In choosing a new family pet, we often choose a dog by breed characteristics. It is the first step as we want an animal that has a gentle temperament. It's also important to look at the age and activity level of your child or children before making a final decision.

Very young children will often have toys scattered throughout the house on a daily basis. Puppies will chew - no exceptions. While smaller breeds may leave toothmarks in favorite toys, larger breeds may well leave the toys in pieces or can swallow plastic, buttons or fluffy stuffing that could harm the dog.

If you feel the ability to keep all toys, shoes and other chewable objects out of your pet's reach is beyond you, consider adopting an older dog that is past the chewing stage.

If your child is older and very active, it's important they understand that puppies need a lot of sleep and will tire quickly. They don't yet have the stamina for constant running and play. They will get underfoot and care must taken not to step on small paws or shut doors on little bodies that are trying to follow you outside.

For small breed dogs there are additional cautions. A toddler who falls and lands on a big dog may cause an "oomph" but falling on a small breed such as a dachshound can cause life threatening injury to your pet. If your children are particularly active they should be carefully supervised around a small dog or puppy. It's a good idea to provide an open kennel or an off limits dog bed (off limits to the children, that is) to give your pet a safe place to rest or sleep.

Responsibility for the feeding, grooming, and training of a new dog rests with the adults in the home. Including children in the chores of feeding and brushing is a fantastic tool to teach responsibility and kindness but adult supervision to make sure the animal is being cared for is a necessity.

Running to greet his "owners", he was kicked out of the way repeatedly, used as a ball to toss, tied in the hot sun. I had spoken out to the adult in that home about the treatment the pup was receiving in her absence and she agreed it needed to stop.

This brave little puppy lived up to the promise of those brown eyes. Gentle, devoted and always ready for some fun, Skyline has a great life in a forever home and is referred to by his family as "the perfect dog".

When I confessed my theft a few weeks later, I learned the previous owner was relieved to have the "puppy problem" solved.

For families with children, choosing a new puppy should be more than just picking the cutest or most playful one you find. While most dog breeds seem to automatically love any child they see - not all breeds are suitable for those with small children.

Getting the wrong dog for your family is a two-fold problem. First, there is danger of your child being scratched or snapped at by a dog nervous by nature or easily over-excited. Secondly, this also damages the dog as he won't have a secure home with you but will be relegated to lawn ornament status outside or disposed of at a shelter as a "bad dog" when the only problem is that he was the wrong dog for children.

One thing I've found to be true is that a Labrador mixed with almost any other breed results in the loving Labrador personality. I've had a lab-chow, a lab-golden retriever and a lab-spaniel and all had the best qualities of Labradors without the sometimes over energetic, destructive nature Labs are known for.

Though many people think of small breeds to suit the size of their children, truth is many of the gentlest breeds are in the larger dog categories. You'll notice below that the recommended breeds for children contain many larger dogs than smaller. Large dogs in the working class, herding dogs, retrievers and hounds are more placid by nature and often have the patience of a saint when around young children.

For families with children, choosing a new puppy should be more than just picking the cutest or most playful one you find. While most dog breeds seem to automatically love any child they see - not all breeds are suitable for those with small children.

Getting the wrong dog for your family is a two-fold problem. First, there is danger of your child being scratched or snapped at by a dog nervous by nature or easily over-excited. Secondly, this also damages the dog as he won't have a secure home with you but will be relegated to lawn ornament status outside or disposed of at a shelter as a "bad dog" when the only problem is that he was the wrong dog for children.

Though many people think of small breeds to suit the size of their children, truth is many of the gentlest breeds are in the larger dog categories. You'll notice below that the recommended breeds for children contain many larger dogs than smaller. Large dogs in the working class, herding dogs, retrievers and hounds are more placid by nature and often have the patience of a saint when around young children.

Below is a partial list of the best small breed dogs for small children:

Dogs Under 10 Pounds:

Great: American Eskimo Dog, Havanese

Good: Bichon, MinPin, Norwich Terrier

Dogs from 11-20 Pounds:

Great: Cairn Terrier, Norfolk Terrier, Schipperke, Tibetan Spaniel,

Good: Boston Terrier, Jack Russell, Miniature Schnauzer, Miniature Poodle

Dogs from 21-50 Pounds:

Great: Cocker Spaniel, Australian Shepherd, Beagle, Bearded Collie, Brittany Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel, Keeshond, Shetland Sheepdog

Good: Basset Hound, Border Collie, Ibizan, Wheaton Terrier, Snippet, Welsh Corgi

Dogs from 51-80 Pounds:

Great: Boxer, Bulldog, Collie, English Setter, Foxhound, Giant Schnauzer, Golden Retriever, Keeshound, Labrador Retriever, Old English Sheepdog, Pointer, Poodle, Redbone Coonhound, Wirehaired Griffon

Good: Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chow Chow, Clumber Spaniel, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd Dog, Greyhound, Irish Setter

Dogs 81 Pounds and Over:

Great: Bernese Mountain Dog, Bloodhound, Bouvier des Flanders, Irish Wolfhound, Newfoundland

Good: Doberman Pinscher, Mastiff, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard

Though it's not too difficult to determine what a pet's temperament might be in a purebred dog, it's not as easy to predict in "mutts". Yet, in my experience after years of owning many dogs, mixed breeds are more likely to have the best qualities of their ancestor breeds - without the drawbacks of the breeds.

