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My husband and I have been talking about getting a dog to add to our family for quite some time and now that we have purchased a home and the holidays are over we think it's time to start really looking into what breed would be best for our family. We have 2 children under the age of 7 and they LOVE dogs, especially our eldest. She claims she's going to be a veterinarian and help animals- makes me tear up when she talk about it, she's so earnest
We are wanting a dog who will readily listen to commands and will be training he/she thoroughly. It drives us nuts to be around other dogs who just run a muck and don't listen and tear houses up with wild abandon. We don't blame the dogs, we blame the owners when we see that!
Here are the breeds we've considered and why:
1. German Shorthaired Pointer- My husband had one of these gals for 14 years and I was a part of her life, too, when we were dating. We LOVED that dog, she was so friendly and sweet. We also think that a GSP's energy level would benefit with our kids' energy level.
2. Border Collie- This is my husband's choice, as he is enthusiastic about the intelligence level of this breed and their energy levels to keep up with our kids.
3. Boxer- This is a breed that I'm considering and it surprises me a bit since I was never much of a fan before. But, I've met several and like what I hear/read about their child-friendly natures and playfulness.
4. A mutt/mix- this appeals to us a lot as we probably wouldn't have to deal with the inbreeding that is so common with purebreds.
Here is what we are looking for in a dog:
1. Smart!
2. Friendly with people and other pets (we have 1 kitty cat)
3. Affectionate and loyal.
4. Energetic but not TOO energetic; for example, Jack Russell's are just too much for us, we've know several and aren't fans. Not to mention the breed is too small for us.
5. A running companion for my husband.
6. Medium-sized to the smaller versions of larger sizes; we own a pop-up camper and will be taking our dog with us and she/he will sleep in the trailer with us.
7. Heat tolerant! This is very important, as we live in Texas and it gets hot as he$$ here in the summer/fall.
What suggestions/experiences do y'all have? What breeds should we avoid and what should we look for? TIA!
If you think a Jack Russell is to energetic, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, do not get a border collie. Border collies are not family dogs, certainly not first time BC owners. They can herd, they can nip, they are high energy ALL the time. I literally spend 2-3 hours day running my dogs in agility and it just takes the edge off. One of my dogs literally had a job running geese for 4+ hours a day, she was still ready to go for a miles long run on the beach and hours of fetch.
Really you should avoid most herding breeds since you have not owned them before, and the tendency to herd and nip children.
Beagle, boxer, small lab, all would be better suited to a family with small children.
Finally, why do you want a smart dog? Smart dogs need jobs. Average dogs can learn tricks, and be great companions. There are literally hundreds of border collies in rescues because people think they are smart so their dog should be too.
All the breeds you have chosen are too powerful and too energetic for children under the age of seven. Kids can be injured by a heavy high speed dog crashing into them. Except possibly the mutt, because there is no way to predict what you will get.
For young children, I recommend the short haired spaniels: Welsh Springer, Clumber, Boykin, Field, Cavalier, Brittany, Sussex.... bought from a show and companion breeder, not from a hunting line.
Spaniels are gentle souls and get along well with other dogs and with all sorts of people. They tend to adore children, or anyone else for that matter, who will sit and pet them. Coats are weather proof and easy care with minimal grooming requirements. As long as you buy from a careful breeder who screens for inherited eye disease and pedigree screens for epilepsy, the spaniels are all long lived and healthy.
They have the power and energy to go on long runs with their family. Like energizer bunnies, they can go and go, but when they get home, they plop down and stay still, preferably in someone's lap. They were originally bred to work very close to a hunter, so genetically, they are programmed to stay around with you (which does not mean that you can dispense with the fenced yard and leash).
Returning to add this: the gundog spaniels have been bred for generations to have a soft mouth, and that is a very valuable quality when around children. They have bred-in bite inhibition so strong that they will not crush feathers. That provides an additional layer of safety for your children.
We had several Springer Spaniels and a Brittany, and they were good family dogs, and always up for an adventure. I love the spaniel temperament, but I really have hardly ever met a dog that was raised in a loving family that I didn't like. My feeling is, if you raise a dog with firm expectations and patience, it will be obedient and fit into the structure of your family.
If you hate badly behaved dogs, I bet you hate badly behaved kids too, and your dog will fall in line with the family. The "hunting dogs" need to have exercise, but it sounds like your family will give them that.
