Border Collie - very intelligent and friendly. Nice middle-sized dogs. Not too big but not small enough to be yappy and paranoidly aggressive. Or any mix of dog with a large proportion of collie. They really are extremely intelligent.
Golden retrievers are also nice.
In general I think mutts are better than pure breeds though. I’m also a fan of German Shepherds but some people are (unjustified IMO) overly nervous of them. Old English Sheepdogs are cute but big and require a lot of grooming.
Worst dogs:Pitbull Terriers or similar, bulldogs or boxers and small jack russells and terriers can be quite yappy and vicious.
Basically try to choose a dog that will be confident but not over-confident, friendly (i.e. doesn’t mind being handled), not neurotic or nervy and preferably intelligent and cute and you’ll have a fine family pet.
YoudNeverGuess, Dinsdale, and everyone else, I thank you so much for your posts. Please keep in mind that I am not personally looking for a dog. I just wanted to get to the bottom of a question that bugs me often on this board…the question of whether some dogs are actually better family dogs than others, all things being equal.
I have both a Golden and a Border Collie mutt of some kind (vet thinks he may be mixed with Australian Shephard).
Although both of my dogs are well-trained, they still have their problems. Like ZipperJJ, my Golden can get a bit manic at times, but with frequent walks and a big backyard, she has begun to calm down some. The biggest problem with the Collie mix is that he is a herding dog. He has never left suburbia, and yet still tries to herd everything in sight. This is fine 99% of the time, but with small children, there is a chance that the dog may nip while exhibiting herding behavior.
But again, all dogs are different, even ones from the same litter. You can predict behaviors based on a breed, but you can’t expect them to be 100%. That said, labs and goldens are the most likely to be good family dogs, IMHO.
I would recommend an adult dog, if they’ve never had a dog before. For breeds, I’d say an adult golden would be fine, if they understand the coat care. Standard poodles and dobermans are my favorite breeds, and both should be fine for families with kids. Dobermans are protective, but not aggressive and have minimal coat care. I would assume the dog will be kept indoors, right?
The greyhound rescue people take a lot of care to evaluate their dogs and placing them in the right homes. Lots of purebred dogs get sent to shelters and rescues, so if they chose a purebred breed, they can likely find one.
Breeds I wouldn’t get - chows or dalmations.
StG
(Present owner of a doberman, standard poodle, alaskan malamute, english setter and giant schnauzer mix)
This thread is revealing another issue – people who fall in love with a particular dog often fall in love with that dog’s breed (or mix), and say they want only dogs of that breed from now on. I am somewhat subject to the feeling myself.
I advance the suggestion that this phenomenon makes choosing a breed that matches your physical activity level even more important, since you may find yourself always draw to similar dogs for the rest of your life.
To clarify: I am pointing out that, historically, pit bulls were so regarded. In today’s world of trashy backyard breeders and an overheated media climate, I would not recommend pit bulls for an inexperienced and not fully committed family (which, in effect, includes anyone who would ask as opposed to already knowing what breed they want).
Anyways, I watched the Westminster Kennel Club dog show the other night, and man, are there a lot of different kinds of purebreds out there. It makes me wonder why some breeds are so much more popular than others - it seems that I tend to see only around 20-30 different breeds out and about at my local dog park.
I though the Affenpinscher was awfully cute, and from the announcer’s description might be a fun little dog, but I’ve never seen one other than on a dog show on TV.
I had a collie/shepard mix growing up and I loved his tempermant. The shephard made this fur short enough so we didn’t have the collie fur problem and the even temper of a collie made the shepard in him calm down.
He was smart, and big enough for me to fight with as a kid. I remember growing up, I’d toss a rag in the yard and we’d spend hours wrestling over the rag.
I do agree any old mutt that is big enough for the kids to wrestle around with is the best dog.
In my area, yes. On average, 75% or more. This is a breed/type that many love, but they are NOT right for everyone, and unfortunately bred by everyone and their brother… often as fighting dogs. So many end up being dumped in shelters.
