I have a 4 year old and a 10 month old cavalier puppy. Honestly, I am amazed they love each other so much. I did spend as much if not MORE time training Mr. Monster (my son) than Fletcher, my cav. I think there is a LOT more planning involved in getting a puppy with small kids in the house. You need to think about all those things your kids keep or throw in the floor like toys, shoes even where your children eat snacks............. In our house we decided the puppy would never be allowed in the children's rooms (I have a 16, 12 and 4 year old) so we purchased a good gate for the hallway leading to their rooms. I also came up with a system for shoes and belongings at the door, I bought a really nice wooden hamper for shoes and installed new hooks and shelving for items that would need to be out of reach. I started theses thing months before we got Fletcher, if the kids could not get the idea of the new rules well frankly I was not going to be able to keep up and I would have a puppy chewing things up everywhere. Plus this was all great for my house period. Plus these are all thing you are going to have to settle before you get any dog.
We have an older dog in our house. A 12 year old poodle, however he is afraid Mr. Monster. Little kids move too fast for him so my son and the dog have always had very little to do with each other. My son also showed little interest in animals, he ignored my parents dogs and wouldn't even pet our neighbors cat. So honestly I figured when I got Fletcher that he won't be too interested either. Oh boy was I wrong!!!!!!!!!!!! My son learned the rules about petting and playing with the new puppy even before my husband. Mr. Monster is involved in almost every part of owning Fletcher. Now that Fletcher is almost full grown and my son is on the small size it is funny to watch my son practice commands with Fletcher. Here's my little boy standing with a treat in his hand saying "Fletcher sit.....wait" and giving the treat properly. Sure, it has been hard work to raise a pup and a little kid together and we have had bumps in the road (we are having one now--I'm going to post about it today) but mostly Mr. Monster and Fletcher have a wonderful respect for each other and a true love. If both my son and I are sitting on the sofa Fletcher always goes to cuddle up to him first, then after my son gets too wiggly then he'll come to my lap.
Advice on getting a cavalier vs. a pug????????????? Well, obviously I have a cavalier!!! You are 100% CORRECT about their health problems there is a LOT of info here about that please read it. However, I knew and understood the risks. I was EXTREMELY lucky to get a rescue cavalier however, we know nothing about his parents health history so in a way I own a time bomb. There are things you can do to limit the risks #1 find a good breeder #2 find a good breeder #3 find a good breeder can I say it again. There is a ton of info on this site about what tests and protocols a good breeder follows.....this will be your guide when finding a breeder also if you let us know your locations we somethings share info (but never on the open site in private messages only) So after all this research you need to decide for yourself if you are willing and able to face these health issues with your dog or not......this is a personal decision. Pet insurance for any new puppy I think is a must as well. For me owning a cavalier means understanding and in a way excepting the medical problems that can and will arise. I have made a true lifetime commitment to caring for Fletcher to the best possible what just as I would my children. So far for me the risk is worth the benefits in owning a cavalier however I have yet to deal with medical problems yet.
On my opinion, a cavalier is the best breed of dog for a lot of reasons. First their loving personality, Fletcher is follows me around the house always wanting to be where I am. In fact his main goal in life other than the food bowl is being with the family. If we're hanging around the house or camping Fletcher is happy to do whatever.....he travels so so easy and taking him to the beach, pool, hiking is extremely easy and he can go go go all day and at the end of the day all he wants is his meal (of course) and a lap. He is a very happy dog and enjoys strangers, hardly ever barks. He is 100% my new baby. Fletcher is smart and even outsmarts me sometimes. He has learned basic commands quickly, house training was a breeze, so was crate training. Fletcher is alright alone for about 5 hours in his crate IF I have to leave him during the day (currently I do not work outside the home) however when I do get home I'd better be ready for a nice long walk and a game of fetch. My cavalier needs the attention, he does not like to be alone. Oh and did I mention they are beautiful dogs too. For my family a cavalier is the breed of choice. Even with the health problems, cost of insurance, extra education on illnesses, oh and dog hair I will own at least one cavalier the rest of my life---- clearly I am sold.