Hi all

Just after a bit of advice really - I currently have 1 male Shar Pei of 4 years old, a human daughter of 3 and a human son of almost 1 years old.  Next Winter I am hoping to add another dog to the brood.  Although I adore our Shar Pei, after having 3 in the past I would now like to have something else.  My Pei is great with the kids but I wouldn't say as a whole they are particularly child friendly.  I wondered what everyone else would consider to be the most child friendly breeds?  Obviously whatever we choose would also have to fit in with our dog and in my experience he is better with dogs that are either much bigger than him or smaller, but the husband would prefer something bigger!  We are not opposed to a giant breed.

Thanks and look forward to your suggestions.

Nicky

great danes are brilliant around children given the correct training not to jump up etc... the only thing i would say about any giant breed is they are not aware of how big they are. they think they are the size of a yorkie, so tend to be clumsy and may accidently knock a child over.

Hi nic29,

A Samoyed is a very child friendly dog.
He needs a lot of human contact. The Sammie also responds very well to children.
They are very people dogs.
But! do your reseach, also buy one from a good breeder, check out the parents temprements.
The Samoyed Association will help you do this.
I personally, in my life time, have not met a nasty Sam.

Denese

The staffy is a well known child friendly breed - when sourced from a responsible breeder (as with any breed I guess).

Not sure a Staffy and a Shar-pei would be such a good combination though, with both tending to be intolerant of other dogs.

The Leonberger!
A large, friendly dog :)
Mine love the children, especially my 4 year old grand daughter who has grown up around them.
My 17 yr old has been snowball fighting with them, they love trying to catch the snowballs - you just have to be careful small children don't get knocked over! otherwise they really are child friendly dogs :)

Well bred and well socialised staffys are ok - same goes for any dog really.

A Bearded Collie for sure.  Mine adore kids.  They are exuberant, so like others have said, you need to be sure you can train the dog not to send the kids flying!  But temperament is to die for, and I have never met a nasty Beardie.

>We are not opposed to a giant breed.

I have a Mastiff. Major contributing factors to our decision about getting a Mastiff was how good they are with children and how good they are around other dogs (due to thier size you can't miss out training for this though).
I will also say that the down side of a giant breed around children is the fact that they can be clumsy, stepping on feet etc. My boys have been knocked over by the dog but it wasn't intentional, he's very long and as he truns around he doesn't tend to make allowences for the space his bum takes up!

A lovely big golden teddy Retriever, the only dangerous thing about them is the over waggy tail :)

Flat coat retriever, fantastic with everything. Full of live but very trainable. Dangers ... that licky tongue !!

>  lovely big golden teddy Retriever, the only dangerous thing about them is the over waggy tail

Second that, they do however have another problem, it is quite possible they could drown a young child in drool while saying hello to them :)

A Siberian Husky!  They love all humans equally, have plenty of energy and love to play games and could easily wear the children out. :-)

The best dog around children is a wellbred dog from a good breeder, with good tempered parents, and where the CHILDREN know how to behave around dogs. :) I.e it hinges far more on the upbringing of the pup and the kids, than the breed.

oh thank you - I guessed Goldies where going to come up - they would be on my list I think.  I love Great Dane's - are they any good with other dogs? 

Sorry Staffs are out as my Pei has had a couple of run ins with them and I fear we would hate one on sight.  Also I think Shar Pei can be a bit dominant/aggressive with any breeds that have this tendancy too.  He seems to get on fine with soppy dogs as I think they are no threat to him.  I would probably get a bitch this time so she could whip him into line...

yeh great danes are really good with other dogs but it really is all about early socialisation as with many other breeds.

Or pinch the bread when you go duck feeding ;)

hi i know this sounds biased because ive owned the 3 breeds but a lab is very good with children,gsd are not bad but can get possesive and at present i have 3yr old boxer bitch who adores children. although i consider the lab and boxer as great with children and other dogs becausse of their size and clumsieness care should be around small children. good luck with choice and let us know what u choose

> The best dog around children is a wellbred dog from a good breeder, with good tempered parents, and where the CHILDREN know how to behave around dogs. :-) I.e it hinges far more on the upbringing of the pup and the kids, than the breed.

