Dog owners?

[Jchihuahua]

I have a staffy, a GSD and a chihuahua and my staffy is the perfect pet really. He behaves well and is amazing with the kids.

 

[Rosie06]

we have a cavalier king charles and so do my parents they are very easily trained, people dogs lovely little lap dogs dont take up to much space lol both are fantastic with kids and are amazing with our baby girl she crawls all over them pulls there hair and they dont flinch however i have to agree with what others have ssaid any dog can turn and with most dogs its how they are brought ip x

 

[MummyGooch]

I have a lurcher (he is mostly saluki x greyhound but has a little collie in there too) called Casper.
Having been used to collies, Casper is very different! My old collie needed alot of exercise and seemingly had endless energy. Would always be watching a waiting for signs that I might move, and then follow me everywhere in the house lol.
My collie was extremely smart and had a long list of tricks he performed perfectly. But like a typical collie it took alot of effort and training to get to that point.

But now I have Casper I have to say he is by far the better family dog. As with the greyhound 'type' he is excellent with all children, even babies. He won't bump into them, even as a puppy he was very aware of himself. He is very calm and is either eating or sleeping in the house, he has low exercise requirements. And as he came here as a puppy (to a household with a cat) he has no desire to chase small animals. He has an excellent recall, friendly with other dogs, strangers, animals etc.

I regularly see greyhounds or lurchers in rescue rehomed to families with young children, because naturally they are such people friendly and gentle dogs. No doubt there are exceptions due to upbringing though. They can be quite huge (greyhounds or depending on the lurcher mix) but they are very thin so curl up suprisingly small!

 

[OnErth&InHvn]

I have 3 labs and 1 beagle. Id go for a Lab if i could choose for a little kid/family.

We have Faith- Lab/Retriever/Shep mix (most calm of them)

Hope- Black Lab (will do ANYTHING for food, even steal it from the kids)

Elvin- Husky/Lab (hyper and goofy- not child friendly cause hell knock em down)

Opie- Beagle (small and playful but doesnt listen)

 

[Mummy2B21]

Any dog cannturn and become nasty regardless of breed. Ive had loads of rotties that were soft as s*** and then horrible labs. We use to rescue dogs

As long as the dog is rasied correctly it doesnt matter what breed it is

I am aware of this, but wasn't asking what dog doesn't turn as that would be stupid.
The reason I don't want a torturing yet is I'm after a smaller dog x

 

[Mummy2B21]

we have an english bulldog and she loves her cuddles and is great around children.. but she is VERY hyper (shes 6 months), she always jumps up, runs around and she is very strong (* heavy )
but i wouldnt have it any other way, aslong as we walk her daily shes usually very sleepy with a half hour 'hyper mad dash' around the living room!

Oh dear I have heard this about English bulldogs, my friend has just got one and has said similar things. I think the English bulldog was what I was hoping for really but not too sure now as i can seeing it being alot of hard work and with hoping 4 children in the future we need a dog not as demanding.

Westie's seem quite calm, anyone know what they are like

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I know calm westies but I know they are a terrier at the end of the day so they will have terrier traits. My friends westie chews constantly despite being walked loads! He is a little barker too! They also need their hair groomed quite a bit x

If you want a dog who...

Is small, yet sturdy and tough -- not a delicate lapdog
Has a natural appearance
Needs only moderate exercise
Makes a keen watchdog
Doesn't shed too much
Is easier to handle, friendlier with strangers, more amenable to training, and more tolerant of other pets than most terriers are
A West Highland White Terrier may be right for you.

If you don't want to deal with...

The dynamic terrier temperament (see full description below)
Potential aggression toward other animals -- strong chasing instincts
Stubbornness
Digging holes
Barking
Regular brushing and clipping
A considerable number of potential health problems
A West Highland White Terrier may not be right for you.

 

[dizz]

I have a lurcher (he is mostly saluki x greyhound but has a little collie in there too) called Casper.
Having been used to collies, Casper is very different! My old collie needed alot of exercise and seemingly had endless energy. Would always be watching a waiting for signs that I might move, and then follow me everywhere in the house lol.
My collie was extremely smart and had a long list of tricks he performed perfectly. But like a typical collie it took alot of effort and training to get to that point.

But now I have Casper I have to say he is by far the better family dog. As with the greyhound 'type' he is excellent with all children, even babies. He won't bump into them, even as a puppy he was very aware of himself. He is very calm and is either eating or sleeping in the house, he has low exercise requirements. And as he came here as a puppy (to a household with a cat) he has no desire to chase small animals. He has an excellent recall, friendly with other dogs, strangers, animals etc.

I regularly see greyhounds or lurchers in rescue rehomed to families with young children, because naturally they are such people friendly and gentle dogs. No doubt there are exceptions due to upbringing though. They can be quite huge (greyhounds or depending on the lurcher mix) but they are very thin so curl up suprisingly small!

They might curl up small - but they're like expanding foam in that they fill all the space available given enough time!

