Low-allergen, kid-friendly breeds.

I highly recommend a Standard Poodle.  I have 4 of them, none related, and they are wonderful.  Their temperaments are all very different but each of them is so sweet, and so easy to work with. Hyper?  I have owned all different breeds and I certainly don't find the Standards to be overly hyper.  They are very playful and energetic, but they are very, very easy to train.  My dogs have a fenced-in area outside that they can run around and play in. In the house they are quiet and have great manners. They are also crate trained.  And I work on obedience with them.  SMART?  Oh man, they catch on SO FAST!  I love that about them.  

I should add that all of my poodles are  2 years old and under!!  They are great with kids.  I have 3 grandkids, ages 4yrs, 2yrs and 18 months old, and let me tell you, careful as I am to keep my dogs safe (because they are definately the ones at risk!), there have been times when they certainly have had opportunity and reason to nip at a child - but they are incredibly gentle and patient.  I spend a lot of time teaching the kids how to interact with the dogs, and I watch them closely whenever they are together.  I am so pleased and proud of the dogs; they are great with kids. 

I never, in a million years, would ever have guessed that I would own a poodle of any sort.  They were just not a dog I had any interest in. But alas, after 3 kids and all sorts of dogs throughout the years, along came our youngest daughter who has allergies.  Dog hair created misery in her life, which is heartbreaking seeing as she is a true dog lover.  I am not a fan of small dogs and when a friend of mine got herself two Standard Poodles, I was hooked.  They were so incredibly friendly and gentle and SMART!  Yup, I fell in love.  I'm still not quite sure how I ended up with 4 of them, but I wouldn't part with them for the world. 

As for the 'doodles' out there, be careful.  Just because they have poodle genes in them doesn't guarentee that they won't shed - most of the doodles I have met DO shed.  There have been a lot of disappointed people out there who buy this 'hyperallergenic poodle cross that doesn't shed', only to find out a few months later that they do shed and they are not hyperallergenic.  People are buying these dogs to get the poodle qualities - so why not just get the real thing!?