Dogs for children: description and selection of breeds

The dog has been a faithful friend of man for several thousand years. But to have her in a house with children is much more responsible than where only adults live. Here you need to thoroughly and deeply know the features of specific breeds and be able to choose the right animal.

As even some experienced dog breeders know perfectly well, the ideal of a dog is deliberately unattainable. It is not in vain that hundreds and even thousands of breeds have been bred, each of which has its own unique set of features. But at the same time, there are several points that are strictly required when choosing a pet for a family with children. The first place is certainly the absence of any aggression towards the owners. As practice shows, sometimes children are also loved by representatives of outwardly harsh guard breeds.

Such a companion in the yard, on a walk, in the entrance or in the elevator will not allow encroaching on a child. But if the dog in a normal situation begins to show himself rude, cruel or somehow strange, he must be immediately disposed of. Such animals are even more dangerous than explosive devices because of their unpredictability. However, even if the purchased pet turns out to be docile, this does not guarantee success.

The next important parameter is the dimensions of the animal. Any dog ​​grows much faster than a person. Sometimes it is surprising how quickly the initially miniature individual reached the size provided for at the genetic level. This circumstance is important to consider when choosing a particular breed. Outbred puppies can grow not only quickly, but also in completely unpredictable ways. Even experienced veterinarians and dog handlers cannot always predict the outcome of this process.

As for the choice based on gender, then everything is purely individual. It is best to seek the advice of a specialist. However, with proper training, this factor is practically leveled, since any dog ​​can be instilled with suitable qualities. Much more important is another circumstance - pets must be safe for children. This is expressed in:

• absence of infectious diseases;
• the absence of damage by parasites;
• minimal spread of allergens.

If the child suffers from allergies (even food or seasonal allergies - it doesn't matter), an analysis of the potential reaction to dog allergens should be done. In the absence of negative reactions of this kind, you can safely choose a suitable animal. But additional consultation with allergists is required. But to select exclusively hairless dogs for children suffering from allergies is almost pointless. Sometimes even densely overgrown, but little molting individuals are quite safe. At the same time, completely "smooth" dogs can intensively spread an even more active allergen - their own saliva. In terms of the sum of allergy-generating factors, the most attractive choices are:

• dwarf poodles;
• bedlington terriers;
• chinese crested;
• shih tzu;
• giant schnauzers;
• Russian terriers.

Lack of hair can even be a bad trait. After all, unpretentious dogs are urgently needed that can live peacefully in the conditions of the Russian climate. Therefore, the approach to the size of the hairline must be carefully thought out and balanced. Another of the requirements for four-legged companions of children is the size of the animal. Very small breeds are often complex in temperament, prone to hysterical reactions to various stimuli.

They usually lack poise and calmness. But there are still a number of relatively small breeds that know how to behave calmly. You should also pay attention to the following points:

• the reputation of the breeder;
• pedigree of the animal;
• its color.

Among the best breeds for families with children are consistently Labrador Retriever... This variety is included in most of the thematic ratings. Labradors literally adore the children they have come into contact with. The slightest danger of causing them any offense is completely excluded. The dog is very friendly and directly exudes energy. But it is the last circumstance that somewhat limits the prospects of this breed. In the heat of the game, a four-legged pet cannot always act with sufficient restraint. Sincerely wanting to express his positive emotions and show affection, he knocks the kids off their feet. Labrador retrievers are good for children from 4-5 years old.

Universal according to the age of the owners golden retrievers. They are also quite active, but more restrained in behavior. Such a pet will willingly execute any command. At the same time, he is distinguished by good intelligence and will always be able to help if he discovers a problem that is within his power. It is common for the Golden Retriever to keep track of the state of affairs in the entire family. Therefore, adults, too, will not feel left out.

Another dog that is suitable for children is welsh corgi (one of the varieties in the large group of shepherd dogs). Corgi are cheerful and active. They can behave fearlessly if the owners are in danger. Developed intelligence and the ability to quickly resolve problems that arise will also delight the owners. These small dogs perceive children as a herd that must be carefully guarded and looked after.True, getting a corgi is recommended for mature and well-developed children. However, this breed can cause some inconvenience due to its physical activity.

