Dog Breed Recommendation

I do think a lab or golden will knock over, step on, and probably injure a child. Obviously once the dog is well trained, i'm sure it won't. But if i had a young child, i wouldn't get a large breed puppy. At 8 months old, a GSD (or lab, or golden, or any other dog) who weighs 60 lbs, is going to be capeable of rambunctiously "loving" her daughter, and harming her.

Since you sound like such an active family, i think a Aussie would fit into your lifestyle, but it WILL try and herd your kid.

Brittany would def. be my vote for you, or an adult golden.

You know, it just occured to me: what about a standard poodle? They're big, but not as heavy as a lab or a golden. They're very intelligent and trainable, and the ones I've known have been good with kids. They have the agility and energy you need, but tend to be less prone to just barreling though . . . I know you want a dog that doesn't need much grooming, but if you keep the dog in a puppy clip and have it groomed every couple of months, it shouldn't be too overwhelming . . .and no one is afraid of poodles!

good suggestion!

boxer was the first thing that came to mind. my mum got a Boxer/bull terrier pup just after my sister was born and we grew up with her and our 2 old ACD mixes. The boxerX was a lovly dog.

Sure we got knocked down a hell of a lot but we learnt to walk pretty well.

Smooth collie! Smooth collie!

A close friend of mine has one she got as a pup, he is now trained for search and rescue. They would rock in agility, are very trainable, and adore children. The awesome thing about Tucker is he is content to laze about the house all day, but the instant she puts on her shoes or someone wants to play he is up and ready. He goes on searches and workouts that sometimes last for 16 hours plus and doesn't give in, but his energy level is extremely manageable at home. It's a neat combo.

Compared to Aussies, I like them better. Aussies seem to just have high energy all the time, instead of only while they are "working".

In addition to that, the smooths are sooo cute. See?

The first thing that popped into my mind was standard poodle!

The only Standard Poodles I've know are WAY more hyper than Goldens !!

The last thing I would recommend is a standard poodle. Every one I have ever met was a "one man" dog. Even if they are good with your kids, chances are they may not be so accepting of your children's friends. Plus, if your husband likes "scruffy" dogs, he may veto them right away. My hubby said "no way" before I even had a chance to say I didn't care for them. And that was after he saw a picture of one in a scruffy haircut rather than the traditional foofy kind.

I've had a border collie for 14 yrs. I've done obedience & agility training with her when she was younger but never trialled. I'm afraid I failed in her socialization. She would chase anything moving when off lead. She was an active dog but also a couch potato at times.
Recently I've been looking into a flat coated retriever. Speaking to a breeder of them & goldens, he said that the fcr don't have the undercoat of the golden & his are great with his todlers. He also said they don't have the health issues that the goldens have.
Whatever you choose, make sure it was bred to be part of the family, inside, used to all noises, situations & types, ages & gender of ppl. A bomb proof pup.
At my obedience club I've known a couple of aggressive goldens.
As pups goldens & labs are very strong & active.
Through my obedience club I've also known a woman who has border terriers & shows, & trials in obedience & agility.
A member of my obedience club will only have mixed keeshonds & has excelled at obedience & agility with the 3 I've known. They have all attained the top titles in each sport.

ahh, i love smooth collies, would love one as maybe my 4th dog? and I'm partial to the merles I think.

I just wanted to make some comments about Collies,since they have been mentioned here, at least as to how it applies to Tosca. First, her coat blows and that is the only time I have problem with her fur. The rest of the time the loose fur stays on her. Thus I brush her twice a week. I only groom her when she blows her coat, twice a year. She had NO doggie odor..EVER. She is a miraculously clean dog, self cleaning really, and I have only given her one bath since I got her. She just keeps herself clean. I really do not see a shedding problem with her except that if the fur isn't brushed out, she can get matts from the loose hair. Like somebody mentioned, she is EXCELLENT with kids and other animals. I mean to a fault. She is incredibly gentle with both my cats and kids. She DOES like to herd but she does it in a fun way, and she has NEVER harmed a child or my cats, not even accidentally. It is endearing, in fact, to watch how gentle she is with small animals and children. She is a great dog, excellent in crowds too. I sometimes feel like I won the dog lottery, easy to train, very obedient, very attentive and very sensitive.

She is blowing her coat right now. Shall I mail her to you?

Funny as it may sound, my husband has always wanted a standard poodle ever since we took our first obedience class with our dog and one of the best dogs was a very calm standard poodle. That was over five years ago and he still hasn't forgotten that dog. There are two problems I have with them though, I don't want to spend $70+ every 4-6 weeks on grooming and I don't really like their personality. My former boss had one and she was not very people-oriented. She was also very dominant, very high energy, and a bit aggressive. A regular client of mine had one and I didn't like her personality either. She was a one-person dog. Another client of mine had one (and a litter of puppies) and the mom was okay. To get to the point, definitely not my top choice of dogs. But they surely fit the bill for agility! And they are very beautiful.
We considered flat-coat retrievers but I remember reading something about them that made me mark them off my list. I need to go back and figure out why.
I really like the smooth collies but I am drawn to aussies so much. I've known so many that I really like and I just love their personalities. I also love Brittany's and I think I'd be happy with either one. I can see myself owning either one, something I haven't felt for many breeds. I wish it were spring already so we could get one!

if your hubby likes poodles, look into the irish water spaniel and the portugese water dog, similar looks, more Labby like personalities, less coat upkeep (im half inlove with the irhs water spaniels as all the ones ive met are AMAZING!)

boxers are a WONDERFULL breed for an acvite family, they can be high energy but they are VERY willing to please...
unfortunatly too many people that dont know how to work with them have boxers, boxers are SMART, they were after all bred as a guardian breed and still used in germany as police dogs! the problem is they often get bored with simple sit and stay, however if your looking for a dog to take hiking and do agility with and realy get involved with a boxer MIGHT be perfect.

I never met a Boxer I didn't have a great time with.

Tosca plays with a Boxer. This boy is the sweetest goofball and such a good sport. He lets her do anything to him.

I grew up around Standard Poodles, and they were fantasic. However, all of them were from obedience lines . . . maybe that made a big difference.