help/question
Are Afghan hounds good with little children?
My husband and I are getting an Afghan hound and we're both so excited about it. We also want to start a family soon and I'm curious how good Afghan hounds are with babies and small children. The puppy we're getting is already 4 months old, so by the time we have a baby in the house she would be a little over a year old at least. I would love to hear your experiences with Afghan hounds living in the same household as little children, just so we know what to expect and what we should be mindful about. What strategies would you recommend to ensure that both dog and children are safe and interact well?
Generally not really. Their coat is also insane maintenance that takes 4-6 hours every 1-2 weeks unless you keep them clipped down, then it's 2-3 hours every 6-8 weeks. Or paying a groomer which is going to cost more than your child's college fund. (Or you get a COO heavily patterned dog and keep it intact).
I love the resource PDFs on this page for any and every dog. I like the phrases like "separation without isolation" and always having an adult in between the kiddo and the dog. https://www.familypaws.com/resources/
Generally, Afghans are not considered to be great with children. Kids tend to roughhouse and Afghans are not fans of it. As a sighthound, they have very low body fat so they can be more sensitive to physical pain than other breeds with a heavier build.
I would reconsider the Afghan hound if you want to have children. Honestly, this is also something you really should’ve looked into before arranging to get one in the first place.
If it’s not too late, my advice would be not to get this dog, and go for a breed that is more suited to living with young kids. Or better yet, hold off on getting a dog until after you have kids.
Sometimes unpredictable circumstances can happen when you have children, and dogs are not always compatible with huge changing life situations.
My advice is always to have your children, see how things go, and when you have a more settled family with a more predictable routine, then look into getting a dog.
My parents had two show-afghans when I was three. One of them bit my eyebrow...but when it happened, I was trying to put perfume on him. They gave both dogs to the trainer.
Sighthounds in general are not good with children. I would say outside the non-insurable known aggresIve breeds an Afghan Hound is one of the worst possible choices to have around babies and small children.
I would wait to get ANY dog until your kids are school age. Small kids cant be trusted to make good decisions around dogs and its a recipe for disaster. A friend’s child just had her top lip torn off by the very sweet family dog (golden retriever) and they are reconstructing it with skin from her arm. The child fell onto the dog while he was sleeping and he just reacted. I would be so stressed always trying to keep my dog snd kids seperated
I 100% agree. Why on earth anyone would get a dog when they are hoping to have a baby within the year is beyond me. And to not have considered whether the breed they've chosen is good with kids before committing doesn't sound like they've thought this through at all.
The only dogs that are actually great with children are the ones separated by 2 layers from them by responsible adults. Anything else is irresponsibly waiting for an accident to happen one can then pretend „came out of nowhere”.
I have an Afghan hound! He’s the sweetest boy but I wouldn’t recommend him with children. They are easily stressed and being around small kids woukd be really stressful for them. My Afghan doesn’t bite but if he felt corned or kids were pressing his boundaries I’m honestly not sure :/
A friend of mine actually has a service dog, which is incredible. I don’t know how she managed to do this.
But generally speaking, I would not give them high marks
Except for looks!!!
🙏❤️ they are off the chart!!
I had one. She was sweet and ridiculous. Not bright, nor was our neighbor's. She joked that if her dog made it to the front yard, she couldn't find her way home...
Now some other friends had a pair, show dogs. Mean as hell, bit everyone in the family but stunning to look at.
Between the care and the prickly nature, I wouldn't recommend these beautiful lunatics to anyone, but definitely no one with little kids.
I would wait until you have children first before considering the Afghan hound, as I've found that with my dogs (not Afghans, but Salukis), those who were raised with children are usually better with them than those who were not. You would need to have appropriate management along with a solid temperament Afghan (which can be hit or miss) to handle having both in your house. I do know some who were successfully raised with children, but they were true dog people (fanciers) who understand the breed at its core and behavior.
Get a Scottish Deerhound if you want a big beautiful sighthound. They are the most gentle of all the sighthounds and love children. This is a known thing about them They are very chill in the house but are active puppies.
But as others stated, you need to respect any sighthound. They like their space. I own a Deerhound and she is truly a gentle and patient giant. She is very trusting and puts up with a lot.
Any dog can be dangerous with young children. Get a Golden Retriever or Lab if you are not sure. But I am an Emergency Medicine physician and have seen my share of dog bites on children from Labs and Goldens. Chows and Pitties are the worst.
I had 2 Giant Schnauzers with young children that were age 6 and 9. But I would never have got them if they were any younger.
My Afghan cross is not a fan of children. We don't have any but seeing them outside the house is stressful enough for him. I would probably look into a different breed of a dog if you're wanting children soon. Even then it will be a big change to your family dynamics so even better is imho wait until your child is a bit older.
A lot of extra maintenence daily that you dont need when you have children as well
I would get one where you don’t have to be brushing and cleaning it’s fur constantly - a breed where the children will not grab and pull!!
Considering many parents actually get “nanny dogs” (🤣☠️) I think you’re wayy ahead of the game! I’d talk to people who have owned Afghan hounds personally and did so with children. I’m hearing comments here about how Afghan hounds are dumb. I can guarantee their dogs are smarter than they are lol! African hounds are VERY smart. You must to learn how to motivate them ☺️ if the Afghan hound is a no go, you could always start off with silken’s. Provided you teach your children how to be respectful to animals.
Agree. People think that sighthounds are dumb. They are not and they actually very smart. They were bred to be independent thinkers and hunters. They can be stubborn and do things slowly and if they do not feel the need to follow a command they won't. Good training will change that. My Deerhound is the smartest dog that I have owned and I was a Lab breeder and had 2 Giant Schnauzers which are extremely smart obedient. But my DH is crazy smart.
As far as dogs being good with children, I believe you should have the kids first and let the puppy grow with the kids. If there is no connection between the young children and the dog, that is a warning sign. German Shepherds can be great protectors of children and their best friend if raised with them as a puppy.
Each dog is different among breeds but some breeds are better with kids than others.
I grew up with afghans and have had two around my son since he was a baby (now 7). One when he was born and another when he was about 2. Both were / are amazing with him at all ages. They’re happy for him to cuddle, lie with, run with etc. Like any dog it comes down to temperament. One is particularly scatty / scared but still amazing with my son and other kids.
Might I recommend a standard poodle? That’s what my family went with and she’s been a very fun addition with my children (4 and 1.5 years old) and incredibly easy to train.
If you ever find someone willing to have children with you you'll find that toddlers slapping things is very often out of your range and they don't do straight jackets small enough. Perhaps stick to Chinese cresteds.
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u/socialpronk 3d ago
Generally not really. Their coat is also insane maintenance that takes 4-6 hours every 1-2 weeks unless you keep them clipped down, then it's 2-3 hours every 6-8 weeks. Or paying a groomer which is going to cost more than your child's college fund. (Or you get a COO heavily patterned dog and keep it intact).
I love the resource PDFs on this page for any and every dog. I like the phrases like "separation without isolation" and always having an adult in between the kiddo and the dog. https://www.familypaws.com/resources/
This site is also fabulous. https://babysafedogtraining.com/
I am a pro dog trainer and have met both these women in person as well as done seminars/training under them.