My husband and I have been talking about getting a dog to add to our family for quite some time and now that we have purchased a home and the holidays are over we think it's time to start really looking into what breed would be best for our family. We have 2 children under the age of 7 and they LOVE dogs, especially our eldest. She claims she's going to be a veterinarian and help animals- makes me tear up when she talk about it, she's so earnest
We are wanting a dog who will readily listen to commands and will be training he/she thoroughly. It drives us nuts to be around other dogs who just run a muck and don't listen and tear houses up with wild abandon. We don't blame the dogs, we blame the owners when we see that!
Here are the breeds we've considered and why:
1. German Shorthaired Pointer- My husband had one of these gals for 14 years and I was a part of her life, too, when we were dating. We LOVED that dog, she was so friendly and sweet. We also think that a GSP's energy level would benefit with our kids' energy level.
2. Border Collie- This is my husband's choice, as he is enthusiastic about the intelligence level of this breed and their energy levels to keep up with our kids.
3. Boxer- This is a breed that I'm considering and it surprises me a bit since I was never much of a fan before. But, I've met several and like what I hear/read about their child-friendly natures and playfulness.
4. A mutt/mix- this appeals to us a lot as we probably wouldn't have to deal with the inbreeding that is so common with purebreds.
Here is what we are looking for in a dog:
1. Smart!
2. Friendly with people and other pets (we have 1 kitty cat)
3. Affectionate and loyal.
4. Energetic but not TOO energetic; for example, Jack Russell's are just too much for us, we've know several and aren't fans. Not to mention the breed is too small for us.
5. A running companion for my husband.
6. Medium-sized to the smaller versions of larger sizes; we own a pop-up camper and will be taking our dog with us and she/he will sleep in the trailer with us.
7. Heat tolerant! This is very important, as we live in Texas and it gets hot as he$$ here in the summer/fall.
What suggestions/experiences do y'all have? What breeds should we avoid and what should we look for? TIA!
A big NO to Border Collies since you think Jacks are too much. And for other reasons that posters have explained. The others are fine. Try this website...it's breed descriptions are accurate.
BTW, the most intelligent dogs are often the hardest to live with. I say that after 25+ years of living with Australian Shepherds.
Your comment that a mix is appealing since you wouldn't have to deal with inbreeding tells me you don't know much about purebred dogs and breeding. If you decide on a purebred dog please educate yourself on how to find an excellent breeder. Mixes can have health issues...the issues their purebred parents contributed. An excellent breeder uses several types of breeding approaches to produce genetically and temperamentally sound puppies...linebreeding, inbreeding and outcrossing.
When I replied the other day I guess I missed the fact that you live in the DFW area of Texas... I say go check your local shelters. While I do live in Calif, I got one of my dogs from the Irving shelter after seeing her photo on line almost 5 yrs ago. At the time that shelter had so many adorable dogs while our local shelter has Chihuahuas and pit bulls or pit mixes and once in a while some other breeds.
The dog I got from the Irving shelter I named Texas Chaos not because she is a wild out of control dog but because she was a puppy coming into my home where I had an elderly mellow border collie that was deaf since birth and my Silken windhound and they were both very mellow at that point in life and I figured a puppy would be chaos thus the name. She turned out to be such an easy puppy. She is very smart and mellow around the house but loves to run and play when we go out. She is trained in agility and is VERY affectionate and loves to be cuddled. Kids love her and despite the fact she has not grown up with kids she is great with them. She is about 50 lbs so a medium sized dog. As a matter of fact she fits the list of what you are looking for in a dog except she is Mine! She is also quite a beautiful dog, here is a photo.
As I said when I got her the shelter in Irving had quite few dogs I would have taken had I been able too. Chaos is a true gem that can be found at shelters and also in mutts. All my dogs except my Silken Windhound ( great family dog ) have been shelter dogs and I have no regrets about any of them.
I live in the DFW area too. The shelters here are so full, and often you see purebreds in there. There are tons of rescue groups in the area as well.
We adopted one of our dogs from Operation Kindness in Carrollton. They are a huge no-kill shelter.
The other dog we adopted from a regular city shelter.
Perhaps you can look at Petfinder.com for the breeds you are considering.
Most rescue groups and shelters have websites with pictures, too.
