Let me preface this by saying, “anything that has teeth can bite”. I did research on this topic & found a lot of places agree with certain breeds being more safe & others less safe, but some didn’t agree nor do I on some. I will go into all this more as I write this blog. I believe that some dog breeds have certain dispositions that make them easier going & some are one person dogs or stand-offish which makes them more cautious & not necessarily good with kids due to this. How a dog is treated & how it is raised are big factors for any breed. I have written a lot of posts on training & also wrote one on things you should do with your puppy by 20 weeks old. This is to help prevent fears as your puppy grows into a dog, many dogs bite out of fear, so if introduced to as many things & people as possible before the 20 week old mark, you can help reduce or even eliminate some fears. This was post # 52.
Dogs should be trained using positive only training methods to lessen the risk of a dog fearing humans hands or not trusting humans because they correct or punish them. If someone was teaching me that way I would be out of there, but your dog can’t so they can turn & react in a negative way & it might be a child who is the victim because they are there or they are closer to their size. I have written many posts on the topic of training & training equipment including the post numbers: 26, 32, 42, 45, 46, 52, 57, 72, 75, 79, 85, 97, 99, 100,101, &114.
Teaching children from a young age to be comfortable around dogs & to be gentle is very important. It is helpful to learn a little about dog body language if your kids are around dogs, even when just visiting friends or family with dogs. I wrote a post of dog body language, there is a lot more to say about it, but my post is a start (#64). I wrote one on how to greet a strange dog (#71). I also wrote one on do dogs really like this or tolerate it (#108) which is about where to pet a dog & should I hug a dog. These are good things for adults to know as well.
I am going to list some breeds that are considered good with kids, but this rule is not written in stone, there are always exceptions to the rule. Breeding, history, training, medical issues, how the dog is treated, etc…
Labrador Retrievers: (first photo in this post) are affectionate, intelligent, & highly patient with kids.
Golden Retrievers: Gentle, loving & tolerant. (2nd photo)
Beagles: Smaller to small/medium, cheerful, loyal, thrive in active families.
Boxers: Protective, playful, devoted, known for their high energy & affectionate nature.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: gentle, calm, affectionate, sweet & smaller.
Irish Setter: Energetic, playful, sweet tempered.
Newfoundland: Patient, nurturing, & gentle nature.
Collie: Loyal, protective, gentle demeanor.
Bernese Mountain Dog: gentle giants, patient with kids, loyal.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier: Incredibly loyal, affectionate,& gentle around kids.
Bichon Frise: gentle, playful, patient nature, smart, Velcro dogs.
I found the dog breeds above to be pretty consistently considered to be good with kids, but kids & the dogs need to be taught to be mutually respectful of the others space & to be gentle with each other. The smaller breeds need to be treated with extra care as they can more easily be injured.
There were breeds listed as not good with kids, but again I say there are always exceptions to the rule & rearing of the dog & the kids will have a lot to do with whether they will do well together.
Some of these dogs were listed as not good with kids due to their size, temperaments, high prey drive, strong herding instinct, or their strong protective nature.
Chihuahua: due to their small size they are fragile & more easily injured, they can be snappy & protective, making them dangerous around kids. Even though their bite might not be excessive it can lead to them losing their home or life if they bite a child.
Chow Chow: known for being territorial, & having low tolerance for erratic behavior of kids, often known to bite family members.
Akita: Highly protective, & often weary of kids which can lead to serious safety issues.
Siberian Husky: Energetic & often unpredictable around children, sometimes displaying aggression.
Dalmatian: often nervous or anxious & can be high strung which doesn’t mix well with the loud chaotic environment of kids.
Australian Shepherd: A herding breed that can nip at kids herd them like livestock.
Border Collies: herding breed & can try & corral kids & nip or bite if the kids don’t go where the dog wants them.
Rottweiler: Powerful dogs that require extensive training (positive only), not always recommended for homes with young or un-monitored kids.
