What small-medium sized dogs are generally good with young kids? - Page 2

[Scribe]

Originally Posted by thekimballs

How happy you're going to be with a beagle depends on whether you can meet its needs and not be driven crazy by the normal breed characteristics. Beagles are LOUD--often hysterically loud--they dig a ton, they can never be trusted off-leash, and if they ever get loose they're GONE. They tend to be friendly, charming dogs, but they are rabbit hunters. They've been bred for centuries to go all day after rabbits, and they've got just as much hunting drive as their large hound cousins. So they need a lot of exercise and stimulation (I would say a minimum of an hour a day of running would be appropriate), and the ideal beagle home would be one that would at least investigate getting involved in field trials where the genius of their dog can shine through. Beagles are smart dogs, but they're stubborn and they housebreak slowly. MANY of the poorly bred ones are neurotic and shy, which is totally unlike the way the beagle temperament should be, so screening them carefully for suitability to kids is absolutely vital.

I rescue beagles. This is, IMO, an overstatement.

[Camellia]

We got an American Staffordshire Terrier through a local rescue and she is the best dog we have ever had. She is highly trainable, very eager to please, great with the kids and almost never barks. We got her at 15 months old and she already knew her basic commands. We had her walking on a leash perfectly in no time at all. She's a medium sized dog. I think most staffies are around 50 pounds. Ours is a mutant at 70lbs She doesn't seem that big because she is mostly muscle. Another thing I like about this breed is they have short smooth hair which makes for easy grooming.

There are a lot of great dogs in foster homes. Petco often has adoption days where people will bring their rescues in for people to meet. That is how we found our dog.

Good luck! I hope you find the perfect dog for your family

[thekimballs]

Originally Posted by avengingophelia

I rescue beagles. This is, IMO, an overstatement.

http://www.beaglerescuevic.org/about-beagle-breed.htm

scroll down to "Why a beagle isn't for everyone."

Besides knowing a bunch of beagles, I always check my facts with rescue groups before I post anything. Are there perfect, wonderful, quiet beagles? Of course. Should you get a beagle, *expecting* a quiet, nondestructive, easy to train dog? No.

[Scribe]

I didn't accuse you of not checking your facts, and I think a lot of what you say is correct, I just (like I said) think it's overstated. For example, yes, beagles bark. But if they are properly exercised and taken care of, I don't think they bark hysterically, at least not generally. Same with digging.

[thekimballs]

Originally Posted by Camellia

We got an American Staffordshire Terrier through a local rescue and she is the best dog we have ever had. She is highly trainable, very eager to please, great with the kids and almost never barks.

Am Staffs are not necessarily the same thing as pit bulls, but most "Am Staffs" coming into rescue should be considered to be the exact same thing.

Am Staffs/pit bulls are, usually, great with families and kids. However, they have two distinctives that any prospective owner should know about. 1) They have been bred for--well, ever--to fight other dogs. If you cannot look at your dog and say "This dog is custom-designed to kill other dogs" and make the appropriate changes to your life and habits to protect all other dogs, you should not own an Am Staff. 2) They have a higher-than-normal incidence of what's called "predatory drift." A dog has three types of bites--the play bite, the punishment bite, and the predatory bite. Dogs with predatory drift tend to switch from one of the other bites to the predatory/killing bite a little more easily and with less (or no) provocation. The "classic" pit bull story is a bully playing peacefully with another dog and then suddenly killing it. So for that reason I would never trust a pit, even one "known to" be good with dogs and other animals, to not predate on them eventually.

The other very important thing to keep in mind is that while the well-bred pit/Am Staff is extraordinarily safe with humans, the poorly bred ones have no such assurance. *Any* sign of aggression to humans and the dog should immediately be put down. It's a hard truth, but it's the truth.

[Camellia]

I agree with most of what you are saying about staffies/pit bulls. People who own them must train their dog well and go above and beyond what other dog owners must do as far as training. I personally love this breed and feel that it is well worth the effort.

I also firmly believe that any pit that bites should be euthanized immediatly.

Animal aggresion is part of the breed, but I have found it easy to keep a handle on. We almost have our dog to the point where she will not look at small animals including small dogs. We do let her play with friend's dogs, but we don't let it get past a certain level. We watch her closely and end it if any agressive cues appear. We will eventually have her trained to the point that she ignores all small animals and unfamiliar dogs.