Another thing you might consider is introducing your cat to the dogs before you actually adopt.
The dog we got from Operation Kindness had been cat-tested prior to us adopting him.
Enjoy your new family member! You sound like you'll be awesome pet parents. Lucky dog that gets you.
We recently tried to adopt a shelter dog for our family. I have three kids, 7, 4, and 15 months. We've been thinking about this for a while and wanted to avoid a breeder/pet store etc. I've always had rescue dogs and have never had ANY issues. Last Saturday we brought home a 5-6 year old pit mix that had obviously been used for breeding. We had her for the first two days and there was always some one home when she was here. It was amazing. She was everything we ever could have wanted to have in dog. Family and other pet friendly, slept on her bed all night, didn't bark early to get out, she'd wait for us. On Monday, we had activities with our kids throughout the day and as soon as we left, all hell broke loose. I have never experienced anything like it. The longest we left her was an hour, the shortest about 15 minutes. She wrecked the house - ripped down curtain, destroyed baseball caps, toppled furniture, ripped all the grids off windows trying to escape I guess, her face prints were all over the place. That's only the beginning. It went on for about 5 days before we had to bring her back. We took the week off to get her accustomed to the house, the family, the yard, the neighbors - all went perfectly while we were home. I was going to install a doggie door for her to be able to let herself out - she had been trained on the invisible fence by day 3- but she fled the property every time my truck pulled out of the driveway. I realized that come Monday, our dog would either flee and possibly get hurt or hurt herself and destroy the house in the meantime. I cried the day I brought her back. It was awful. She is such a great dog. I know the shelter can help her find a home that can accommodate her needs as we couldn't.
But I can't do this again to me or my kids. We all fell in love with her immediately. We have a cat that was here before the kids. I've always had dogs. We live in a semi-rural environment - every house here has 2+ acres. There is a lot of wildlife around. I live close enough to family that could check on a dog/let him or her out every couple of hours or if I left the dog out, they could let it in if it got too cold or too hot or stormy. But I'm not sure I can do the shelter route again. I feel like such a bad person for bringing her back, but I think it is the best thing for her. She's such a sweet animal, that I know she'll find the right home soon. The shelter said we did the right thing by bringing her back and that we're definitely approved to adopt from them again, but I don't know what to do. I'd like to avoid breeders/pet shops, but I can't handle the emotions of bringing a dog back again. I know most of you will hate me for doing that, I do as well, but I was looking out for the dog as best I could.
I'd like to avoid breeders/pet shops, but I can't handle the emotions of bringing a dog back again. I know most of you will hate me for doing that, I do as well, but I was looking out for the dog as best I could.
Separation anxiety is so situational that you wouldn't be aware of it until the dog was placed in that situation (=being left alone). It is a horribly sad situation that at least much of the time can be prevented by using good preventive protocols. It can be managed but it takes time and isn't always successful.
It is good that now the shelter is aware and will be able to place this dog in an appropriate home.
My suggestion is that you adopt from a shelter/rescue that has its dogs in foster care. A knowledgeable foster parent will be able to tell you a great deal about the dog including whether it is good with kids, if it has any fears, if it gets along with other dogs, and if the dog is able to handle being alone.
It does take a dog time to settle into a new home, sometimes as much as 5-6 months. Keeping the home calm and quiet during the first few weeks is helpful, and especially make comings and goings a non-event. In other words, ignore the dog (no talking to dog, no looking at dog, no kisses on head, etc) for 15 minutes before leaving and again upon coming home.
It is also helpful to give a new dog a "safe spot" where they can get away from household noise/hustle bustle, so put their crate in a quiet spot out of the way either in another room or just cover the crate so that the dog is isolated from whatever else is going on in the home, and leave the door open so the dog can retreat into their crate as needed.
About the electric fence- NOT a good idea for a newly adopted dog (or any dog). A new home, new people, new environment, new house rules, new food, etc can be overwhelming for any dog. To add an electric fence situation into that is simply not a good idea. Please please either get a solid fence of some sort or walk your dog. There are numerous reasons why electric fences aren't a good idea. Including in this case of a newly adopted shelter dog, adding in the potential of additional trauma by being shocked (by the very people who he now lives with...). Don't do it. Bad idea. Just get a 4-5 foot solid fence.
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Shelter Dog