A good alternative is considered irish setter... He, too, is vigorous and smart, distinguished by an affectionate disposition. "Irish" are also loved for their beautiful appearance. This dog treats children exceptionally well. It is considered the ideal choice, regardless of the specific age of the owners. But also St. Bernards show themselves no worse. They are characterized by constant fuss with smaller "members of the pack". External calmness and composure should not be misleading. If necessary, the St. Bernard will instantly react to any incident.

He continuously monitors everything around him, and woe to the intruder who ignores this. This alpine dog has only one drawback - these large and heavy dogs are not suitable for an ordinary city apartment. But if this circumstance does not frighten people, they can have a Newfoundland instead of St. Bernard. Its undoubted positive features are:

• lack of excessive malice;
• patient and gentle nature;
• a tendency to supervise children.

If the preference is given to small breeds, then the pug will be a very good choice. Its strengths will be:

• quick wits;
• affectionate disposition;
• affection for owners;
• relatively low activity;
• sociability;
• good learning ability.

And from hunting breeds deserves attention beagle... He is distinguished by a joyful disposition, good nature towards people. Beagle should be bought by those who can provide him with constant communication and games in a large company. Another breed name that is suitable for children is american cocker spaniel... These dogs are very charming and always have a positive attitude. But their high mobility can somewhat overshadow the situation. At the same time, Cocker Spaniels look very attractive.

Among the medium-sized animals in the top suitable for children German Shepherd... The lateral branch - BEO also belongs to it. Along with excellent service qualities, she is very kind and complacent in relation to family members. Powerful intelligence allows shepherd dogs to clearly distinguish between normal situations and aggressive behavior of others. Therefore, they do not attack without reason, but if the need arises, they will act quickly and mercilessly.

Skillful upbringing will turn the shepherd into a patient and calm guard. She will show herself especially well in relation to school-age children and adolescents. In such a pair, the disclosure of the positive properties of the breed occurs easily and naturally, naturally. But if for some reason people don't like the German Shepherd, they can opt for the collie. Scottish Cattle Dog:

• affectionate;
• superbly trained;
• shows quick wits;
• very devoted;
• willingly enters into games;
• learns new skills and unusual situations without any problems.

And from the natives of the British Isles, another breed deserves attention - Yorkshire Terrier... It is distinguished by its modest size, which does not prevent the dog from being fully intellectually developed. It should be remembered that Yorkies are distinguished by a fragile structure of bones, and their hair needs to be looked after more actively than when choosing other dogs. But the breeds, obviously unsuitable for children, deserve a separate discussion. These include:

• dobermans;
• Alaskan Malamutes;
• American stafford;
• bullmastiffs;
• likes;
• Pekingese;
• husky;
• Caucasian and South Russian Shepherd Dogs;
• pit bulls;
• rottweilers.

But when choosing a dog breed for a child, one must focus not only on its general suitability. A very important point, especially when keeping a pet in a private house, is that it is odorless. Even with the most active care, with constant ventilation and maintaining cleanliness, the unpleasant odor exuded by the animal will be constantly renewed. Exceptions to this rule are naked species:

• Peruvian dog;
• Chinese Crested;
• American terrier.

However, it is important to understand that the absence of hair does not only mean that the smell will stop accumulating. You will have to very carefully take care of your pet's bare skin and constantly wash it. Active sweating creates a different, no less "pleasant" smell than wool. Fat discharge, mixing with dust, will spread through the house in an unpredictable manner. A naked dog will have to be warmly dressed in winter, lubricated with special creams in summer and systematically epilated.

The solution for those who want a minimally smelling animal is to choose breeds with long hair and no undercoat. The tail of such pets looks more like human hair than dog hair. For information: it is the undercoat of animals that actively absorbs sebum and begins to exude an unpleasant odor. If there is no undercoat, even wet dogs usually do not smell. The most popular of these breeds is the Yorkshire Terrier.

But any medal has a downside. The special structure of wool leads to the fact that it vigorously absorbs foreign odors. Therefore, the animals will have to be bathed at least once a week. If they are actively walking down the street or hot weather has come - even more often. For the same reason, you will have to carefully monitor that the animal does not climb into garbage dumps, dumps, and other contaminated places. The washed dog will need to be carefully dried, otherwise it may develop a cold. The coat of the Yorkshire Terrier and similar dogs needs systematic combing. Small fish can also be selected to reduce odor. The smaller the animal, the less intense the scent it emits.