Sorry for the novel! In essense, staffies/pits can be excellent family pets if you are willing to do a little research and ongoing training. Our family really enjoys the training aspect so they are a great fit for us.

[lokidoki]

I think with regard to rescue ~ location is everything. I am involved in a national rescue organization for my breed ~ and our northern rescuers are almost begging for our breed to adopt out. I live in the south and I am always BEGGING for calls to stop from local shelters and families that want to surrender.

Southern states have always had a higher incidence of animals in shelters ~ likely for many reasons. I can imagine that in the north it is hard to find purebred animals in the shelters that need homes (and are not either infirmed or have severe behavior issues) ~ but that is not the case where I live.

I think on both fronts ~ rescue and breeders ~ the idea is to find reputable people who are honest and up front. There are so many things to 'research' like what kind of contracts they require and what their responsibility is to the animal once you have adopted it (ANY reputable rescuer and breeder will require you to return the animal to them ~ and only them ~ and require you to sign an agreement).

There is no denying that there are reputable breeders out there ~ but there are plenty of reputable rescues too. ANYONE can have a horrible experience buying from a breeder just as they can adopting for a disreputable rescuer. The idea is more that you research the rescue you choose to use and make sure you are finding a dog that matches what will fit in your family (and have good rescuers to assist you in doing so).

To the OP ~ I think it is great that you seem very flexible in the breed and seem most open to what dog will fit your home. I think that attitude works best in conjunction with reputable rescue organizations and I wish you luck in your search. BTW, what state do you live in? I can refer you to some reputable rescue organizations perhaps.

[ReadingMama]

The OP said she is a big fan of the mutt. That's great! There's a great book called Mutts: America's Dogs that describes how the different breeds in the mix affect behavior.

[nd_deadhead]

I have a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, and he is a wonderful dog! He is very tolerant of young children. But he is not a snuggly dog - he'll come over to get his ears scratched, then curl up on a blanket by himself. He is smart, adorable, and sheds like crazy. We had a huge Lab, and while we considered him to be the best dog in the whole world, he was also much too big - we had to get a van to be able to take him anywhere after we had kids. A Corgi is a small dog who thinks he's a big dog.

The breeder I bought him from sometimes has adult dogs available - dogs that either didn't perform as expected in the show ring (or one a while ago who simply didn't like to show), or are retired from showing or breeding. They are sold as pets (as was my pup - he has an overbite). They are raised as housedogs, with lots of socialization and love.

[3boobykins]

Joanna, how do you think a Cardigan would get along with a Gordon Setter? This wouldn't happen for quite some time, but we'd like a second dog at some point, and not necessarily another large sporting breed. We love the look of the Cardie!

Sorry for the hijack.

[nd_deadhead]

When we travel we board our Cardi with a woman who raises golden retreivers. She has a big fenced yard where the dogs who get along can play outside - my Cardi plays outside with everyone, especially the Goldens! Sometimes there's another dog that doesn't like Topper, but he has made an effort to get along with every dog he's met.

An equally important question is how the setter would get along with a puppy.

[3boobykins]

Originally Posted by nd_deadhead

When we travel we board our Cardi with a woman who raises golden retreivers. She has a big fenced yard where the dogs who get along can play outside - my Cardi plays outside with everyone, especially the Goldens! Sometimes there's another dog that doesn't like Topper, but he has made an effort to get along with every dog he's met.

An equally important question is how the setter would get along with a puppy.

Our setter is still a puppy himself, actually, not quite 4 months old, so this is definitely a future thing, maybe as much as 3 years from now, but still fun to think about. We'll wait until he's at least 18 months old, if not longer. He needs to do some maturing and mellowing out before we tackle puppy training again. But we'd like him to have a companion some day if possible.

[BlessedbyLily]

We have both a Cardi corgi and a half-Pembroke corgi and they are both just perfect with kids. We had to put down our 10-year-old German shepherd last year and we had been told that corgis were a lot like a good German shepherd and that a lot of people 'downsize' to corgis when they are used to shepherds. I totally agree!

They are smart and playful but not at all too rough. Good size for taking in the car, too. (A lot more portable than a German shepherd, for sure!) Our Cardi has a longer coat and so he sheds a lot but the Pembroke has more of an indoor-dog coat. We just love them both.

