(08-22-2014, 02:16 PM)Happyflowerlady Wrote: I love Poms, too, and they are truly wonderful and intelligent little dogs ! However, they also have delicate little bones and long hair, and can easily be hurt by kids unintentionally, when they are playing with the Pom. If you get one that will be at least 10 lbs when grown, then there should be no problems once it is not a tiny puppy, but one of those tiny 4lb Teacup Poms (which I think is what you are liking so much) is definitely just too small for children, especially very young ones; and you would soon have either an injured dog, or one who bites your children to protect themselves. Neither option is a good one.
One dog that I think is great for children is a Shih-Tzu. They have a very calm disposition, love everyone, and will usually allow themselves to be treated like a doll when the kids want to pack them around. They are around 6-12 lbs usually, so a perfect size for a family dog, and they are also a smart little dog.
Wow....That is definitely not something that I was thinking about! My kids are pretty gentle with animals but I do want to get them one that can run around and play with them without the fear of any of them getting hurt as that would just break my heart! The teacup will just have to be a baby of my future when my kids are all grown! My parents have a Shih-Tzu and she is a wonderful dog with the kids but also a pain. I think I just figured all of them are like her :p but maybe it's because she is just super spoiled!
(08-22-2014, 07:11 AM)sbnufc Wrote: How big is "a big dog" to you? I know different people have different ideas on the matter, so that'd help I think.
Also, is a puppy an option? A dog that will grow up with your kids will just make him/her that bit more special to them when they're a bit older (I dont know why, but I'm assuming you have young children ).
It'd also mean you get to train the pup your way, with your words/commands and so on
I do have younger kids 9, 7, 6, and my youngest will be two in November. It is hard to determine what is "too big". My parent's other dog, (which I cant remember exactly what it is) knocks her down and my older kids to the ground and just licks them to death. She is just a puppy right now and comes up to my waist and I am 5'4". I really should say I need to find a happy medium, one where the older kids can play around with it, yet small and gentle enough that I don't have to worry about my toddler being injured by a hyper dog. I think I could handle a larger dog if it were a calmer breed of dog. I was looking at a Golden Lab but sadly it was sold to another family a few hours after my kids and I visited her. The kids were heartbroken, but we did adopt a little kitten! My husband (the "non cat person") could only be mad at me for bringing her home for about 5 seconds before he was in love with her too. She's such a sweetie! So now the dog we get also has to mesh well with cats.
My parents have a Shih-Tzu and she is a wonderful dog with the kids but also a pain. I think I just figured all of them are like her :p but maybe it's because she is just super spoiled! 
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