Poodles, despite the presence of an undercoat and a well-developed coat, practically do not smell at all. And under the condition of frequent and accurate washing, the characteristic "amber" will disappear altogether. Puppies for keeping in families with a baby deserve a separate discussion. Many pet owners simply give them away somewhere "on the side", fearing negative consequences for the baby. But in fact, such worries are groundless. The main thing is that the pet is not overly aggressive.

For kids, you need to select animals that obey their owners unquestioningly. The slightest disobedience must be completely eradicated. Such manifestations on the part of the dog as aggression when:

• combing wool;
• bathing;
• touching the food bowl;
• cleaning your ears.

Another important topic for beginners in dog breeding is how to choose a breed suitable for an apartment. In urban housing, small and medium-sized individuals are usually the best choice. However, they must be very carefully selected by temperament and by the intensity of the spread of allergens. The larger the pet, the more significant the territory in which it lives should be. You will have to distribute the lying place and the feeder as far as possible, and this is not always possible.

But when choosing a dog for an apartment, you also need to pay attention to temperament. The more active the animal, the more vigorous its nervous system, the more problems it may have with its neighbors. Theoretically, it is possible to relieve excessive excitability by intensive training with pets, but it is rarely when city dwellers have enough time and the area necessary for training. Therefore, a mastiff, for example, because of its calmness turns out to be much better in practice than a spaniel.

The apartment can also contain basenji... This breed is distinguished by its cleanliness and curiosity. The pet is eager to climb higher. Basenji does not tolerate contact with water well, and this can cause a number of problems when leaving. But the low growth of the African breed makes it a good candidate for apartment breeding. The habitability with other pets of this dog is high, but on condition that they have lived together since childhood. It is worth remembering about the following features of the Basenji:

• the need for significant physical activity;
• the need to strictly regulate the saturation of the diet;
• thermophilicity (because of it, it is required to use clothes in autumn and winter);
• unsuitability for beginners (due to headstrong disposition and constant stubbornness).

Basenji is not physiologically adapted for barking. But representatives of this breed can make many other sounds. So the owners will have to take this feature into account in advance. The Pomeranian also shows itself in the apartment as well. This animal is modest in size and requires relatively little physical activity. However, it is worth remembering about such disadvantages as:

• loud barking;
• the likelihood of aggression towards other individuals;
• the difficulty of keeping in hot weather;
• weak obedience (if the upbringing is wrong);
• the need for careful care - working with mats, eyes, teeth, ears, claws.

If you need to settle a calm dog in an apartment that does not need active rest, then the best choice would be bulldog... This breed is very sleepy, even more than that of cats. When the owner goes for a walk with the dog, the bulldog will walk alongside him. Of course, puppies sometimes frolic, however, special long-term pranks are unusual for them. The Bulldog is calm about children and adolescents.It is quite safe to purchase it for a house where there are already cats. However, it must be remembered that many Bulldogs are inactive. You will have to make a lot of effort so that the dog often shows its strength. Bulldogs snore and salivate every now and then. They are hardly suitable for squeamish and scrupulous people.

Just buying even the best dog for a home with a baby is hardly enough. If she is not taught to properly interact with the child, she will sometimes have to suffer from the fact that the animal is jealous of children for adults. It cannot correctly understand this situation at its psychological level, therefore it is very important to provide the pet with full assistance. Whatever techniques are used, they are all based on one point - determining the specific place of the dog in the "pack".

The first and most important rule that all trainers must take into account is a complete refusal to whip pets. This technique is simply ineffective. You don't have to be a great zoologist to understand that in packs of dogs no one hits each other. Therefore, the dog will not be able to correctly recognize what exactly is required. As a result, his psyche is only significantly damaged, and this can adversely affect behavior in relation to children and even adults.

Wolves and feral dogs use another channel of communication quite effectively. The pack leaders bite low-ranking individuals on the neck or simply throw them on their backs.These methods of expressing displeasure are easily understood by animals. Faking a bite is very simple: straining your fingers and vigorously hitting them with the tips on the neck. You need to strike from the upper side, where the skin is rough and dense.

