Adding a furry little friend to your home can do wonders for family wellness, but if you have children you need to be sure that their wellbeing is secured, as well as the dog’s wellness. You need a patient pooch, and even some that seem docile can turn out to be aggressive, so how about you pick one of these five pups that have been judged the most suitable for families with children?
Newfoundlands, or Newfies, are loyal, sweet, loving and completely indifferent to any poking, hair pulling and pouncing on they could be submitted to, in spite of their bear-like appearance. They are nicknamed ‘gentle giants’, and are easy to house-train, even as young puppies. They also love the water, and have been known to save people from drowning thanks to their double fur coat and webbed feet. However, these dogs need more grooming than others, and are prone to developing health problems, meaning they can die quite young.
Staffordshire Bull Terriers adore children, and are trustworthy, quiet and gentle, despite their rough and strong look. They make great guard dogs, as they are loyal, rather than aggressive, but still love to sun bathe, cuddle and meet new people and other pets you have in the house. However, be aware that Staffies were first bred as working dogs, so they require a rigorous exercise regime to maintain their impressive muscle built, and you need lots of chewing toys for them as they chew a lot.
A Labrador Retriever is a popular breed because they can be used as rescue dogs, drug-sniffing dogs and guide dogs. They can adapt to pretty much any environment and are intelligent, which makes them easy to train. These dogs are some of the most tolerant, trustworthy, obedient and dependable ones around, but they do require exercise on a daily basis, and leash training is imperative starting at a young age. Also, they are big eaters, and can eat non dog-friendly foods so they need monitoring.
Collies are really gentle with children and extremely intelligent and trainable, which works well for family life. They are loyal, excellent guard dogs, as they were first used as herding dogs, and indoors they are mellow and easy-going, whilst outdoors they will bound with energy. However, they do need regular grooming, yet you can get breeds with shorter hair, which makes maintenance slightly easier.
Finally, Golden Retrievers are multi-talented and intelligent, meaning that they excel at tracking, retrieving, hunting, agility, swimming, obedience competitions, narcotics detection and being guide dogs. They are playful, sweet and mellow, yet protective, and are friendly with almost anyone, including other dogs. Like Labrador Retrievers, you need to watch their diet as they put weight on easily, and remember to keep him physically and mentally stimulated, to avoid having your pet becoming high-strung and mischievous.
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