Below, you’ll find some of the best dog breeds for kids. However, be sure to remember a few key things as well.

First, don’t just think about kids, think about your animal’s entire future social surroundings – space, other animals, the time you have, and more, when choosing a breed. Second, be sure to have your dog properly socialized from a young age, regardless of the breed. Third, teach your child the right way to interact with animals to prevent potential problems from ever arising.

A Few of the Best Dog Breeds for Kids

1. Beagles: Beagles are friendly, sweet and smart. Their size won’t overwhelm any kids, and their energy and curiosity level will probably match most children’s. They are easy to train, very affectionate and of course, very cute.
2. Golden Retrievers: This is the classic choice in terms of making a good match between a dog and a child. Dogs don’t get sweeter, friendlier and more affectionate than goldens, and there is little to no chance of having to worry about factors such as aggressive behavior.
3. Collies: Collies are gentle and very intelligent, and also very easy to be trained. They are protective and loving to their family, but not aggressive.
4. Poodles: Gentle, calm and smart, poodles get along great with kids. Also a good choice for children with allergies, which has in turn led to the popularity of the labradoodle, a labrador-poodle mix.
5. Labrador-Retriever:  Labs are extremely playful and loving. They’re also affectionate and sweet. Of course, they may have a higher energy level than some other breeds too.
6. Boxers: Protective, loyal, playful and smart, boxers are great to have around kids. They’ll probably treat the kids like their own puppies – in a good way in terms of affection and care.
7. English Bulldogs: These are smart, loyal animals which are pretty low maintenance in terms of being pretty calm, patient and docile.

1. Sit: Sit is basically the beginning of all dog training, commands and behavior control. It will be invaluable to get them to stop what they’re doing, pay attention to you, and more.
2. Stay: Teaching your dog to stay is a great mechanism whether somebody is opening the door and they can’t run out, or you’re putting food on the table that he can’t grab.
3. Down: Getting your dog to lie down is a great way to get a behavior to stop or prevent it, or to get your dog to be more passive and calm.
4. Come: Call your dog over to you so you can keep him or her out of trouble, or just keep a close watch around other people or animals.
5. Drop it: Drop it is a command useful for preventing destructive behavior and other problems. Can also be used in conjunction with “leave it” which is ignoring something or avoiding the act of picking it up or inspecting it to begin with.
6. Look: Look is a way to grab a hold of their attention and keep it. It’s helpful for controlling an animal in public situations or other potential problem times.
7. No: No means no, and whatever they’re doing or about to do, they have to stop it.
8. With Me: With me is a walking command to help keep your dog behaving properly on the leash, instead of stopping and dragging, or running and pulling ahead.
9. Speak/Quiet: You can teach a dog to bark, or speak, which might be fun. But it’s more useful to teach the corresponding other half – quiet – when you don’t want them to bark.
10. Emergency: This is a special word that you create a command for only to be used in extreme situations – your dog is about to run into traffic, or escape from the yard and out of sight. When taught correctly and used only in dire situations, it could save your dog’s life. You choose the word so you can keep it unique and only break it out when needed.

Hiking: Look up a local trail and bring your dog hiking with you. You’ll both get great exercise together and have some fun. Be sure to bring some snacks and water for each of you.

Camping: If your dog took to hiking, then try out overnight camping. You can tire one another out in the daytime with hiking and exploring, then relax at night and take in some nature.

Group dog walks: Get together with a few of your friends or neighbors and go on a group dog walk. The dogs will be vying for attention while getting exercise and playing, and it will change up the routine.

Around the house games: Besides just buying your dog a toy, there’s an endless array of around the house games you can play. Hide a treat and let your dog try to sniff it out, or hide yourself and have your dog find you!

Fun Training: You may associate training with a task, but it can be fun too. Your animal will get your devoted attention – and plenty of treats. You’ll have fun trying to teach them new things. Look up a couple of fun or unique ideas and try to teach them to your dog.

Fetch/Frisbee: All dogs loving playing fetch. Grab a few balls and head to the backyard or park and let the dog run wild. A Frisbee is another great option and they can try to catch it in mid air.

Dog Therapy: We all know that dogs are our best friends for a reason. They can also help other people in need of some affection, bonding or care. Take your dog to children’s hospitals or senior centers and let your dog help some other folks who could use it.

Dog play dates/parties: If you know a bunch of friends with dogs, or neighbors in your area, then host a dog play date or party. All the dogs can run around with one another and the people will get to mingle and hang out as well.

