Which Dog?
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Beagle, Corgi, or Tibetan Terrier?
September 2001
We're thinking of adding a dog to our family (our daughter is almost four) and I'm looking for some first-hand feedback. I've lived with dogs, trained puppies, and know the pros and cons of puppies v grown dogs, purebreds v mixed, and getting your pet as a rescue dogs v from a breeder v from the shelters.
Having thought this through, we're leaning toward a puppy and considering a beagle (I grew up with beagles), a pembroke corgi, or a tibetan terrier. I've done a lot of research on breeds -- I have a sense of the general qualities of each of these three that make them possibly compatible with our family.
My questions are: a) If you have firsthand experience living with these types of dogs and small children can you please say what you found to be great or difficult about that? b) If you know of a reputable beagle, pembroke corgi, or tibetan terrier breeder you'd recommend, can you please give me their contact info? Brenda
Generally terriers are not the best dogs for children but there are exceptions to the general part. Beagles are generally good - although I believe they have a tendency to dig - now whether they can dig a hole under a fence big enough for both the dog and the child to escape on an adventure, I don't know. Our labrador dug holes and he and our basset hound would go out for a stroll. He would find a mud hole to roll in. The Corgi's I have seen seem to have been good with kids. If you will go to Bears and Baubles on Solano in Albany and talk to the owner she has had Corgi's. He most recent one is so nice and she knows a breeder. She may also now of rescue groups. I have always got my eye out for a Basset as ours is elderly and our lab passed away, but if I see a Corgi I'll post it. Cindy Cindy
My family and I rescued a Tibetan Terrier from the SPCA about 4 years ago. We now have a 14 month old daughter, and we worried about how this high-strung dog would behave around the baby. In the end, he has been wonderful, but not because he is patient: rather, he is very skilled at getting out of her way when she wants to love on him with high-pitched squeals and hair pulling. The baby will also try to cuddle with the dog, by laying down in front of him and getting very close. He will allow that for a few seconds and then get up and walk away. All in all, we trust him with the baby and he is very protective of her, as long as we let him get away when he wants to. I think the baby's experience with a medium-sized dog has been a good one. She is not fearful of animals (or of anything else much, it seems), and we know that we will have to teach her soon to be cautious. My only concern with a Tibetan is that this is a herding dog, and a watchdog, and ours has a tendency to bark and run around when excited. However, he becomes very calm when the house is full of people, even if some of them are small children running around. I should caution you that we had this dog professionally trained away from our home for about a month, since we could see immediately that his normal high-strung nature would need to be controlled at times for the safety of the family, visitors, and neighbors. But he is a wonderful pet, and is good with the baby, my older stepchildren, and visitors. Jane
Good breed for toddler & working parents
1997
We are researching dog breeds. I'd love to hear what experiences other families have had with pet dogs. We have had mixed breed dogs in the past and plan on purchasing a purebred puppy or finding an older dog through rescue. Our son is now 2 1/2. We want a dog that will be ok being left alone while we both work, and will be satisfied with daily walks during the week for their exercise needs. Thanks, Laurie
We too have gone the route of having mixed breeds and then getting a pure bred. After a lot of research and observation of different breeds we decided upon a St. Bernard. On the plus side:
\t1. gentle as can be -- they love people \t2. they sleep a lot -- they are real happy to only have to walk once a day \t3. they are very loyal to their families \t4. they do not bark a lot -- we have neighbors with sensitive ears \t5. they are really good with small children \t6. they like lots of attention On the down side: \t1. they eat a lot \t2. they are really big -- ours, when it stops growing will be about 175 lbs. \t3. they get a lot of attention in public -- this may not be a negative
Good luck in your dog search David
Regarding dog breeds. We have a Belgian Sheepdog. She's fairly large (60-70 lbs) and has a lot of characteristics similar to Collies and German Shepards. They are a very intelligent breed and have been used as search and rescue and police dogs....although more-so on the East Coast. I believe there is a Belgian Sheepdog rescue org. somewhere in the Bay Area.