My thoughts exactly Marianne :)

I have 2 gsds and a 2 year old son. my two dogs are the most polite, gentle and loyal friends to my son, especially my male - he stays with my son when were out on walks and is so careful not too knock him over and in the house loves his gentle cuddles with him- he even follows my son into every room and quietly lies down keeping a watchful eye over him! BUT my dogs are like that because they are well socialized, taught to be careful and gentle around children(when they are away from kids they are clumsy things lol) and the same goes for my son, he is not allowed to hassle the dogs and is very careful not to grab them or anything like that. Gsds can and will be over protective of young children if you let them be- i have no doubt that my two would protect all the family if needed- but ive taught them that everyone and everything is their friend to a certain extent. so i guess what im meaning is that it is how they are brought up and trained and socialized that matters, not necessarily the breed imo

i also have a gsd she is the most loving careful girl around my kids she loves every1 and is great with other dogs ,like qwerty said its all about respect ...bring your dogs up right and your dog will be very well around any1 and everything :)

MarianneB has said things perfectly a well trained dog and well trained children are the best way to go to ensure that there aren't any real problems.

i would disagree with you on the pei, my lot are great with kids, they just love them.
I also have a pug who is very good with my grandkids.

I have a gsd and had one before my second child was born.I agree they can be fantastic family pets, reason I got a flatti was partly because I felt our family needed a breed that everyone,friends and strangers would not be wary of ( I wasnt looking for a protection) I got so fed up of explaining to everyone that my gsd was fine just big and fierce looking and had abig bark if she wanted to use it. My flatti  fitted everything I could have wanted and as soon as we can have a second big dog I will have another one (sorry I think I went off topic a bit)I guess it also depends upon you personality. Good point Marianne you make though

I have a poodle and he is absolutely fantastic with children, although you would need to have the time to train and keep up the training as they are a very intelligant breed who could get bored easily
Also, labradors and golden retrievers are a family favourite. Collies too but need lots of time dedicted to exercise, again a very intelligant breed.

As others have said, any dog should be great with the family provided the children know how to behave around the pup/dog and the pup is well researched and bought from good breeders.
Well done for doing some research first. I suppose you need to take a look at the family and see how much time you have to give to the new dog & how would your shar pei react to it? How many walks/how long a walk can you give each day?  How mcuh space do you have?  All those sorts of things need to be considered before getting another dog.

Good luck

To be honest most people will be able to include their own breed, mine included, as I would say there are few if any child unfriendly breeds, only individual dogs that have had bad experiences, are unused to, or are untrained so able to hurt children.

Generally it is more a case of protecting the dog from being harmed or put off by children.

With you already having a dog dominant breed you really need to be looking at the breeds that get on well with their own kind, and preferably go for the opposite sex (bearing in mind birth control) to what you have so resident dog will accept it long term.

Sorry Staffs are out as my Pei has had a couple of run ins with them and I fear we would hate one on sight.  Also I think Shar Pei can be a bit dominant/aggressive with any breeds that have this tendancy too.  He seems to get on fine with soppy dogs as I think they are no threat to him.  I would probably get a bitch this time so she could whip him into line

I was thinking along those lines also.. but not wanting to be negative about the breed, but as you say I think Shar Pei`s  can be dog dominant.. so maybe best to go for a more easygoing large breed.

I was going to suggest a Boxer..(nothing better)  but some dogs have a problem with their over exuberance, and some Boxers can also be a little dog dominant...so not sure the combination would work.........nothing to say it wont though.

I think if you are amenable to large /giant breeds...some of the suggested would be fine... or what about a Vizsla.... they are nice easy going dogs also.

