Still Trying To Choose A Breed

[EdmundH]

With such a young family, if really do want a dog at this time I would recommend a low maintenance breed, robust, Medium sized, short haired.

foxie, miniature bully, basenji, staffy, types even a boxer, they are great with kids.

You have enough to do now without having to fuss & preen over a long haired shedder.

[Kavik]

With such a young family, if really do want a dog at this time I would recommend a low maintenance breed, robust, Medium sized, short haired.

foxie, miniature bully, basenji, staffy, types even a boxer, they are great with kids.

You have enough to do now without having to fuss & preen over a long haired shedder.

I don't know that I would call a Basenji low maintenance, from everything I have read they are not an easy dog to keep.

[Alyosha]

Schipperke? Japanese Spitz? Or Tibetan Spaniel?

[EdmundH]

With such a young family, if really do want a dog at this time I would recommend a low maintenance breed, robust, Medium sized, short haired.

foxie, miniature bully, basenji, staffy, types even a boxer, they are great with kids.

You have enough to do now without having to fuss & preen over a long haired shedder.

I don't know that I would call a Basenji low maintenance, from everything I have read they are not an easy dog to keep.

What have you read?

Those I know with the breed swear by them.

Edited February 21, 2013 by EdmundH

[Kavik]

I talk to the people at the Basenji stall every time I am at the Pet Expo or other places and they say they are difficult to train, are independent, can climb fences, and while they don't bark they make other strange noises. I think they are gorgeous so I always ask about them :)

[YOLO]

With very young children a larger breed is a good option.A toddler/young child can fall on a small pup or dog and easily hurt or injure them.

Have you considered an older pup or adult dog that has had some training and has already been around young kids.?

My autistic son was 3 when we adopted a 10 month old Wolfhound x who was great with kids, very gentle.My son fell on her a few times and it didn't bother her one bit.

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I did a dog breed selection quiz with, good with young kids, large yard acreage ,good with other pets/animals and it came up with.

English Pointers,G S Pointer, Labrador, Curly coated retriever,

Agreed. Avoid smaller breeds that might be injured or feel threatened by boisterous children.

GSP's are great dogs, but require a lot of exercise. Also the one we had was inclined to be extremely excitable and would nip at the younger kids to keep them in line.

Can I emphasise that above all else you need to look for TEMPERAMENT. We had a "designer" mongrel Poodle cross. It was cute as a button, didn't shed, etc, but it turned out to have severe behavioural problems.

[ness]

Not all show line BCs are super full on dogs. I know some that have relatively low exercise needs and are much more laid back then other lines.

[Simply Grand]

With such a young family, if really do want a dog at this time I would recommend a low maintenance breed, robust, Medium sized, short haired.

foxie, miniature bully, basenji, staffy, types even a boxer, they are great with kids.

You have enough to do now without having to fuss & preen over a long haired shedder.

I don't think the collie and spitz breeds mentioned would actually need a whole lot of fussing & preening over, I believe a quick brush a couple of times a week would be fine except when they are dropping coat once or twice a year, when yes lots of brushing and lots of fur would be involved!

From the sounds of it an appropriately selected BC could actually be quite a good match for your family.

[Purdie]

Would a Nova Scotia Duck Toller be suited here, are they as active as a Border Collie,,They are such pretty dogs ! !

[dancinbcs]

With such a young family, if really do want a dog at this time I would recommend a low maintenance breed, robust, Medium sized, short haired.

foxie, miniature bully, basenji, staffy, types even a boxer, they are great with kids.

You have enough to do now without having to fuss & preen over a long haired shedder.

I wouldn't recommend any of those breeds with several young kids. They are all boisterous high energy breeds that will be very mouthy as puppies and have strong jaws. For little kids a carefully selected gundog or working dog is a better option as most are not hard mouthed (with the exception of cattle dog breeds) and are very easy to train which is important for a busy Mum.

[Sayreovi]

Would a Nova Scotia Duck Toller be suited here, are they as active as a Border Collie,,They are such pretty dogs ! !

They are very pretty, but are pretty full on and are just as active and intelligent as Borders. Sounds like the OP wants a quieter more relaxed dog. Couldn't think of anything worse than 4 kids so young and a Toller puppy, they generally aren't an easy pup/young adult. :)

[Solo pup]

Wow thanks for all the info every one.

I am worried about the kids hurting a small dog but also worried about a larger dog doing the same thing to the kids.

My GSD knocks the kids flying at times. But I love him still.

I need a dog that I can take out to the park or to the beach with the kids. And one i can do sport with.

I would love for the kids to be able to hold the dogs leash and help with training there dog. This is something they can not do with our GSD.

They loved Cara our border collie and she was great with them.

I will have a look at some of the breeds mentioned.

[WoofnHoof]

Living in the country doesn't mean enless space to run around unless you are also keen on endless fencing, dogs in the country need to be contained just as much as dogs in town. You can have a bigger yard as long as your budget stretches to fencing it, normal farm fencing wont contain most dogs.

