If you are searching for a family pet and have decided on a dog, don’t rule out large dogs. Experienced pet owners know that there are child-friendly large dog breeds you can have at home. Here are four dog breeds to consider if you are still deciding on a dog for your family.

4 Child-Friendly Large Dog Breeds

You already know that a Labrador Retriever is an excellent choice for many families searching for a pet. However, if you are looking for a breed that is a little out of the ordinary but still excellent with children, then we have four top suggestions to get your research started.

Great Dane

Starting with arguably the largest canine globally, Great Danes are massive dogs and loveable giants. However, they are excellent with children.

Great Danes have no concept of their size, so they can unintentionally bowl smaller children over. In addition, their whip-like tails require everything at tail height to be puppy-proofed. Nonetheless they are among the child-friendly large dog breeds.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for a giant breed that requires surprisingly little daily exercise, a Great Dane might be your ideal next family pet. They will happily eat any food that kids drop on the floor, so check the answer to can dogs eat carrots and other human foods.

If you add a Great Dane to your family, your children will love having the most impressive dog on the block and snuggling with them in front of the television.

Characteristics of this child-friendly large dog breeds

• Origin: Germany
• Size: 28 to 34 inches
• Activity Requirement: Low/Moderate
• Lifespan: 8 to 10 years
• Shedding: Moderate
• Famous Great Danes: Scooby-Doo, Marmaduke, and Astro from The Jetsons

Standard Poodle

The typical image of a Standard Poodle is one with the Continental Clip, including pompoms of fur teased at the tail’s end, ankles and wrists. Despite this aristocratic image, most owners prefer a less distinctive and easier-to-maintain sporting clip that makes a poodle less defined but certainly cuddlier.

Poodles are an excellent choice as child-friendly large dog breeds. If anyone in the family has a mild allergy to dog dander the poodles would make great pets, since shedding is minimal.

However, you will need to allocate the responsibility of daily brushing and clipping every other month. Poodles are tolerant and patient with children, but they require more exercise than other breeds on our list.

Characteristics of this child-friendly large dog breed

• Size: Over 15 inches
• Activity Requirement: Moderate to High
• Lifespan: 10 to 18 years
• Shedding: Low
• Famous Poodles: Freddie Lupin (100% Wolf), Georgette (Oliver and Company), Rhapsody (Best in Show)

Basset Hound

People unaccustomed to the breed are often surprised at the sheer bulk of a Basset Hound. They can weigh 40 to 65 pounds in adulthood. However, there is nothing quite as cute in the animal kingdom as seeing a Basset puppy excitedly bounding towards you before tumbling and tripping over their hilariously long ears.

This breed loves their family and is exceedingly patient with young children.

Characteristics of this child-friendly large dog breed

• Size: 15 inches
• Activity Requirement: Moderate
• Lifespan: 12 to 13 years
• Shedding: Moderate
• Famous Basset Hounds: Napoleon and Lafayette (The Aristocats), Toby (The Great Mouse Detective), Droopy (MGM cartoons)

Boerboel

If you are an experienced dog owner looking for an imposing breed, the Boerboel might be the dog you never knew your family needed to be complete. This South African native was originally bred to fend off predators and protect their household. As such, they still have guarding tendencies and do well with training.

However, they are incredibly devoted dogs and need a stable home environment to affectionately bond with their family.

Characteristics of this child-friendly large dog breed

• Size: 22 to 27 inches
• Activity Requirement: Moderate
• Lifespan: 10 to 12 years
• Shedding: Moderate
• Famous Boerboels: None

Dog sitter near me – What are you options

If you are buying or adopting a dog as a family pet it is highly likely you’ll start looking for petsitters. Check out Housesitmatch and the options we offer you.  Our dog sitters will not charge you because they offer free home and pet care in exchange for free accommodation.

Where to find a dog sitter for dog minding at home?

While you may be tempted to searching online for ‘dog sitters that come to my home’, ‘petsitters’ ‘dog boarding’, ‘find a dog sitter near me’ and so on, think again.

Today there are new online networks of pet lovers, who will exchange their time and experience in pet care to look after your dog for free accommodation and a good online review. Yes indeed, there are. HousesitMatch.com is a great place to start for pet owners, learning about house and pet sitting.

Online house and petsitting communities

A house and petsit community where you know members are ID checked for security, and you can view the sitter profiles is a good place to start reviewing dog sitter or pet sitter profiles. Communities like Housesitmatch.com offer a safe environment to meet like minded members who are primarily pet lovers and experienced in pet and home care.

It is a fair exchange. Read our HouseSit Match Trustpilot reviews to see what our members say about us.

JOIN HOUSESIT MATCH AS A PET OWNER TO FIND DOG SITTERS

Join Housesitmatch.com a professional service that offers access to help you find free checked live in petsitters and housesitters, for a moderate annual fee. These petsitters will help you keep pets at home safely and happy in their daily routine.

 A final word on child-friendly large dog breeds

We spend a great deal of time training new canine family members but don’t forget to educate your children on how best to behave around your pets. Small children should constantly be monitored when interacting with dogs of any size, though large dogs can be particularly susceptible to knocking a child over inadvertently.

FURTHER READING ON KEEPING PETS & PET SITTERS –

At Housesitmatch.com we like to share useful blogs and practical advice about child-friendly large dog breeds, how to choose pets, housesitters, housesitting and pet sitting. We hope you find this small selection of our blogs on house sitters useful.

How to decide on a dog breed for you

The Affordable Alternative to Dog Kennels

Are cats the best pets for kids?

Why keep pets at home with petsitters

Why do we love ginger cats so much?

What is House Sitting?