> The best dog around children is a wellbred dog from a good breeder, with good tempered parents, and where the CHILDREN know how to behave around dogs. :-) I.e it hinges far more on the upbringing of the pup and the kids, than the breed.

Think Marianne has summed it up to a T.   My breed - Large Munsterlanders - are known for being very good with children but then they aren't a breed for those who aren't willing to walk them in all weathers and stimulate their minds & bodies, and if you've got young kids I doubt they'd appreciate having to walk in adverse weather.

> or what about a Vizsla.... they are nice easy going dogs also.

Mmmmmmmmm  remember a Vizsla is an HPR breed and there are no show types & working types, all come from the same stock - so again, like my breed they need the stimulus to stop them becoming bored & destructive/naughty.

Gun dogs are a good idea, as most are "soft" mouthed.

I will stick to the statement that all dogs are good family pets, if they are from good parents and brought up well.

Surely it shouldnt matter if they are soft mouthed or not? They should be trained not to use it

> Surely it shouldnt matter if they are soft mouthed or not?

You are right of course, but it made me smile :)  So much easier to get the odd stray toy/sock/envelope/stick from my gundog than my mum's JR !!  My HWV will tend to bring me these things as gifts, the JR will grab it, kill it, and eat it before you can say boo ...

There are many great breeds to look at. What i think you do need to look at is size. As any large/giant breed which is good with children and also not known to be dominant over other dogs are going to be clumsy and not know the strength of their own bodies etc etc etc..
Giant breeds will need less exercise than that of a smaller dog as well.

My preference would actually be to look towards a retriever type breed. Labs and Goldies spring to mind, neither are very large dogs, most i meet are very easy going(again depends on how its been bred and raised) and all appear to be very good with children, especially if raised with them.

Another point i would think about is if you can get to Crufts and visit the Discover Dogs stand. Over 200 breeds for you to look, admire, touch and learn about.. Maybe worth considering. Even the Shar-pei stand may be able to assist in other breeds which work well with them.

Not my cup of tea as a breed but Border Terriers are fantastic family pets same with Minature schnauzers who are very pretty also.  Both easy to train. 

Mmmmmmmmm  remember a Vizsla is an HPR breed and there are no show types & working types, all come from the same stock - so again, like my breed they need the stimulus to stop them becoming bored & destructive/naughty

True, but as any breed if not exercised , they will become destructive.........but on the whole they make wonderful easy going family pets..

I would say whippets as a medium size, the ones i have met all seem to be great with children and other dogs and have such gentle natures, bigger...newfoundlands though i dont know if you have the time to groom one :-) i have always found them to be super sweet easy going gentle giants.

> but on the whole they make wonderful easy going family pets.. <IMG class=qButton title="Quote selected text" alt="Quote selected text" src="/images/mi_quote.gif">

hmmm my aunt has one, and i wouldnt describe her as easy going... shes a lovely dog, very friendly, but is constantly on the go, and bouncing. we joke shes been crossed with a kangaroo. she lives in a rural area, gets plenty of exercise, attends obedience classes and ringcraft and is used as a demonstration dog at a local puppy school, so plenty of mental and physical stimulus, but ive never seen her loook tired :)

my pei get on with most breeds, my sister has sheba's and they get on great, friends who have pei (some l breed) also have other breeds, ie Akita's, basset, setters, spins,parsons, crested, ozis, pugs, cairns, dachis & bull dog's english and french.
pei are very adaptable, your boy should get along with what ever breed you pick as long as they are introduced correctly and supervised to start with, its like bringing in any new puppy.

hmmm my aunt has one, and i wouldnt describe her as easy going... shes a lovely dog, very friendly, but is constantly on the go, and bouncing. we joke shes been crossed with a kangaroo. she lives in a rural area, gets plenty of exercise, attends obedience classes and ringcraft and is used as a demonstration dog at a local puppy school, so plenty of mental and physical stimulus, but ive never seen her loook tired 

Yes, I know one like that!!! I do think sometimes it is down to the individual dog or the lines !! next to my own breed the Vissi is the breed I spend most of my time with , I have quite a few friends who show and breed them,  and if you dont see me round the Boxer ring I will be round the Vissi.

