Finding just the right dog for your family can be one of the most challenging things that pet owners face. When you have young children, you can not just go out and pick up any old dog. Not only do you have the issue of the dog potentially biting the child, but you also have to consider the fact that the child might harm the dog. Finding that perfect mix in a dog breed is the key to a happy healthy pet. Here are some things to consider when picking a dog breed for children:
First off, if you have very young kids, then you can pretty much eliminate the super tiny breeds. The reason for this is not only the fiesty nature of these little dog breeds, but primarily because of the risk of injury to the pet itself. Tiny dogs like Pomerianians and Yorkies are simply too fragile to be around little children that might pull, drop, or otherwise hurt them. Kids and tiny dogs just do not mix due to pet health alone.
Likewise, it is also a bad idea to get the very large dogs as well. Dogs such as Great Danes are simply so large that they are too risky to be around small kids. That is not to say that all Great Danes are dangerous to small children. It is just not the first choice of most people in spite of the generally docile demeanor that the breed shows.
Guard dog breeds such as pit bulls, German shepards, Dobermans, and the like are usually not the first choices of parents either. While some of these types of dogs are as safe as any, the potential for serious damage is there. That said, the guard type dogs are not the breeds of choice for a small child.
Another problem that you run into when picking a dog breed that will mix well with children are the hyper active breeds. Dogs that like to jump and are hyper in nature often do not mix well with younger children.
The ideal dog for a child is one with a docile nature, and enough size that the child will not harm them either. Some fine examples of these dog breeds include labs, golden retrievers, bulldogs, poodles, pugs, and cocker spaniels to name a few. Each of these dog breeds have shown themselves to be very safe, dependable breeds with children on the whole.
If you take your time and look around, you can find the perfect dog breed for your family and children. Consider each of the above points, and you will likely find a dog that is happy, loving, loyal, and a best friend to your children.
