My brother and his wife are thinking of getting a dog. They have three small boys so they want a big breed that can safely endure lots of roughhousing. I suggested a German shepherd (my favorite breed, I used to have one – smart, loyal, protective, great with kids), but my brother has hayfever, the kids have asthma, and they don’t want any breed that sheds a lot of hair and dander; besides, no long-haired dog is going to be comfortable in Florida’s heat. Weimeraners and Dobermans are big and short-haired, but they have a reputation of being kind of schizo and not necessarily kid-safe. What would you suggest?
Great Danes.
Stoopid, big, short-haired and easily trainable. They’re very laid-back as well, essentially lap dogs in gigantic form.
We had a Great Dane that my little bro used to ride around the back yard like a pony. She was the sweetest dog you’ve ever seen, I can’t ever remember her getting mad at anything. And she loved kids and puppies.
If they are determined to get a purebred dog, they might like a Labrador retriever. But I hope they might consider getting a dog from a pet rescue group. Such groups usually have a lot of wonderful large dogs who need homes. It’s often harder to place the big ones, since people who live in apartments typically can’t have big dogs. Petfinder is a great tool for finding a dog in your area.
How big is big? Portuguese Water Dogs are kid friendly, non-shedding, virtually hypo-allergenic, and can get to 55 pounds or so.
I agree with **pinkfreud **that a rescue group is the way to go.
Short hair by no means means “no dander” or “no shedding.” My desk chair still has little prickly labrador hairs stuck in it from when the chair used to co-exist with a lab 8 years ago. My brother’s little boxer/beagle/dalmation mix leaves a pile of little white hairs everywhere she goes.
I suggest Portuguese Water Dog or Standard Poodle. They are indeed “virtually hypo-allergenic.”
If hair is an issue, a Lab would be right out unless they want to be constantly brushing the dog. I adore Labs, but they shed like craaaaaaazy.
I’ll have to think about this, but I will chime in on the rescue idea. If they decide they want a specific breed, it is well worth their looking for a rescue.
Greyhound.
Greyhound.
Greyhound.
I rescue them off the track and have for years. They are gentle, caring, sensitive dogs with short hair and little undercoat so little shedding. If you rescue them they come as adults (generally no younger than 18 months) and they’re already trained to obey humans and housebroken (all of ours required no more than being shown where was acceptable to learn).
In addition, they’re calm and sedate and when kids get too rough they tend to just absent themselves from the situation. With the strong human training they get it’s extremely rare that one will be aggressive with humans. They are no form of watchdog, due to this training.
I will answer any questions about adopting a racing greyhound that you might have. I’ll even find you information on local groups in your area if you’d like.
I don’t know where my head was at when I suggested a Lab. They do shed. :smack:
I second a Dane, I love them.
While out shopping yesterday, I met a lady that had a Bouvier de Flanders all 150 lbs. of him. He was just a big mellow teddy bear of a dog. She mentioned that his coat is hair, not fur and they don’t shed, which I think would help with any allergy issues.
I would also suggest a Rottweiler I know they have a reputation as being a bad dog, but I have never met one personally that was anything but a real cupcake. Friendly and loving.
No big dog thread would be complete without a plug for my favorite big dog rescue group Gentle Giants Rescue run by Burt Ward of TV’s Batman fame. Scroll down for a great picture of Burt, his family and some of their gentle giants.
I’m somewhat allergic to dogs and I had no issues with our English Mastiff, Riley. As you might be able to tell by this picture, he was kid-friendly. We got a Mastiff for that reason, and he couldn’t have been a better dog. He shed a bit, but it never bothered my allergies.
He was 165 lbs. though, not sure they want something that big. Great to wrestle with. He didn’t bark much, but when he did, the whole neighborhood knew it. He was really good with people and other dogs.
My Rottie is just as **Rick **describes, 80 pounds of love junkie, but she sheds like a mutha’
I’m not so sure about the Great Dane suggestion. Although I have never owned one, unlike Sierra Indigo, I do know that they have very short lifespans (8 - 10 years, a with a short “young” stage and a long “old” one) and are apparently prone to skeletal problems (which might make roughhousing a problem) as well as the dreaded, almost universally fatal, bloat. Sounds dicey to me. (YMMV, of course.)
American Bulldog. We have one, and he is 85 pounds of slobbery, playful, lovable dog. Very smart, and also very stubborn, so be sure to establish yourself as the Alpha VERY quickly! Murphy adores our 3 year old and the feeling is absolutely mutual; our 11 month old is a little intimidated by his size, but only because she doesn’t get to play with him often. Really they are terrific family dogs.
Gentle Giants claim that with allowing the dog to live indoors and with them being fed the proper diet, that the dogs they adopt have a life expectancy of 14-18 years. No cite other than their claims.
Rhodesian Ridgeback?
I love ours and he’s a pansey around children. Very smart, protective, loyal etc…
A boxer might be good. Nice size, friendly, high energy. Our weimaraners were great with kids, but not all of them are. Catahoula (sp) leopard dogs might also fit the bill.
I suggest the American Rescued Mutt, courtesy of your local shelters. There are plenty of large, short-haired, kid-friendly, highly intelligent, loyal, loving mixed breed dogs needing a home.
I’ll second that. I grew up with boxers. Great family dog.
Boxers shed like a pug.
I suggest a standard poodle.
Boxers do shed, but no more than any other short haired similar breed (dane, bulldog, etc.) The Standard Poodle could be kept to short haired status with frequent grooming but I’ll admit I’m not familiar enough to speak for their personality and ability to tolerate youngsters (I would definitely question small poodles in that regard).