Water sports and activities: Get your dog involved with some fun water sports or activities, whether it’s a pool in your yard, a local dog-friendly lake or beach, or more specific water sports and activities which are sometimes set up as promotions, contests or special events.

To stop dog aggression, be sure to take the time to evaluate the root cause, not the symptom or the problem behavior. Aggressive behavior can come from many sources, fear or anxiousness, pain, territorialism and protectiveness, dominance, learn aggression, predatory aggression, sexual aggression and on down the line from there. Understanding the triggers will enable you to prevent them from happening while also changing the resulting behavior.

The same key concepts apply here as with other forms of training and other types of behavioral issues. It’s very important that you stay consistent with your approach and the actions you take, and it’s always better to start early. Plus, overall obedience training will allow you to turn to commands in potential problem situations to prevent aggression or an unwanted encounter from taking place.

Dog Aggression Towards Other Dogs

One way to stop dog aggression towards other dogs is to control your own body language and energy. For example, tightening up the leash or getting strict with your animal when you spot another dog from a distance may cause your dog to also get tense and fired up. Stay calm and help your animal to stay calm at the same time.

Work on commands such as “look” as an attention grabbing mechanism. Say your dog’s name, and the word look, and then praise her and give her a treat. Continue practicing this, adding more time and potentially distance, as well as doing it in public situations. Then, if an aggressive encounter with another dog may take place, you can turn to this command to prevent it. Of course, other commands such as down, sit and stay are all useful here as well.

Be sure to consider several other options to stop dog aggression. For male dogs, getting neutered is always a recommended step and should take aggressive behavior down immediately. You should also consult with your vet for any other potential medical problems which could be leading to aggressive tendencies.

Finally, be sure that you’re getting your dog enough exercise and enough outlets. They will burn off their excess energy and much of their problem behaviors and tendencies if they are tired out through a healthy dose of exercise every day.

Dog Aggression Towards People

Dog aggression towards people likely stems from animals who experienced some kind of violent and aggressive behavior towards them from people at some point in their lives. This is most common with adopted dogs from shelters, but can also occur in puppies that you bring home for the first time.

You’ll need to build trust in your animal, and take care to approach them the right way in terms of your body language, energy and physical actions. When introducing new people, you’ll need to have them take the same introductory steps.

But also, training your dog with proper obedience and commands will enable them to stay calm in more situations, and listen to what you’re telling them to do.

Remember, to stop dog aggression, you need to understand the animal, and understand where the aggression is coming from, and why. Dog aggressiveness can have a major impact and serious consequences, so it’s not something to take lightly. As always, consistent training and early socialization and training are both important to overall success.

For example, if they’re barking, you might yell at them to be quiet or to stop. Well, if they aren’t trained with that command you don’t apply it correctly, then it’s just loud noise, and they may think you’re taking part with them and continue to bark.

Alternatively, they may be barking to get your attention because they know that you end up giving them a toy or a treat or extra playtime to get them to stop. So, you’re actually positively reinforcing and conditioning that unwanted behavior!

The best way to stop dog barking is to ignore it. That means don’t talk to them or interact with them, don’t even look at them if necessary. As soon as your dog stops, or there’s a lull in the action, that’s when you jump in and give them some praise or a reward.

You may also be looking to stop dog howling based on specific instances that rile your animal up. It may be a knock on the door, the sight of another animal or anything else. Two techniques to cope with this will be to remove the animal from the stimulus to get them to stop barking. If they get taken back inside when they’re outside because they barked, they’ll learn that to stay outside, they can’t just bark away.

Alternatively, you can get your dog used to certain things such as a knock on the door with some help from a training partner. As the stimulus is introduced – a knock is on the door – give your dog a command such as sit and stay, or anything else. Reward the positive behavior and the lack of barking.

Should I Use a Stop Barking Device?

This is entirely up to you, and may be based on how much success you’ve had with training without the use of a stop barking device. In addition, if you’re gone all day but your neighbors complain that your animal is barking the entire time, then it may be a viable solution for you.

One thing to remember is that you don’t need to buy an electric shock collar if you’re uncomfortable with that idea. You can buy a stop barking device which emits a scent, an audible tone, and more. So there are many options to consider across the spectrum and ultimately, if it leads to a healthier, happier and better behaved dog, then it’s a solid choice for you to trust.

One of the first things you always want to do, particularly with puppies, is to ensure they have enough of their own toys to chew on. Teething puppies desperately desire to be chewing things, and that will lead to destructive dog chewing if they don’t have the right outlets with their own items.

