Five Friendly and Gentle Dog Breeds That Make Great Family Pets

Are you considering adding a new dog to your family? If you have children or friends and relatives who visit your home frequently, you may be concerned about your dog becoming overly rough or aggressive with them. While any dog if not trained properly has the potential to be unfriendly, there are certain dog breeds that innately tend to have gentle and friendly dispositions. If you want a friendly dog, here are five gentle dog breeds you may want to consider adding to your family:

The Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is a dog breed known for being very gregarious and good natured. If you're choosing a breed based on friendliness, a Golden Retriever should be one of your top choices. One drawback is they tend to be very exuberant with high energy levels, requiring that you exercise them frequently and keep them occupied and stimulated. Otherwise, they can become destructive when bored.

Labrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever is another very friendly and gentle dog breed who makes a good family dog if given sufficient exercise and socialization. Like the Golden Retriever, if they aren't given sufficient exercise, they can become destructive around the house. They tend to be good natured and tolerant towards children and other animals. An ideal pet if you're looking for a gentle dog breed.

Bichon Frise

This small, gentle dog breed tends to have an agreeable and friendly disposition with both humans and other animals. They're an ideal dog for children due to their size and good natured personality. The generally average around fifteen pounds in weight which makes them easy to take on vacations and other outings. One drawback is that they do require frequent grooming.

Bearded Collie

This sociable and gentle dog breed makes an excellent family pet. His good nature and friendly personality make him a natural with children, if given proper socialization and training. This dog was previously bred to be a working dog so he does require daily exercise and a place to run.

Old English Sheepdog