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  #1  
Old August 13th, 2007, 08:30 AM
ronna ronna is offline
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suggestions on a good family dog

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what type of dog I should get. My criteria is that it be non shedding, small to medium and excellent with children. I have 4 kids ranging in age from 10 months to 10 years. Thanks for any help.
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Old August 13th, 2007, 08:43 AM
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I suggest you take a look at www.petfinder.com and look at dogs in rescues in your area. With a rescue , you can see in their descriptions if they are good family dog. Also , the rescue will help matching you with the best dog for your family.
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Old August 13th, 2007, 08:52 AM
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I completely agree with Frenchy. The only other thing I would add is that you DON'T get a puppy ~ please consider an older dog. They don't have nearly the time/ attention and exercise demands as do puppies. As well, small puppies and young children often require a great deal of supervision because of the unwitting damage they can do to each other (neither of them fully understand OW ! ~ as I'm sure you know ). Please keep us tuned as to how you make out !
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Old August 13th, 2007, 09:16 AM
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Is there really such thing as a non-shedding dog????
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Old August 13th, 2007, 09:58 AM
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I'm with the others, try to find a rescue dog first. One in a foster home with kids even better Stay away from puppies, too much nipping and roughhousing from both puppies and kids will make for lots on injuries on both sides.
Standard poodles are a good family size no shed dog and I'm sure there are lots of them in petfinder and in rescues, but remember non-shedding dogs need to be clipped or stripped every 6 weeks or so and non shedding doesn't necessarily mean non maintenance. Not all dogs shed to excess, some are just seasonal shedders and some are constant shedders. Non shedding doesn't mean you won't be allergic to them either.

Cindy
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Old August 13th, 2007, 10:04 AM
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excellent post Cindy! (and others!)

I totally agree, alot of dogs who don't shed are those w/ "hair" (i.e. Maltese), however, they do have regular grooming requirements.
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Old August 13th, 2007, 07:28 PM
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Suggestions

Yup and even though they are non shedders this does not mean they are non-allergenic.
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Old August 13th, 2007, 08:53 PM
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For my needs, I had two shih tzus (poor Harley was pts this past weekend). While tzus don't "shed", I was taking my boys to the groomer every 3 months for a full grooming session and about every 6 weeks for a "potty" trim..... face, butt, nails, etc. As far as I know, poodles, llasa apso (sp?), maltese are all about the same.....no furballs on the floor, but definitely needs grooming.

My daughter has allergies to cats but so far the above mentioned dogs have not caused her any problems.
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Old August 13th, 2007, 08:59 PM
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once again sorry for your loss.....i can't help with this....i seem to have the always shedding dogs
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Old August 20th, 2007, 10:38 AM
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I agree, stay away from puppies, while they are teething and before learning good manners they can be rather 'mouthy'. Very young children probably would not appreciate that. Also, young children could hurt a small puppy by mistake, just by rough handling. A rescue group would likely be able to help find a dog good with kids. About shedding, I have a mixed breed dog (border collie, akita, shar pei are the known breeds) who only sheds once a year. One trip to the groomers took care of most of the loose fur this past spring. Otherwise, the rest of the year, my cats and I actually contribute a lot more to the hair around the house.
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Old August 20th, 2007, 12:48 PM
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You can do a search on the internet on various breeds of dogs and which are child friendly. Once you have narrowed it down I would suggest contacting a breeder and asking any questions you might have on that specific breed. From my experience they are more than happy to answer any question you have and encourage people to learn all they can about the dogs. They would much rather take the time to answer questions then see a dog go to an unsuitable home.

I agree with the others on adopting an adult dog . We have a puppy and unless you have the time, energy and patience and aren't too attached to your belongings they can be a LOT of work. Unfortunately at the time we were looking, all the dogs that were available at the local shelters were not suitable for children or that would have been my first consideration.

Just as a side note - don't discount the larger breed dog as sometimes they can be better with children than a small dog can.
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Old September 23rd, 2007, 09:06 AM
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kigndano kigndano is offline
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golden retriever always seemed to be the classic family dog choice to me at least.

but everyone else seems to be on the money with their suggestions of going to a rescue.

and as a puppy owner now i can tell you its a lot of this..



and this








but also a lot of this





im not sure where the balance is at good to bad, but i hear it pays off in the long run
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Old September 25th, 2007, 11:06 AM
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i_have_too_many i_have_too_many is offline
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About the shedding issue. Breeds with a "double coat" are usually heavy shedders, think Labs, Goldens, Huskies and other similar dogs. A double coat is one that has course long hair and soft silky hair, that is the hair that is shed often and foats around the house. There are many breeds that have single coats, the short coated dogs such as Jack Russels (not a good choice for children), Staffies, Bull dogs and my breed of choice, the Vizsla . Single coats do also shed, but because of their length and the fact that the hair is fairly course, it just falls to the ground and you usually do not end up eating it . The other coat type is the "non-shedding" that was mentioned earlier, but like the others said, they require frequent grooming, which can get expensive after several years, you can learn to do it yourself to cut costs. Shnauzers, and terriers with "wire" coats will need to be stripped, that is to pull the old hair, something a groomer should do.

And there is no such thing as "hypo-alergenic" just because a dog does not disturb your friends allergies, does not mean it will not bother yours. The allergies are caused by the shedding of skin cells, and all dogs (and people) shed skin. Some dogs can actually be allergic to people too.

Seriously consider visiting a shelter, you will be able to play with the dog before making your decision, which allows you to see if your children and the dog get along. Some shelters may also let you "borrow" the dog for a day to see how it will work in your home.

Good luck, let us know what you get
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Old September 26th, 2007, 07:03 AM
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I agree a older rescue dog is the way to go, you would be saving a life as well as gaining a great family member. I own a giant breed and will say they are very calm have great patience. The only thing is with the age of your kids I do not think they would adopt one to you and one of the reasons is they do tend to knock kids over. I have been flattened by my guy playing in the park and when a 180 pound dogs hits you it can hurt. Buddy is an English Mastiff and sheds a small dog a day not what you want or me but I deal with it. They also tend to be droolers and that is something a lot of people cannot handle. Prior to Buddy I had Boo who was a Neopolitan Mastiff who do not shed but still the size issue. I think a great choice is the standard poodle they are not nearly as heavy as Mastiffs and are incredibly smart and much different than med and small poodles.
Giant breeds are great with kids and very protective of them but if you go that route then I would recommend a reputable breeder not found in newspapers. A reputable breeder will have a waiting list and will grill you as if you are adopting a child this is for the benefit of the dog and your family. Do not be insulted by it they have the dogs best interest at heart. I am not a fan of buying a dog I am a huge advocate of rescues my last 4 dogs have been rescues and all but one turned out to be the most loyal loving dogs you could ever want. They have seen the bad and will reward you with love and joy for saving them. I do not recommend a small breed to nippy and fragile for kids. An older Boxer might be a consideration they come in many sizes and the older ones around 4 are much calmer because as pups they are tons of work and have so much energy if not exercised enough can be destructive as with most breeds that require a lot of exercise. I say rescue because they are placed in foster homes to evaluate them. Good luck and keep us informed
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