My grey is tiny - she's only about an inch or so taller than a collie, and we've met at least one very large whippet that's almost the same size as her - but by heck she can't half hog the sofa and take up it all! She's not the typical hound temprament though - she's quite bouncy, very manic at times... a bit of a pain in the bum to be honest but I love her to bits anyway! Terrified of the cat though - who is most definitely the boss of the house - surprising considering just how long she raced for - she was more heavily institutionalised than a lot of ex-racers are.

I'd love a saluki - they're gorgeous - there's a gorgeous grey/saluki cross walks near here I'd take home with me if I could cos he's such a fab lad.

 

[fidgets mammy]

all breeds have certain traits or characteristics that can be pros and cons but its worth remembering every dog will have its own personality despite its breed. my gsd for instance, i dont think is clever(this morning she has rubbed her face in nettles!), she is very disobediant, doesnt always come back to me in recall, and is a right soft pudding if someone knocks at the door, she'll bark then lick them to death. and not all dogs are aggressive despite their reputation. gsds for instance people associate them with gaurd dogs but if brought up right are the most loving loyal dog you can get, theres a rottie im my street and she used to frighten the life out of me when she barked, and looked so scary, now im warming to her. at dog school i went to, there was a little terrier that would have savaged anythin that went near it. my other choice was a cavalier king charles, small cuddly and intelligent and apparently greta with kids.

What size what you thinking of? small medium or large? i have heard that salukis and greyhounds have a fab nature with kids despite their size. sometimes the bigger the dog the softer the nature. terriers have a tendencie of "little dog syndrome" and can be very yappy at people. shit zus are the in thing round here at the minute.

 

[Jemma_x]

We have a lab and a lab cross, they are both great with LO. They are big dogs so take up quite a bit of room and they shed hair like god knows what. We have to sweep and hoover at least once a day but i wouldnt change them for the world. They can be boistorus but LO adores both dogs and they adore him

 

[Lisa1981]

I've got 2 Boxers and love them to bits but they are hyper and require a lot of exercise. They have lovely natures though and are great with Cullen and my nephews. They seem to know that they can't be too rough round kids or old people. Lx

 

[Loui1001]

We have 2 labs and they are both brilliant with children, really chilled and gentle.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

I have a terrier cross. She is a rescue (we got her at 10 weeks old - she had been dumped on the side of the road at 7 weeks), we only know terrier from her beard and some of her habits.

She does chase strange cats (we have 3 and she is at the bottom of the pack with them), she will chase rabbits, deer, squirrels etc when off lead. She does currently have selective recall (she is about to turn 2) so we do have to be careful where we offlead walk her. She needs about an hours walk a day to keep her calm for the rest of the day.

HOWEVER, she is AMAZING with kids. My neighbour has 4, ranging from 10 to 9 months. They have kicked her, punched her, rode their bikes over her legs, pulled her ears, will take her toys and chews off her (seriously, we have to watch them as one is quite cruel to her) and all she does is lick them. She adores kids and understands they are young and she can't jump up on them. She keeps bringing the 9 month old her toys and bones.

She doesn't really chew much, but if she has (usually if we leave her a long time and she hasnt had a walk, i kinda figure if it was important to me i would have put it away) its been one or two things in the 2 years we have had her.

I would say though, look at your circumstances too. Are you able to get up in the night with a puppy to let them out to wee? It took 12 months to fully house train Piper. Are you in most of the time? Puppies can't be left longer than 2 hours initially. Are you able to walk the dog everyday? some are ok with 20 mins, some need 2 hours so be realistic with what you can do. Piper needs to be walked everyday, rain or shine, or she goes nuts. Can you handle a big dog that may pull on the lead until its trained not to? And the biggest thing that was a shock for me - they go through naughty phases! At 6 months, Piper started pushing it. Then again at 12 months, then 18 months and now again at 2 years. This will continue for another year at least. Most dogs go into Rescue between the ages of 6months - 3 years because of these phases (and they are hard, twice i nearly left her at the field yesterday!!).

Look at what you can honestly commit to with a dog. Cavs are good family pets if you cant spare too much time for walks etc. I would also consider an older rescue dog who is proven with kids. A lot of people are giving up dogs now becuase of work circumstances etc. A rescue doesnt necessarily mean untrustworthy.

 

[Twiglette]

We have a staffyx bitch and she is the softest dog you will ever meet. X

 

[sequeena]

I'd only recommend my breeds to experienced owners. If you're experienced and have a family they're perfect. I have a working line German Shepherd and a Mastiff.

 

[fidgets mammy]

ah welsh one emma, i cant believe someone did that to yr dog. i agree with what you have said about the time for them. back to my daft german shepherd-yesterday she escaped-again- and stuck her head in a load of nettles! her eyes awelled up as did her lips-honestly she looked a sorry state, after a panic phone call to vet, they said shed be fine and to keep an eye on her- she could hardly see and looked like shed benn in a boxing fight- she kept walking into things and looked sad but still wagged her tail at visitors and strangers walking past-she is just so loving no matter what-just not clever. she is much better today and her big brown eyes are back. dogs are harder than kids.

 

[Poppy7]

I have a Cocker Spaniel. She's very laid back for a spaniel, has her hyper times but is so fantastic with the children. She's only small and we keep her clipped short so that her hair doesn't shed everywhere. I'd recommend the breed to anyone.