[Dogsfevr]

I talk to the people at the Basenji stall every time I am at the Pet Expo or other places and they say they are difficult to train, are independent, can climb fences, and while they don't bark they make other strange noises. I think they are gorgeous so I always ask about them :)

I have very good friends that breed/show Basenjis & yes whilst they are smitten with the breed they are very open about the difficulties living with them & there pitfalls .

I wouldn't recommend the breed to just anyone unless they are truly committed to the breed needs & being committed to good rules/boundries & the spitz nature which is often stronger in this breed than other spitz.

So the OP needs a breed that is suitable with young kids & also going to get on with the GSD & be a sports dog .

I still say BC or Aussie.

[FalconRange]

Wow thanks for all the info every one.

I am worried about the kids hurting a small dog but also worried about a larger dog doing the same thing to the kids.

My GSD knocks the kids flying at times. But I love him still.

I need a dog that I can take out to the park or to the beach with the kids. And one i can do sport with.

I would love for the kids to be able to hold the dogs leash and help with training there dog. This is something they can not do with our GSD.

They loved Cara our border collie and she was great with them.

I will have a look at some of the breeds mentioned.

Maybe talking to some breeders and asking if they have a mature BC that might be suitable might be one option? As soon as mine hit two, he became very settled and stopped acting like a destructive cyclone!

Like most Borders I've known, he's happy enough to have a rest day or two without tearing the place apart, but equally happy to spend afternoons hanging out with the family and tear around after a ball.

A mature BC might meet your needs, especially one with a known stable temperament and good around kids.

Be careful with training and children though - they can undo your training very easily in the early stages by shouting a thousand commands at the dog within seconds, and expecting the dog to follow each command simultaneously! :)

[RallyValley]

It might be an idea to look into Brittanys too :)

They are medium sized dogs, similar to a BC, smaller then an Aussie. All the ones I have met are friendly with other dogs and people, especially kids. Being gundogs they have very soft mouths and are intelligent and biddable. Mine does not live with children but is great with them, she has been handled by young kids in junior handlers for showing and was willing to work for them despite being a typical 'mummy's girl'. Considering how few Brittanys are around they are numerically quite well represented in dog sports. My Brittany is exceptionally well laid back, they are generally more relaxed then some other gun dogs. They do need exercise, mine gets a walk most days and a few small training sessions a day to exercise her brain. If she does not get the walk or the exercise she will make her own fun by chewing on her toys or shredding any paper items left laying around :laugh:

The biggest 'con' with Britts as they do need good recall training. As once they switch into hunting mode they can forget their hearing.

[juice]

I have a neighbour with an aussie, lovely dog, very 'happy" smiley, loves everyone.

I had never met one before, but she is very easy they said ( they had a mastiff before), stays right next to them all the time and loves to play with oher dogs.

I think they make great family dogs, and are often overlooked.

I would go one any day over a BC , the ones i have met are snappy and nervous, and there ar lots around here.

[Dame Aussie]

I have to admit, Lili my Aussie is the easiest dog I've ever owned. She is soooo devoted to me, she has a group of about 5 people that are "hers" and she is all over them. Anyone else new and she's not interested, not aggressive at all, just doesn't care. Because of this, she is so easy to train, she just wants to please.

[BoxerB]

With such a young family, if really do want a dog at this time I would recommend a low maintenance breed, robust, Medium sized, short haired.

foxie, miniature bully, basenji, staffy, types even a boxer, they are great with kids.

You have enough to do now without having to fuss & preen over a long haired shedder.

I wouldn't recommend any of those breeds with several young kids. They are all boisterous high energy breeds that will be very mouthy as puppies and have strong jaws. For little kids a carefully selected gundog or working dog is a better option as most are not hard mouthed (with the exception of cattle dog breeds) and are very easy to train which is important for a busy Mum.

Completely disagree regarding Boxers.

I have 2 kids under 9, several nieces and nephews under 5, and even two under 1yr.

My pup is 6 months and is a delight around all of them. Never mouthy (as we trained him not to be), very gentle with them all, doesn't try and bowl them over nothing.

Go to the right breeder, and speak to them to them about temprament, and ask which of the puppies will suit your needs, and if the breed will suit your needs and you will be comfortable you've made an informed decision.

I had my heart set on a certain pup in the litter, and speaking repeatedly with my breeder, she quickly understood my situation and switched me to a pup that had the temprement that fitted in with us. The one i had chosen more on looks, was the most headstrong pup in the litter and she rightly swayed me away from him.

Chosen from the right breeder with the right training, i have no issue with any of those in the list.

[rajacadoo]

I talk to the people at the Basenji stall every time I am at the Pet Expo or other places and they say they are difficult to train, are independent, can climb fences, and while they don't bark they make other strange noises. I think they are gorgeous so I always ask about them :)

I have 6 Basenji's, and completely agree with Kavic... They are a medium sized breed, but that's about the only thing that would suit the OP with this breed... A difficult breed and not one to suit the OP...