Need help picking Breed?

Ive been told that the small breeds are not too good for young children because they are more fragile and can easily be hurt. A well bred Golden or Lab is an awsome family pet. Collies are wonderful to but they are herders and I have learned that a herding breed deals with young children by actually herding them which can be a pain. Bull dogs can be pretty laid back and i think even though they are a bit on the small/medium side they are very sturdy dogs and not terribly active.
 
Any breed that is purchased from a reputable breeder can be a wonderful pet, you just need to have a size limit in mind. I personally would not recommend a small breed for a family with young children

temperment aside.... all these dogs are roughly the same size (although the english bulldog does weigh more than the others typically).

i would contact a rescue or visit the local humane society and see if they can recommend a dog to fit your life style and family situation. you could also take a look at petfinder.com to see a list of available dogs in your area. rescued/adopted dogs are great. not sure where you live but you could try to find a breed specific rescue in your area. with two small children, you may also want to consider adopting an adult dog with a proven temperment and already house trained. and please never leave the children and dog together unattended. [sm=2cents.gif]

good luck with whatever you choose!

What breed do you suggest? We did really want a smaller dog but we don't know of any medium breeds that would be a better choice than the ones I listed? Right now I am reading up on different breeds, when I was younger we owned a Labrador but they are really energetic, my dad took him hunting and kept him busy, he was a really great dog but I really don't think a Labrador would suit our lifestyle. A small to medium size dog would suit us more....... Any suggestions of other breeds so I could do more research? I do know not to leave my children unattended with any dog or animal no matter how much someone says my dog is fine he loves children, I know there is always that chance with any dog or  family pet, like people they could only take so much right.......  Thanks!!![]

Here are some sites to check out to seewhat breeds would be best [linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/]www.dogbreedinfo.com/[/link]  , [linkhttp://www.terrificpets.com/dog_breeds/]www.terrificpets.com/dog_breeds/[/link] , [linkhttp://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/breeds/]www.nextdaypets.com/directory/breeds/[/link] , [link>http://www.akc.org/breeds]www.akc.org/breeds[/link]

Well, I think it comes down to deciding which dog would suit your lifestyle best out of the four you mentioned.  You should take into consideration activity level, special needs, etc.
 
For example, french and english bulldogs are prone to have a ton of health problems.  For example, they need an air conditioned house because of their breathing problems, and cannot tolerate heat very well.
 
Ive heard that Bostons can have very high energy levels. 
 
Im under the impression that English bulldogs, especially, when older are less active.  All puppies are going to be very active.
 
All of these dogs have very specific personalities.
 
This is a good place to start, but another idea is to check out forums that are specific to that breed.  For example, woofboard.com/forum is a boston terrier forum that will have endless information and knowledgeable people about bostons alone.
 
And, as the others mentioned, you should check out petfinder.com and your local animal shelters, and/or rescues, which can be breed specific.  You may even find a nice boston/bulldog mix, and your dilemma is solved!
 
Check them out, and keep us posted.

www.terrificpets.com/dog_breeds/ , www.nextdaypets.com/directory/breeds/

 
These are good sites for information alone.  Please do not be  sucked into actually buying a dog from any of these sites.  It is very dangerous, most likely the dog is from a puppy mill, you could get scammed, etc.

thank you I'll check out those websites to read up on breed info. []

I think any of the breeds you're considering has the potential to be a wonderful family dog. All are known to be good with children - the Frenchie is said to be better with older children, I'm guessing because of its small size. All of the breeds you're looking at will be sensitive to heat and like human attention. They won't need a ton of exercise but they won't do well being left alone a lot either. The BT's at the high end of your list in terms of energy, the English Bulldog at the low end, with the other two likely in the middle. Look at some breed rescues for these breeds and see if the rescue organizations can do more personalized matching between you and their dogs. Good luck!

I'm not really concerned with a high energy level dog, as we are always on the go and have a big yard, I just don't want a big dog that has a high energy level, cause with our lab he use to jump all the time and knock us off our feet when we were younger cause we had the big stocky lab that was the size of a rottie, my parents own a shitzu who is really crabby around children [&:] ( i know not all shitzus are that way, they got him from a petstore and has always been crabby). Who by the way just about had to get his eye removed because of a terrible vet they brought him to [:@] the vet told them that he was blind in one eye and had to get it removed [:@] lucky my parents went to get a second opinion, the other vet gave him eye drops and is now perfectly fine!!!!! Imagine if they listened to the other vet!!![:@] well anyways off subject! Does anyone know of any other breeds i should look into??? Right now I'm reading up on the boston terrier, but still up in the air, want to make the right choice, i know any breed would make a good family pet, it's how it is raised, i just want to pick the right fur baby to add to our family.

