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Our darling Cavaliers with our children

Riorocca

Member
Does anyone else have young children and Cavaliers?

We were originally turned away by so many people when we searched for our boys as our children were so young. Well I can honestly say that I am happy they did so now because we have 2 very special little boys who are the sweetest dogs ever, and a breeder who we regularly keep in touch with.

They are so good with my children and vice versa, the children were always gentle with the dogs and taught to respect them and I am so glad we didn't give up on our search and turn to another breed as they are so loving and gentle with the children. I can understand why breeders are careful with the homes they go to but to tar everyone with the same brush is sad
 
I don't have young children with cavaliers but I'm 17 and I was one- my very first dog was a cavalier when I was just 1 year old, and since have never been without a cavalier. He was the gentlest dog ever and still his ashes are in his favourite place in the sitting room haha. We have other dogs aswell now, but if I had very young children and wanted a dog I would probably choose a cavalier, they are easily one of the best breeds over all in my oppinion with kids..
 
likewise my parents owned a Black and Tan (Benny) for about 5 years before I was born. My Mum said how he would lie in the basket under my pram (old fashioned silver cross pram...it was the 70's) out in the garden and if I cried, he would run into the house and whine at my Mum until she came out to get me. My cousins and I also used to crawl into his basket with him and he put up with it. When he'd had enough he would scoot through the kiddy gate at the bottem of the stairs and go lie down on a stair to get away. haha

Our 2nd Cav, (B&T..Sammy) we had from when I was around 18. My Mum did family daycare and Sammy played with the kids, was dressed in dolls clothes, wheeled around the garden in a dolly pram, he slept at the feet of one of the children (each day, one of them got to sleep in the indoor wendy house for quiet time) ... he would sneak out and nap at their feet! haha He was the most gentle dog around :)

My 3rd and 4th Cavs (the ones I have now) haven't been around children much. D'Artagnan we bought at 13 months (January) and he doesn't like kids much...they scare him. He will sit and be petted and stroked but it all looks a little bit painful....as soon as it is polite...he runs off and hides somewhere quiet. Porthos our 14 week old LOVES kids....I mean, he's a puppy....he loves everyone right now.... hahaha

I think CKCS are just the best breed to have around children :)
 
We got our first Cavalier when our daughter was only 3. I'm not sure if it's anything to do with the nature of the Cavalier but he was always wonderful with our daughter and she totally adored him . Our daughter is now 11 and our original wee boy has gone to the bridge. We wanted to offer a loving home to another wee dog and as fate would have it we got another wee rescue Cav.
They have such a sweet gentle nature and I've never had any qualms taking Sonny ( when he was still alive) and now Kaley to the home of friends with young children.

My mum was only just saying to me last week how lucky we've been to get 2 rescue dogs who are so loving with wonderful temperaments , I'm no doggie expert but I reckon it's down to the breed. Cavs are such loving and faithful companions and i wouldn't hestitate to recommend them to families with young children. In fairness to my daughter she has always been very loving and gentle with the pets and even just before our wee fella passed and had some bad days his tail would wag at the sight of our daughter..
 
im a childminder and so researched breeds very thoroughly when i was looking for a dog -i came back to the cavalier every time :)i have had a collie cross when i was younger and she was the most amazing dog and i thought i would never find a dog as gentle as her . ruby is fantastic with the kids and they adore her so much . i have two almost 3 yr old and a baby of 9 months and although i supervise at all times with the dog its more for the dogs sake than theirs lol. i contacted a few breeders and told them i was a minder and after chats most of them were happy to let me have a pup .. the one i actually got her from though asked no questions whatsoever and no one asked to visit my home . im so glad i got a cavalier and with correct supervision think every child should have one :jmp:
 
I have two children both boys, aged 7 and 10. We got Lucy when my youngest was 4 and the oldest was 7 and then Charlie Brown 2 years later. The breeder we got them from picked Lucy for us because she was the most outgoing pup in her litter and she thought Lucy would be a good match for two boys. She felt that a more timid pup might be overwhelmed by two young boys and I think she was 100% correct. Lucy has been a great match for our family. She is not intimidated by two noisy boys and will let them know by ignoring them and coming in search of me if they are being too wild for her. Charlie Brown is also not timid at all and he loves attention even more than Lucy so he will put up with boys even if the boys get kind of wild. Of course, I always have stressed the importance of being totally respectful toward the dogs and overall the boys are great with both dogs, but they are boys after all and will occasionally need a reminder from me to tone it down a bit. As for other children that come over to our house.. the dogs love to say hello to all the neighborhood kids, they are not shy in the slightest. I think Cavaliers are by far the most friendly, social, loving dogs out there and I think they make amazing pets for families with children as long as the kids are taught to be respectful to the dogs...but I think that is a requirement for all kids with any type of pet. That said, I think that there can be pups that are more timid than others so I think it is important to choose the right pup for the family. That is where I think finding a really reputable breeder comes in...a good breeder wouldn't place a really shy/timid puppy with a large boisterous family in the first place.
 
