Dogs good with kids

Can anyone give me any ideas of which dogs are good with children and also protective??

Thanx

 

You want the dog to be good with children AND protective? I don't see those two going hand in hand.

 

That's a hard question, since every dog is an individual, even within breeds. But my vote would have to be for a Great Dane. They love kids and are very gentle, yet their size alone is enough to keep almost anyone at bay! I'd say Boxer too, but they are not known for being particularly good watch or protection dogs. They love people too much. German Shepherds love their families to death, and will protect them to the death, but you have to be sure you get one from a breeder who breeds for solid temperament. There are some lines out there that are not stable. German Shepherds are also incredible protection dogs, as most of us here know. They'd put their lives on the line in an instant. Just make sure you don't get one from a fear biter, or timid line. Meet both parents and temperament test the puppies - so important!

 

oops maybe i didnt explain it properly. I meant a gentle friendly dog but when strangers are around kind of suspicious .If you understand.
sorry if you dont :wink:

 

maybe a great pyrenees?

 

I still say a Great Dane. They are good watch dogs, but not generally known to actually attack an intruder. Like I said, just the size alone is enough to keep any intruder away with half a brain! They are, however, very high maintenance dogs. Food, vet care, EVERYTHING is much more expensive with a dog this huge. That said, I wouldn't personally recommend a Great Pyrenees. I've seen too many that are not reliable around children, and had very questionable temperaments. Also, the grooming is unreal, and you'd have white hair everywhere. German Shepherds as I already said, are perfectly gentle with children, and fiercely protective of them and other family members if the need arises. They are also beautiful and extremely intelligent. What more could you ask for in a dog? They are also as devoted a dog as you can get, and will not as a rule wander from home. They were bred to protect, and that's just what they do.

 

What size of dog are you looking for? How much are you willing to spend each month on dog food, and how much time are you willing to spend training and excercising the dog.

Once you answer these questions you can narrow down breeds to best suit your family.

I personally own an AmStaff. She is VERY loyal and loves kids, but is the first one at the door when the bell rings.

Once you pick a breed really study the temperment. I know from experience that Chows and dalmations aren't the best dogs with children. But I have also seen a JRT bite a child. It all really depends on the size you choose and their history of temperment.

Good luck!!

 

My wife had an aussie shepherd puppy when her children were smaller...she says it loved those children to death (figuratively of course), and I know they're VERY wary of strangers until introduced and they realize they're no threat.

The only problem I can see is you need them at the puppy stage so they know that they're below the children in the family tree...Max (our recent addition) took a little while to understand that...a fair amount of growling and putting him down on his shoulders 'till he got the point.

Now he's very good w/ her youngest son (10 yrs) and even jumped up at his sister when she started playfighting with Caleb...not in a vicious way but more in a 'Hey...mess with him you mess with me' kinda way...

 

why not get a lab or golden retreiver? They are almost always very friendly with the kids and bark a lot when there is a stranger. But I think almost any dog that becomes apart of a family and knows the family is its pack, if someone were to come in and hurt one of them, the dog wouldn'T like it, even little chihuahuas would stand up for the kids in the family, granted they couldn't do much.

 

Heelers, though they would be good to be raised around older children. Their energy could be too much for a young child.

Labs are good, Great Danes are good, but their size alone could hurt a child accidentally.

The best dog, and I know it sounds funny, but Poodles are good companion and protection dogs. All the little poodles my grandmother had were the same. LOVED the family to death, but barked and were suspicious of strangers until they got to know them.

 

How about an Airedale Terrier or a Giant Shnauzer? They can be wonderful with children with early exposure and socialization. They are also known to be protective. There not to big but yet big enough to scare off strangers. I think Labs are to known for being friendly and most people are not afraid of them. I have a German Shepherd pup and she is already protective at four months old, yet she is oh so sweet with my children. I also have a Boxer/Lab mix and he has proven he will protect us. What about a mix breed? There are many options.

 

I also have a friend who has had a lab for about 3 years. He's a WONDERFUL dog. He was raised with their kids, when the children were about 4 years old, they got a puppy (Beu) at 10 weeks. He was raised with those kids, and one day about a year and a half ago he just snaped and bit the kid in the face! Not a nip, or a warning or fear bite, just walked up to little Justin (who was 6 at the time) who was playing nintendo with his twin brother. And looked at him in the face, growled and then bit!!!!! It was the wierdest thing. We were all there (includeing me and Granvel, my mother, and stepfather and sister!!!!) we were BBQ'n out back, and came in for a quick A/C refresher (it was hot!!!) We were all sitting in the living room watching and laughing at the kids. The dog was sleeping at the kitchen wall, and walked about 10 feet, looked th kid in the face, and started growling. Then before anyone could do anything, he lep on Justin with a clenched jaw on his face!!!!

The only explination we have for that wierd behavior was he was possessed!!!! He never bit again, and the funniest thing is that dog and Justin are best friends still to this day!!!

 

I'll have to say Rotti's on this one we own a 2 yr old rotti who loves my brothers and sister and protects our family at all times she knows when we are playing so if we play fight shes fine with it but she knows when someone is doing something they shouldnt when my brothers and sister fight and are actually hurting each other she kindu barks her head off to get our attention lol and it works!

 

I would have to ask how old are your children are and what accomidations you have for the dog. We have a pyranees/border collie cross which seems to give us the best of both breeds. Our chilren are 4 and 8 and I feel our dog would rather be hurt than cause them any harm. We have a house with a fenced back yard which is a must since he is about 60 pds. He is very intelligent and also protective without being mean, though being still a puppy he can be a little hyper and needs lots of toys and attention to keep him from chewing. Another dog that might be perfect would be a keeshond. They are well known for loyalty and protectiveness while still having an outgoing personality, but are not as well known as some breeds.

 

I would be wary of getting any herding breed if you have small children. It takes a lot of training with most of them to get them to not herd the kids and to not nip at them.

Something like a Pyr which is a flock guardian (rather than a herder) is a different story. I have heard they make wonderful companions for children and since they are supposed to protect their flock I would imagine they are protective.

I think they can also be a challenge to train, though, because of their independence. So I guess it depends how much time you want to put into the dog and how much dog experience you already have.

Also, all dogs are different. You may just want to head to the shelter and pick out an adult dog with a personality that fits in with your family.

 

Naturally, most of us are going to post OUR favorite breed, that's 'cause we love 'em. Having raised my children with mixed breeds and Black Labs and now having Pyrs with the grandchildren, as well as having a friend who breed, trained and showed Danes, I can say (from personal experience) that all of them were wonderful around children.

Retrievers and Mastiff breeds (Pyrs fall into this catagory) are known to be loving, gentle with children and protective of their families in a non-aggresive way. By non-aggressive, they will place themselves between their family and what they preceive to be danger and will NOT attack unless provoked to do so in defense.