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Top 10 Dog Breeds for Families

Start the search for a new family pet by checking out these 10 recommended dog breeds!

by Cheryl Lock

There’s only so many times you can hear the pleas of your kid to, “Please, Mom, get me a dog!” before you give in, right? Whether you have young kids or they’re a bit older, when you’re thinking of getting a dog for the whole family, there’s a lot to consider. How big do you want the dog to be? What kind of dog will be friendly around young children? Which dog breeds require a ton of time and attention?

To help you, we’ve come up with a list of the 10 best dog breeds for families. Of course, every family situation is different, and you should consider your own specific scenario before bringing any dog into your family. But if you start your research with our list, and talk to your family about the breed characteristics you love, we bet your family will spend many happy years with their new, loving companion.

And don't forget, there are lots of great pure-bred and mixed-breed dogs available for rescue through the American Kennel Club Breed Rescue Program and you can find a pet right here on Petside!

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Comments (50)

anonymous (Unverified)
Added 05-18-2013 12:50pm
you forgot the dachshund......we cannot live without this one....so so lovable....
Anonymous (Unverified)
Added 05-21-2013 08:31pm
Yah.... dachsund... this breed has the highest bite rate of any breed!!!!
Anonymous (Unverified)
Added 05-17-2013 07:15pm
No better dog than a doberman. If you train them they are the biggest couch potatoes and love to be with everyone....weimariners are up there also
Anonymous (Unverified)
Added 05-17-2013 10:04am
For my money there is no more gentle, happy, and affectionate breed than a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. A true lap dog with a playful spirit, they love everybody and make a great family member. Too gentle to be a guard dog, they do make a pretty good watchdog, while still not overly "yappy". We recently lost our beloved 14 year old Cav, and he is most sorely missed.
Anonymous (Unverified)
Added 05-16-2013 07:21pm
We have had 4 Golden... so unless you've owned one you cannot understand. For example, we live in a Phoenix and our Goldens never require leashes, because they don't act like other dogs—they don’t run away. We take walks every night and even if a dog is on the other side of the street, he looks but doesn’t dash across the street to greet them. If he is in the front lawn and someone walks by, he will not greet them unless we say it’s OK . Our Goldens have always had a great vocabulary—to the extent that we have to spell out words if we don’t want him to know what we are talking about. IMO, there is no other dog that comes close to a Golden, even Labs are a distant second. The only negative is that they are hairy… but that’s a small price. My only advise is to get one, one true to the breed—not one from a puppy mill.
Lily (Unverified)
Added 05-16-2013 06:55pm
I have only had Great Danes. Contrary to popular belief, that Great Danes do not live long, mine have lived to be as old as 14 years. It is all dependent on the quality of breeder and how you take care of them. We have also had several rescue dogs; pugs, English Bull dogs, and Frenchies. Any dog could make an ideal pet, if they have ideal owners.
Anonymous (Unverified)
Added 05-16-2013 02:52am
i dont agree with the breeds they have picked. who said that these were the top 10? not in my opinion

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