whats the best breeds??

to have around young children, i have 2 youngsters both under 4 years of age and would like to know whats the best to have with kids at the min looking into..........
boxers
labradors
akitas
elkhounds
any help would be fab and also know any breeders in the north west area
many thanks.

Everyone will have an opinion on the best breed of dog to have around children as they own that particular breed of dog, what you have to ask yourself is are your children ok to be around dogs as more often than not its the children who are at fault when they get snapped at / bitten, because the parents of the children haven't taught them correctly.

I personally have rasied 3 children around Dobermanns from the age of 6wks (the children that is) they were from day one taught to respect the dogs space so I had no problems with any of them, so I would say a Dobermann is a great family pet if brought up properly and treated with respect by the human members of the family.


Bilclarie

Out of that list I would say Labs first, then Boxers.

No experience with Elkhounds; never even seen one, so you might have trouble finding a pup.

Akitas wouldn't be my first choice for a family dog. They are very powerful and strong willed. Most of the ones I have met, bar one, have had iffy temperaments.

If you want any help in finding a good Lab breeder, I might be able to point you in the right direction. A good dog is worth waiting for. Just PM me!

Hmm.. It depends on the dog really. A young dog of any of those breeds would easily knock a young child flying (and probably do it a lot!). Labs and boxers particularly are very bouncy, and elkhounds and akitas can be quite headstrong. i would think that in your case an older dog that has lived with children before and is proven to be fine with them might be a good idea though out of those breeds i would probably go with either lab or elkhound.

its always hard to think of a good breed i can say labs are good my son has been brought up with them from the age of 2yrs i found it helped that if the pup is around the child when you are training and you get the child to do it as well with your help. my son can now do all trainng with our dogs and he loves it, when picking our dog we looked at what would be a good dog to grow up with our son and is good with training, we never had a problem with them knocking him over as they was trained to be carm on command, it helped loads.

really hope you find your doglet soon good luck

My kids all grew up with GSDs. I think it has more to do with how you run your house and family TBH than breed.
The dog should be trained and excercised properly.
The children should be taught that the dog is an animal, not a toy.
Rough play should be avoided.
The childrens friends should be supervised around the dog.
The dog must have a routine, and a place where he can be undisturbed if he wishes - this avoids a stressed dog reacting.
And good luck with your dog.
eta - personally I wouldn`t choose a very young puppy with small children.

I'd agree that the kids should be taught to respect a dog and its space rather than focussing on a breed that is supposedly good with kids.

Are your kids used to dogs already?

In terms of the breed you have listed we have a boxer but no kids and he has always played fantastically with kids but as he's getting bigger he is forgetting his size more and more and I'd be concerned that he'd knock a small child over but maybe this is something you could train from an early age as the dog will have kids around constantly.

Good luck in your search and keep us all updated.

Great post and I would have said the same thing, except exchange Dobermann for German Shepherds

I have a 1 year old son and a 6 year old stepson and both have been taught to respect the dogs and how to approach them, play with them etc. Most of our dogs (German Shepherds and Border Collies) have also been raised with the children and are very good with them.

Hmm i guess where all biased to our own breeds but i think Newfoundlands are fantastic with children so relaxed and trustworthy there the only dog for me lol and St bernards but there a little more clumsy in my experience

If you like Labs you could also look into Golden Retrievers.
I have 3 but no kids but they are so gentle with the neighbours kids and have a good reputation and personality with kids.