Best dog breeds for families with children
Breeds that are affectionate with the family, tolerant with children and sociable with other dogs.
A breed being "good with kids" is not a guarantee: early socialisation and adult supervision matter more than genetics. What the breed does give you is a starting point: tolerance of noise and handling, a high patience threshold and low reactivity to the unexpected.
The ranking combines affection towards family, tolerance with children and general sociability. One piece of advice that applies to every breed here: teach the child to respect the dog before you teach the dog to tolerate the child.
Top 24 breeds
- 1. Otterhound 90%
- 2. American Foxhound 85%
- 3. Black and Tan Coonhound 85%
- 4. Drever 85%
- 5. Finnish Spitz 85%
- 6. Frenchton 85%
- 7. Goldador 85%
- 8. Golden Mountain Dog 85%
- 9. Harrier 85%
- 10. Irish Wolfhound 85%
- 11. Norwegian Lundehund 85%
- 12. Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen 85%
- 13. Pointer 85%
- 14. Saint Berdoodle 85%
- 15. Small Munsterlander Pointer 85%
- 16. American Eskimo Dog 80%
- 17. Auggie 80%
- 18. Basenji 80%
- 19. Basset Hound 80%
- 20. Beagle 80%
- 21. Beaglier 80%
- 22. Bloodhound 80%
- 23. Boglen Terrier 80%
- 24. Borador 80%
The percentage shows how well each breed matches the criteria of this guide, not how "good" the breed is.
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- Best dog breeds for apartment living Breeds that cope well with a flat: moderate size, moderate energy and little barking.
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