Please recommend me a dog breed

[Be1atrix]

Hi MNers.

I am really keen to get a dog, but never having had one before I am desperate to do it right. Please can you recommend breeds I could research that you think will suit me/my family? (Me, DW and DD age 9)

-We both work full time so dog will need doggy daycare at lunchtime.

-I work in a school and staff are allowed to bring in their dogs. I would like to do this once trained- so need a fairly chilled one.

-not too barky because of neighbours

-easy to house train because we stupidly have cream carpets

-No big dogs. I'm quite scared of them/the giant poo!

-Don't need too much walking; I have a disability so DW could do about an hour a day

Thanks for any/all advice. We've wanted a dog for a really long time but had to wait until we moved to a house with a garden. I do have an anxiety disorder so I overthink everything, and feel overwhelmed by my googling, so person recommendations are really appreciated.

Thank you!

Hi. We have a Shih Tzu and he is the love of my life. Thick as mince, bless him, but so very cute and good-natured Non-moulting and happy with as little or as much exercise as you can offer. Oh, and his poos are tiny Not barky other than when someone's at the door.
They're not the perfect breed, and he has his faults. But he's perfect for us, and there's no such thing as the perfect dog anyway!
Good luck with your choice.

Caviller King Charles spaniel? They were bred to be hot water bottles for the king!! Very friendly and amenable.

Do bear in mind when you get a puppy you'll need time with them at home to house train etc, they won't be able to go doggy day care from a small puppy...

A whippet? Mine was as dumb as a bag of hair but some of them are pretty bright, I think. Don’t need a lot of walking, happy to slope around the park for a bit then chill on the sofa, low maintenance in terms of grooming. To be honest though, it’s not ideal for any dog to be on its own for most of the day, even with someone coming in at lunchtime - is being able to take it into work a guarantee?

Miniature poodle. No shedding, quiet in my experience, friendly and very intelligent. Try to get one at start of summer school hols next year so you have 6 weeks with pup, then ease it into puppy daycare by OH taking days leave or you taking it to school so it’s not 0-100.

How is taking a dog into school appropriate?

Just do all the full health checks for the KCCS as above. They are prone to many health issues.
My sister has just got a Cavapoo puppy (cross between a poodle and King Charles), and he's a delight. Bright as a button, very easy so far, so well-behaved, and great temperament.

I work in a primary school, and can't imagine it either!

Sarcastic... how is it inappropriate?! Dogs are proven to reduce stress levels and increase confidence. Lots of schools have dogs around (mainly private ime) and they manage to deal with any potential issues.

Greyhound. Very happy left alone. Little walking. Very soft and gentle. Loads in rescues so easy to adopt.

We had one and they were an awesome first dog.

How are you going to look after a puppy if you both work full-time?

You can't leave a young dog alone with just a break at lunch time - even lots of adult dogs wouldn't be happy with that kind of set-up I'm sorry to say.

Puppies need taking out to the toilet regularly, they have accidents for a good month or two. They'll dig up your garden and get mud everywhere. They'll walk in muddy puddles and maybe even roll in poo.

They need lots of consistency and training and socialisation and company. How are you going to manage all those things when you're both at work all day?

The Kennel Club have a dog breed selector that can help match you with a good fit based on your lifestyle/needs.
www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/findabreed/default.aspx

I have a Dachshund and would not recommend for your requirements! They’re stubborn little guard dogs and hate going out to the toilet in the rain but they are full of personality so worth all the trouble

Basenji. Affectionate, great pack dogs, don't bark.

Doggy day care at lunchtime will not be suitable if you are thinking of getting a puppy. They need to be taken outside every 20 mins to an hour to pee or poo, which is how you house train them. Also you can't leave a puppy alone for hours, so I think that is your first problem. Even if you get an older rescue dog, you would still need to be at home for some time so that the dog settles and gets into your family routine. A greyhound might suit, but it will more than likely not be housetrained, and that is a big dog.
Re carpets - well, we don't have carpets downstairs because we have dogs (only one now though). It's not just housetraining that causes mess, it's muddy paws, wet dirty dogs shaking themselves, hair and possibly slobber, depending on the breed.
Tbh, two adults working full time and a dog is only really doable if you use doggy day care all day every day you are out all day.
Poo and barking come with the territory!

Working full time even with lunchtime care is not ideal for having a puppy or a dog. They will be alone for the majority of time, then to not get long walks seems unfair. I had a shizhu when I was younger and he needed a decent hours walk daily plus little walks. Dogs need company, walks and stimulation. They are pack animals.

