VickiandKev
Fishaholic
I have to agree with those that say the breed of a dog is largely irrelevant if they're trained in the right way.
I do sway towards the larger breeds myself though, just because I think there's something more special about getting such a hefty dog to be so careful and well-mannered around people. Small dogs jump up and sit on laps and often yap and when they play they bump into things. With a big dog, they can't behave like that (unless you want your house wrecked or to be knocked flat every few minutes) so it takes a bit more respect on the dog's part to be such a good pet.
My pup was disproportionately small for a long time as a youngster so she was allowed to get away with 'small dog' things, like jumping up and sitting in laps, but now she weighs 14kg and is a hell of a lot stronger I'm having to change all that!
I wouldn't fully trust any dog around children, I think all dogs should be supervised around children (or rather children should be supervised around dogs!!!) as you just don't know what the child might do. Sometimes something really subtle can set an insecure dog off, or sometimes a dog might just be being friendly, but might not realise it's own strength.
On a sidenote: some of the nicest dogs I've met were rottweilers and supposedly 'snappy' sheepdogs.
But some of the scariest have been fully grown English Mastiffs with no manners and no boundaries!
I do sway towards the larger breeds myself though, just because I think there's something more special about getting such a hefty dog to be so careful and well-mannered around people. Small dogs jump up and sit on laps and often yap and when they play they bump into things. With a big dog, they can't behave like that (unless you want your house wrecked or to be knocked flat every few minutes) so it takes a bit more respect on the dog's part to be such a good pet.
My pup was disproportionately small for a long time as a youngster so she was allowed to get away with 'small dog' things, like jumping up and sitting in laps, but now she weighs 14kg and is a hell of a lot stronger I'm having to change all that!
I wouldn't fully trust any dog around children, I think all dogs should be supervised around children (or rather children should be supervised around dogs!!!) as you just don't know what the child might do. Sometimes something really subtle can set an insecure dog off, or sometimes a dog might just be being friendly, but might not realise it's own strength.
On a sidenote: some of the nicest dogs I've met were rottweilers and supposedly 'snappy' sheepdogs.
But some of the scariest have been fully grown English Mastiffs with no manners and no boundaries!
