Advice: What is the Best dog 4 family with kids?

bellabird

Trying new things!
Sep 23, 2007
2,216
2
It has been 3 years since our beloved English Bulldog passed away. We are ready for a new dog. What dog do you recommend for a family with two kids? Prefer a mellow, lovable dog, in medium to small that will be indoors. Thinking about: french bulldog, Whipet, Yorkie, Pug, Terrier, Jack Russel (not sure of name). On-line search was not successful for info. Please reply.
 
since i've only owned miniature schnauzers and westies, i'd recommend both. both of mine loveeee children. they ask for a lot of attention but if you have kids it's so much easier if they're willing to play with the dog and take him/her out for walks or to the park.
 
I'd look at the Frenchie,Pug or a Boston Terrier.
I would stay away from the Jack Russel! They are NOT a mellow dog and can be very hard to train as are most terriers(the Boston is a terrier only in name)
As Evolkatie said Westies are also very cute!
But I think alot is going to depend on how old your children are.
 
All of the dogs on your list are on the small side other than the Whippet. I've only had extended contact w/ Whippets and Jack Russells.....and that Jack Russell was IN-sane. Whippets are sweet....but I dunno around kids.

Our boxer is the best dang dog I've ever known and the other boxer parents I've met since we got him have proven to me that there is no need for us to look at another breed of dog EVER. He's patient, sweet, kind, and WORSHIPS our daughter (who's 11). When she and the bigger kids want to play he's very playful and exhuberant. When my 18 month old neice wants to pet him he stands very still w/ his head down as if to not scare her. And if no one is paying a lot of attention he finds a spot and curls up and goes to sleep.
 
I think it depends how old your kids are. Small dogs generally aren't recommended for younger children because they're a little more fragile than larger dogs.
 
What kind of a dog fits your lifestyle? A Jack Russell requires a great amount of play and exercise and mental stimulation or they go a bit stir-crazy and can be quite destructive.
 
I would actually suggest a more medium/larger sized dog than a smaller one. Some larger dog breeds actually tend to be more mellow and more tolerant of things such as ear-pulling and tail-pulling and other rough play than smaller dogs. My family has a german short-haired pointer (kinda looks like a smaller chocolate lab) and she is PERFECT :heart: When my brother was little he gave her hell, and she let him get away with everything. Only downside for a busy family would be that her breed needs a lot of outdoor exercise.

I've also heard that boxers are GREAT with kids. We almost got one because my dad grew up with one. They're so cute :yes:

Jack Russells are kinda crazy, in fact, many terriers can be high-strung. I would be a little apprehensive with getting a terrier unless it was unusually mellow.
 
I have 2 pugs & a pug/boston mix. My pugs are much mellower than my mix & smaller. So not sure if pure bred bostons are crazy like my mix. Our pugs are great with everyone, friendly & pretty mellow.
 
i have a whippet, she's very calm, gentle, and mellow. she loves to lay around. i don't have kids but as long as they're nice to her then she's fine. she'd love if they just petted her all day. they're on the small side of medium. stella weighs about 35 lbs. if you have any more questions about them, you can pm me :smile:.

a yorkie might be a bit small for kids. jack russell are quite active, so unless you're an active family i wouldn't suggest getting one. as someone said above, terriers can be hard to train.
 
My Boston is not to bad. He is quite the couch potato! He does get excited but really no more than any dog. He is more than happy to lay on the back of the couch in front of the window and watch the world go by. On average I think he only barks once a month. His worst flaw is socks(on your feet)he'll attack you, earning him the nickname "The Boston Terroist" from my dad, and dd knickers, we can't leave her door open.
Another good choice is a grayhound, they are bigger but they are a super lazy dog!!! We have had them on the farm because they are the best coyotee chasers out there, but other than that they just lay around and roll in the grass. We have had 4 now and everyone has been the same way. They do have a short life span though only like 8 years:sad:
One more is the English Cocker Spanial very different form the American and not as common as a breed. We just lost ours in Feb and he was the sweetest dog ever!
Go to Dogbreedinfo they have every breed on there and info on each from health problems to how much they should weigh.
I'll stop now, I could go on forever with different breeds!