As a pug breeder I think you should know the following... Pug are wonderful with kids... fantastic in fact when raised in a breeders home who exposes them to kids...we breed for therapy /service pugs who work in pediatic wards our dogs have to be good with kids.
 
Now for the stuff some breeds will not tell you
 
They shed a lot, in fact more than any other breed i have owned or boarded.
They snore, sneeze in your face  a lot, like hundreds of times a day.
They are not an active dog as adults, they sleep 16 hours + a day.
YOu can not take this dog on a jog... any temps over 75-80 can be fatal to a pug.
Pugs are very emotional and need companionship of another dog or a human. They do NOT do well being left home alone.
PUg have over eating problems.
Pugs need to be groomed and have wrinkles cleaned , some more than others depending on the amount of wrinkles.
Pug have sensitive skin, and suffer from many allergies ( carpet ect)
most important...
I have only met a handful of pugs in my lifetime i would consider housebroken....
My 9 year old pug still has accidents ( okay she does them on purpose when she is mad at me)
 
These dog are for people who love to have a two year old live with them for 15+ years... they are very dependent upon you.
 
 

While my experience with many breeds is admittedly fairly limited, my husband's family had Welsh Corgis when he was a child, and they did really well with him and his 2 siblings (who are all close in age.) They did try to "herd" them a little bit (like they'd trail the kids and sort of nudge them along, I think one used to sort of nibble on their ankles - the kids thought it was cute,) but they never showed aggression or bit the kids. They are a pretty good size in my opinion if you're looking for a small/medium size dog. Also, they're super cute! []

I always suggest to people with families to visit a no-kill shelter or rescue org, to find an adult dog that the handlers or foster homes have evaluated and know will suit your needs.  Even if you try to match a breed to your situation, do all the research, and wait a year for a pup from a responsible breeder, there are still risks that the pup might not like kids.  And the result would be heartache for the whole family and even potential danger to your children.

Check this web site to find all-breed rescues and shelters near you:  [linkhttp://www.petfinder.org/]http://www.petfinder.org[/link]  Go to the search function and put in "lab/medium/young/gender/" - and your zip code - I guarantee you'll bring up thousands of dogs, with their suitability for kids, cats, activity level, and other pets, all detailed right there for you to browse.

and the best thing is that all the breeds you mentioned will cost a thousand or more for a responsibly bred puppy (rightly so) - while opening your family to a homeless dog costs way less and feels pretty good, too.  []

Pugs are so cute, my friend owns one and it totally get along with my toddler, that's why I am considering one. He is always running around snuffling and snores when he sleeps, he is so cute, so I have been in contact with one and know what they come with, but not sure if that is the breed i want yet??? The only thing is my husband and I go to work during the day, but when I get a new puppy I am planning on taking a week off to help the puppy adjust, I work only 5 minutes away from my house, I go home everyday during my lunch break to ick up my baby from the babysitter cause she lives next door who is also my sister in law, and also a pet sitter and a groomer, she has a terrier (don't know what kind is a cross anyway) and a shepard cross, of her own and my daugher loves to play with her dogs especially her terrier, who is so patient with her, of course we are always there to supervise. So when we do get a new puppy, there will be someone to check up on it all the time.

We have looked in various shelters around our area and most are filled with pitbulls, so sad!!!! or larger dogs. I know it feels good to get a dog from a shelter, when we were children my parents also went to a shelter and found a lab there, that was the day they were going to put her to sleep[] because i guess she was barking at everyone that looked at her in the shelter and was totally crabby, but I guess when we came to the shelter and seen her she was licking our hands totally acting like a puppy and totally won us over, so my mom and dad got her for us, my parents said they didnt want a dog cause my mom was scared of dogs because she got attacked before, but this dog won her over, the people at the shelter said that was strange because she didnt like anyone and thought it was funny that she took to us, so we saved her life that day. We didnt have any problems with her, she was a natural hunting dog for my dad, was the best dog ever, so friendly, then my parents got another lab which i mentioned earlier. So I am looking into rescues and have went to different shelters but I really dont want a pit bull, not cause of what people say about them, i know its how they are raised not the breed, its not the breed i'm looking for, I am looking at all my options but have to find the right breed before I make that step of where i am going to purchase one, i know i have to watch out for back yard breeders and puppy mills, this website has given me a lot of information. Thanks everyone![]