Best family dog breeds for kids
Updated 2026-11-06 · 21 breeds
Dogs known for patience and a gentle nature tend to cope best with children. The breeds below are widely described as great with kids, but no breed is automatically safe. Supervision and teaching children how to behave around dogs matter more than breed.
How we chose: We selected breeds rated great with children in our profiles, based on temperament, tolerance and size.
Labrador Retriever
A friendly, even-tempered retriever from Newfoundland, now one of the world's most popular family dogs.
Large · High energy · 10–12 years · Exercise 90 min/day · Grooming Low
Golden Retriever
A gentle, eager-to-please retriever developed in the Scottish Highlands for fetching waterfowl.
Large · High energy · 10–12 years · Exercise 90 min/day · Grooming Medium
Beagle
A small scent hound with a famously keen nose, bred to track hare in packs.
Small · High energy · 12–15 years · Exercise 60 min/day · Grooming Low
Boxer
A playful, muscular breed descended from German bullenbeisser hunting dogs.
Large · High energy · 10–12 years · Exercise 75 min/day · Grooming Low
Labradoodle
A Labrador–poodle cross first bred in Australia as a low-shedding guide dog.
Medium · High energy · 12–14 years · Exercise 75 min/day · Grooming High
Pug
A small, wrinkle-faced companion breed with ancient roots in China.
Small · Low energy · 12–15 years · Exercise 30 min/day · Grooming Low
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A gentle toy spaniel once favoured by English royalty.
Small · Medium energy · 9–14 years · Exercise 45 min/day · Grooming Medium
Cocker Spaniel
A merry gundog with long silky ears, bred to flush birds from cover.
Small · Medium energy · 12–15 years · Exercise 60 min/day · Grooming High
English Springer Spaniel
An athletic, enthusiastic spaniel bred to spring game from thick cover.
Medium · High energy · 12–14 years · Exercise 90 min/day · Grooming Medium
Great Dane
One of the tallest dog breeds, originally bred in Germany to hunt boar.
Giant · Medium energy · 7–10 years · Exercise 60 min/day · Grooming Low
Saint Bernard
A giant, gentle mountain dog historically kept by monks at the Great St Bernard Pass.
Giant · Low energy · 8–10 years · Exercise 45 min/day · Grooming Medium
Bernese Mountain Dog
A tri-coloured Swiss farm dog used for drafting carts and driving cattle.
Large · Medium energy · 7–10 years · Exercise 60 min/day · Grooming High
Newfoundland
A massive, webbed-footed working dog known for water rescue.
Giant · Medium energy · 9–10 years · Exercise 45 min/day · Grooming High
Irish Wolfhound
One of the tallest breeds, a rough-coated sighthound bred to hunt wolves and elk.
Giant · Medium energy · 6–8 years · Exercise 60 min/day · Grooming Medium
Whippet
A slim sighthound sometimes called the poor man's racehorse.
Medium · Medium energy · 12–15 years · Exercise 60 min/day · Grooming Low
Basset Hound
A low-slung scent hound with long ears and a remarkable nose.
Medium · Low energy · 10–12 years · Exercise 40 min/day · Grooming Low
Samoyed
A fluffy white spitz bred by the Samoyedic peoples of Siberia.
Medium · High energy · 12–14 years · Exercise 90 min/day · Grooming High
Bichon Frise
A cheerful white powder-puff of a dog from the Mediterranean region.
Small · Medium energy · 14–15 years · Exercise 40 min/day · Grooming High
Vizsla
A russet-golden Hungarian gundog known for its close bond with owners.
Medium · High energy · 12–14 years · Exercise 90 min/day · Grooming Low
Irish Setter
A glossy red gundog bred in Ireland to locate game birds.
Large · High energy · 12–15 years · Exercise 90 min/day · Grooming High
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
A muscular, affectionate terrier developed in Staffordshire, England.
Medium · High energy · 12–14 years · Exercise 60 min/day · Grooming Low
Tips
- Never leave a young child alone with any dog.
- Teach children to leave a dog alone while it eats or sleeps.
- Very large breeds can knock small children over by accident, so consider size too.