What is the best pet to have for toddlers?

I'd go with a dog. if you have a yard, huskies and labs are great family pets. the Huskey breed is ideal for the family because they have such great love. You do not have to have a full bred dog. Check around at the local humane shelters or a PAWS. try a dog for a week or most perferrable two weeks. don't get all too attached before making the final decsion. Board the animal for a period before acepting full responsibilities of a lifetime. Best of luck to you and your journeys!

Best Pet For Toddlers

To tegan j:

I think that might be the worst advice ever. I have a dwarf rabbit myself. Dwarfs tend to be more skittish of any other rabbit breed. I never pick my rabbits up - only if they need a nail trim.

Rabbits and small children do not mix. Rabbits are PREY animals so that means they feel the most safest on the ground where they belong. A lot of people think that rabbits are soft and cuddly and love to be held which is not the case at all. Most will kick and scratch bc they don't enjoy being held! Not only that you have to keep a firm hold onto a bunny because their back legs are very powerful. If they kick their legs a certain way, it is possible they can break their back.

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As far as the best pet for toddlers, like other posters said, it is best to wait until the child is older and more aware of their surroundings.

Beagles are good with children but they are very high energy. Pugs are great with children too.....in fact I think they love everyone! I have 2 and they bring me much joy in my life. They are little comedians and will do anything to please their humans.

The best pet for a toddler is a STUFFED one---ie: a stuffed animal.

Seriously, pets and toddlers do NOT mix. All pets require a certain amount of care. Toddlers and children in general cannot provide this care, nor do they grasp the consequences if they fail to provide it.

Any pet you do end up getting will REQUIRE its care to be provided by YOU (the adult) NOT the child.

If you're asking what pet is best as far as interacting with toddlers, then I'd have to say dogs are FAR more tolerant of toddler behaviors than any other animals (rabbits, birds, cats, ect.) with the exception of fish. Breeds vary on their tolerance, of course. Browsing this site is helpful for determining how tolerant a certain breed of dog will be: http://www.atts.org/statistics.html

I'd suggest fish....very hardy fish.

I think a dog would definitely be the best choice! Adopting a dog that is already trained (vs. a puppy) would be ideal for a home with toddlers. If your children are kind/gentle with animals, a family pet can be a valuable learning experience.

It really depends on the child,some children are very careful then a cat or rabbit would be fine.A child that knows no fear and is a little ruff at time a dog would be best.

I think it always is best to get a Lil trial period like watch your neighbor/friend dog/cat/rabbit for a day and go from there.

Never get a pet for your child, it should be for the family as a whole. But wait until your child is older to bring a pet into the home, for the safety of both the child and the pet, and pets should never be left unsupervised with small children.

your better of getting a dwarf rabbit and teaching the toddler to look after it at a young age

its really better to wait till children are older & can understand that they can hurt an animal & that they are living things NOT toys, small children by no fault of their own tend to hurt animals as they just cant comprehend waht they are doing or how hard they are hitting or that by grabbing puppy by the tail hurts puppy...its best to wait till kids are about 7 or so, they are more mature & grasp the whole concept of hurting & living etc etc etc

I have a chinise sharpei female and an american bulldog johnson female they are great with my 2 year old, my five year old and my 12 year old but is better if you have them when they are babies that way you will know each other better