I'm a stay at home mom to two daughters -- now ages 4 and 8. When Holly came to live with us, my daughters were 2 and 6. I agree that this breed is wonderful with children, but must say that it takes a lot of work on mom's part to adequately supervise everyone 100% of the time. I so wanted the kids and Holly to develop strong, positive relationships. I knew that depended on me and how I managed things. But Holly made the supervision so easy as she has that strong cavalier desire to always be near her people.

I think that, if managed carefully, the relationship between children and their dog can be a really beautiful thing. It's funny because the child my breeder (and myself) were most worried about with Holly was my youngest daughter. Now, my youngest child is hands down Holly's favorite person in the world. I still never leave the two of them unsupervised, but Holly makes it very clear who she loves the most around here.

If I were a breeder, I'm honestly not sure that I'd place a cavalier puppy in a home with young children. That sounds crazy as I managed to convince Holly's breeder to place her with us (but it wasn't easy and took two different family trips to her house to convince her I was ready for the job!). I've just seen a lot of parents who seem to have no sense when it comes to their kids and the pets in their home. I think the mom, or primary childcare parent, has to be completely on board with what 100% supervision entails. And I also think that adult must be prepared to really socialize a puppy well and also take time for obedience training. Things like bite inhibition, jumping, guarding, etc. become really big issues with little kids around. And that's just on the dog training side -- working with the kids is a big job too! I'm not saying it's impossible, but I just think people need to go into it with their eyes open as to the amount of work involved.
 
My youngest child was only 1 when we got our first (ashton) and I can honestly say having had dogs before that other than the constant supervsion I didn't find it any more difficult raising them both together than raising a dog before without children. I enjoyed going to puppy classes with Ashton as it gave us time on our own but he loved being around the children, they were never nipped and he never chewed up any toys (we appreciate that this isn't always the case), then along came my little angel Rio our second Cavalier 10 months later and he is definantly the soppiest of the 2, he adores being snuggled up to my children and again never nipped etc (although he did chew a few toys;)) The thing that made it easier was that my children are very good with them and even when they were puppies they had their own quiet time and the children were very aware of leaving them alone and letting the dogs come to them:)
 
My parents got a Cavalier for the sole reason that they're the best dogs to have with children (I was 7 at the time) and it's been 7 years since we got him and he's only been slightly agressive once (but that was because, a few weeks after we got him I was teasing him and he nipped me).

The only "problem" with him is that he seems to lick everyone to death.
 
I agree

I am a stay at home mom too, I have 2 boisterous boys here, and that is without Peanut. LOL
But, Peanut has his own 'bedroom' Crate) in the living room and both the kids (1yr and 4yrs) know they DO NOT go near Peanut if he is in there. That is his area and hehas his quiet time and sleep time in there with no disturbances.
Once he is out of it, well they all play together and never a growl, nip, anything. And ofcourse Peanut is brill with them too (LOL).
I wanted a dog for a few years, but circumstances never allowed. Now we have Peanut and are getting our new puppy in 4wks time too (another CKCS) and we are all thrilled and happy with the arrangements of having them in our home.
The kids are great with him as he is great with them, you really couldn't ask for a better breed with kids.
 
Well, I am a new cav owner (only 9 weeks old) but I have always been a dog lover. We have always had at least 2 dogs (usually labs). I also have 3 children. Ages 3, 5, & 6. I really think it depends on the family/parents whether any dog will work. It's not easy, but children can be taught to be nice and careful with a dog. They need constant supervision but it's for sure possible. My kids love our 2 dogs now and the dogs clearly love them back.
 
We got Willow just after we got married, before having children. We now have a two year old son, so he's always had Willow around. We've had to carefully supervise, for sure, but the two of them really do love each other. Part of Rich's bedtime routine is now a hug and kiss for Willow, which she gladly returns (at least the kiss part!). As he's gotten older and less unpredictable, Willow has become more and more comfortable with him, and I know they are going to be best buddies for a long time.
 
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