Figuring Out the Best Dog Breeds for Your Children

Posted on August 31st, 2010 by Ricardo Louis

Have you recently moved into a new place, and need to get a dog to keep your mischievous children occupied? Before you rush and make that trip to the local pet store, you’re going to have to find the right dog that is safe enough for your children to be around.

The first thing you need to take into consideration is the age and size of your child. Obvious, the younger your child is, the smaller they are, making them a lot more susceptible to being knocked over by a larger dog. Dogs are happily aloof, so they don’t realize their own size/strength, so while they think they’re playing with a child, in actuality they may be harming them. The converse is true to this as well. If your child is older, then they will most likely be larger. If you have a big kid, let’s say 70 pounds, and you have a small Yorkie or a Chihuahua who is a mere 15 pounds, then the chances of your child sitting on the dog and harming it are always realistic.

Ideally, you’d like to acquire a dog that has a calm temperament. Labrador retrievers are wonderful with kids, and are highly intelligent, so they can easily be trained to fetch, lay, and do other tricks. The only slight drawback to these canines is they must get out of the house regularly and exercise; if they don’t, they get super hyper and will run around the house aggressively.

Poodles are a good breed for youngsters as well. While they’re not the biggest in size, they are very even-keeled and mild-mannered. Just be sure to groom them regularly to keep their coats shiny and fur close-cropped.

The beagle is also a popular choice amongst kids. The dogs are super-friendly and average-sized (so they’re not too big). They are just a tad high-strung, but that can easily be alleviated with a little training.

Mixed breed dogs aren’t the most popular choice due to their multiple backgrounds, but people would be surprised to know that they are extremely well-balanced and very intelligent.

These are just a few of the top choices that most parents look at when getting a dog for their youngsters. Another thing you should also consider before you go and buy a puppy, is if there are any pet restrictions at the place you live in or are going to be moving into. Whether you rent an apartment or a house, it is most likely that your landlord has some weight and height restrictions for pets. They might not be allowed at all. So, before you go ahead and spend some money on that new family pet, ask if you are allowed to have one in the first place. If you definitely want to have a dog, you may want to consider relocating to a place where they are welcome instead of sneaking them in and then being forced to hire moving companies to move you elsewhere.

Related Articles:

1. Keeping Your Children Sanitized – Make Sure Your Kids Are Germ-Free
2. Your Yard Isn’t All Fun & Games: Protect Your Children
3. Teach Your Kids 911 Skills: What Your Children Need to Know After a Move

Tags: children, dogs, relocating

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 10:01 am and is filed under Moving Experts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.