We have a ranch but I'd like a house dog and it wouldn't hurt if it killed mice too. We also have small toddler grandchildren who visit & their safety is the priority, although we would always supervise and work with both the children and the puppy. Thank you!
I would say Schnauzer in this case, primarily because of the small children. Westies are sweetie pies, but they have herding and hunting instincts and will tend to nip and bite at the heels of running toddlers. It is possible to train this behavior out of a hunting dog, but the success varies from dog to dog. The Schnauzer shouldn't have such a drive and may be less inclined to nip and herd.
Tags: west highland terrier, Westie
Daschund (sp?) would probably suit you if the mice are a real big concern.
Terriers are said to be harder to train.
I vote schnauzer-maybe the standard size though is something you should look into.
References :
I would say Schnauzer in this case, primarily because of the small children. Westies are sweetie pies, but they have herding and hunting instincts and will tend to nip and bite at the heels of running toddlers. It is possible to train this behavior out of a hunting dog, but the success varies from dog to dog. The Schnauzer shouldn't have such a drive and may be less inclined to nip and herd.
References :
Those are two very different breeds, and its not just because they don't look the same.
Here is some good research on the breeds. Read about them, write down all the pros and cons that you may have about each breed as you read about them, compare how many pros and cons that you've written about them, and pick the one that has more pros than cons. :0)
West Highland White Terrier
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/westhighlandwhiteterriers.html
http://www.akc.org/breeds/west_highland_white_terrier/index.cfm
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/westhighland.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Highland_White_Terrier
Miniature Schnauzer
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/miniatureschnauzers.html
http://www.akc.org/breeds/miniature_schnauzer/index.cfm
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/miniatureschnauzer.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_Schnauzer
References :
I have a 5 year old son, and my friends have babies that are around often. We have a 1.5 year old mini schnauzer and 5 month old westie (both female.) I have noticed that my schnauzer tends to nanny and mother the babies, and play well with the children. My westie is very sweet to babies, but wants to get all over them and nip. The westie does play very well with the older children, though. Also the schnauzer and westie although both female are fabulous companions and love each other!