How to Pick the Perfect Pooch for Your Kids

I have had Pugs, along with other breeds, all my life. I absolutely adore them!! They are funny, mischievous, loving and great with kids and other dogs!! They love nothing better than to curl up in your bed and snore gently in your ears at night. I highly recommend them as a breed for families, as long as that family is a responsible pet owner!! They do shed, but their short coats are easily maintained.
I also have Irish setters - a high maintenance dog, both in grooming and in energy, but also great with kids and other dogs and very loving and funny. But, they do need a home with a big yard or space to run fast and furiously to work off that excess energy.
The bottom line is, chose your dog carefully, and if at all possible, take a dog from rescue - they make GREAT pets!!!

Reply

I've had four Chihuahua/Chi. small mix 'adopted' angels, one that is 4 years old now, and a year old when I got him (apprx.). They have all been great. The one who has ME now, is his vet's favorite patient. Well behaved, social, calm, easily trained (I just talk to him!), etc. I do not recommend ANY dog or other animal around children at an early age, or children that are not well behaved themselves. Things can happen in a second. But don't consider a 'Purchased' dog from a breeder or especially a pet store. Pure bred dogs seem always so ill-adjusted/bad tempered/etc. There are far too many cast offs from every direction (individuals, breeders, etc.) and a mix is best.

Reply

Bassett Hounds ROCK!! They are So laid back and easy to get along with. They need daily exercise so they don't put too much weight on those short legs, but not a lot. LOVE my baby Hannah. Good with people and other dogs.

Reply

About 1 1/2 years ago our daughter brought home a mixed puppy she and the boyfriend had gotten together. I had said for a long time - no more dogs after our 12 yr old. Healer had to be put down,the heartbreak was too much! Well she has proved to be quite a winner!! She is a pug-minpin mix and is faithful to my daughter as the day is long,great with the little ones, and loves to walk every day. She is very smart,but does still chew certain things when she is bored~mainly her own bones and flannel blankets from her bed :( I never would've picked her for a family dog but now I can hardly see us without her,when my daughter moves out again we'll probably miss her alot !!

Reply

We have 3 Boston Terriers and one pug. Our 18-month old great grandson and the pug are best buddies. Pug will let the boy climb all over him, pull his curly tail, whatever. The Bostons will get up and move away, but the pug stays as long as the boy is playing with him.

Reply

Many of the dog breeds you have listed here have a very long list of very serious health issues. Pugs and Boston Terriers for example are prone to respiratory issues due to their comformtion such as elongated soft palate, stenotic nares, tracheal stenosis; are also prone to Pug encephalopathy which causes seizures; food and environmental allergies. They are also prone to obesity with its related diabetes, joint problems etc

Golden Retrievers are very likley to get cancer, hip dysplasia and heart disease

Bichons will almost always have allergies as well as most other little white dogs. They are also prone to bladder stones which require surgery to remove

Great Danes have a very short life expectancy 7 to 9 yrs, are prone to back, hip and knee problems and a condition called GDV where the stomach bloats and twists on itself, once this happens it is fatal unless surgically corrected.

So before you recommend these dogs for their personality be sure to due your research. Poor breeding has resulted in a myriad of diseases and health problems especially the popular breeds. Think before you pick the cute one and ask your breeder about OFA, CERF, ECHO etc tests that should be done on any dog intended for bredding to help reduce the prevalance of these conditions

Sorry to be a downer but you have to tell the bad with the good

Reply

Pretty good article; researching breeds is very important. It's just as important, though, to do your research on breeders-- DO NOT just go to a pet store (and support puppy mills) or pick a random puppy out of the newspaper classifieds, no matter how easy or convenient it is. Look for a responsible breeder who does health tests on their breeding stock and cares about breeding healthy puppies, not just making $$$.

Also, for those who don't want a "mutt from the pound"-- I will say that based on my experience, adopting an adult dog--especially from a Rescue organization--is a LOT easier than getting a brand new puppy. They usually come already housebroken, fixed, vaccinated, and taught basic house manners. Also, rescues who foster dogs will know all about each dog's temperament, so they can match them up with the right families. There are rescues for purebreds as well as mutts. Just check out Petfinder.com and you can find pretty much any breed or mix in existence.

