Hello all, How would you go about picking a dog if the only criteria is that it be good with other animals and kids? The only other thing is I cannot get an extra large breed at this time as I don't have the space. Other than that I find myself looking everywhere that has dogs or dog ads an I find that not to be very helpful as I want them all!! Do you have any suggestions on narrowing down my focus? Thanks so much for your advice. Have a great day!
Think about what you'd like to do with the dog (if anything) Agility, hiking companion, showing, obedience, canicross, htm, bikejoring etc Think about what you are willing and capable of providing. Intense brushing, frequent visits to groomers, constant slobber wiping, a lot of mental stimulation, physical exercise etc And coat type preferences? Do you want the dog to be an eager to please sort of breed? Have you had dogs before? Lots of things can narrow it down, but it is really personal preference For example, while a lab or a staffie might suit me on paper (ie breed selector quizzes), I prefer my dogs thin and pointy
I feel those breed selector quizzes are useless for the most part. When finding a dog it can be a crap shoot, especially with shelters. At least with a good rescue group they might have some idea of the pup's personality with other animals and children. But then again a foster family doesn't have your other animals or children. I recommend Pet Finder, you can find a lot of resources there. Something important with any shelter or rescue group is that they are willing to take an animal back if it doesn't work out. City shelters have the most choices of dogs. But if you have young kids I don't recommend them only because they probably don't know the dog beyond basically caring for it. A good example was with Callie. I took him walking for a week before the adoption from animal control was finalized. To get to the outside door meant walking past a cat cage low to the ground. Every day we walked past this cage and every day a paw would shoot out and scratch his leg or butt. Finally one day he stopped long enough to tell this cat to cut it out in no uncertain terms. A worker observing said "Wow, I would never send him to a home with cats!". Because she didn't know the cat's behavior over the past few days and she didn't know we have five cats. But we brought him home and several of our cats are very happy with him. So sometimes you just have to hope for the best too.
That's a good question. There are merits to both and I would be open to a pup or an adult. I hesitate to get an adult because it already has been shaped by other people but if it is good with kids and other animals I wouldn't be opposed to an adult.
Maybe you could look to a rescue or someone rehoming their dog. Especially if you go the adult route. You can have a better idea of if they are good with kids or other animals.
Yes and particularly an adult who's been a family dog to begin with might be ideal. True they might have been shaped by another human. But there are so many adults dogs out there who are homeless through no fault of their own. Families move to places that won't take their dog, financial upheaval, divorce, any number of situations and a poor family pup ends up homeless. I understand people being drawn to puppies. But I feel an adult appreciates it more when they're rescued.
If you have a particular breed in mind, you could contact the AKC for the regional rescue co -ordinator for that breed. Many dogs in breed rescue are there due to no fault of their own. (Divorce, relocation etc.), and they often come with information about their past. You may also be able to view what is available on a breed welfare website. One downside though - your country is vastly larger than ours, and you may have to travel further to find a dog that seems to be just what you are looking for.
Thanks for all the ideas and comments! The reason I am doing so much foot work so to speak before getting this dog is because we got a St. Bernard mix a few years back and she was not a good fit for our family so we had to give her back. She growled and nipped at me when I corrected her from trying to jump on the counter. At the time, our daughter was only 2 and I did not feel comfortable keeping a dog that nipped. I wish I would have done more homework on St. Bernards before getting a mix because I found out the hard way how strong willed they can be. Maybe I am over thinking this next dog as is possible due to my personality. I just don't want to get attached to another dog and have to give it back for whatever reason. Giving the last one back nearly broke my heart.
Don't feel so guilty...we had a bassett that was "food aggressive" and a border collie who was smarter than I was...two dog fails, my best buddy was totally against me getting Sophie and she's been with us almost nine years now. It's finding the pup that fits you regardless of breed really.