Even as dogs get older, they’ll still have that desire to be chewing. Therefore, you can stop dog chewing by ensuring they have the appropriate items to chew on to begin with.

Sometimes, destructive dog chewing stems from separation anxiety when you leave the home. Separation anxiety can also lead to many other issues as well. You’ll need to take action to prevent this.

One effective method is to give your dog a command such as behave or simply a word such as “goodbye” and then to leave the home. Come back just seconds later and offer praise and a reward for the proper behavior. You’ll show that you’re coming back, and that it’s easy to behave when you’re gone. Continue extending the time in short bursts until your dog can be left comfortably for hours.

Of course, destructive dog chewing can also be prevented by containing your animal in a safe, designated area of your home when you’re gone. Whether that’s the kitchen or laundry room or anywhere else. You can also crate your animal when you’re gone as well.

In addition, a dog chewing problem can also be solved by puppy-proofing your home. If your remote is lying on the couch next to the dog’s bone, well, that’s going to be an easy target! Make things less accessible for them and take away potential problem items.

Another way to stop dog chewing is to use a bitter spray on specific items or areas she likes to bite and chew. This will discourage her from continuing to give that a try.

Finally, keep in mind two more important tips for a dog chewing problem. First, destructive behavior like this could be attention-seeking. Second, it could also be a symptom of not getting enough exercise. Tire your dog out with more walks, acceptable play time, trips to the dog park and whatever else, and other unwanted behavior will be weeded out too.

When aggression and dog biting problems go unchecked and an unfortunate attack occurs, there are very serious consequences. Therefore, it’s not something you want to take lightly, and for lack of a better phrase – you should nip it in the butt as soon as you can!

The best way to stop dog biting is to properly socialize a puppy. When dogs are playing with one another, they socialize each other’s behavior. If one of them bites or attacks too strongly, the other lets them know and either threatens a response in return, or withdraws from play.

From your end, if your puppy bites you, you can take this sort of socialization approach. Make a loud sound of “ow!” or “ah!” to get your dog’s attention when it happens, even when it doesn’t hurt at all. Then withdraw and don’t continue playing with her until some time has passed. Soon, your animal will realize that biting isn’t accepted and that’s not what she should be doing.

As your puppy gets older and matures, dog biting behavior can stem from several different main areas. It could be rooted in fear or anxiety, territorialism, dominance or more basic aggression. One animal can have dog biting behavior due to several of these different areas depending on the circumstances.

Your job, as always, is to understand what your dog is doing and where it’s coming from. A dominant dog can be taught that you are the alpha dog and they need to follow their leader. A anxious dog can be made more calm, and a territorial dog can be made to learn to share its space. But you can’t act on any solution until you know the details of the what and why.

Therefore, don’t try to stop dog biting equally from one case to the next. As mentioned with our basic tips in the previous section, you need to know what is causing a behavioral problem in order to truly and effectively prevent and correct it.

Luckily, a few simple dog training tips and steps can lead to great changes across all sorts of dog behavior problems. In the sections to follow, we’ll discuss several common and specific forms of dog behavior problems, and how to approach those. Included there will be aggressive dog training, dog biting and chewing, and more.

In the meantime, take a look at these overall dog training tips to help you get a handle on the situation regardless of what you’re dealing with. The right approach on your end can lead to easy solutions regardless of how your animal may be misbehaving.

Simple Dog Training Tips for Behavior Problems

First, as we outlined in detail in an earlier section, communication with your animal is key. Learn to understand the signals in terms of body language and expression and what they actually mean. If you can bring out your inner dog whisperer a bit, you’ll come to understand not just what you’re animal is doing it, but why she’s doing that, and then you can actually find a resolution.

As always, you want to be consistent with your training and your rewards and punishment. Inconsistency will just confuse the animal, and they’ll never learn what is acceptable or not. You have to be consistent and clear, so once you pick a rule you should stick with it and make it solid.

It’s always going to be easier to prevent dog behavior problems than to correct them. That’s why proper obedience training starting from the first day that your new puppy is home with you is crucial. It also provides a foundation of training, proper behavior and a more teachable or coachable animal.

One of the best dog training tips for behavior problems to remember is that a good deal of problems may arise from separation anxiety when the puppy is left alone. This can lead to destructive behavior, excessive barking, going to the bathroom inside and much more. Eliminating separation anxiety can lead to an animal which is better behaved across all fronts.