Reply

I should amend my comment a bit about only getting dogs from shelters or rescues. Please realize that shelters and rescues are overflowing because dogs are overbred. That includes the very rare breeder who is dedicated to the craft--the point is, sorry to be so forward, they want to make MONEY! Especially in this economy and with the boom of mixed breed toy dogs, backyard breeders and puppy mills are flourishing and churning out dogs to stores (never, ever enter one of those friendly little puppy stores no matter what promises those folks make) and advertise online (which makes it look marginally better than an ad in the paper. The point is, there are more dogs than owners and if a Breeder is really, truly here for the best interest of the dogs, then they wouldn't breed or breed only once or sparingly to keep the bloodline alive. Problem is, and I can't say I blame the breeders for wanting to make money, making a couple thousand off a litter is just too easy. Again, petfinder.com is such a comprehensive site you can search by breed, size, sex and location near you--even if you don't want to adopt, check it out and then realize the hundreds of dogs near you that need a home. That's why I just can't believe that a Breeder is really, truly acting in the canine worlds best interest no matter how nice they are or how loving a home their own breeding dogs have. Save a dog...save a cat...there are even puppies that need homes if that is the reasoning for buying/raising. It's not a guilt trip, just one of those things that is a now-you-know situation. It's hard to justify breeding in the face of the reality of dogs in desperate need.

Reply

BOXERS, HELLO!!!!! One of the best dogs ever. Lovable, loyal, very kid friendly, sweet as can be! Also, every breed has a rescue, the puppy mills have to be stopped and breeders as well until the thousands of homeless dogs are placed. Money, Money, Money, is that all anyone cares about! These poor animals are suffereing, please go to a shelter, rescue and yes Petfinder.com, you will find any dog/cat that you could desire....

Reply

I have a pug and she is a wonderful pet. But just because they have very short hair does not mean it is easy to maintain...pugs shed an incredible amount and it is the kind of hair that manages to "weave" into your clothes. She is a wonderful companion and brings much joy to our family, but people do need to be aware of the shedding.

Reply

Good article but I can't believe you didn't mention sheading, a very important consideration, just ask any one with a golden.

Reply

Granted, I'm echoing comments from other people, but 1) Poodles have a "reputation as dumb"? They have a "foo-foo" reputation, not a "dumb" reputation. And in fact they're usually ranked as the second smartest dog breed, behind the Border Collie. 2) Golden Retrievers are NOT the most popular dog in America, Labrador Retrievers have held that spot for many years now. Even the TINIEST bit of research spotlights that fact.

Reply

I've had 7 Boston Terrier's, 2 Boxer's, 2 Pug's, 2 Chihuahua's and several mixed mutts including one mixed Boxer/Pitt Bull in my lifetime and all were wonderful family pets and great with young children. Because of my age I now have the last two dogs I will ever share a life with. They are a Boston and a Pug. Both very loving, playful funny dogs as all my other's have been. I will say Boston's have been the smartest dog's over all and by that I don't mean the other breeds were dumb at all but the Boston's just seem to learn so easily it's amazing. I had one that had to stay overnight at a vets once and the vet wanted to buy him because he was so amazed at his intelligence. He said he was almost human like in his understanding of words and he really did understand everything you said to him. Boston's and Pug's are natural babysitters. They won't let a baby get into anything without letting you know. My Pug will not leave my young granddaughter's side when she stays with me, night or day no matter how many days she is here. He is her protector. She is a child and he knows she has to be watched at all times and he has done this for almost 6 years now all on his own. Dogs are a wonderful gift from God and I highly reccommend all the breeds I have mentioned above for any family.

Reply

on a list of dog intelligence....the border collie ranks first, then the poodle and third german shepherd.......i have a standard poodle puppy, 9 months old and i guarantee she is smart....they are most loyal family dogs and extremely protective....i also have a pekinese....they are great pals...and a great comfort to me...

my last dog, was 3/4 border collie and 1/4 german shepherd...she died at the age of 16 and she was the smartest dog i ever owned....i even had her trained to pee on command....she never failed..i could practically show her something once and she never forgot it.....the easiest dog i ever had to train...and so very full of love and devotion...

Reply

don't forget the german shepard, you will never find a more loyal dog, they are protective of their family, they are very loving

Reply

BRAVO! You hit the nail on the head! The author only highlighted the positive aspects of the breeds mentioned. Every breed has its downsides, which depending on the family (and their financial resources) may outweigh the 'cuteness' or 'fad' factors. Too many rescues are inundated with individuals who developed the illnesses associated with their breed given up because the owner/s can't affort the surgical fix. And don't get me started on bloat where distraught owners just found it too inconvenient to feed small multiple meals or restrict water drinking unless they were there to monitor intake, or worse, a small woman with a large breed dog who could've afforded surgery, but was unable to get her collapsed 150 lb dog into the car to rush to the vet.

Reply