Cane Corso & Dogo Argentino: Large protective breeds that can be too intense & potentially dangerous for young kids.
Small/toy breeds like Yorkshire terriers or Italian greyhounds are often too fragile/delicate for the activity of kids.
Shiba Inu: Independent, stubborn, dislike rough play, are usually one person dogs & often not known to be good with kids. Better with older kids who it grows up with.
Belgian Malinois: High energy, strong prey drive & mouthy, need constant supervision around kids, which can make them a challenging breed for a home with kids.
I also did some research into the dogs with the most reported bite incidents in the US. I found Pit bulls & Pit bull mixes were #1 (I believe due to their loyal nature & willingness to fight or do what people have made them do). German Shepherds, Chows Chows, Rottweilers. Some other dogs that made the lists were:Lhasa Apso, American Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Border collies & Doberman Pinscher, Jack Russell Terrier, Cocker Spaniel, St Bernards, Alaskan Malamutes, Dalmatians & Labradors even made the list but that was stated because it was long the #1 owned dog breed & the sheer number of them got them on the list.
I have been a dog lover all my life (as far back as I can remember) & I used to know all the dogs in my neighborhood. I often found lost or stray dogs, of course I was looking for them on walks & bike riding. I would find a dog & bring it home & try & find its home or hang out with it till my dad intervened. I will say I was bitten by dogs in my life, my 1st incident I was about 10-12 years old & at the home of a family my older sister babysat for. There was a Teacup Poodle there (don’t think theirs) & it bit me, no idea why. The 2nd time I was a teenager about 14-15 years old & I was hanging out with a female white German Shepherd in the area of my home. A black & tan German Shepherd approached us & he tried to mount the female & I sternly said “NO” & he jumped for my throat. I luckily saw it & stepped back & he got me in the chest just below my throat & punctured my thigh with his nail. He tore my shirt open & I had to get him to follow me back home & Animal Control had to be called so he could be checked for rabies. No hospital visit or stitches needed. Thank goodness he didn’t have rabies & I didn’t need shots. I was bitten by a Doberman, when I was about 20 years old. That really was not his fault, he was a guard dog at an auto repair place & I thought I was out of his leash range. I was running after a friend on the way to her car & I think he was protecting her & only tried to grab my pant leg to stop me. My pants had no give so he got my leg, but not a bad injury. The next time I was bitten it was my fault (I didn’t know it then). I was helping a friend’s son by showing him how to properly fit a Gentle Leader head collar on his yellow Lab mix. Her tail was wagging, so I thought she was good with me, but I didn’t learn till years later that how a dogs tail is wagging has a lot to do with it, the speed, the direction, angle & height all say something different. Her body language said she was uncomfortable & I was clueless. Not a serious bite, she warned me with not much more than contact & a slight wound. The last time was my own dog Sydney who had Rage(a behavior seizure) caused by an un-diagnosed brain tumor (you can read the whole story in my post #’s 69 & 70). So as you can tell from my own experience anything that has teeth can bite. Being aware of how a dog is responding to you can be a big part in preventing bites, giving them space to come to you in a friendly manner & not confronting them.
With some breeds that have become popular there can be unscrupulous people who are in it for the money & breed dogs to make a profit. They don’t breed for gentle temperament or disposition, it is all about which dogs can I breed & make money. Some of these dogs no longer have the sweet, gentle loving, easy going personality the breed usually produces, so do your research if you’re getting a new puppy. Please do not buy from a pet store, these dogs come from puppy mills & that is all about profit.
I hope this post was informative & I appreciate you helping me get the word out there about my blog. You can help me do that in several ways: click the like button at the bottom of posts, comment on a post, share the link on your social media or through email, subscribe to my blog (thanks to all my subscribers, I really appreciate you), visit often. I have 126 other posts for you to check out & you can find the table of content on my home page under the show tab & then you can go back to the home page, scroll down & read the posts you are interested in. If you have a topic you would like me to write about feel free to email me at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com or comment on any post. Thank you for visiting & hope you return soon. Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 