Opinions on dogs

When you say "tolerant" of children, does that mean you have kids?

I love the "tough" guard dog breeds, but the simple fact is that you should NOT trust them unsupervised among children.

I have a 3 1/2 year old American Pitbull Terrier that loves little kids, but I don't let kids play with her and if I had kids I wouldn't have gotten her- fact is, she is a dog, an animal, and to totally trust any animal that can kill a child in seconds is stupid and a recipe for disaster.

So you really should ask yourself- do you want a tough dog that is bred for household protection, or do you want a family pet?

Aye, I think that if you are seriously considering having kids in the next few years, you should go with the Lab. If you weren't, I'd suggest the Shepherd.

Shepherds are awesome dogs, but they are very strong and powerful. Labs, while large, aren't nearly as dangerous when aggressive.

You can't really go wrong with a Lab- I've never met a mean Lab, they are very obendient, and are energetic and fun.

Personally, until the wife and I decide to have kids (which shouldn't be for another 5+ years), I won't own anything but Pits...my Pitbull is absolutely the most loyal, affectionate dog I've ever experienced.

i have a boston terrier. i bought him 3 months before my wife gave birth to our first born. he is so great with the kid. and the kid is 8 months old today. and has never been afraid of the dog.
someone other than my wife or myself come to the door, and you would think i have a pitbull. lol
awesome dog, and it's my first dog. i wasn't allowed to have a dog when i lived with my parents.
i always wanted a pit. i had a friend that had one that was such a good dog. it would playfetch all day long, you would get sick of play it before he did. great around people, he would throw bar b q's and thatdog would be great around the people. try anything shady and you where done
if we did't have a child, i would own a pit.

Almost any dog introduced into a home w/o children will be, at least, somewhat jealous when, say 5yrs down the road, one shows up in his home.

Do your homework, get a dog that fits your lifestyle, NOT one that you'll have to adjust your lifestyle for. You have to consider the dogs needs for exercise, grooming, attention, and possible medical problems. Sometimes that means considering a somewhat homely breed(yes there are homely dogs).

Labs are cool, they like water. My friends lab always liked to roll in something dead(YUK). I'm not a fan of German Shepherds or Pit Bulls. Too much inbreeding and improper raising/training associated with both of them. It's hard to find a dog that is bred for the betterment of the breed as opposed to one that's been bred for making money.

There were several breeds that I had on the list, Bernese Mountain Dog, Kuvasz, Great Pyreness, and the Akita. We chose an Akita, each dog had it's ups and downs(some had more downs than ups). After weighing the pros and cons, we then began a search for a reputable breeder. I bought a book before we contacted a breeder, they give you and idea of what to expect with w/e breed. We took our (at the time) 4yr old to meet the puppies, to see if the puppy would bond with the youngest one of the pack. After about 5mins the puppy was following her around their yard. My daughter picked up a stick and started to break it as she walked, so the puppy did the same. It's been over 3yrs, and our Akita is the most loyal, protective, and obedient dog I've seen. Alot of times she knows what she's supposed to do w/o being commanded.

Here are some don'ts. DO NOT buy from a 'pet store' in the mall, not ever. BE wary of ads in the newspaper, especially ones for cheap. Don't buy a dog because it looks cool, those looks only go so far, if it has an irritating personality. Since you are considering children during the lifespan of said dog, I don't recommend going to the pound and getting a 'used' dog. Like used cars, they are there for a reason, a reason that you may not find out until it's too late. Don't buy a puppy if the breeder won't let you meet the parents.

That being said, a lab is probably a safe choice, IF the dog fits your lifestyle. Do your research and find a good breeder. Go to Petsmart or a local dog park and talk to the owners about their experiences with their dogs.

Grab a poodle, those things can't hurt anything, but they'll bark long before the intruder gets to the house, so you can have your shotgun ready!

I can't say I agree with you on the whole older dog and child thing...

M<y German shepard / lab mix (mutt) was perfectly fine when we took our son hom ein december snd now she is very loving and protective of/with him...

Our only problem is too many kisses to his face...

I can vouch for german shepards and children from experiance. I used to have 2 german shepards, and I am part of a big family. I am 19 now, but I was around 12 when we had the german shepards. I am one of 6 kids. I have a Jack Russel now and I can say after owning this dog, I can see what people mean when they say GS's are the most loyal dogs there are. We never trained either of them properly, so I cannot say exactly how good a german shepard would be, but they are protective of the family by nature, and extremely tough. They were problems though, they attacked a lot of people, including going after 2 cops. After the 2 cops sprayed him with mase, he stoped for a second and shook his head and then went running after the cops, my dad called him back before they shot him, he would have easily torn them apart without a doubt.

After thinking about it I wouldnt recomend getting a german shepard, we had a boy and a girl, and the male did bite my little brother one time when he pulled on his tail. When they do bite family memebers, if they ever do that is, its not a serious bite. When he bit him, he bit him just enough to leave small scratches on his face.

I just miss the loyality and obediance I saw out of those dogs.

Boxer, i have two.

my aunt had a yellow lab she got when i was 3. I remember when she brought it home for the first time. I basically grew up with the dog. He was very docile but would play when you wanted to. Unfortunately, he was put to sleep a few years ago .

I vote for the lab. We have a 4 year old 113 pound pure breed chocolate lab. This dog is amazing with children, to the point where my 2 year old cousin will walk up to it and hit it in the face and he'll just walk away. There isn't a mean bone in his body.

My only complaint is that its TOO friendly, in that it gets distracted easy. It loves to meet new people and is sometimes a pain because he will run to meet them and ignore us. Although that might be our fault.

He's also a great outdoors dog, we take him hiking, camping, and swimming all the time. We have to set up chairs around our pool's stairway to keep him out of it and we gotta drag him out of lakes and the ocean.

The thing with labs is that they're very active so if time is an issue, I don't recommend a lab. He needs to be exercised every day and seems to pout if we don't walk him. I take mine running 3 miles a day every morning and he still wants to play fetch in the afternoon.

- adam

Swarzkopf said:

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I won't own anything but Pits...my Pitbull is absolutely the most loyal, affectionate dog I've ever experienced.

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I LOVE MY PIT. best dog I have ever had. Also one of the nicest.

Dustin

I'm not a fan of German Shepherds or Pit Bulls. Too much inbreeding and improper raising/training associated with both of them.

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That's too bad. You're missing out on two great breeds.

As I said, I wouldn't trade my Pitbull for any other dog.

Someday.... I will gather enough $$$ to get me an Italian Greyhound.....


I, too, love Pits..... but they're too big for me....

We have a yorkie .. it's cute but man.. what a pain, ever hear one of those things bark? WORST! Stay away from little dogs.. My ex has 3 great danes, those were awesome dogs, very sweet, very calm, they were inside dogs as well which seemed a little unusual to me The problem (I guess a problem?) with those is that when they get excited they tend to forget how large they really are..

In my experience labs are energetic and not so much good inside dogs, though I'm quite sure you can train them as well as any other dog, just a matter of work.. Shepards are great loyal dogs, that I don't think youd have any trouble with around kids IF he was trained right.. go german

oh lastly, make sure you don't get a mutt.. they'll be expensive but its worth it