I’ve a cavatzu: shih tzu and cavalier KCS. He is street walked 30 mins at breakfast and in the evening. He has a long walk at lunch time with either me at the park, or the dog walker.

Friend has a miniature poodle. Id love one of those.

OP you've thought through a lot of stuff which is great but have you considered how you're going to settle a young pup in? They really can't be left for more than a couple of hours when very little. Lots of people take several weeks annual leave which I'm presuming you'll be struggling to do if you work in a school. I got mine just before the 6 weeks and DH took a week off before I finished so we had nearly 8 weeks to settle in but even when I went back MIL had him a lot so he wasn't on his own long. Many dog walkers offer puppy sessions where they will pop in several times during the day but it's obviously expensive.

Honestly I think you need to decide on whether you want a school therapy dog or a family pet. Unless I've misunderstood and there is a way you can take your dog to school but it not be with the children.

Breeds wise I would suggest a show cocker spaniel. Great family pets. Mine doesn't need to walk and walk all day and would be happy with an hour as long as he had company for a lot of the day. Other cockers aren't as chilled and working cockers certainly aren't.

Please please join this group and read all the information about puppies, toilet training, leaving them alone and stuff and then decide on your next step
m.facebook.com/groups/374160792599484/?ref=group_header&view=group&sw_fnr_id=1053429550&fnr_t=7

Papillons are amazing. Very pretty, very clever and still behaves like a proper dog like despite being a cutsey toy dog.

It's not possible to "overthink" the implications of getting a dog. And you clearly haven't.

Not sure what you mean by doggy daycare at lunchtime - presumably someone calling in as you won't be around to take it anywhere.

Either way, sounds like a fairly lonely existence. Yes, I know you probably know lots of dog owners who work full time and their dogs are "perfectly happy". But really, it's just not fair.

Dogs and cream carpets ...🤔

I work in a SEN school, only 60 kids, quite a few other staff bring their dogs in every day and it works brilliantly. The kids love it.

It'll be next summer so I've got the six weeks at home with it.

I have a Jack Russell and he is lazy as shit. He will walk for about 15 minutes and then he climbs at my legs to be carried

I love the bones of him but he's MENTAL.

I work in rescue and we homecheck homes and I’d struggle to pass you for a puppy; only one person able to walk dog, left all day, unrealistic idea of taking dog to school, you’re scared of certain dogs, scared of big poo- dog could get diarrhoea, list of what you don’t want.
Definitely not an ideal home, far too precious and airy fairy attitude.

Norfolk Terrier. He is without doubt the loveliest, funniest little character ever. Has a bladder of steel, is obedient and loving and seems to be fine to be left on his own during the day ( though to be fair it’s not usually more than 7 hours). He’s really affectionate, loves to play and needs walking prob 1-1.5 hours per day. Doesn’t really moult at all and does neat poos! However, we have found a wheat-free food which now really agrees with him after a lot of problems with wind! He’s an absolute delight and wins the heart of all those who come into contact with him. PM me if you want to know more. And, PS, would not recommend carpets downstairs for ANY dog!

PS, would not recommend carpets downstairs for ANY dog!

I disagree. Cream carpets no! But if you have hard floors you may find you need a lot of rugs so your dogs don't slip and hurt themselves. We've had to cover our kitchen floor with big rugs so our elderly lab with mobility issues doesn't slip and exacerbate her problems. Another younger dog had a cruciate ligament repair so has to be very careful now. All our dogs can, on occasion, rush to greet people at the door or rush out into the garden if they see or hear a fox etc. We therefore have carpet (brown and regularly cleaned) in our hall and living room.

You can’t get a puppy and leave it all day.
The odds of getting a puppy (from anyone other than a puppy farmer churning them out) at the start of the school holidays are minuscule.
You don’t want a mess and are out all day. I’m not sure a dog is the right pet at all.

Bookworm, I think your attitude is a bit ableist if you wouldn’t let a family where one adult has a disability adopt a dog. The OP says she could walk for an hour a day- that is plenty for some dogs, and enough for other breeds if her partner or dog walker does more.

Also, bigger dogs do have bigger poos, that is a fact! I don’t think she is seriously dog poo phobic, just giving another reason she’d prefer a smaller dog, in addition to being scared of some larger dogs. Which also doesn’t necessarily mean anything- my dog is big and on occasions I’ve been a bit scared of other big dogs if they approach us off lead with no owner in sight (although I definitely believe in gentle giants and generally find bigger dogs friendlier and more chilled).

I doubt the OP is considering the taking puppy to school without discussing it in detail and at length with the SLT at her school! I hope not anyhow!