Which dogs are best with 2 year olds?
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Which dogs are best with 2 year olds?
It really depends on how well behaved your children are and the general temperament of the dog. I know a Golden that is purely evil. She seems to plot ways to terrorize the neighborhood children. I know, through students at my training club, that even the most docile eight year old lab can be pushed over the edge if children are too rough (27 stitches to a 3 yr. old boy with a stick. It was one self-protection bite!). Shelties and border collies can be more than nippy and both breeds are prone to fear behavior in households that are too rough for their tastes. Papillons are so often at the vets for broken bones from unruly children that many breeders do not allow people with young children to buy them. These dogs are all great family dogs, but care is needed for each one.
Dogs bred and trained for protection are usually the worst family dogs. This is because their aggressive traits have been heightened and they are more willing to take action to protect themselves and their perceived property. I have, however, met several former "trained guard dogs" that were wonderful housepets. The children in these households, however, were well trained as well.
It is just as easy to train the dog to be good around children than it is to teach the children to be good around the dog. Unfortunately, the dog's only way to let you know that the child is too rough is usually catastrophic in a household. The best way that a person can insure that a two year old and a dog of any breed get along is to watch the behavior of the two year old and correct any aggressive tendencies in the child. Teach the child that, no matter how much the dog looks like a toy, it isn't.
It is a myth that any breed of dog is a better family dog than another. Some individual dogs are a bit more impatient than others. The best way to counterract this is by choosing the dog through research and by meeting the dog. When you go to visit your prospective new dog, use these suggested criteria:
Clap your hands to get the dog's attention and call the dog (Here puppy!, Here boy!, etc.) with your arms held wide and up. If it comes to you, that is a good sign. If it has no interest in you, don't buy the dog.
Cuddle the dog. If it cuddles back (i.e. doesn't fight to be free) it is a good sign.
Stamp your foot on the floor near the dog. If it jumps a little or doesn't jump at all and doesn't run away you that is a good sign.
Look directly into the dog's eyes. If you see playful glee in those eyes it is good. If you see a dull nothingness or the dog is doing everything it can to look away, the dog is most likely not very bright (difficult to train) or may be overly submissive (potential fear biter). If it growls or snaps, you probably do not want the dog around children. The looking away is common in many puppies, however, so use your best judgement.
If the dog circles you while looking at you the whole time, it is sizing you up. This dog is overly dominant and will be very difficult to train. You generally see this behavior in adult dogs.
Roll the dog over on its side. If it does this willingly after just a few seconds, the dog will most likely be good around children right out of the box. If the dog tries to bite, growls, or fights too much, the dog is probably not for the household containing a two year old.
Keep in mind that puppies will be puppies. Nearly all puppies are hyper and may be unintentionally destructive. The larger the dog, the greater chance of accidents.
Hope this helps.
what if the kid is playful,kinda rough in a 2 year old way but knows when to be gentle?
Everything you read says that Golden Retrievers and Laborador Retrievers are excellent dogs for children. Both of my goldens absolutely love my daughter. But I will say that one is very protective of us, very skittish in general. She does not do well around too many people, children or adults. Once she knows you, she is fine. We don't know what caused this behavior as we have had her since she was six weeks old and have never done anything to frighten her. We just recognize her limits and never put her in a situation where she could potentially hurt someone. She has never bitten anyone, but did growl at a little boy once when he was petting her. I just try to be very careful! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
If your 2 yr old is rough in any way, a puppy is probably not a good idea right now. While some puppies can tolerate roughhousing, unchecked abuse can lead to behavior problems. You also don't want to have an accidental skirmish between the two when your back is turned. If you don't think that you can trust your child to behave with the dog it would be unfair to the dog you bring it into your family.
Have you considered adopting an adult dog? Even the shelters ususally have an idea whether or not the dog was good with children. Consider checking with the breed rescues as well. Going to http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm can point you in the right direction. The dogs are all evaluated for temperament (and you can see some of the child generated behavior problems in even the most common family dogs!) so you can be comfortable with your decisions. Contacting the rescue people can also provide you with more information: they know the breed problems better than anyone and are only interested in finding good homes for the dogs, not how much they can make selling them.
Good luck!
As a breed, Great Pyrenees are excellent with children. My Great Pyr was wonderful with mine. It really does depend on the dog itself, though. They are very big and stubborn. (The dogs, not my kids....or maybe both, now that I think of it!!) http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
Su
I have a GR/YL mix and it sounds like he acts the same way. We got him at 5 wks and he was never in a frightening situation, was hugged and kissed, etc, but he is fiercely protective unless he know you. He has never bitten anyone either, but will bark like crazy at kids playing ball on our street (he calms down after a few minutes)or at bikes. We have had young relatives at our house and he will stay by my side,lean on me or hide under the kitchen table. his reactions are a lot quicker than mine, so 1% of me will never trust him completely. I'm always on the alert. I guess "good with kids" depends on the personality, not the breed.
