If you are looking to start a family or already have one, it might be time to start thinking about adding another member – a dog! Adding a dog to the family can be the perfect way to teach your children responsibility, patience, compassion, and companionship. There are a lot of cute dog breeds out there to choose from and while it may be easy to choose a pet based on looks or aesthetics, you should choose a breed that is compatible with your family. This includes their energy levels, physical needs, and overall time needed to attend to them. We are here to help pick out the best breed based on your family!

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Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds and for good reason! These dogs are extremely agreeable, smart, and personable. They are very devoted and eager to please, so training them is easy. They have coats that make grooming them an occasional task versus a weekly or even daily one, this is good if you or family members are susceptible to allergies. This dog is active and energetic, and needs daily exercise so keep that in mind for you and your family’s schedule.

Border Collie

Border Collies are strong, loyal, affectionate, responsive, and fast. Border Collies are best known for their herding skills, so a border collie would be best suited for an active family as they are high-energy and love to move around. These dogs are active and need daily exercise, but they are happy to relax at home the rest of the time. They are extremely devoted and proud dogs which can be wonderful things that a companion to a child could have. They do bark more than necessity, but this is just because they like to be vocal.

Beagle

Beagles are an immensely popular dog breed; one of the most famous cartoon characters, Snoopy, is a beagle! Their compact size, short, easy-to-care-for coat and intelligence make the Beagle an excellent family dog. While on the smaller side, this quick, energetic and compact hound dog needs plenty of exercise to keep their energy levels. They are very friendly, cheerful, and an all-around joy to have around your children. Like Border Collies, they do bark more than necessity, but this is just because they like to be vocal.

Bulldog

These pups make wonderful companions to children. These loyal dogs can adapt to most atmospheres — city or country — and are happy to spend time with their families. Best known for their portly and wrinkly bodies, Bulldogs shed seasonally but need grooming weekly. They are very easily trained, calm, and relatively quiet. For those families who don’t have an abundance of time, these dogs need an occasional walk or play session, but more than likely they are just fine lounging around the house.

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Irish Setter

This breed has been around since the 18^th century and is known as a presidential breed since many United States presidents have these pups as their first dogs! The outgoing and trainable dog is great for active families, as the Irish Setter is high-energy and loves spending time outdoors. This breed is extremely compatible with families who love to exercise, have high energy, and have a lot of space for them to run around in. Their luscious coats need grooming weekly, but they only shed seasonally which is good for introducing your children to a routine. This is a great first dog as they have a great life expectancy of 12-15 years.

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