What kind of dog..

What kind of dogs do you guys know of that aren't rare that are relatively large (bigger than a rough collie), good with children, good with other pets, and jjust have pretty good all around temperments?

Golden Retrievers, German Shorthair Pointers and Australian Shepherds come to mind, but I'm not sure how they compare sizewise to a rough collie (I don't think I've ever seen one of those.)

I'm sure you have... Lassie. Mine, Quincy, just died a week ago. She was the best dog I've ever had in every way.

Newfoundlands and St. Bernards come to mind. If you can find good breeders of Rottweilers and German Shepherds, those are excellent choices as well.

I am really enthusiastic about German Shepherd Dogs. I have 3 dogs now and 1 is a GSD, he was a Christmas puppy and is starting to get big and is the most wonderful dog. They are smart and friendly and are very people oriented.

Breed recommendations are, at best, a general guideline. Within each breed, even the highly recommended ones, there will be individual variation in temperament making some individuals suitable for your needs and others actually dangerous. You need to evaluate individual dogs for temperament and suitability.

I have know rottweilers that were absolute gems, and others that were obviously unstable and dangerous. I have observed this same phenomenon among pitbull types, German Shepards, the retrievers, and mastiffs. Most of the cocker spaniels that I have worked with were absolute lunatics. Personally, I can not recommend any of the herding breeds unless you are able and committed to providing exhaustive exercise every day.

It is pretty much an established opinion that the behavior of puppies is most influenced by the behavior and temperament of the mother. That having been said, you want to know that the mother is calm, confident, secure, obedient, people oriented. You want to be sure that the father shows no aggressive tendencies.

Most reputable breeders are more than willing to introduce prospective buyers to both parents and to be forthcoming about the health and temperaments of their dogs. Large breeds. like you are considering, do have orthopedic issues. Reputable breeders have their dogs evaluated for these defects. Example: OFA, for the hip joint. Breeders should be able to provide the OFA score for their dogs. You will want to ask about this.

I'm not exactly sure how big a rough collie is, but boxers are fantastic dogs and they are great with kids. I like them because they look "mean" but they are actually really sweet dogs. Here's my best buddy, Juno.

omg kelli he's gorgeous. i love those spots. makes him look like a misfit dalmation

Thanks for all of the help/advice