Dog good with small kids?

[lurkinglurker]

I wanted to just jump in and offer my experience with my goldendoodle puppy. She is now a year and a half and has taken *a lot* of work to be a well behaved dog with new people coming to the house. She is from the best breeder I could find in the state (did a lot of research into this) and I love her more than just about anything, but these dogs will take work! Based on our family experience, a lab is a lot "easier". I also wanted to chime in on their hair - I have a second generation goldendoodle (so she is 1/2 poodle and 1/2 goldendoodle). Her hair can look a thousand different ways, each taking different levels of maintenance. We''ve been keeping her really short for the summer, and her coat is pretty much maintenance free for now. She doesn''t shed at all and is great for my allergies, but again, she has a ton of energy and takes a lot of effort on our part to make sure she minds her manners! Although I will say she seems like the smartest dog we''ve ever had...possibly too smart for her own good. These pictures show the different ways you can keep their hair from highest to lowest maintenance.

 

[lurkinglurker]

very little maintenance hair.

 

[tenfour]

your dog is very adorable!!
but i want to point out that registered breeders do not breed two different dogs together regardless of the ''quality''. they typically breed for money and not to improve a particular breed. here is a link to a great article about how backyard breeders can be identified.



http://home.comcast.net/~NoPuppyMillsVA/What_is_a_Backyard_Breeder_/what_is_a_backyard_breeder_.html

 

[lurkinglurker]

Thanks Tenfour! Not sure if your information was directed at "doodles" (I know they tend to be somewhat controversial) or just information in general.

I agree one should be very careful in purchasing a dog from whatever source (and that rescue organizations can be great to avoid the whole "buying" of an animal to begin with), but I disagree that you cannot find very reputable people (whether or not they are "registered" breeders for a specific recognized breed and no I''m not about to argue that these highly expensive "mutts" need to be recognized . There are good, knowledgeable people out there in every profession - it is often just a matter of taking the time to find them.

 

[Miranda]

Well, if a small dog is what you are looking for I won''t be much help. I love my huge dog. We have a Rhodesian Ridgeback and could never have asked for a better dog. He is patient with the kids, doesn''t stink, doesn''t shed, and he rarely needs a bath. He''s mellow yet he loves to do active things such as taking walks, jogs, and playing with other dogs. His manners are very good and he doesn''t jump up on people. He''s 9 now so we''re starting to think about getting another puppy. I''ve researched many breeds, but, I keep coming back to this breed. Here''s a tool I''ve used in the past when looking at cats and dogs.
http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselector.do

I would like to encourage you to look into larger dogs as well as smaller dogs. Bigger dogs just seem to be less snippy and more patient with kids.

 

[tenfour]

Date: 8/11/2008 4:11:09 PM
Author: lurkinglurker
Thanks Tenfour! Not sure if your information was directed at 'doodles' (I know they tend to be somewhat controversial) or just information in general.


I agree one should be very careful in purchasing a dog from whatever source (and that rescue organizations can be great to avoid the whole 'buying' of an animal to begin with), but I disagree that you cannot find very reputable people (whether or not they are 'registered' breeders for a specific recognized breed and no I'm not about to argue that these highly expensive 'mutts' need to be recognized . There are good, knowledgeable people out there in every profession - it is often just a matter of taking the time to find them.

it was just general information, although it does touch on 'designer mutts' and how they are usually nothing more than a commodity for their breeders. the hundreds of thousands of homeless dogs in north america need to be recognized. they are a much lower cost than an overpriced, expensive 'designer mutt'.

 

[AGBF]

lurkinglurker, your dog is seriously, dangerously adorable! What is her name? She looks like a stuffed animal...and being part Poodle and part Golden, of course she'd be a genius. You were asking for trouble!!! Congratulations!!!!



Deb

 

[ursulawrite]

If you''re after a small dog that''s excellent with kids, strangers, other dogs, cats, the vet, the car

there''s only one breed to consider, and that''s the Boston Terrier!

 

[Linda W]

Date: 8/11/2008 10:48:45 AM
Author: Rosebud8506
HAVANESE! This dog would be prefect in a house with little children. They are the most friendlist dogs IMO. That is one of the main reasons DH and I considered this breed. They are about 10 lbs on average, they are a non-shedding breed as well. My DH and I did not want to be cleaning and vacuuming up hair all the time. I would check into them! We don''t have little kiddies yet, but we have 5 nieces and they adore him. This dog has never once shown his teeth, or growled at anyone, let alone little children who tend to manhandle him at times

The downside, is that they are a bit pricier than the average kid-friendly dog, and you might have to do a little more research to try to locate a breeder, but so worth it

Here is a pic of our baby Bailey. He is seriously the sweetest dog.

Oh how I love this face

I just want to cuddle and smooch him.


Linda

 

[LuckyTexan]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!!!

I just wanted to add, that I had Puddin'' for almost 5 months when one day she just starting acting super violent.

We still don''t know what happened.

She was the runt of a litter of chocolate labs... and as mentioned by many here... we got her from some backyard breeders.

She was the sweetest little thing when we got her, and I trained her with a crate and she walked with me every night. She was great with my son. They played together everyday. She would follow me everywhere. She sat at the top of the stairs and looked out while I bathed the baby.

I started noticing one day that she was acting very strange, but then she attacked my elderly next door neighbor, and they threatened to take legal action, so we got her out of here before they could do something like force us to have her put down.

I miss her.

They are watching my husband pull weeds... this pic makes me cry.

 

[Deelight]

This is the online quiz I did and I found it really helpful, it was quite good and I found it helpful

Lurking I want to jump into the screen and cuddle your puppy OMG so cute

 

[Heidi137]

I think a miniature schnauzer would be a great choice. We have a ten year old mini and she has always been excellent with children. She''s just the right size..small (about 16 pounds) but not too fragile for children and no shedding. My dog was very easy to housebreak and has never been destructive. If I had small children, I would make sure to meet the parents of any pup I was considering to make sure they don''t have any obvious temperament issues.