Definitely not a terrier breed flowerkid. I know rat terriers are not very good around children. I would suggest maybe a beagle or a beagle mix. I have a Cheagle. She is half beagle and half chihuahua. She is excellent around my grandkids.
Or you could check out the Brittany Spaniels. They are a nice sized dog at 30-40lbs big enough to rough house with the kids, but still not too large to be overbearing.
The Miniature Schnauzer is said to recognize the need to be gentle with children.
So hope this helps. Thought I would throw in a few suggestions for you. Maybe someone else has some better suggestions for you. Good luck. And I am very happy for you.
I agree with silverowl, not a terrier. Sorry, they are just not good with children. They are a wonderful breed of dog though. I like the terriers myself. I think a beagle would be a good choice, if you have the energy to keep up with one lol. They are full of spunk. But generally good with kids.
I agree, not a terrier! My experience with them is that they are jumpers! My in-laws had one that was constantly jumping, no matter what they did. Crazy little thing broke it's leg, and with the splint on, could still jump 3 feet! They ended up giving it away, because it was always jumping all over the grandkids, and they couldn't go out in the backyard and play. The guy they gave it to ended up giving it away to his neighbor, because it kept jumping all over his little girl. May have just been that particular little rat terrier, I don't know, but I wouldn't have one around kids.
flowerkid, I think what you are doing is great! Taking the time to think your decision through. I too, love terriers. But I wouldn't recommend them around children, especially young children. The age of the child matters a lot in your decision. In my experience a lot of the smaller breeds just aren't kid friendly. They are nervous. Chihuahua is the worst, when it comes to being nervous! I would choose a collie, maybe a sheltie? Just my opinion.
A Sheltie would be great cindyjo! Do you like the Shelties flowerkid? They are beautiful little dogs.
flowerkid, Do not choose a rat terrier, if you are concerned about your grandchildren. Homer is a great dog, and I love the little bugger! He is a biter, he doesn't like kids at all, he bit my little nephew and it required stitches! This is something I wouldn't want to see anyone have to go through! I was ready to have Homer put to sleep, I had even called a friend to come and take him to the vet for me! I couldn't bare to do it myself! Anyway, they told me I had to hold him for 10 days, even though he had all his shots! Well, those were some horrible 10 days, waiting to have him put to sleep. When time come to have it done, I couldn't go through with it. They told me since he wasn't on the dangerous animal list it was up to me and they couldn't make me have him put to sleep. Homer was just a puppy then. Anyway, I hired a trainer, Homer has made wonderful improvements. I can never let him be around children ever again. I had already made this decision myself, I kept thinking I am going to end his life, and I hardly ever have children visit. So I made the decision, to keep him away from all children! The trainer informed me, that the rat terrier breed is not for children, they are an earth dog. They hunt rodents and such! Homer is really a wonderful friend to me, he is my little buddy. This may be hard for some of you to understand, how I could still love him after what he has done. I feel like it wasn't Homers fault, it was mine for not being informed about the breed in the first place. For heavens sake, I didn't mean to write a book here. But, I am very adamant about this! For the dogs sake as well as childrens sake!
My little min pin is ok with my grandkids, but she has been around them since she was a puppy, so I don 't know flowerkid, if you like min pins or not. But they are adorable little dogs. Or you could go with a toy poodle, if you are looking for a small dog. But I am not sure how they are around children. It is a very difficult decision.
WOW, you guys sure made me look at this different! Thank you all for your opinions! I, am not getting a ratty for sure. But I think they are so sweet, just not for children though. I do like the sheltie's. I know for sure, I am going to adopt from a shelter, so I will begin my search. I will let you all know when I find my new dog!! Thanks again.
I will add my two cents. I like the beagle or beagle mix suggestion. As a child I grew up with beagle terrier mix dogs because my dad did a lot of hunting and the beagle terrier mix was great for that. They were also very good with any kids. I also like the poodle suggestion, a poodle mix would be good like a cockapoo. Poodles are very good with kids as a general rule they are such a people dog that they really enjoy kids. I would not recommend the toy poodle though because of their size the kids can be risky for them, I would stay with a miniature poodle. I would also suggest staying with a puppy to very young dog that can grow up around kids. In my opinion, many of the breeds are very good with children but a dog not raised or exposed to young children can have problems being around them. I think it is wonderful that you are going to the shelter for your new dog. So many of the shelters are overloaded right now that they need all the responsible dog lovers they can find to help them out. I am looking forward to hearing about your new family member.
Thank you booge3872, I hadn't even thought of a poodle mix. I have always heard that the poodle is an excellent dog with children! I am still searching. I will keep you all posted!
