Small Dogs Good with Children

Below is a list of small dogs that are good with children. Even if you don’t have children at the moment do you plan to have them in the future. If you plan on having kids you need a dog that will be okay with the loss of attention when a kid arrives on the scene.

Most children of school age will enjoy having a new dog in their lives and will really enjoy looking after it. The dogs below are child-friendly and if you get them from being a puppy you should socialize the dog with children of all ages as often as possible.

Small Dogs Good with Children

It is well know that families with children do not have as much time to devote to their dogs welfare. It is a good idea to set one person to be solely responsible for the dog, even if it means this person delegating the jobs to look after the dog.

For a dog to be good with children they need to posses certain characteristics, which included being sociable, friendly, calm, unafraid and relaxed. A dog that is good with children will respond to sudden noise by walking away, you do not want a dog that runs around excitedly when your kids do the same. Dogs that have good self control are perfect to be around children.

The main attributes your small dog should have to be good around children is to be tolerable and sociable. Get this right and you will have no problems with your dog around children.

All Small Dogs Good with Children List

  1. Pug Pug
  2. Yorkshire Terrier Yorkshire Terrier
  3. Miniature Schnauzer Miniature Schnauzer
  4. Beagle Beagle
  5. Havanese Havanese
  6. Shetland Sheepdog Shetland Sheepdog
  7. Boston Terrier Boston Terrier
  8. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  9. Pembroke Welsh Corgi Pembroke Welsh Corgi
  10. Poodle Poodle
  11. Affenpinscher Affenpinscher
  12. American Eskimo Dog American Eskimo Dog
  13. Australian Terrier Australian Terrier
  14. Basenji Basenji
  15. Bichon Frise Bichon Frise
  16. Border Terrier Border Terrier
  17. Brussels Griffon Brussels Griffon
  18. Cairn Terrier Cairn Terrier
  19. Chihuahua Chihuahua
  20. Chinese Crested Chinese Crested Hairless
  21. Dachshund Dachshund
  22. English Toy Spaniel English Toy Spaniel
  23. Italian Greyhound Italian Greyhound
  24. Jack Russell Terrier Jack Russell Terrier
  25. Lhasa Apso Lhasa Apso

These small dogs are great with children in the family but some can get overwhelmed by too much noise and energetic children running around.

Because these dogs are so small they can get injured when children are running around the home. If you have children or plan to have children then it is important to choose one of the dogs listed above.

As your dog gets older he or she will still need to be around children to stay tolerable of them. Go out to places where children of all ages are for the dog to get used to them.

Which of these Small Dogs is the Right One for You and Your Family?

Okay, so there are quite a few small dogs listed here that are really good around children, 25 to be exact, so how do you know which one is the right one for you and your family?

Well lets take a look at each small dog one by one, look at their characteristics and establish if they are a fit for your family.

First up is the Pug, this is a very good choice of dog to have around children. However, these dogs have low energy levels and are quite lazy. Yes they are low maintenance, but don’t expect them to be running and chasing after balls, because this dog just won’t care.

The Yorkshire Terrier is good with children, but not young children. If you are thinking of starting a family or have children under the age of 5 then stay away from this breed. These small dogs can get nippy so are suited to families with older children.

The Miniature Schnauzer is great with kids, even more so if it has grown up with them. Great dog to have around children of all ages. Just remember, you should not leave young children unsupervised alone with any dog.

The Beagle breed loves to play with kids but do tend to open their mouths and grab at things when they get excited. Just make sure to train them well so that they don’t bite into your kids hand when they are playing. Or make sure your child knows how to play safely with this breed of dog.

The Havanese is a great family dog, not just because they are great with children of all ages but they are good with other dogs and even other pets in the family too.

The Shetland Sheepdog is a super choice for a family dog, these small dogs love kids and are good around kids of all ages. You should be aware that these dogs require lots of exercise and will enjoy running around the house and going for long walks with the kids.

The Boston Terrier is one of the best small dogs to have around boisterous children, this dog breed will love to play and is not too small so is unlikely get harmed when knocked into by the children.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a dog that loves to play with children but is very small so is prone to getting injured when playing with active energetic children running around that might knock into them.

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi do love to play with children but have a tendency to nip their feet and ankles. These dogs are better suited to older children above 5 years old.

The Poodle especially the miniature breed are very gentle dogs and although they are great with kids could easily get injured when playing with boisterous children.

The Affenpinscher are a definite no no to be around young children. If a child grabs at their tail or holds onto them for too long then they will growl or snap at the child. They are great with older children, just make sure your kids know how to read the body language of the dog to gage whether it is satisfied or not with a particular situation.

The American Eskimo Dog is one of the best small dogs you can get for living with a family. These small dogs are great with kids of all ages however they do have very high energy levels. Just make sure you have the time to keep these dogs happy with sufficient exercise around your busy family life.

The Australian Terrier loves to play and is great with kids, can be a bit snappy with young children so supervision as with all dogs is recommended. If you have other small pets in the house like cats or hamsters then this is not the dog for you, it will chase and annoy them.

The Basenji are not great with younger children and have high energy levels so are good around older children that know how to treat them. Great with kids around 8 years and up.

The Bichon Frise is a super little family dog that just loves to play with children. This is one small dog that is actually not put off by loud sounds and shouting that kids do when they are playing.

The Border Terrier has very high energy levels making them great little play mates for kids. They are not great with younger children, best fit with children aged around 7 years and above.

The Brussels Griffon is another dog that is not great in homes with very young children in, they do not like to be grabbed or cornered. These dogs are better suited to families with older children above 7 years old.

The Cairn Terrier is a tolerant dog and absolutely loves children of all ages. This breed is not bothered by loud screams or high energy playing around the house.

The Chihuahua as you can see is a delicate little thing and even though they do like to play with children can get injured rather easily. These small dogs are not afraid to defend themselves either and could give children a little nip if they are annoying them. This is another breed more suited to a household with older children above the ages of 7.

The Chinese Crested is another gentle breed that can get easily injured by boisterous play, these little dogs are more suited to families with older children.

The Dachshund is great with children that they know and have been raised with. These dogs are not so good with unfamiliar children so do need to be watched around your child’s friends.

The English Toy Spaniel are not so good with loud noises so are best suited to families with older children that know how to act around them.

The Italian Greyhound is okay with children but are more fond of older children over the age of ten years old. They are great around younger kids that know how to treat and handle them.

The Jack Russell Terrier is suited to a home with older children above the ages of 7 years old. These dogs will snap at younger children that do not know how to interact with them.

The Lhasa Apso is not a good choice for families with younger children or with children that are loud and energetic. These dogs are good with older children children only, they will nip at younger kids.

Comments are closed.