Best Large Dog Breeds for Families: Gentle Giants

If you’ve set your heart on sharing your home with a larger than life canine companion, but are worried about them being too big to play nicely with the kids there are certain breeds which really are gentle giants and which for decades have been among the most popular choices as family pets. Some of these lovely dogs are listed below.

Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retrievers have been among the most popular family pets for decades and for very good reason. These lovely natured characters are brilliant around children and become totally devoted to their charges. It does not take long for a Labrador Retriever to become a child's best four-legged friend and they will remain loyal and loving for years to come.

Border Collie

Although extremely active by nature, the Border Collie if kept busy and well occupied can make a wonderful choice as a family pet. They become very devoted to the people and children they love, although you do have to be a little careful they don't start herding the kids around which is in their nature to do! With this said, Border Collies will herd just about everything they come across which includes any other pets you might have in the house!

The Standard Poodle

These sophisticated looking canines make wonderful family pets. They are highly intelligent and like to be kept busy. However, there’s nothing they like more than being around children and they become extremely devoted to them. Although large dogs, Standard Poodles are not known to be overly boisterous when they play which means they are generally very good even around smaller children. However, as with any other dog when they are playing with children, supervision is of the utmost importance just in case things get a little too rough.

The Greyhound

These lovely dogs may be able to run incredibly fast, but they are very quick when it comes to getting the most comfortable place on the couch too. They are very kind by nature and really enjoy family life fitting in nicely which is great news because many of these lovely dogs need rescuing once they retire from the racing track. They love lots of exercise and playing with the kids, but are always happy to lie down next to the people they love in a calm and settled way.

The Newfoundland

This gentle giant is a gorgeous looking canine and they make superb family pets. They become totally devoted to the people and children they love and will do their utmost to protect them. However, although incredibly kind by nature, these large dogs need to be socialised early in their lives so their instinct to protect things is kept in check and does not become too much of an issue which can make it difficult when you have visitors to your home.

The Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers are the "smilers" of the canine world and they definitely brighten up the day whenever they are around. They just love to please which is what makes them such a brilliant choice as a family pet especially for families with young children. For decades, these lovely dogs have been among the most popular choices for people with younger families because of their sweet and gentle personalities.

The Briard

The Briard is fast becoming a very popular choice of family pets because of their kind natures and the fact they just adore being in the company of people and more especially around children. They do need to be socialised very early because they have a strong instinct to protect things they love which needs to be held in check so that it does not become a problem. Like many other breeds that boast a strong instinct to protect the people they love, you might find when visitors come to your home it can be a bit of a problem.

The Spinone Italiano

A gorgeous looking dog if ever there was one, and one that over recent times has become a popular choice as a family pet outside of their native Italy where they were bred for hunting. When socialised from a young age, these lovely dogs make superb pets and they tend to be very good around children because they form extremely strong bonds with them. Again, early socialisation is crucial as it is with most dogs because it means they become well balanced and quite happy when strangers and other animals are around.

The Saint Bernard

Another gorgeous gentle giant, the Saint Bernard is a delight to share a home with. They are famous for their kind natures and being so big, they can put up with a lot of antics that children tend to get up to when they are around dogs. Saint Bernards will take most things in their large stride with no trouble at all and rarely get stressed out. However, there is a bit of a danger of them accidentally knocking a toddler over due to their rather large size, but this would be a pure accident and never done intentionally!

Conclusion

There are many large breeds of dog some of which could be a little too energetic to be around young children. Others might be a little too protective which could become a problem. However, the list of dogs above are known to be extremely good around children which is why they have been popular choices as family pets for a very long time. However, it’s very important to get to know a breeder and to make sure they socialise all their puppies from a very young age because this will have a direct bearing on how a dog will turn out later in their lives.