Hi,
A survey done in the late eighties in the U.K. showed that most dog bites were from Golden Retrievers, this sticks in my mind as I was working with Retrievers at the time and now own one. There was a factor that shouldn't be ignored - they were also the most popular pet dog at the time. Taking into account that there were more of this breed in the country than any other and therefore it was probable that more retrievers were owned by less than ideal owners than any other breed you have to wonder how significant the figures actually were. But (oh the inevitable but!) because demand for these dogs was high and there was money to be made breeding figures also went through the roof. Indiscriminate breeding of Retrievers is still ongoing, you only have to look in any local paper to see the ads. Given that people with no experience and knowledge were throwing out puppies ten to the dozen it is little wonder we have ended up with some pretty extreme animals.
On the plus side, you will tend to have a sound retriever that is 100% or a complete dominance freak that shows it's true colours early or a nervous shy dog that you have to watch like a hawk (this type can be rehabilitated sometimes). Obviously this is a very simplistic view of a far more complex subject but I think I'm saying too much too often at the moment!
As for a good dog around children - there are only good children around dogs! Greyhounds on the other hand tolerate almost hell and then they will look for somewhere else to lie rather than retaliate.
Hi again,
Oops, sorry but I forgot to say, Sophie's Daddy - top bloke!
Labradors and Golden Retrievers, definetely!!!!!!!!!!!! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
Shelties they are calm and little and they rock i should know i have 2 hugo and Daisy
I would amend that to say "SOME shelties are calm" as I know some that are not at all calm, and some that are! It really does vary from dog to dog, just like it does from person to person!
We have 2 Great Danes (6mo & 2 1/2yo). We have a 2 1/2yo son AND I operate an in home daycare w/ 4 children (ranging from 1yo - 5yo). Our GDs are wonderful with the children. The children can do anything to them (i.e. pull tail, hug, kiss, run in the yard without fear of being chased, climb on) and they just stand/lie there and just don't care. Out of all the breeds, I love the GD best. They may not have the longest life span, but they are wonderful. They are loving and are the most trustworthy. If you don't mind slobbers, they are the best with 2yo's. Jennifer G.
Joe, Jennifer, Joseph, Master Dane & Sampson
[email protected] www.geocities.com/jjgunsolus/MasterDane.html
Well, what about about Basset Hound? These dogs are so effectionate and gentle.Another chioce could be a Samoyed. They are bigger dogs, so of course, bigger dogs are gonna push in a way that bigger dogs push.But our friend had one and she said that they were so gentle with her little newborn,that it would stand right next to the child to protect her from any more harm.And that they were very effectionate. I hope this helps!
Good suggestion, TollSettFK! I have a Basset Hound and she is great with kids. She grew up living around all my little cousins and is quite a sweetheart. I trust her with anyone.
Im not saying this because I have and LOVE hounds http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif . But it is true that hounds such as beagles, basset hounds, Greyhounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and blood hounds are wonderful with children. They are very gentle and a great companion and best friend.
And believe it or not but a young boy I look after has a chow chow and she is the sweetest dog in the world, she doesn't have a mean bone in her body and loves that little boy to death. I guess any dog can be good with kids depending on how they are raised.
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~~ My House Is Not A Home Without A Hound ~~
I have a black lab and he is pretty good with children... exept when they are on the grond. He will go over there and start licking their faces. I don't like that though. I don't think that the little kids would like that. He most likely wouldn't jump on them unless they told him to.
I know a dachshund that is very sweet, you can hold her like a baby. Her name is Shoebox. I think a lot of little kids try to hold little dogs that you can hold, like a baby. The dachshund is a really nice house pet. Well... um, maybe not all dachshunds are nice... maybe it was just that one. Maybe some nip and bark nad maybe even bite. I am not sure.
Pugs are very good with children from what I have saw. I had a pug and little kids loved him. They will sit by you and let you pet him/her. I have just thought that they are very nice dogs. The will sniff and then maybe lick you, they are such a Joy.
My book says that shih tzus are nice. It says: The silky-soft shih tzu wasa favorite of Chinese emperors for centuries. Shih tzu means "lion" in chinese but these dogs, whose weight barely reaches double figures, are sweet tempered and docile.
There are probably more kinds of breeds that are good with children, but maybe you could train them to be nice when they are little... but I am not sure.
Good Luck! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
I forgot one!!!!! I forgot the basset hound. I was going to say it but I forgot to type it! Basset Hound, absolutly!!! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif
Well, if you have a well socialized German Shepherd, they are great! Because they protect the kids! But it does depend on the temperment of the dog.
If you get a German Shepherd, research on the breed (or ANY other breed you get), research on the breeder and research on the dogs. Some GSD's aren't good with children because they were bred for protection. Some on the other hand are GREAT family pets.
What ever breed you get, make sure that you throughly research on the breed. You don't want to be dumping it at the shelter because you didn't research.
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Becky Weise & Iris - the German Shepherd
http://www.geocities.com/iris_gsd
Most excellent advice (research) "ShepherdLover" http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif !!!!!!!
I can also say from expereince that the shepherd is very, very, good with children. My parents have a shepherd and she is the sweetest thing.
My corgi loves children.
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