Finally, ensure that you don’t reward your dog for the very dog behavior problems you’re seeking to eliminate. If your animal barks and barks at you for attention, you may just want to shut her up and therefore you give her a toy or a treat. Well, you reinforced that barking leads to attention or treats and other fun activities, and therefore, you’re making the problem worse.

Be sure to keep all of these basic dog training tips in mind as we continue ahead and discuss several important and common dog behavior problems.

Dog Leash Training

To begin with dog leash training, you have to ensure that your dog is comfortable both wearing a collar and wearing the leash itself. This can take some getting used to, particularly for young puppies who have simply never worn either of those items before.

When going for a walk, you want your dog to be walking calmly beside you, not dragging behind or pulling ahead. Bring a handful of small treats with you on a walk, and continue to provide them to the dog for proper walking behavior. If your dog isn’t being cooperative, take a timeout, stop walking, have the animal sit down and then start again from there.

Of course, there are many types of leashes that you may want to consider. For dog leash training, a simple rope collar with an adjustable hoop to go around your dog’s neck is the best training choice. Put it into position high on the dog’s head, and hold it directly overhead and you will be able to easily control the animal and help her to learn the correct way to walk and follow.

Puppy Collar Training

Leash training is not the same thing as puppy collar training. When individuals are searching for the best dog training collar, they are looking for electronic collars which can transmit small shocks to the animal to assist with training and learning commands.

Many dog owners are uncomfortable with this, however, with high quality options and proper usage then there’s nothing to be afraid of. The best dog training collar options today are humane with many settings and customization choices, and are meant to be used with careful restraint.

An electronic collar can be useful for all training and teaching scenarios, and can lead to some very well-behaved, happy dogs which are completely trained. However, if this just isn’t something that you’d like to do, then there are certainly other respected training methods available as well, including tools such as the dog clicker outlined in an earlier section.

Fear not though, because with the right puppy potty training tips, anybody can solve this situation once and for all.

Puppy Potty Training Age

As with other areas of dog training and obedience, housetraining can be best accomplished starting as early as possible. If you wait until your dog is older, they will have established behaviors and routines which you’ll have to undo, making matters much more difficult.

So what’s the right puppy potty training age? As soon as possible! Start from the first day you bring home your new puppy and then stay proactive. It’s better to prevent puppy potty training problems than it is to try to deal with them and correct them.

By being proactive, we mean that you should be consistently, regularly and frequently taking your puppy outside to use the bathroom. If they never have a chance to go inside, they won’t get in the habit of doing it!

This is really one of the best puppy potty training tips that there is. You should have a mental timer with a new puppy, that tells yourself, even if you see no signs of your animal saying it needs to go out, that hey, it’s been two hours, we better get out there soon!

In addition, get in the habit of taking your puppy out when they wake up, and before they go to bed, after they eat food, after long play sessions, and after any period of excitement.

More Puppy Potty Training Tips

Getting rid of puppy potty training problems is all about consistency, being proactive and starting early. Still, there are many more tips and techniques you can put into action.

For one, remember that dogs by nature don’t want to be going to the bathroom where they sleep and nest basically. Therefore, her crate will be a great tool to help her be potty trained. She won’t go in there nearly as freely as she would just walking around the house, so being in there for 30 minutes after eating a meal, for example, will teach her to hold it until she gets outside.

Along the same lines, you can establish larger areas of hers which are basically no-go zones in her mind. You can also set specific zones where going to the bathroom inside is allowed, like a block of newspaper in an area of the kitchen or laundry room. Gradually begin reducing the space of that size until you remove it entirely.

One of the best puppy potty training tips goes back to something we mentioned earlier, their lack of sense of time and memory in terms of relating actions to consequences. If you’ve been away at work and come home to find your dog having made a mess, you can’t punish them then. It won’t be effective or understood, and will only create other issues – perhaps anxiety with you coming home, for instance.

If you catch your animal in the act, that’s when you can do something. You can use a stern voice and assertive body language to help show them that it’s inappropriate. Then, if it’s possible, bring them outside immediately to finish.

After successfully finishing outside, praise them and offer them a small treat as a reward. In addition, other times you’re walking your dog outside and they do all their business, get in the early habit of praising them accordingly to associate those positive feelings.

If your animal has a problem going in the middle of the night, first, make sure you’re taking her out right before bed. Then, get in the habit of removing her water at a certain time each night so she doesn’t have unlimited access. You can also try mandating that your animal sleeps in the crate all night, which will help to prevent accidents, as discussed above.

There are so many puppy potty training tips out there, so find what works for you, your situation and your animal. And remember, start early, be consistent and be proactive.