Perhaps it's due to the over breeding that has occurred with many popular dog breeds. Although good breeders carefully track the process, there are many more who, looking at the money to be made, irresponsibly breed dogs with personality problems caused by inbreeding.

Inbreeding tends to increase the incidence of defects and health issues while cross-breeding that results in mixed breed mutts seems to minimize this. I'm not a geneticist - but it makes sense to me.

There is no better place to adopt a new dog for your family perhaps than with a visit to your local animal shelter. Many shelters carefully evaluate animals they offer for adoption and can advise you on any problems you might encounter.

If you do not have the time and energy to put into puppy training, housebreaking and chewing, etc - consider adopting an adult dog at the shelter. With adult animals, you can see their personality much easier and can introduce your family to it and see what the reaction is.

Don't judge any animal by its behavior in a kennel setting. Ask to have the dog put on a leash and take it outside and away from the barking and frantic attention getting of the other dogs.

If the dog responds well to you in a shelter setting - you may have a fantastic animal once you take him home and gain his trust. Some of the best dogs may appear to be shy in such a place yet their personality will often bloom in a home where they are treated well.

There is perhaps no greater loyalty to be found in the dog world than that of a previously abandoned or mistreated animal who has been taken into a good home.

When you choose a new puppy you carefully watch the antics of the litter - and often you find your attention drawn to one special animal. He may have the cutest face or best coloring; he may be the most playful or the most laid back as he interacts with other pups. For some reason, you know he's the one.

This new family members gets loads of attention when you bring him home. It doesn't take long for the soft puppy bites on your fingers to turn into chewed up shoes and rugs. You take him on long walks and playfetch to use up his excess energy and you spend time teaching him manners and tricks.

When dogs are given affection and training has taught them what is and is not acceptable to you, you have a loyal companion for years.

Dogs age differently depending on breed and smaller dogs have longer lifespans than larger breeds. No matter what kind of dog owns you, his years are limited.

When your dog reaches his senior years, he is still the same pet you've played with and loved for so long. Instead of bouncing around the house and yard, your old friend may spend most of his day napping. Pain in his joints may not allow him to jump quickly into the car to "go with" as he did for many years or to jump up beside you on the couch or bed.

Perhaps this is when your dog needs you the most - when he's no longer able to do what he once did. After years with you as his owner, he trusts you totally to care for him - don't let him down.

Regular visits to the vet will help in managing any pain your pet is feeling. Understand that just as an older human does, your dog may be losing some of his sight and hearing and don't become impatient if he doesn't respond as quickly as he used to.

Whenever you take in a pet for yourself and your family, commit to giving that animal a forever home. The small amount of extra care and patience you give during his declining years is nothing compared to the love he's shown to you all his life.

Children and dogs and a great combination in most families but it can take ome time for your child and your new dog to understand each other.hough a few children seem to know instinctively (true animal lovers from birth?) how to interact with their dog, others react in ways that give the dog a wrong message.

Most common is for a child to raise his arms when the dog approaches. To the little boy or girl, this action is a "don't rush me" or "don't jump on me" movement - to a dog it is interpreted as "jump up".

If you find your dog "misbehaves" by jumping, before yelling at the animal, look at your child's physical stance. Dogs know that hands pet them - if the hands go up in the air often so does the dog.

If your dog also jumps on adults, you have some training to do. Stopping jumping behavior is not difficult. When dog jumps, you turn away from him and use a verbal sound such as "ah-ah", spoken sharply. Avoid the use of the word "no" - because that word will only confuse the animal as owners have a tendency to use "no" for every rule infraction which makes it difficult for the animal to understand what you want him to do.

If your son or daughter is of school age, they can also learn this turn-away method and use it successfully. Smaller children should be taught to keep their hands low and perhaps in front of their body. That leads the dog to stop in the expectation of his favorite activity - petting. This sounds simple but the hard part is convincing the child not to raise his arms and you'll need to exercise calm patience to teach both child and dog what is expected.

There are two other signals that your child might inadvertently give that could cause a dog to snap or even bite. To a dog that is not a secure and settled family pet, placing your body over the dogs head or shoulders is a threatening movement in dog language. For a gentle pet, this is not a problem but with dogs owned by others or with a new dog in the family, the child should be taught to lower their body to the dog's level when touching an animal they are not fully familiar with.

Dogs love their food and for many breeds food protection is instinctive. Children in the home should understand this is part of the behavior of some ogs and should not interfere with the dog when it is eating from it's food bowl. Even the act of staring at a dog while he's eating can be thought as aggressive behavior by the dog.

If a dog growls when someone gets too close while he's eating, he's saying "stay away". He's letting you know that he's nervous about losing his food.

When we bring home a new pet, we expect to train him and teach him to fit into our family and to show good manners. By understanding how body movements are interpreted by your dog, you show the same good manners toward him.

Perhaps dogs aren't that different from children - maybe that's why the two get on together so well. Both child and dog need teaching/training, gentle discipline, understanding - and lots of love.