Best dogs for babies

I'm becoming a SAHM and considering a dog, since I will finally have time to tend to its needs. I have 2 very young kids. What types of breeds would you recommend for a family with young kids AND it needs to be a "hair" dog- DH said he is allergic to fur. Also, where do you recommend getting a dog? NS Animal League? Could I find dogs already trained?

Re: Best dogs for babies

First thing I want to say is never believe ANY dog will be trained when they come to you. Never. Even if they ARE trained, odds are they will regress in a new home so you always need to expect (despite what is said) that a dog will need FULL training when it comes to your home. KWIM?

As for which breed, I am not sure what to recommend. Also know that any dog could pose an allergy risk, even if a dog that does not shed. Hopefully others can give you more info.

Best dogs for babies

Honestly for a family with small kids I would have to recommend a Golden or a Lab... but both of those shed... so maybe a Golden-doodle... but I'm not sure how people with allergies do with those dogs. My mini schanuzer doesn't shed and he was relatively easy to housebreak. People who are allergic to dogs don't react to him but everyone is different so you might want to have your DH meet a specific breed before committing to one.

As for the training, any dog is going to need some sort of training but an older dog might already have the housebreaking thing down. It's just not something I would expect with any dog since there will be an adjustment period when you bring them into your home.

Animal Planet's website might be a good place to start your search. They have a Dog Breed Selector which can help you narrow down your choices.

http://animal.discovery.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds.html

After they give you a few matches you can watch their Dogs 101 episodes right on the website. It'll give you a brief overview on what kind of environment they need, grooming needs, health, how easy they are to train and what kind of family they do best with. If you find a few you like then you can do some additional research before making your final decision.

After that I would suggest going to the AKC website and finding breeders in the area, let them know you're considering that breed of dog for your family and see if they will let you meet one of their dogs. Most responsible breeders will let you and answer any questions about the dog you have.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Re: Best dogs for babies

Best dogs for babies

Portuguese water dog the are considered Hypo allergenic great with kids (a friend had one as a therapy dog for his deaf daughter)

Re: Best dogs for babies

Message edited 4/24/2013 7:35:31 PM.

Re: Best dogs for babies

Thanks for all the wonderful info!!!

Best dogs for babies

Puppies are also a lot of work. Maybe consider adopting a slightly older dog. Ours was 2 when we got him so he was mostly out of the puppy phase but not completely and he took to training really well. We got him at the north shore animal league but we looked at the local pounds and such too.

Message edited 4/25/2013 1:31:46 PM.

Best dogs for babies

I would say a medium sized golden doodle (you need to get one that has hair not fur) or a wheaten would be kid friendly dogs. On the smaller side I love havanese. Most of these might be difficult to find in rescue without a LOT of patience (several months of searching). I love cavalier king charles spaniels and pugs for kids, but they are not hypoallergenic. I would also say you need an outgoing dog and I truly feel female dogs make better pets for kids.

As for training, yes you could find a dog that is housebroken and knows a few commands but the odds of finding a dog that will be fully trained is low. Plus a dog can be trained to a specific person or a specific household but once you put that dog in your house the dog has to learn it's place in your home. Dogs being pack animals makes them great pets but it also means that when you put a dog in a new pack it has to figure out it's new place. And depending on how much dog experience your family has, you all have to know how to raise your new dog right. Mixed signals and not being consistent with training can "untrain" the dog.

The best way would be to start off on the right foot with consultation from a trainer.

Re: Best dogs for babies

Most of what I would say has been said. I echo a lab/golden mix or a Portuguese water dog - I have had both and both are good with kids. I will say our Portie does have some jealousy issues with babies - she never ever ever takes it out on the kid but just gets very needy for attention when babies are around. However, she is great with toddlers and older kids. My stepbrother is 6 now but when he was a toddler the Portie would jump into his crib when he cried to soothe him and I had a Golden from birth, he was the most amazing dog ever.

We currently have a Beagle/Boston Terrier mix. He does shed so no good for allergies but we adopted him when he was 1 and though we had to teach him his manners (sit, stay, come, etc), he was completely housebroken somehow when we got him! Until getting the stomach flu this month he had never had an accident in our house or any other home we took him to. He is also absolutely fantastic with kids, and he learned his commands SO quickly it was insane. A new command took him about 3 tries to master.

Any dog can be good with kids, it's more about the family and how they are trained. And dogs that are breeds that are 'traditionally' good with kids can sometimes not be. Just do some research, meet some dogs, and focus on the fit of the individual pup.

Good luck!

ETA: Personally I would NOT recommend a Wheaten. MY ILs have one and our old neighbors had two and all three were awful with kids. Not vicious but way too rambunctious and don't know their size/strength. ILs Wheaten has hurt DH's 7 year old niece by knocking her over more than once. She jumps and barks, despite having worked with a trainer many times. They have sweet dispositions but they are extremely strong-willed and high energy and in my experience don't calm down until they are 4+ years old. Our mix-breed sometimes stands between me and the Wheaten, or DH's niece and the Wheaten, to protect us. Even HE thinks she's a bit cray cray

Message edited 4/27/2013 10:37:59 AM.

Best dogs for babies

Check out Chatham Hill Retrievers! We have a black one. He does shed a little but doesn't bother my allergies at all. He's half spaniel and half retriever. He loves his baby brother too.

Message edited 4/27/2013 12:16:41 PM.

Best dogs for babies

See now I have had nothing but great experiences with all the wheatens I have known (about 5 both, from neighbors and professionally). They are about 1/3 the size of a golden or a lab. They are light on their feet and their temperaments are very sweet. They have enough energy to keep up with children and they are known to have a get along attitude, always up for a good time. They are probably one of the easiest of all the terriers because they don't have that typical terrier mentality, and they have hair not fur.

I find goldens and labs to have great and even temperaments, but they are pretty big and easily knock kids over. I woudn't get a golden or a lab for a house with very young children, just because of the size difference. I don't know too many of them that are aware of their body size. They are bull in a china shop kind of dogs at least the first 2-3 years. My moms lab didn't calm down until he was almost 7. They can either be real couch potatos or super sporting. Several that I knew were so super focused on retrieving, to the point of getting annoying. I have raised about 10 goldens and labs full time and have had probably another 15 come in for boarding. They were all a ton of work the first 2-4 years. Very smart, but a whole lot of work. Not likely to bite but very likely to bowl a small kid over. Also almost ever golden I have known has died from cancer before 9-10 years old :o( Although 3 of them came from the same breeder. Stunning dogs, but terrible cancer in the lines.

Best dogs for babies

I have a golden doodle - she is generation f1b meaning her dad was a goldendoodle and her mom was a poodle. She's more poodle than golden and is very low shed. that being said, my mother in law is still allergic to her. My Maggie is amazing with my son. knock on wood, we have never had any issues. as far as temperament goes (for any dog), make she sure you meet the parents to see what their temperament is like.... Maggie was crazy her 1st year, but now she's going on 4 and is pretty mellow

Message edited 4/28/2013 8:57:11 PM.

Re: Best dogs for babies

Schnauzer but you compromise cuteness LOL