Large dog with a toddler?

[neonalee]

Any experience? We promised DSD a dog once we settled from the move. I would like a large dog, around 100 lbs or more. I especially like bullmastifs. But based on what I see in the shelters we will probably be looking at around an 80 lb average. DS is 1. Anyone btdt?

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[lifeguard]

We have a german shephard mix - about 90lbs. She has been great with kids from the get go but we didn't have kids of our own until she was about 8 years old & had settled a fair bit. She has always been very tolerant of kids hanging all over her & pulling on her (no worries - we have still always watched her carefully with littles). With our nephew he learned to walk with an arm straight out in front of himself to push her out of the way. With ds she actually avoids him more than anything now but is extremely patient.

I don't think size plays into as much as temperament - & that is completely different than size. I would get a german shepherd mix in a heartbeat again - she's SO smart & very trainable but we can't deal with the shedding (I'm allergic) again.

[marinak1977]

I have 3 moderately sized dogs and a toddler, I would avoid a very rambunctious dog, so that it wouldn't knock your toddler over if excited, but otherwise a calmer large dog should be fine. As long as it's tolerant of little kids, and of course supervised until the kid can be trusted not to pull its tail or poke it in the eye.

[babygirlie]

good point.. dogs are really rambunctious for 2 years or more then they settle down. I have a  60 pound dog and she is well trained but getting very old. Dd has fallen on her a few times and i'm lucky she's a good dog because I fell on a dog the same size and age and got bit when I was little and this one was also trained in agriculture and around a lot of kids. Also keep in mind what you are going to be able to lift in 10-15 years when it gets too old to move on it's own to go potty. A lesson I learned from the dog that bit me. My grandma had to wrap a towel under her hips to lift her so she could get outside to use the bathroom :( or if you can lift the dog into the car by yourself. This dog would be hard for me to lift but I know I COULD do it in an emergency and I now have to help her into the car also if we go on a trip.

[thursday2]

<quote>I don't think size plays into as much as temperament</quote>

I agree with lifeguard.  We have a 60 lb Rottie mix (not the 100 lb-er you're looking at, but still...) and I grew up with 150-200 lb St. Bernard's.  I also have friends with 12 lb fancy breeds that are yappy, territorial, and nip like crazy.  My sweet girl simply sighs heavily and gets off the couch when LO tries to paw at her.  A dog over 2 may be your better bet (and easier to find at the shelter than puppies, usually) both because it will have outgrown puppy rambunctious-ness and also because a foster parent or shelter worker may be able to tell you about temperament.  In my completely biased, big-dog-loving opinion, big dogs have much more forbearance for toddlers, but I don't think that's just my bias talking - I think it's because a baby can't really hurt them save poking them in the eye.  A little dog has a legitimate fear of being squished to death by overeager hands.

[neonalee]

Thanks for the input, definitely do NOT want a puppy LOL or a highly energetic dog like a lab. We will probably get some mix from the shelter. We saw a lot yesterday and have also contacted a couple rescue groups.

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[AKislandgirl]

We have a lab and a golden retriever. Both are really mellow around our daughter. We've had them for a long time though- much longer then we've had kids!  In the puppy years our golden was pretty excited with life! (still is but now can contain herself!) She is the sweetest most tolerant kid friendly dog now though!

[Beltane]

Good for you for adopting a shelter pup! :)  You'll be fine.  We work with a local greyhound rescue group, so when DD was born we had seven (in a small cape) and planned a home birth.  I can't really speak to other breeds of dogs since greyhounds come 'trained' from the track, but I think having all the greys around has been a wonderful experience for DD.  They will eat her cookies or pretzels out of her hand if she doesn't eat them quick enough - lol.  She just turned one.  :)  Hope this helps.

[Beebsmom]

I think bigger dogs are PERFECT!  We actually have a pitbull and an American bulldog.  They are super easily excited...but they LOVE to rumble and tumble with my little guy. They let him crawl all over them and they are TOUGH...they can take the tail pulling and ear pulling.  I don't know what Aiden would do without them!

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

We had two German Shepherd Dogs when my DD was little - they were 8 when she was born (not littermates; just happened to be the same age). They were magnificent with her. The male was especially gentle - the female had the sweetest temperament I've ever seen in a female GSD but was exuberant even in her old age and we had to be careful she didn't crash into DD.

We are currently dog-less since they died (*sniff!*) and I am a bit cautious about getting a new dog because DS is a shrieker and extremely active - I think we will wait until he is a little bigger before we subject a new dog to his zest for life - that said my parents' Standard Poodle is great with him.

The only rule we had was that we never left the dogs alone with DD, even separately. I never for a moment thought that they would intentionally hurt her, but the unexpected can happen and I didn't want to take the chance of her hurting them and them reacting etc. I know some people are not as cautious and that's their right :)

We also had (have) two cats - all four animals slept in a small mud room and the dogs never hurt the cats. The cats, however, have both bitten DD on occasion (not hard; they were warning bites when she got too affectionate - but still). The dogs just gave me a pained look and walked away if DD loved on them a bit too much for their liking.

