I am just going to be rather blunt and to the point about it.
In my personal opinion-- I feel like small dogs and young children do not tend to mix. A young child is far too young to know how to handle a dog and what not to do. Young children can rough house-- and a dog that small with a rather fragile constitution/build would easily get injured by the small human....
No matter how well you think a child is with animals-- there's always a possibility. So it's really up to you, but do consider if you do end up getting a small physically brittle dog with a small child is something to be extremely careful.
You should never leave the two together until the child is old enough to know better. I would be more comfortable leaving a responsible, calm, teen with a small dog...
If again you do opt for a small dog, try to go for one is on the larger side. I.e. I would advise a 5-6 pound dog with a really young child. If you could find one that's more around 12pounds or so you might be better off.
I think I recall someone even mentioning that the smaller dog(the "runts") that were about 4pounds falling off a couch and it getting hurt. Think this was a few months back.
As for what to be alert of when picking a dog... I would say a skittish dog that hides in the corner, one that bears their teeth often(sign of defense), one that is object possesive(i.e. if you get near its toys, or dishes and it growls or acts differently), etc. |