what is the best family dog?

All dogs are really based on how well you trained them.

A great family dog, if you take good care of it is Border Collie

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bordercollie.htm

Although I do own a shih tzu, I find smart dogs more amusing to own as a pet.

Cheers!

Depends on your family and what you're looking for in a dog, are you high energy, low energy, are you gone long hours of a day, is someone home most of the day, etc. Each breed can have their own personality traits. For example Australian Shepherds are known to be hyper and bore easy, but make excellent working dogs, Golden retrievers can be calmer which make a good pet for a slower paced family. I suggest just researching dog breeds that would go well with your families life style...if still unsure, go with a heinz 57....lol

It depends on your family activity , house size, climate and the age of your children.

all dogs have the potential to be good family dogs

We have a springer spaniel and a border collie , for our family theyre perfect dogs as were an active family who live in the middle of nowhere but for a lot of people those dogs would be too much to handle .

You really need to do some online research. Purina has a website. They have a quiz on there that asks you a lot of questions, then it suggests breeds. Read up on each one to see what fits YOUR family best. Someone mentioned Border Collies. This is my personal favorite breed but not one for a first time dog owner. They will outwit you at every turn. They are really smart.

Good luck in your search.

What is your criteria? Do you like active dogs? Do you mind grooming them? You want a couch potato? Take the animal planet dog breed quiz. It helped match me with a Chow Chow and I could not be happier. If you like leisurely strolls and loving 'clingy' dogs go for a climber, cavalier or King Charles spaniel.

Like everyone else has said, it depends on the owner. But I believe that a large dog is a great family pet. I've had great experiences with golden retrievers, labs, and greyhounds. I would definitely stray from bully breeds though.

a mid sized dog like a golden retriever, collie, Labrador.

Big dogs do not make good family pets, and small dogs are more likely to bite.

The reason big dogs dont make good family pets is they will dominate the pack if they can.

Small dogs bark like crazy but then bite more often than not.

Fact: You are more likely to be bitten by a small family dog, than a large guard dog.

At this moment we have a Rottweiler and Lab with are children and they absolutely love them.But we have had other breeds with kids such as:English Bulldog,Husky mix,Mastiff,and Pitbull.But,those dogs worked for us.So make sure you do research on the dog you want!

the one you have Researched and fits your life style and you have the time for and can afford