So, you’ve decided that your family is ready to add a dog into the chaos! There’s plenty of love to go around and everyone has promised to do their bit! But how do you go about choosing the right breed? Large or small? Long haired or short? Do you and your family have the energy to look after dog with a high demand for exercise? And what about breeds with medical problems? And just like there is no “average family” there’s no “average dog” !
Sometimes it’s not always practical to go for the dog that’s currently “On trend” – after all, when that trend has been and gone and the world has moved its focus onto another “cute” breed, you’ll still have a dog to look after and love!
But remember, you don’t always have to go for a pure bred dog. There are thousands of cross breed puppies for sale, from both breeders and animal shelters.
Here we’ll take a look at some classic dog breeds that are renowned for their compatibility with families just like yours.
Bulldog
The great advantage of bulldogs? They’re sturdy, so they can take anything that rambunctious kids throw at them, while they’re not very energetic. End result? A dog that will put up with a lot. They’re also not picky about where they live, so both small homes and large houses are fine.
Beagle
Energetic and friendly, beagles are also sturdy and mostly child-proof, and your kids will wear out before they do. They also make good nannies that can help you herd the young ones at bed time, and have endearingly humorous habits, like howling, which can be very amusing in small doses.
Bull Terrier
Bull terriers are intelligent, energetic and friendly dogs that can take a lot of roughhousing while remaining calm. Particularly suited to large families, they don’t complain too much when manhandled by children. While they are energetic and require lots of play time, they will also help wear your kids out, and will return the favour by being very protective of them.
Collie
While its long coat is high maintenance, its tendency to herd your children may be useful, at least in their early years. Beyond that, collies love nothing more than to make their humans happy and in addition – there’s nothing you can’t teach a collie to do!
Labradors
One of the most popular breeds all around and one of the more popular breeds for service dogs. For a family, there’s hardly a better choice. Labradors love to please their humans, being playful, protective, loving, and reliable. Labs are a match for a family that needs a companion for outdoor activities, maybe has some small children and wants to make sure that their dog will go bananas when a stick or a Frisbee gets thrown.
Other great family dogs include:
Golden Retrievers
Standard Poodles (NOT toy poodles)
Irish Setters
Newfoundlands
Vizsla
Boxer
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Bichon Frise
Shih Tzu
Mixed Breeds
Do you have a dog? What is their breed?
I have a rottweiler and she is the best dog that I have ever had and she is so good with the grandkids!!
I have a Cockapoo. They are great with kids . We don’t have children but he is wonderful with my sister’s kids and also good with small animals
I have a husky cross and a blue/red heeler. They are two of the best dogs. Especially the heeler. He is so family orientated. The husky is more my puppy. He follows me “every where.”
ooo a Collie made the list 🙂 we have a cat right now but my youngest and my husband both have a huge love for dogs so the time will come to get a family dog so it is nice to know what our options are. Collie’s are one of my favorites 🙂
My dog is half daschound and half shih tzu but I have had collies and border collies, and black lab/border collie Mix, a blue healer/border collie Mix and also a Australian Kellie all of them very good dogs for kids and familys
I have a Shih Tzu and they say if you want a Shih Tzu it’s better to get it after you have kids because if you have one before kids they are very jealous and territorial. I can tell you this is really true because I’ve had 2 Shih Tzu’s and it’s very true !
I love animals. They are my whole heart. These are certainly some beautiful breeds, but in all honesty, breeds don’t matter to me. I’d rather rescue.