Yes I agree that are high energy dogs, like most HPR breeds and a very  sensitive breed, but in the right home with people who are willing to exercise them correctly they are a very amenable dog to own.

Thinking of the top of my head,  14 dogs between 4 owners...  apart from 2... they all would settle into any normal household with the average stimulating walk......... yet the other two would fit your description perfectly LOL!!!  and they are both out of the same stud.....

Boy do those two ever stop....  different litters but the same Stud dog......and regarding him  , you know when he is around ... at shows he makes himself known, he never shuts up, and never sits still ..........

But I do agree with you,  they are a breed that needs to be placed in the right homes, but a wonderful fabulous breed to own... they love their families , they need to be with their peopel.

My friend has just donated one of her last litter to "dogs for the disabled" (is that the right term?) she is doing fabulously well , coming on a treat.

I must admit though I do have a soft spot for the wire haired!!!!!!!!!

> I must admit though I do have a soft spot for the wire haired!!!!!!!!!

A WHV won Friends For Life last year at Crufts.  Well worth a look if you want a great family dog...

Yes saw that.....  brought a tear to my eye..a lovely dog and well deserved win

Someone I knew had a shar pei , it  lived with a smooth collies , I was brought up a round Beardies  and smooths too . I think though which ever breed you have and you briing it up right and the kids have also been brought up well behaved as well then its a good combination  on both sides . My brother has 2 alsatians and a son , my sister had a alsatian and 2 daughters and because the kids respected the dogs  they respected the kids . However my sister had collies and because her son didnt respect the dog , the dog hated her son although he got on fine with everyone else .A choice only you can make and you know which breeds you love .

interesting thread.....I always say that I protect my dogs from children.  If the children are taught how to respect and be civil to animals in general life would be much better for all concerned.  Some adults would I am sure agree that some kids scare them!

> To be honest most people will be able to include their own breed, mine included, as I would say there are few if any child unfriendly breeds, only individual dogs that have had bad experiences, are unused to, or are untrained so able to hurt children.
>
> Generally it is more a case of protecting the dog from being harmed or put off by children.

I couldn't agree more with the above.

I have a breed which is wonderful with all ages however I wouldn't recommend them to parents, as children can be very cruel and I'd hate to see my favourite breed suffer.

I have Boxers and a Pug, and 4 children aged from 12 to 2 the Boxers are very good with all of them but can get exciteable and easily take the feet from under the 2 and 5 year olds without a watchful eye, the Pug is also excellent with them all and a lot smaller so clumsiness doesn't really bother, but again a well bred, well brought up dog should be fine with caring children brought up to respect animals whatever the age. :)

I dont think it would be the breed but how it was bred and brought up.  There are good and bad in every breed its just a question of finding a dog who's parents have good temperaments etc. 

its just a question of finding a dog who's parents have good temperaments etc

To me it's about finding a line that has good temperament not just parents. 
Many times I've seen good tempered parents but with an evil grandparent, which has come out in some of the pups as they grow. :(  That's why it's important to really know the dogs on a pedigree rather than just look at the names.

> evil grandparent

Do you really believe they are evil??

Our miniature schnauzers are brilliant with our kids.  They have the advantage of being a low-allergenic breed also, and as allergies (especially asthma) are on the increase among the young, it is an added advantage.  I don't have asthma, but get hayfever during late summer.  But I can't go anywhere near my friends golden without sneezing my head off.  Bichons and poodles are good for this reason too.  We loved the look and temperament of the minis, and are glad we chose this breed.  Training is a breeze and they are great little guard dogs.  Some people say they are too vocal, but believe me, they can be trained fairly easily to stop barking when you tell them.

Bedlingtons are also great with well-behaved children, as are almost any breed ;)  IMHO it's how the dog and the children are supervised and taught to behave that is what really matters ;)