She is very loving and has adjusted wonderfully from being an only child to sharing the house with our 9 mo. old son. She has even tolerated hair-pulling reasonably well. They tend to be a very emotionally attached breed and are great watch dogs. She has a fierce bark (but only when there are visitors...never without good reason...she won't even bark when other dogs bark at her) and looks fairly wolf-like (black w/long hair and a German Shepard shaped face).
She is fairly high-energy, but seems to be fine with daily walks and play time, and stays home in the back yard while we're at work. When we're home she's definately a house dog and doesn't want to miss out on anything the family is doing.
I would highly recommend a female of this breed (I think the males can be a little more agressive), if you can find one. They don't seem to be that common in this area...we feel like we lucked out when we got her 3 years ago. Kelli
With regards to the question on dogs. When I was growing up, we had an english springer spaniel who, despite the fact that I love our two current muts, I call the best dog ever. I was a teenager when we got her but she was good with kids and very easily trained. She even got retrained when she was about six to not go in certain parts of the house which she had been able to go to when my mom put in new carpets and started practicing what my father called, carpet worship.
Patches did shed some but we really did not keep up with brushing or grooming her which really would have made a difference. She did alright during the day by herself but loved it when people were around. Good Luck in your searches, Janette
Re Dogs. We have a dalmatian and I wouldn't recommend it for people with small children because it is so incredibly high energy, the child could be injured by accident. Also, ours is so protective of family that she has threatened playmates. Our day-care provider has two full-size collies and, if you can deal with the maintenance of the fur issue, they are fabulous. They are docile and loving and generally place themselves between their babies and strangers at the door. The babies have learned to walk hanging onto their fur and the dogs are great watchdogs, although they bark a little too much for my taste. One of these got over that habit after wearing one of those barkless collars for a month or so (It zaps them mildly when they bark.) These are excellent kid dogs and I have seen them actually grab the sleeve or pantleg of the older children to lead them to or from. If you consider a collie, check for decent eyesight and with any larger dog, hip dysplasia. Most purebred dogs have some health weakness due to breeding for beauty and most of those are well-known and published, such as dalmatian's tendency toward deafness and kidney problems. Barbara
We are on our 2nd West Highland Terrier. These are great dogs with kids. They combine terrier energy and intelligence with an outstanding and gentle disposition. Very friendly, and also, very attractive dogs. Easy to care for, and they don't shed. The white fur can get dirty but they are easy to bathe. At 20 lbs., ours have been a bit above average in size. Michael
A dog breed that I think is wonderful for kids/families is the golden retriever. I've had a dog most of my life--from small mutts, a German shepherd to a golden retriever--and enjoyed them all. I am, however, biased towards the golden. Though a giant at 105(!) lbs (LARGE, even for his breed), Duke is the sweetest dog I've come to know. We got him through the NORCAL Golden Retriever rescue when he was 3 and we all adjusted very well. Now 8 and the eldest member of the family, he's very docile and extremely patient with our 4 yr-old and 17 mos old kids. I am impressed with his calm disposition, quiet undemanding nature, and trainability. All he really wants from us is to pet him and if he could, sit in our laps!
Dog breeds aside, I would suggest that you check with the different rescue organizations to get more info about the type of dog you're considering in terms of temperment, medical conditions some breeds are prone to, and even to weigh the pros and cons of getting an adult dog vs. a puppy.
I was a volunteer with the rescue and fostered a puppy for a short time. I was in for a real eye-opener--puppies demand a lot time, energy and patience. Good luck! Karen
Cocker Spaniel
A breeder is Donna Prentice in Antioch, 757-1411. I can give you a contact for recommendations/better deal, etc if you contact me. Barbara
Often kids can become tolerant of dogs they’ve lived with since they were babies but react to other dogs. Allergies to things like dogs and cats can also come out later in life. My husband and son are allergic to dogs with fur. Dogs with hair are typically fine because they produce less dander, but you never really know. We have one amazing rescue that has hair and one that we purchased from a breeder after looking around the Bay Area for about 8 months. There are lots of rescues that also specialize in specific breeds so that’s another option. If it’s a rescue they usually give you a window to “test” the dog so that might be useful. Good luck!