But it so happens that the reproduction of the bite does not help. The dog continues to be naughty. Then a new "bite" is applied, but the hand is not removed, and the pet is thrown onto its back. The first few attempts will be clouded by resistance. You can overcome it by holding the beast by the neck until it calms down completely. Outwardly, in the eyes of an amateur, it looks very aggressive. However, dog handlers have long established that dogs are quite adapted to this form of exposure and do not experience pain. The next point to remember when buying an animal for a family is he cannot be on sofas, beds, chairs and armchairs, on other furniture... It can only and exclusively be used by people.

It is necessary to instill in the dog another habit from the very beginning: in the domestic "pack" people eat first, and only then dogs. But at the same time, it is unacceptable, of course, to disrupt their normal diet. It is also necessary to draw a clear line between the animal and its owners in another respect - when the owners eat, it is forbidden to sit next to them and beg for food. We must categorically refuse from self-serving anything from the table.

It is not uncommon to see adults rejoicing at the play between children and pets. But the instincts of the animal world determine a different attitude towards the game than in the human community. What seems like just a fun pastime is actually exercise. And therefore pets must deeply learn: they cannot, even in jest or "by chance", bite any of the family members. But mobile entertainment in the spirit of "give-and-bring" is necessary and even desirable.

The most important person in relation to the dog - the owner - is obliged from the first minutes to let her understand that all family members are dear to him and are under his patronage. When a puppy is just brought into the house, everyone who is in it is hugged and caressed. It is better to carry out the same procedure in relation to pets. The dog is kept at a distance. If such a technique does not help to develop the desired setting, they throw the pet on its back, and put the cat or another dog on top - this is even more correct, a certain hierarchy is carried out. Experts advise buying a puppy when the child reaches the age of at least 1-1.5 years. It is required to develop the habit of the animal not to touch the toys of babies (and vice versa). This alone will save you from a lot of conflict situations. You should be prepared for the fact that the puppy will grow up sooner than the child. At some point, he will get the leading role in this pair.

By the time the children go to school (based on the very early, up to 2-3 years old, taking a dog), the situation will change. They will already be on an equal level. But here a lot still depends on the position of the owners themselves. Shouts at the child, the slightest infringement of him in the presence of a dog are strictly unacceptable. At the same time, moral pressure is almost worse than physical pressure (because pets very accurately recognize such a situation, although they interpret it in their own way). In this situation, dogs guard the sleep of children, console crying and anxious babies.

This means that the pet perceived the child in much the same way as its own puppy. But naughty puppies are often punished by older dogs.Therefore, as soon as children come out of infancy, it will be necessary to closely monitor the reaction of animals to the desire to pull them by the tail, cling to their ears. If "the most important in the pack" first expresses the correct reaction and does it repeatedly, the necessary reflex will gradually develop. Sometimes another situation arises: seeing the owner's child for the first time, the dog does not react to him at all and walks far.

Attempts to impose communication forcibly then only turn into new problems. When the time is right, the relationship will inevitably improve. The worst thing to deal with is the painful dog jealousy of children. It usually occurs in animals that, before the birth of the child, actually took his place. In this case, two extremes must be avoided: leaving the situation without control and severely punishing the dog for any barking at the children.

Punishments alone, not supported by other measures, will only provoke more anger. Encouragement for a normal attitude is definitely required. If the problem becomes protracted, you will have to consult with experienced trainers. If you use their help, you can correct behavior even in adult dogs. To avoid problems, it is required from the very beginning to select the breed and a specific animal with the participation of the child.

Practice shows that if he really likes a pet, the likelihood of conflicts will be much less. It is very important to explain to your child clearly and consistently that the dog has a strict daily routine. It is helpful for children and adults to take care of the animal in half. You need to constantly monitor how the child behaves with the puppy. He should not allow knowingly unfair, disproportionate punishments, senseless cruelty and bullying in relation to a living being.

It is very useful, even before the establishment of a dog, to popularly and intelligibly explain to children what are the features of the psychology and behavior of animals. It is necessary to explain this psychology later with specific examples. They immediately say:

• what exactly the pet does not tolerate (gestures and actions);
• how he reacts to obsessive and unpleasant behavior for himself;
• what signals the animal gives in a given situation;
• what are the signs of possible aggression from the pet.

For information on how to properly raise a dog for children, see the next video.