20 of the Best Dog Breeds for Homes with Small Children – Part Two

In my previously published article 20 of The Best Dog Breed for Home With Small Children many people showed interest in reading what I had to say. With all of that interest I’ve decided to expand my original list. This is the second installment with more dog breed information to come.

If you have a family that includes small children, you may want to look into which breeds are generally best around kids. I’ve already given you 40 dog breeds that have shown to be reliable around children. Here are twenty MORE of the best dog breeds out there for your family. It should be said that breed alone does not determine if a dog is the right choice for your household. All dogs are individuals and breeding is just one ingredient that shapes the animal’s temperament.

Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog

This breed is generally dutiful, active, athletic, mindful, and quickly trainable. It is a very rare dog breed and is named for its streak of “royalty.” The Alapaha makes a great watch dog or guard dog. They will fight to the death when defending their family but owners claim they become aggressive for defense only. These dogs generally make extremely good companion dogs and do very well with children. Height is approximately 24 inches and weight can be as much as 100lbs. Males can be twice as heavy as females.

American Lo-Sze Pugg

These dogs are normally very sociable, funny, affectionate and intelligent. They can be reserved around strangers or with unfamiliar situations but they are great with children. They will bark as an alert when they find something suspicious, but they don’t normally bark randomly. This is a lap-sized dog (approximately 10 inches and 5 to 12lbs) so they don’t make for a good guard or watch dog.

Border Terrier

This scruffy little terrier is alert, energetic, mild-mannered, affectionate, and easily trained. Generally not aggressive and very friendly. This is the type of dog to lick a burglar. They are especially loving towards children and want to please their masters. Puppies are extremely active, but they mellow as they mature. Border Terriers have a tendency to dig and must be securely fenced in. They eat only a cup of dry dog food a day so they are quite economical to feed. Eleven to sixteen inches tall; Eleven to sixteen pounds.

Cretan Hound

This breed is refined, loving, docile, cleanly and elegant in form and in movement. They are never vulgar or overwhelming in gestures and are somewhat reserved with strangers. The Cretan Hound is naturally inquisitive and tolerant and they are extremely gentle and loving towards children. They rarely bark but will take notice of strangers. These dogs normally weigh between 44 and 66 pounds.

Dakotah Shepherd

Loyal, extremely smart, loving, very gentle, and quiet, these dogs are great with kids and can be trained to a high level of obedience. They are willing to go to work or just stay in and play with their families. This breed isn’t the “yappy” type, nor are they hyper. They haven’t shown any aggressive tendencies as of yet but they can make good watch dogs and warn of intruders. Grows to 17 to 21 inches tall and weighs between 35 and 50 pounds.

Dutch Smoushond

This breed is obedient, friendly, skillful, funny, alert, and intelligent. They are generally eager to please and adapt well to different environments. The Smoushond tends to be quiet around strangers, but loving and energetic with his or her family. They are easy to care for and make great house dogs. They also get along great with children and other family pets. Height ranges from 14 to 17 inches and weight ranges from 20 to 22 pounds.

English Shepherd

Energetic, active, agile, fearless, courageous, and intelligent, this breed is also an excellent choice for children. The English Shepherd is generally very responsive to their master’s voice and makes for a great companion when not working. Traditionally these dogs have been used for hunting, but they also make for a great watch dog or a family pet. The English Shepherd grows to 18-23in tall and ultimately weighs 10-610lbs.

Gordon Setter

This breed is distinguished for its loyalty and obedience. They are polite, devoted, sensible, gentle, and intelligent dogs. These dogs are excellent with children and are both cheerful and affection towards their families. Gordon Setters do need a lot of exercise and a fenced in yard as they like to roam. They may be reserved with strangers but seem to get along with everyone. Height ranges from 23 to 27 inches and weight ranges from 23 to 80 pounds depending upon the sex of the dog.

Harrier

The Harrier is playful, outgoing, cheerful, sweet-tempered, and tolerant in temperament. They are excellent with children and like to explore, sniff and trail. These dogs should be kept on a leash or in a fenced area. Some like to bay. The Harrier also prefers pack life, whether it be with people, dogs, or both. Harriers grow to 19-21in tall and weigh 40-60lbs.

