Your kids have been hounding you for a dog since June. Outwardly, you’ve stayed strong, but inside you’ve pretty much admitted that you are going to fold. You’ve been Googling around and haven’t made your mind up on the breed yet, so let me help by crossing a few common choices OFF your list. (Obligatory: Nothing against these breeds in general, but in my professional opinion, they are not a good fit for a young family’s first dog.)
1. Husky
We’ve all seen Snow Dogs. Those beautiful dogs bring a tear to your eye when they come through for Cuba Gooding, Jr.! Don’t be fooled. Huskies can be smart and silly and funny, yes. Tiktok is full of Husky comic relief. They also love to talk back and completely ignore instruction from their owners. And have you seen the shedding?
Add sky-high prey drive, Houdini-level escape skills, and zero interest in listening when something more exciting is moving. A toddler waving a toy or bolting across the yard is basically a squeaky reindeer to them. Gorgeous drama queens that need a fenced yard, a job, and owners with more time and patience than the average preschool parent has.
If you’ve got to have the Arctic look, you might look into the Malamute. If it’s the blue eyes that grab you then you should check out the Australian Shepherd. Both avoid some of the lesser downsides of the Husky.
2. Chow
Bushy grizzly bear-looking canines isn’t really my style, but a lot of people like them! I personally can’t get over the fur complication: the shedding, the matting, the frequent grooming, the way the dirt and water mix on the fur to turn the whole dog into an 80lb muddy broom!
I often say the Chow is the most cat-like of all dogs. Aloof, independent, and weary of strangers, they can be a great fit for the right household. In my opinion, a loud, bustling house with kids running around is unlikely to be the right fit.
My suggested replacement would be a big Golden Retriever or a fluffy Goldendoodle. Big, fluffy, by likely to be much more forgiving for little roommates.
3. Run-Fast-Chase-Things Dogs
In this category, I place multiple different breeds: Malinois, border collie, greyhound, etc. These are the dogs you see on TikTok doing cool tricks or leaping through the air to catch a Frisbee or sprinting 45 mph after a plastic bag.
The problem: toddlers run, scream, and flail like prey. Common result: herding nips to the legs or full-speed body-slams. These dogs never fully switch off, and little kids can’t follow the rules. One lapse = ER visit. Amazing athletes. Wrong life stage for preschoolers.
German shepherds or Australian Shepherds are a good substitution here. Still drivey and fun, but way more sense than some of the other wild breeds.
Upshot
Repeat disclaimer: none of this is a knock on any of these dogs. I always say that I trust my dogs more than I trust my own kids. My children have been around dogs their whole lives, but they get so excited around my dogs and lose all common sense. (This is why my dogs and kids aren’t allowed together unsupervised.) Situations can head south quickly when we’re talking about large, powerful dogs, and small, dumb humans. Regardless of the breed, age, or training, small children should always be supervised around dogs.
Of course, whatever breed you settle on—good, bad, or ugly—let Three Sixty K9 handle all your training needs!
