Dogs
 

We bought a Chihuahua (Bruiser) several months ago and quickly discovered that small of a dog is NOT the dog to have around 3 small children. He was always under our feet and the kids did not understand "be gentle".

Last night, Bruiser was staying with my parents while the wife & I are out of town. My dad was taking my kids somewhere and backing out of the garage - Bruiser ran under one of the tires. He was severely hurt - broken leg, internal bleeding, and burst bladder among other things. The vets recommended to put him down - which is what we decided.

My kids loved Bruiser. Too much it seemed at times. So, my wife & I decided to not tell him that he was put down. We are going to tell them that we had to get rid of him because he was so small. But, we are going to get another dog for the house - probably this weekend.

So, my question is, what is a loving type of dog - fairly good sized & tough - to have around kids? A dog they can rough house with without worrying about hurting him and without worrying about him getting defensive and biting. I guess I'm asking what are good kid friendly dogs?

Labrador.

1000X labrador.

The wife and I have a Lab/Beagle mix that will lay there and let our 2 year old beat on it. The damn dog laid there and let her color her with a sharpie marker. Never bitten her....only knocked her over a few times. Otherwise a loving dog....


Want her? LMAO

Lab

I have 3 labs. They're the best dogs in the world. However, there's a lot of great dogs available in animal shelters too.

American Pitbull Terrier.

This is the be all to end all of canines. If you want i can help you find a goodin.

I am a firm believer in Labrador Retriever. Yes they get big but they learn to be very gentle and protective of children. They love to play frisbee and catch.

Oh yeah....and she'll also refuse to leave the kid when she can tell that she's sick.

I wouldn't suggest 1000 of them like DJ's nut did though....just one to start with

This.
Though I’d add female, males can be bull headed.

So, very quickly I'm seeing Lab may be the way to go.

Yah think? :spock:

I know everyone will say I'm crazy but a properly bred pit bull is great with kids. My dog is awesome with my son and others' kids that come over. They sit on him, pull his ears, lay on him and he never gets upset with them because he can take the punishment. It's funny because he prefers to be bothered by the kids than to be left alone.

That being said each dog is different so even though a breed may be good overall individual dogs can still be screwed up. Either get a dog from the pound that has been tested for temperament (ASPCA does this) or from a breeder where you can meet the parents and see how the dogs are raised.

Be careful. They are extremely over bred because of their popularity so many of them aren't the stable gentle giants that a lot of people imagine. I know a couple labs that friends own that aren't allowed around kids because they get skittish and have the potential to fear bite.

<------------------ Bulldog :thumb: