Could someone advise me on the best breeds to consider if you have young children?  Our last rescue dog bit my daughter so a good temperament is my top priority.  We also have a cat.

Hi Guest :)

Why not join the forum?  It's simple and doesn't cost.  There are so many breeds of dog and a great many that will make ideal family pets and love children.  However, there are a lot of other considerations when picking a breed such as size, coat type, exercise needs, (the list is looooooong) that there are bound to be several things you'll want to ask or have clarified.

Hope you take the time to join, there's lots of advice available
Regards, Teri :)

a shitzu is a good breed for children,and they dont shed wich is always a good thing,and there small enough for children to walk!

There are good and bad in every breed.Iwould suggest you join and tell us a bit more about what you would like,your dog owning experience etc etc.
Once you have decided on a breed then I STRONGLY suggest you find a reputable breeder who knows the breed inside out and is willing to help and advise you.
Archer

Bichons are brilliant with children and they don't shed hair although they do need to go to the groomers every 8-10 weeks and don't like to be left home alone for long unless they have another dog with them.

STAFFODSHIRE BULL TERRIERS ARE EXELLENT WITH KIDS THEY ARE KNOWN AS THE NANNY DOG, I HAVE THREE KIDS 6,4,3 AND MY STAFFS ARE EXELLENT WITH THEM

Boxers are also typically good with children as are Basset Hounds (although the ears can be tempting to kids).  Any breed has it's good and bad dogs.  You may want to research quite a few breeds and see what 'matches' your household in more ways than just child friendly.  Do you need a dog that doesn't shed or do you have time for grooming?  Do you need a dog that doesn't need much exercise or are you able to exercise it everyday?  Do you need a dog that doesn't eat much or can you afford a bag of food a week?  Do you have time for obedience training or do you need a dog that's naturally laid back?

Most breeds are kid friendly, IF they are brought up and socialised well..... IF their natural breed instincts are understood, and, most importantly, IF THE KIDS ARE DOG FRIENDLY....

So many people expect a dog to put up with what in my eyes amounts to abuse, from their children, and unsurprisingly, some dogs react and warn kids off with a growl, a face, or a bite.

I would steer away from any dog small enough to be viewed as a toy, or large enough to knock a small child down just by pushing past him or her.

Other than that, take into consideration the breed characteristics (dont like being rounded up or nipped to move on, and dont feel confident about working a way around a herding dogs instincts> dont get a herding dog then, etc), and then find a breeder who breeds for good temperament, and make sure your pup is socialised and trained well and NOT used as a toy.

Em

I thought I'd give my 2 cents about Shelties, the ups and the downs.  The downs first...they are a herding breed and tend to herd things.  Some might nip at children as if they were sheep, I however, have never had a Sheltie nip or herd excessively.  My Shelties mostly just herd other dogs and have never herded or nipped at a person.  As far as kids go, that is the only bad thing about Shelties I can think of.  There are so many good things, I think.  They are an excellent size for kids, ranging from 13-16 technically, but many are bigger and many are smaller.  They're small enough to not knock kids down and can easily be taken on a walk by a child.  They're not so small either, that being stepped on, layed on, or tripped over will hurt them.  They're pretty hardy little dogs.  Their temperaments are very agreeable to having children.  They tend to be very patient and even-tempered.  Any of my 3 can be layed on, have their hair pulled or have a finger stuck in their nose (not that I regularly do these things ;-P), and at the most would move away from the person.  They can be very spunky and have spurts of playfulness, but are also very happy lying at your feet for hours.  They're also very easy to train and very receptive to their humans.  If you don't mind a little grooming, Shelties are definitely worth looking into.
 
Agreeing with Mr. Spock, Boxers also tend to be excellent with children, so they get my vote too, after Shelties of course  :-)

I have had two breeds living with my children and lots of others visiting, and it really does depend on your training the children and manageing things so that the dog always views the kids as a positive element in their lives.  In other words never let them be teased messed about with wehn wanting to rest.  Most dogs soon cotton onto the fact that kids will drop or sneak food to them behind their parents backs, and like to play, unfortunately with a puppy this can lead to problems as neither kids or pups have the self contorl needed to ensure games don't get too rough and out of control.  when kids lark about it often ends in teers with someone tripping or getting hit my accident.  A dog ahs teeth and clawss and accidents can occur more easily, especially as pups don't realise that they are faster and stronger than a child can take and are not as tough as a canine playmate.

Ny fiorst dog a herding, sensitive reactive breed was excelelnt with my toddler, but you had to watch out6 for when she had enough and was finding things too much or getting too wound up.  She learnt to ask for time out, as when I saw that she was getting unconfortable or over excited I would send her to another room.

My present breed although lively and capable of knocking a child over have a much more laid back attitude to life, and are not so highly reactive, so do not need quite the saqme treatment as did the first dog.  they tend to be a bit more forgiving, don't jump up too fast if trodden on etc, which did make things easier when the kids were very small.  On theother hand though they are so people orientated that when you have five they are all vying for attention so can be initially a bit overpowering, but I think as the kids have got older we have got a bit slacker with house rules re jumping up etc, and most visitiors are into dogs and inadvertently encourage them to be over effusive.

So in short any dog with a good temperament of any breed can be good with children if managed correctly.  Just as any dog no matter how laid back can bite a child if things are badly manghe4d an it has been pushed too far.  I always say to new puppy owners it is your responsibility to ensuer that the dog ne3ver feels pushed to use the only defence it has, it's teeth.  Once it has had to resort to this it will be more inclined to do use this method sooner, as it will have foudn it works, and who pays for the humans poor management???  T6he poor hapless dog. :(

yeh i agree with brainless,why the name by the way? you hear of so many dogs been pts through biting but as ive found a dog will ownley bite wen scared or trained to attak,ie a gaurd dog.there ownly scared coz they aint been socialized by there owners,or they aint been trained how to behave there like a child if you dont teach them rite from wrong then theyle do as they please and get out of hand!  so any breed is good as long as you have the time to train them,
sarah x