Cross Breeds - Best breeds of dogs for a family life?

Best breeds of dogs for a family life?

I'm thinking of getting a dog for my family, but I'm really stuck for a) male/female b) breeds c) names It needs to get on with children of the ages 11 and 13. The names need to be sutible for the breed, but not too sensible, maybe a little uncommon and crazy. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Public Comments

Alaskan malamutes are great dogs, both male and female are great.
The best is a mixed breed, adopted from your local homeless animal shelter. You will be saving a life, and the shelter will tell you what suits your family best.
Golden Retrivers are the BEST with children..little or big.. ive had three already!
Well I have a Golden Retriever "Duke" (Very Common) and a Springer Spaniel "Bailey" (Common, but not so much in males). They are both wonderful dogs. They are both males. I've always been really partial to male dogs (neutered of course) for no particular Reason.
It depends on what your lifestyle is like. You must have more criteria than that...what about exercise requirements, grooming requirements, height/weight, ect. There is so much to consider, Start by taking this breed selector quiz, and get the whole family involved so that you can choose a dog that suits all of you. This is a great starting point to familiarize yourself with breeds you and your children will be compatable with. http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselectorindex.do
i find boxers to be great dogs for families with young active kids. they have so much energy and will play with the kids for hours. also extremely affectionate dogs. as for male verses female my male boxer was so easy to train where my female was a nightmare to train. (she was actually asked to leave the petsmart training class twice, they told me she just wasnt mature enough. that really fried me, anyway) as for names i always watch my dogs for a few days before i come up with a name. sometimes a certain characterstic in there personality just screams to you and theres the name.
weimaraner (male) the sweetest dogs and even better if you have little kids!!!! they get big but they are so loyal to the family!! good luck
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm go to this website ... it you a quiz then it gives you your ideal dog. i used and ilove the dog i have. Some crazy but cool names might be some funny childhood memories or maybe something it's character represents. Seno is a cool name. (c no) that is how you say it.
my mom and dad grew up with an Akita. and when i was younger, we had one also and it was the nicest, well-behaved, quiet (mellow) dog we've ever had. but now we have an english mastiff {named moxy} because we thought about safety. mastiffs are very affectionite. if i were you, get an Akita or a mastiff, they are both amazing!!
A) Male or female is just personal preference. There isn't really any big pro or con to either. B) How much time can you devote to exercising? Grooming? Do you care if the dog is big, or small? Do you live in an apartment, or in the country with acres for the dog to play? There are far too many factors for anyone online to choose a breed of dog for you. If your trying to decide on a breed I suggest you go get a book of breeds, go through this book and mark off the breeds you like and think (based on the information the book gives you) that may fit your lifestyle. Once that's done go do some more in depth research on these dog breeds. Hopefully you'll find a breed that fits your lifestyle just right, and you can go about finding a new furry companion to add to your life. You might also try going to your local animal shelter, tell them what your looking for, and get their help. The staff at an animal shelter is generally quite helpful in finding the right adoptable dog for you. C) Usually when you get the dog, the name just comes.
Depends. I personally think the Herding, Working and Sporting breeds are the best all-around family dogs because they are bred to work well with people and are usually the easiest to train. The most important thing, if your choice is for a purebed dog, to make sure the puppy and its parents have all the genetic and health testing that is neccessary for their breed and that the breeder does proper socialization of the puppies. If you aren't adamant about a purebred, take a trip to the local animal shelter and find your future tail wagger there.
Labradors are probably the best breed for family life. They're loyal, friendly, calm and never vicious. Either sex would be fine, but make sure they are neutured. Look up names on the Internet, there are endless options, personally I like people's names not like, Fudge or whatever. Good luck :) x
Boxers are wonderful family dogs. They love kids, and thrive being part of a family. They are very intelligent and loyal. Not to mention protective when needed. If you are interested you can check out you local boxer rescue. P.S " If you own a boxer you better have a sense of humor and if you don't you better get one" Unsure of who said it