[thekimballs]

Originally Posted by 3boobykins

Joanna, how do you think a Cardigan would get along with a Gordon Setter? This wouldn't happen for quite some time, but we'd like a second dog at some point, and not necessarily another large sporting breed. We love the look of the Cardie!

Cardigans LOVE other dogs. That's one of the best things about them. They really just think that everything living must want to love them.

I will say that there are breeders who use the "may be reserved with strangers" line in the breed standard and let that excuse every bad/shy behavior of their dogs, but I strongly disagree with that. They're reserved with strangers in the same sense that any good alert dogs is; they want to make sure you know that someone's coming, but once you come and say hi they should be all over that new person. So just make sure that your breeder knows that you want a very social, confident dog and you should be fine.

Most people who have Cardis have absolute PACKS of them. They get along so nicely and they're such great little dogs (and so easy to raise and healthy) that it gets to be very tempting to keep a bunch of them. So I definitely would say that you shouldn't have a problem on the Cardi end--as long as your Gordon is OK with other dogs I don't anticipate any issues.

[BlessedbyLily]

Oh yeah, that's another thing you always hear about corgis - that they are addictive!

[Eman'smom]

We have a Pembroke Corgi (rescued from our local city high kill shelter), and she is an absolute joy.

We loved the fact that since she is "smaller" she is easier to manage, but that they are also sturdy and yes even high energy. Her "high energy" is perfect for our family, especially with our other dog, who is 70+ pounds they play and run and have a ball. When we take our daily walks sure it takes the same amount of time to tire both dogs out, but who wants to carry a dog on half a walk

She is amazing with the kids, we don't care about shedding, but she does shed quite a bit. Our only "complaints" which we knew getting into this were that they bark and lick a bit more than I'd care for.


Oh and if anyone cares she is a great mom to the foster kittens, she grooms them and makes sure they don't roam too far if they are getting house time.

[3boobykins]

Thanks, Joanna! It will be a while, but Cardis are definitely at the top of our list now for a second dog.

[nd_deadhead]

After all this "Cardi-love", I do think it's appropriate to mention that Cardigans are NOT for everyone. When I first caller the breeder from whom I bought Topper, she said "We have two sins: we bark and we shed". I had a Lab, so I thought I knew shedding, but Holy Moly! I we don't brush Topper at least once a week, the entire hosue is covered in dog hair.

Topper also happens to have an extremely dominant personality. I realize that not all Cardis are like this, but I don't think it's terribly unusual for a herding dog to think an awful lot of himself. It took about a year before he was firmly convinced that I was the Top Dog in our household, and Topper still considers himself to be above the rest of the family. We did (and continue to do) everything I've read about to assert our position as pack leaders: he eats last, he doesn't got ANYTHING (food, let outside, petting) without having to obey a command first ("nothing in life is free"). He was not allowed on any furniture until he was almost 2.

For people who have had dogs before, that's not a big deal, but for a new dog owner a dominant Cardi (or any other breed, of course) would take over the house in a hurry.

This trait of his can be amusing, however: when he stays at the boarding kennel and plays with the Golden Retreivers, he herds them around the yard. Since they are bred to follow directions and please others, they happily let themselves be herded all over! It's a perfect relationship!

Edited to add a photo of Topper:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...y/TopperLR.jpg

[thekimballs]

Mine are on a raw diet, so shedding is hugely decreased (seriously--we have two coat blows a year and otherwise I barely get a single hair off them). I have one barker and one that is almost totally silent. The classic line about temperament is that there are party cardis and worry cardis. One is up and hilarious all the time and one is constantly thinking that you'll fall and break your head on the way to the bathroom. I have one of each--the party girl is actually more my type, even though the worrier is PERFECT and never puts a foot wrong. Dominance/submission is more an individual dog thing, I think--you can get really dominant examples of any breed.

Their chief sin from my point of view is nails. Their nails grow like I've never seen. Weekly grinding is a MUST.

[jlutgendorf]

Joanna, I don't think any of us knew you got a new Corgi pup! Do you have any photos?

I check your corgi site periodically for new pics, but haven't seen a second dog! How's the showing going?

Oh, and OP, sorry for the thread hijack!

~Julia