Can you give suggestions for a family dog?

[jnjw2001]

Hello again. Another quick question. The kind of dog we are looking for is a medium to large, not a big shedder, not a drooler, or much of one. Needs to be family friendly and not overly hyper. Can you please give me any suggestions on a breed. Mixed or not is fine. Thank you so much :)

[dogmom192]

My neighbor has a boxer that is quite nice- mild mannered, (sweet disposition) very short hair, and medium-large sized.  Ghilly's comments were very accurate-  and your children's safety is first.  Anytime people choose part-wild animals as pets, they're getting into a potentially dangerous zone, even for experienced handlers/trainers, as you're dealing with an unpredictable/wild element.  Go with an easy dog first time.  I was so lucky with my first dog-   he had been dumped on a country road at about 5 weeks of age, and I just happened to almost run over him as he was trying to keep up with a rag tag pack of stray dogs running across the road- he was covered with burrs and urine and was filthy.  He was so little- I was within a mile of a Vet, so took him in- he weighed 5 lbs.  Anyways, he turned into a 110 pound dog, (part Great Pyrenees/part Lab we think) but he was the mildest mannered dog in the world.  He was healthy as a horse, too-  basically all I had to do for him for 14.5 years was feed/water him and keep up with shots- (and I had him neutered at about 4 months). I never worried about him, he was so great with neighbors, children, everyone, that I never had to pen or chain him up, (we lived on acreage in the country).  In fact, we had 5 neighbors that all kept water bowls on their porches for him, because he would do "rounds" visiting everyone several times a day.  Everyone adored him. My point is- a mild mannered, easy going dog is what you need for kids-  don't try to get something exotic or wild - get a dog that you can trust around children, neighbors, the UPS guy- a dog that won't end up tearing off someone's face, or land you in lawsuit or jail.

[April2]

Really??!! I didn't think poodles shed! Well, at least it's not the coarse hair like some. They're still supposed to be good for people with allergies. That's why my mom first brought home a toy poodle when we were little because my sister had so many allergies. I love poodles!

[AireScottie]

April posted while I was writing, and I agree standard Poodles make great family pets, but my aunt's sheds so much she could knit a sweater from the hair!  There are tumbleweeds of hair throughout her house, and she cleans every week.

[AireScottie]

Red and Ghilly are very correct about retrievers, especially labs in my experience.  My last Scottie was attacked from behind, totally unprovoked, by a loose chocolate lab and eventually died from the bite.  I've met a lot of labs, and about half are super low key and half seem like they're totally nuts (probably from lack of exercise).

Ghilly's right about what the dogs are bred for too.  I love my Airedale; they're happy as can be, they're great with kids when socialized, but they were bred to run, hunt, and kill, and I'm talking taking down bear here.  They are high energy, but not necessarily hyper.

Speaking of hunting dogs, though, my neighbor has a Blue Tick Coon and a Bloodhound.  They're both big, low shed, and low key dogs.  Both are rescues and started out howling their heads off, but have decreased howling with proper training. These two are great dogs.  Anyone know what the breed tendencies are?

[April2]

I have 2 toy poodles pups. They will be small - up to 7-9 pounds. The next size up would be more of a medium sized dog, which is the miniature poodle and then the standard, which is a pretty good sized dog. I was just in Petsmart the other day and a lady was walking a standard poodle through there and she says she loves poodles and has always had poodles. This one seemed quite calm and gentle. I grew up with toy poodles and I love them.

[April2]

Have you thought about a poodle? I know you said you wanted a large dog but poodles come in all sizes from teacup to standard (the large poodle). They don't shed, they're hypoallergenic, they don't drool, they're very intelligent dogs, loyal, loving, playful and easy to train they say. Just a thought.