Can’t lose small breed for a kid

[Anonymous]

Cavaliers have great temperament. Goldens are also great with kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Havanese

No. We have one and clear preference to the person who walks the most. No good breeder will give a puppy to someone who has rejoined two dogs.

[Anonymous]

For those who have been asking, my daughter is 10. She’s a pretty quiet, low key kid. The first dog we tried was an American Eskimo, miniature. The dog began to get aggressive with my daughter as she approached puberty. My vet said she thought she was left in a cage and neglected before we got her. I rehomed her with a dog rehabilitation behaviorist.

The second dog was my mom’s. The dog became part of the family when my mom moved in. Mom moved in because she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The dog was half corgi, half Jack Russell terrier. My mom adopted her as a puppy from the shelter. Things were great for three months then the dog began getting aggressive toward my daughter. My uncle came and got the dog after the third unprovoked attack on my daughter.

I do feel like both dogs saw my daughter as bottom of the pecking order because she is small and quiet. She still really wants a dog. She watches Lucky Dog all the time. She had watched the show and learned how to train the last dog. I feel like it’s unfair to her. She was very involved with the dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Havanese

No. We have one and clear preference to the person who walks the most. No good breeder will give a puppy to someone who has rejoined two dogs.

My parents have one of these and he is the worst. He growls at anyone that comes near him when he's in his spot near my dad's chair and he also refuses to be house broken. He's one of 3 dogs and the only one with that issue. He's not cuddly either. He just has a bad attitude a lot the other two are much more chill, the best of the bunch is a mutt and nobody knows what he is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s weird that you had to rehome twice because of this. All our dogs have always been most bonded to me because I walk and feed the most, but they still love the whole family and none of them have ever snapped or snarled at the other family members except rare situations where the dogs boundaries were violated. Where are you getting these dogs? What breed?

+1 We foster dogs and I'm usually the one the dogs look to for leadership even if someone else is walking/feeding them. None of the dogs have snapped/snarled at others unless dog boundaries were violated and many of those (especially those related to brushing/grooming) could be trained out with some patience.

FWIW - we've had all sorts of breeds/mixes/sizes. Is there a reason you're only interested in a small breed?

[Anonymous]

agree with everyone saying get a medium to large breed as they can handle small children better and are less likely to nip

[Anonymous]

pugs are great with kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who have been asking, my daughter is 10. She’s a pretty quiet, low key kid. The first dog we tried was an American Eskimo, miniature. The dog began to get aggressive with my daughter as she approached puberty. My vet said she thought she was left in a cage and neglected before we got her. I rehomed her with a dog rehabilitation behaviorist.

The second dog was my mom’s. The dog became part of the family when my mom moved in. Mom moved in because she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The dog was half corgi, half Jack Russell terrier. My mom adopted her as a puppy from the shelter. Things were great for three months then the dog began getting aggressive toward my daughter. My uncle came and got the dog after the third unprovoked attack on my daughter.

I do feel like both dogs saw my daughter as bottom of the pecking order because she is small and quiet. She still really wants a dog. She watches Lucky Dog all the time. She had watched the show and learned how to train the last dog. I feel like it’s unfair to her. She was very involved with the dog.

I am not any kind of dog expert.

From your description, I wonder if before/in addition to considering what breed to get next, maybe you could find someone (vet, dog trainer, pet psychologist, etc.) to evaluate how your daughter interacts with dogs and give her some tips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One, stop getting shelter dogs. Get an infant dog from a show breeder who cN explain the temperament of the individuals in the litter.

There’s a reason all of America gets Labs.

This. We got a Lab puppy a few months ago. Our previous Lab was from a rescue who showed the same behavior the OP described. He was a former breeder and grew very defensive of me whenever my son came near me. This took time so we didn’t see this behavior when we first adopted him. Our Lab puppy loves my son because he’s the fun person who plays with him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who have been asking, my daughter is 10. She’s a pretty quiet, low key kid. The first dog we tried was an American Eskimo, miniature. The dog began to get aggressive with my daughter as she approached puberty. My vet said she thought she was left in a cage and neglected before we got her. I rehomed her with a dog rehabilitation behaviorist.

