dogs

[cattletom]

im looking to buy a new dog for me and my 4 yr old son

can some people give me some advice on what they think is the best all around dog to get for protection/ famlily/ etc.

 

[Angus Cattle Shower]

Is it just for everyday, showing, or working?
I would suggest a border collie. Great for all of this.

 

[fellersbarnoneranch]

Who has border collies around small children? Show of hands?

(no offense-truly remarkable dogs--but not what I would chose to babysit little ones)

 

[txag]

this same question was posed a while back:

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 20&start=0

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Four year olds with a new puppy or adult dog bears watching very close! Small children have a way of antagonizing a dog... and, they can be too rough on a puppy. Good supervision required.

For an all-around dog (loyal companion, friendly, affectionate, good watchdog & barker, etc.) I would vote for a Lab. With small children I'd definitely stay away from the "small" and "toy" breeds...they tend to be very hyper, etc., and teeth are like needles. Probably should also stay away from any of the "terrier" type breeds or very large dogs.

Goes without saying I would probably stay away from these breeds: Doberman, Pitbull, Dalmation, Chow, Rottweiler, Full size poodles, Mastiff, and related territory protective ones. Also, blond colored Cocker Spaniels have been known to have abrupt personality changes toward aggressive behavior.

Just my opinion... ;-)

 

[Medic24]

Just dont forget Border collies need to stay busy almost all the time, if you can't keep them busy they will worry something mercilessly

 

[9 ER]

I've got a German Shepard and they are great dogs. Very loyal, intelligent, protective and playful. Do very well inside or out. Mine loves to ride in the back of the truck and she follows me everywhere. Wouldn't trade for her for anything. Great around people. Doesn't like the water too much, but loves hunting rabbits.

 

[ranchwife]

ever given thought to a golden retriever??!! good loyal family dogs known for their way with children.....we have border collie/blue heeler mix here on the ranch and we have 5 children, the youngest being 5 and they are hyper, but can be worked with...i agree that they must be kept busy...oh, if only the rest of us had that metabolism, huh????

 

[jkwilson]

Goldens and Labs are great with kids, but they seem to have an extended puppyhood. With their large size, they can be intimidating to small children when they come to greet them and knock them down with their tails. I was changing the oil in the car one time when my 18mo old daughter started yelling. Our 8mo old Golden had knocked her down and was trying to get her to wrestle with her. Tail wagging the whole time, just playing too rough for a small child.

We have a large male Sheltie who has been a wonderul kids' dog. The smaller female is typical of smaller dogs. Be careful of German Shepards, they will take such a liking to the kids that they will bite to protect them, as will many of the stock dogs. Not altogether bad, but not good either when you discipline the kids.

 

[shorty]

We have a golden retriever and a black lab ,not much good in the watchdog department ( if someone would break in to rob the place they would probably help them) but they are the most lovable dogs for around little children.

 

[greatgerts]

Who has border collies around small children? Show of hands?

(no offense-truly remarkable dogs--but not what I would chose to babysit little ones)

We have a border collie that we bought back in late June that is around a 3 and 4 year old. It is actually the best thing for those 2 kids. They even feed her treats and help put her up for the night.
Gotta love them playing with her right before bed..Wears them out like you wouldn't believe.

 

[cowgirl580]

i'm going to go against large dogs for small kids cuz we have a newfoundland. she is an awesome dog. barks at strangel vehicles and people that come in the driveway, loyal, friendly, intimidating to strangers, good swimmers. however, they can get pricey for the papers that come with them. our newfie is very good with my daughter. she doesn't knock her down, doesn't maul her or anything like that. sits there to be petted by her and always has. my daughter is 4 now so she's not as mean as she used to be, but even when she was little the dog was very tolerant of her and didn't snap at her. i think when you get puppies and have them with little kids and they grow together than they each better for it. i'm off my soap box now. just my opinion

 

[Ryan]

I think blue heelers are great dogs. They are extremely smart, and very loyal dogs. Can be somewhat protective, but Are also great with children. All the blue heelers we have had worked well at the ranch and were great around the house.

 

[SSchmidt]

There is a lot of talk on this forum about cattle breeds. Different breeds have different charistics. Within each breed are bloodlines that further determine the charistics of the livestock in question. The same will apply to the charistics of a pet for you and your child. I don't know dogs that well, so I won't suggest a breed. All I'm saying is look further than just the breed, put forth the same effort in sellecting a dog that you would in sellecting a herd bull, and you and your son will have a wonderful and loving companion for many years!

 

[Beefy]

Lab.

 

[Ryder]

There is a lot of talk on this forum about cattle breeds. Different breeds have different charistics. Within each breed are bloodlines that further determine the charistics of the livestock in question. The same will apply to the charistics of a pet for you and your child. I don't know dogs that well, so I won't suggest a breed. All I'm saying is look further than just the breed, put forth the same effort in sellecting a dog that you would in sellecting a herd bull, and you and your son will have a wonderful and loving companion for many years!

Very right about different chacteristics of family lines within a breed. I have had three Dobermans, each from a different line, which ranged in temperment from crazy mean, to very friendly, with one in between. This is not to endorse that breed for your kids. For your purpose I would suggest a Boxer.

 

[cowgirl580]

i'm not sure how you feel about big dogs, but beside the newfoundlands the Kuvasz are loyal dogs and good protectors. they may be more pricey than you are looking for, but they are really nice dogs. you can log on to akc.org and look at the characteristics of all the dogs mentioned by everyone or whichever ones you come up with. good luck finding a dog.

 

[cowgal]

There are crazies and sweet-peas in every breed that is for sure. You would do good with a dog that is laid back and easily trained. Your pick!

 

[farmermike]

my opinion: go for the larger dogs.
get a patient breed, that is protective enough to put up with a lot of sh*t from your kid. because the kid is going to annoy the hell out of the dog, pul ears and tail...
if the dog is the protective kind, he'll protect the kid and put up with it. that said, i have a dogue de bordeaux which is great with my little cousins and we used to have a great dane that i rode when i was three or four years old.

a friend of mine has a rott, and when his kid (4 years) had a toothache, and had to see the dentist, the dog wouldn't leave the kid. it got to the point where they took the dog to dentist with the kid. scared the hell out of the dentist, but showes how attached this dog was to the kid.

 

[Tod Dague]

i'm going to go against large dogs for small kids cuz we have a newfoundland. she is an awesome dog. barks at strangel vehicles and people that come in the driveway, loyal, friendly, intimidating to strangers, good swimmers. however, they can get pricey for the papers that come with them. our newfie is very good with my daughter. she doesn't knock her down, doesn't maul her or anything like that. sits there to be petted by her and always has. my daughter is 4 now so she's not as mean as she used to be, but even when she was little the dog was very tolerant of her and didn't snap at her. i think when you get puppies and have them with little kids and they grow together than they each better for it. i'm off my soap box now. just my opinion

So why are you going against large dogs? You certainly have a large dog and you seem to be very pleased.

We have three dogs. The boarder collie wants nothing to do with children. The lab healer cross mothers them. The red healer plays with them. They all bark when anybody shows up. The red healer even barks when the cows get out or when they break into another paddock. Don't know how she knows but I always look when she barks. The red healer is the most protective of the bunch. Guess who my favorite dog is.