by Marc Phillippe Babineau

Created on: March 23, 2008   Last Updated: April 12, 2010

Have you ever noticed how smaller dogs are more often than not the ones that attack other dogs?  More often than not, it is the small dogs that are more aggressive, and they are usually the ones that attack you aggressively if you come near them.  However, most larger breeds of dog are much gentler, and many even go so far as to simply ignore the smaller dog biting at it’s ankles.  So, are small dogs safer pets around children than large dogs?

Smaller dogs are small only in size, they make up for their lack of menacing size with tenacity as a genetic trait.  Put a child beside a Golden Retriever and you have instant chemistry.  Put that same child beside a Shi Tzu, and you had better have quick reactions. No, my friends, small dogs and children usually do not mix. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, as there are with pretty much everything else in life. You will have people tell you stories about how cute, cuddly and sweet their small dogs are. But, when socializing, small dogs tend to be more vicious.

Mid-sized dogs, like beagles, terriers and hounds, are excellent with children. Any dog in this size category should be okay with children, as long as you have been the sole owner of the dog, and have raised it to be a friendly, socialized dog from day one (hopefully, no older than 8 weeks old). If you take a dog from a kennel, or the shelter, and bring it home, do not expect it to be good with your children, or anyone else's children for that matter, until properly trained and socialized.

A dog's upbringing will play a great role in how it reacts to other animals about its' own size.  A dog will not know right off the bat, "hey, thats' a Human child, I should be nice to it", the dog only sees something about its' own size, and that something is crawling towards its' dinner dish.  Oh, this scenario plays itself out all over the World, every day, and it is not always a good result. The dog may see the child as competition, and aggressively handle the situation as best he knows how (usually with growling, barking and/or biting).

Large breed dogs, like golden retrievers, Dobermans and even pit bulls will be good with any child, even the more precarious of children. If a child pokes his hand into the larger dogs' eyes or mouth, or keeps jumping on it, poking it with things and throwing things at it, you need not fear retaliation. However, this is not so with Schnauzers, Shi-Tzu's, and other small breed dogs.

So, are your children safe with small dogs?  Personally, I would rather have my child play with a well brought up and trained pit bull than I would a stranger's Schnauzer that barks continuously at any people who walk by their house, that they see or come into contact with.

Please, before bringing a dog of any size home  to your children, check the dog's breeds' specific natures. Some dogs are just known to not be reliable with children, no matter how well trained, if the master is not right there. There are way too many breeds now, especially with all the "designer" dogs out there (golden doodle or cockadoodle anyone?), with instincts from different breeds all mixed up inside that little brain. As well, please do not listen to one friends' testimonials about how good their Shi Tzu is with children, because 19 out of twenty (with a margin of error...) unsupervised small sized dogs will not be good with children.

Be safe.  Be informed.

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