The second dog was my mom’s. The dog became part of the family when my mom moved in. Mom moved in because she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The dog was half corgi, half Jack Russell terrier. My mom adopted her as a puppy from the shelter. Things were great for three months then the dog began getting aggressive toward my daughter. My uncle came and got the dog after the third unprovoked attack on my daughter.

I do feel like both dogs saw my daughter as bottom of the pecking order because she is small and quiet. She still really wants a dog. She watches Lucky Dog all the time. She had watched the show and learned how to train the last dog. I feel like it’s unfair to her. She was very involved with the dog.

I gently suggest, if you do get a dog, that you immediately enroll your DD and the dog in obedience classes. Being small and quiet does not put one at the bottom of the pecking order. It's about knowledge and confidence. My DD and I have always been small. I'm 5'1 and she, at 17, is 4'10". Our black Lab still weighs more than she does. I grew up training/showing 1,000+lb farm animals with a wide range of temperaments. Of course, I wouldn't expect a 10 yo to have the confidence/skill to work with dogs with behavioral problems but I think there's more going on than what you think. You and your DD should work with someone to increase your knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who have been asking, my daughter is 10. She’s a pretty quiet, low key kid. The first dog we tried was an American Eskimo, miniature. The dog began to get aggressive with my daughter as she approached puberty. My vet said she thought she was left in a cage and neglected before we got her. I rehomed her with a dog rehabilitation behaviorist.

The second dog was my mom’s. The dog became part of the family when my mom moved in. Mom moved in because she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The dog was half corgi, half Jack Russell terrier. My mom adopted her as a puppy from the shelter. Things were great for three months then the dog began getting aggressive toward my daughter. My uncle came and got the dog after the third unprovoked attack on my daughter.

I do feel like both dogs saw my daughter as bottom of the pecking order because she is small and quiet. She still really wants a dog. She watches Lucky Dog all the time. She had watched the show and learned how to train the last dog. I feel like it’s unfair to her. She was very involved with the dog.

I gently suggest, if you do get a dog, that you immediately enroll your DD and the dog in obedience classes. Being small and quiet does not put one at the bottom of the pecking order. It's about knowledge and confidence. My DD and I have always been small. I'm 5'1 and she, at 17, is 4'10". Our black Lab still weighs more than she does. I grew up training/showing 1,000+lb farm animals with a wide range of temperaments. Of course, I wouldn't expect a 10 yo to have the confidence/skill to work with dogs with behavioral problems but I think there's more going on than what you think. You and your DD should work with someone to increase your knowledge.

OP here. I agree 100%.

[Anonymous]

OP my daughter doesn’t like big dogs unless they are incredibly docile. No one in the family has the time to exercise a large dog but exercising the corgi/Jack Russell mix was perfect. We loved walking her and taking her for short runs.

[Anonymous]

I think a cat is just way better suited for your family and perhaps a cat who is still a cat but is cuddly and responsive and energetic like a dog might be the right fit. Think Maine Coon or Turkish Van.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, thanks for providing additional information. I am sorry about the difficulties that you have gone through and understand your motivation for trying again! The bond between a kid and their dog can be beautiful!

I highly recommend a lab puppy from a good breeder. (I think yellow labs are the cutest!) Labs are good with all family members. They will fetch all day with a kid even if someone else usually walks or feeds them. They aren’t exclusive and have good personalities. As another poster said, they are popular for a reason!

You could look for a litter predicted to be on the smaller side of the standard range. Obviously, no labs are small, but some are larger than others.

If you get a lab puppy and your daughter does the training classes with the pup then I see this going well. Best wishes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a cat is just way better suited for your family and perhaps a cat who is still a cat but is cuddly and responsive and energetic like a dog might be the right fit. Think Maine Coon or Turkish Van.

We have always had a cat. She pets the cat but really wants a dog. She’s just a dog person.