Keeshond

The Keeshond are great with children. They are a lively, intelligent, alert, loving and friendly dog breed. Keeshond have a lot of personality and are normally real characters. They love everyone and need to be a part of family activities. They also make for good watchdogs since they are noted for being able to warn of danger. This breed does gain weight easily so you must be careful not to overfeed. Keeshond grow to 17-19in and weigh 35-45lbs.

Leonberger

This is yet another gentle giant who is actually more agile than similarly sized dogs. They are lively, affectionate, sweet, calm, friendly, and incredibly patient with children. Generally, if a situation becomes too intense or irritating for the Leonberger he or she will simply walk away instead of becoming aggressive. They take bad behavior in stride. These dogs are also extremely intelligent, trustworthy and loyal. They want to please their owners and make a great family companion dog. These dogs grow to 27-31in and weigh approximately 100-170lbs.

Miniature Australian Bulldog

This is the smaller version of the Australian Bulldog. It is an intelligent, loving, easygoing, playful, alert, and loyal dog breed. The Mini Aussie Bulldog strives for love and attention from family members. They make for a good watch dog but not a good guard dog though their appearance can act as a deterrent. These dogs grow to 14 inches tall or smaller.

Pocket Beagle

This breed is said to be generally sweet, gentle, energetic, sociable, brave, loving, and intelligent. They are great with children and other dogs. Pocket beagles tend to “have a mind of their own” and need patient, firm training. They don’t like to be left alone. This dog has a loud baying cry that can be a nuisance to family and neighbors. You should have a fenced area and use a leash with this dog since they have a tendency to follow their noses and take off exploring. Height ranges from 7 to 12 inches and weight ranges from 7 to 15 pounds.

Portugese Waterdog

This breed is generally friendly, intelligent, affectionate, water-loving, energetic, and loyal. They are excellent with children and one of several hypoallergenic dog breeds suitable for allergy sufferers. They have a great sense of humor and make for good watch dogs. Height ranges from 17 to 22 inches and these dogs weight approximately 35 to 55 pounds.

Samoyed

This breed is gentle, dignified, devoted, easy-going, friendly and quite playful. They tend to favor one person in a family but show affection towards everyone. They will be friendly to anyone, including intruders. They would not be suitable as a watchdog but make excellent family pets. They have a reputation for chewing and can become destructive when left alone for long periods of time. Samoyeds also bark a lot. They grow to 19 to 23.5 inches and weigh between 35 and 65 pounds

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

The Wheaten is an alert, playful, strong, intelligent, and friendly dog. They make good watchdogs and are great for families with children as well as those who suffer from allergies. They rarely bark unnecessarily. It is said they have a puppy attitude that stays with them into old age. Wheatens are also graceful, easy-going and confident. They bond extremely closely with their family.

Spinone Italiano

This Italian dog breed is very intelligent, happy, easy-going, entertaining, and gentle. They love children and have a definite clown side to them. They want to be with people and enjoy being in someone’s lap. They are not considered to be a protection breed. They are often used for hunting, pointing, and retrieving game. Height ranges from 22.5 to 27.5 inches and these dogs weight between 64 and 86 pounds.

Treeing Walker Coonhound

This breed is primarily a working and hunting dog but also make great companion dogs. They get along with other dogs and are great with children. They thrive on attention, and are said to be intelligent, high-strung, eager to please, skilled, and confident. They are fast dogs with a great sense of smell and a unique howl. Height ranges from 20-27in and weight ranges from 50-70lbs.

Valley Bulldog

These strong dogs have excellent temperaments and make for a great family pet. One minute they can be very calm and gentle and the next silly and playful. These dogs are clowns and love attention. They can be stubborn but are also intelligent and learn quite easily. The Valley Bulldog is also a good watch dog since they will bark at sounds they don’t recognize. They grow to 12-25in tall and weigh between 50 and 85 pounds.

Welsh Springer Spaniel

These dogs are happy, willing, independent and gentle creatures. They are also active, loyal and affectionate, though less outgoing than the English Springer Spaniel. Welsh Springers are known for being very loving toward their family, especially children. They have a playful attitude and may be “clingy,” sticky to their owners like Velcro. They need to be a part of family activities to be truly happy.

For a more complete list and for more information about each of the breeds listed please visit www.dogbreedinfo.com.

Reference:

• www.dogbreedinfo.com