[neonalee]

Originally Posted by Beebsmom 

I think bigger dogs are PERFECT!  We actually have a pitbull and an American bulldog.  They are super easily excited...but they LOVE to rumble and tumble with my little guy. They let him crawl all over them and they are TOUGH...they can take the tail pulling and ear pulling.  I don't know what Aiden would do without them!

Thanks for sharing this. A huge percentage of the shelter dogs here (maybe anywhere?) are pits. We are hopefully going to see a pit mastiff (supposedly) mix reputed to be good with kids on Saturday at a rescue event. And my DS is named Aden

I've been wanting a dog for awhile but had expected to wait another year. But when it was decided DSD would move in with us we promised a dog. And since we all know I will end up being the one taking care of it....

Speaking of cats, I am truly amazed at my old and sadly dying cat. He has in the past put his teeth gently on me when he was tired of being petted but does absolutely nothing to DS no matter what! He really is the best pet I've ever had. I will miss him so much.

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[tooraloora]

We had an Old English sheepdog in the home when DD was a baby. He was, and is to this day (he lives with my roommate's parents now) a complete and total airhead (his trainer's words, actually). He's very lovable, but he's an oaf. He's always had a tendency to plow people down (including DD), and he's incredibly excitable. Also, his herding instinct was very strong when DD was learning to walk which caused a lot of frustration. He'd run circles around her to keep her on one single square of tile, which frustrated her to tears. He was a very difficult dog to deal with around young children. With older kids, he's great, because he will put up with almost anything and has lots of energy to tumble around with them, but there are unintentional tears here and there as he is a big oaf. He certainly has some great qualities, but with young kids a dog with his temperament I'd try to avoid.

My roommate's dog (who's also at his parents for right now, but will likely be coming back soon) is supposed to be a lab, but he's about 110 lbs. He's not overweight, either. He's built like a horse. He is basically the perfect dog for kids, imo. He loves to play, but he doesn't get too excited and is very careful around the babies. He'll put up with whatever they dish out with not much more than a "Hmph." My roommate's 2 year old, my 6 year old and 13 month old all adore him, and I don't have to constantly step in to rescue the baby from a fall like I do with the sheepdog. He's yet to knock him over. I do have to stop them from frenching occasionally, though. He's all about the sloppy, open-mouthed baby kisses. 

A friend had an old rottweiler when his kids and DD were babies. He was a solid 170 lbs. He was very old and arthritic but he was the most loving and patient dog you could ever meet. He had a very intimidating appearance and a booming bark, but he was a total teddy bear. He loved babies intensely. He used to lay down with his muzzle on my lap while DD napped in my arms, and whimpered worriedly every time she fussed. It was precious. When we sat outside, he followed the babies around and gently guided them back towards us when they started to stray too far. If I could find another like him I'd take him home in a heart beat.

[liberal_chick]

We got a lab/great pyrenees mix (80ish pounds) that was about 3 years old when my oldest ds (now 6) was 2 and he is so wonderful.  I don't think I've ever seen a dog more tolerant of babies.  My 11 month old crawls over him, back and forth, like it is the funnest game in the world and the dog never even flinches.  When he gets fed up, he moves or goes outside (we have a dog door so he can easily get away, LOL).  We also have a beagle mix (40ish pounds) that doesn't like that game at all, but she's learned to flee as well.

[neonalee]

Originally Posted by tooraloora 

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 I do have to stop them from frenching occasionally, though. He's all about the sloppy, open-mouthed baby kisses.

<cut>

The sheepdog story made me giggle but this ...

Oh, and I forgot to mention, will definitely not be leaving him alone with ANY dog.  I don't even like to leave him alone with the cat, although the cat has a tendency to plop down near him and not run away from some reason.  Luckily our first floor is pretty open (and small).
 

[MadameFancyPants]

We have a 112 lb OES.  He and DS seem to have an agreement that they avoid each other.  Kinda funny actually.  If Henry (dog) comes running by, A will step to the side and slightly turn to keep out of the way and if A is being too rambunctious, Henry will ask to go outside.  They love to play catch together and it's totally different than the way Henry plays with adults- drops the ball in front of him and takes a few steps back, very gentle.  We were a little worried about them because Henry was put up for adoption after his first family had a baby and decided they couldn't afford him but he totally proved us wrong!

I'm just now leaving them alone together for short periods like mom-potty breaks.  We spend a lot of time talking about not pulling his hair and such.  I also don't allow him to pet dogs faces/ears.  Too many things to yank or stick fingers in. 

[neonalee]

So. We got a dog today. She comes home Friday after spay surgery. She is only 60 lbs. Some kind of bully breed mix. Kinda goofy looking & not at all a watch dog, in fact she almost never barks. BUT she was being fostered so we can be relatively sure that her very calm demeanor in the middle of prtsmart adoption day chaos is pretty typical. She smiles not my ideal, but a great family dog. Pulling on ears & tail didn't bother her. After awhile I let DS close and of course he stuck his hand in her mouth. No reaction. It'll be good.

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[Perdita_in_Ontario]

Congrats!!

[Hockeyhoney6]

I have a 3 yo coonhound and he weighs 75 pounds. He's way too rambunctious for my 17 mo DS. My mom has a 160 lb Rottweiler/burmese mountain dog mix and he's also 3 yo. He's so gentle With DS. I had a Rottie growing up as well and he was such a love.