dogs probably the most fun kids dog would have been my mini schnauzer. NOT an outdoor dog however but since they don't shed they can sleep right in bed with their 7 yr old master, exactly where they belong.

You do need to buy clippers and keep them brushed or get them professionally done. Very loving little dog, fetch forever, had a little problem with marking though, come to think of it.

 

[EweSheep]

We had toddlers and infants around Collies, and have not had one too hyper....that would signify bad breeding going on. Collies nowadays are "air heads" or "bred the brains out of them". Not talking about ALL of them but it represents majority of the collie owners would say they are good family pets.

Labs, and Golden Rev are good but do your research because there were plenty of bad ones out there. Hyper is not the name of the breed but it's been more common...thanks to undevoted breeders who does not look at the sire's temperment along with everything else.

Corgis are high prey drive and very active. A neighbor has a beautiful kennel full of Corgis but they ARE high strung, high tracking and everything else. Good family dogs too.

A friend of mine raises and show Schnazers and they are very active, a little hyper dogs. They have grandkids and they were good to them but not recommended for rambatous kids.

One dog would not make a kid loving dog, it would be an exception for the breed not known for being kid or family friendly. Repeated numbers of the same breed can outweigh the chances of having an excellent family dog. We have raised over 50 collies and every ONE of them LOVES kids. We never had one came back to us as "un-kid-friendly" manner. We trained all puppies before they leave us, pulling the tails, playing with the ears and mouth, poking and pulling and examining them (that includes the privates), their paws and anything kids get into. We do not EVER want a collie to turn on a kid, and have not since then until my parents retired from showing and breeding collies. I was pretty young when my Mom had her first collie, a pet one bred by a farmer, and she was the sweetest thing!

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

Quote:
There are a couple of corgis

. The Pembrokes - red and white, no tail - are not a breed I'd recommend for a young child unless the parents are dog-savvy. They're quite high-drive. Lovely dogs if that's what you like, but there's a reason we don't own them.

Cardigans - lots of colors, get to keep their tails - are MUCH calmer and more sensible. They're super adaptable and they'll hang out all day if you want them to or go-go-go all day if you want them to. The two breeds are very dissimilar and, contrary to popular belief, have never been interbred.

Think of "corgi" like "retriever." It's just a description of the type of dog it is. Thankfully, they are very different dogs.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Many shelters have rescued pups. Please consider a mixed breed rescue. If you do choose a breed consider a rescue organization again, they often have puppies....

 

[redhen]

Cocker Spaniel :d

 

[windtryst]

Beagle...

 

[Beekissed]

I don't really consider a Lab a large dog....large is relative. A mastiff, Newfie, St. Bernard~LARGE. Lab~medium. Beagle~small. For sheer intelligence, loyalty, love to be loved and good with animals and children one cannot go wrong with a Lab.

An outside dog that has been well-socialized during visits in the home and out on the leash, travelling in the car, etc. can still be a well-behaved dog later on when it is let into the home from time living outside. Mine always were. I've been very spoiled by my labs with their intelligence and lightning fast learning curve, not to mention their need to please. Easy to train, easy care, hardy and loving. Labs get my vote all the way!