What Are The Best Dogs With Children?

November 9, 2008 by Richard Cross

Dogs make fantastic family pets, but it’s important to remember that they are not all are suitable for young children. While there are many factors that decide how a dog interacts with children the breed plays a major role and it’s important to pick the right one for your family. There are many breeds of dogs that are great with children though, so you’ll still have plenty of options when it comes to finding the best dog for your family.

First of all when researching the best dogs with children you need to think about the child’s safety. You don’t want to have a nervous or over-excitable dog around small children as there is always the chance of the child being scratched or even knocked over. This doesn’t mean that all big dogs are not right for families with small children however. Larger breeds can often be fantastic with children, especially dogs such as the Labrador or Golden Retriever.

You also need to think of the dogs safety and health. Smaller dogs always run the risk of being hurt or injured by overzealous child’s play. Bigger children may even fall onto and crush the small dog in extreme cases.

There are many dogs that can potentially be great with children, some small and some large. A few of the best dogs with children are:

Labrador Retriever
Golden Retriever
Collie
German Shepherd
Basset Hound
Beagle
Most mixed breeds

Choosing the right breed for your family is extremely important, but there are also many other factors involved that can affect the pets ability to interact with kids. Good obedience training is a must for any dog, but is especially important for a dog around small children. In fact, getting your children involved in the dogs training can be a great way to build up a relationship between the pet and kids.