We got a dog after DH went gluten free. In his case, his wheat sensitivity was causing ALL sorts of reactions to other things. Once he dropped wheat from his diet: he stopped snoring, stopped rearranging phlegm constantly, and stopped reacting to most all pets. Sure, he still occasionally has issues with a dust-filled cleaning day or some pollen, but removing his big wheat trigger lessened all of his other triggers. Consider if some other allergy is causing your kiddo to react more in some environments.
When choosing dog breeds, you want to think about the temperament of course... and how it fits your lifestyle. How about fostering dogs to see how she does with various shorter-haired breeds? You could do so for a shelter, a good rescue, or a breed-specific rescue. It's a great way to get to know a dog well (and test out allergies)!
That said, if you're interested in a specific breed that's hypoallergenic, what about a poodle? I know doodles are popular, but there is absolutely no guarantee that any doodle will be hypoallergenic. It's just a mix of two breeds and there's no way to know what qualities of each are going to show up. Most people get lucky, but not everyone.
Maybe think about shedding as a good sign of how much fur you're going to have around? I have had labradors... they shed a ton (though short fur). I just fostered a lab/golden mix.... so much shedding ;)
Good luck!
I am someone who considered herself to have severe dog allergies my whole life up until 5 years ago, based on very strong reactions to a family member's series of pit bulls when I was young, and also allergy testing showed that pet dander was a trigger. I assumed that meant ALL DOGS. Happily, after spending time with various dogs I realized that not all trigger my allergies in the same severity, or at all - and we adopted a wire hair dacshund mix from a rescue 3 years ago and he doesn't trigger me at all. For me, pits and goldens are the worst allergens - they slobber a lot, and that's a big problem for me. I can instantly see a rash where their saliva lands. But our dog doesn't slobber, and doesn't shed unduly (all dogs do, to some extent) like goldens. I would strongly recommend spending time with a variety of types of dog, perhaps focusing on wire hair and whatever it is that poodles have, as those are said to be the least triggering for many allergy-prone people. Then try fostering a dog with the fur/hair typology that doesn't trigger your daughter to live with it for a while.
When we were desperate to get a dog in 2020, I talked to many doodle breeders. To overgeneralize, they are very weird and all the genetic focus ended up creeping me out (eugenics!). Our dog is a mutt, meaning he's healthy, and of course we feel good about rescuing him from a life on the street. It is very possible to adopt a dog who is not an allergy disaster.
We've been trying to figure out the same thing -- our kid had no problems with dogs until after our dog died, then started reacting to some but not others. I've read scientific literature on the subject and talked to several allergists and learned that there are no simple answers as there are multiple proteins implicated in dog allergy, most of which are present in dog fur/hair, dander, and saliva. So neither short-haired dogs nor dogs with hair rather than fur (like doodles) are a safe haven. If you're able to find out that your kid only reacts to a particular one of the proteins (can f 5), she might be fine with a female dog, as one of the most common allergens is only present in male dogs (and neutering reduces it).
The good news is that having a dog as an infant/young child is associated with developing fewer allergies later. But it's very common for teens with no dog allergy issues to go off to college and then react to the family dog when they first come home at Thanksgiving break -- essentially, their daily exposure at home was desensitizing them to the dog, and when they went away they lost that desensitization. Our kids likely experienced something similar in terms of losing that daily exposure.
We feel strongly about rescue/adoption rather than going to a breeder, especially as rescues and shelters are overwhelmed right now. So, we're thinking about doing some trial and error with fostering. Looking at shots as well for other allergens plus dog, and following the increasing interest in sublingual therapy, too.
Good luck!
I have read that sometimes the dog allergy is actually a reaction to pollen on the fur. We got a dog from a rescue and I realized I was a little bit allergic to her (runny nose). Luckily she is a short-haired dog and with some training (and lots of chicken), she is willing to let me give her a quick bath in the shower every weekend. The weekly bath and running an air purifier in my bedroom has made my allergy symptoms much better.