If you chose your dog because of the type of breed answer my questions..

[SoggyBiscuitss]

(Please)

If you bought your dog based on its breed please tell me-

1- what breed and why that breed?

2- what are the pros & cons of your dogs breed?

Bonus question if you don’t mind- why did you choose a female or male?

I worded it this way as I know some people get a dog regardless of its breed for example they rehomed it.
But I want to know specifically about dog breeds if you chose that breed.

I am thoroughly researching getting a dog and have been for some time now.
I want a puppy as I want to train the dog from the beginning and to know it’s background, where it came from etc.

I have looked into rehoming but under the current climate they are well sought after.
Also whenever I have looked, the only dogs available are ‘no children’ or they are already in their twilight years.
(I’ve added that bit as I know I will get some comments asking me not to buy a puppy and to get a rescue)

I only have experience of labradors and male dogs which is why I am asking.

Thanks so much!

I have whippets - honestly the best breed I have owned.

Pros: Gentle nature, good cuddlers, low shedding (in my experience!), easy to care for in terms of grooming though they can be prone to tooth decay, intelligent enough to be taught tricks and commands, playful to a satisfying amount as in they love playing but wont be constantly on at you to play or stimulate them like a spaniel or other high energy dog, they are happy to walk as long as you'll take them, and they love humans and other dogs so much - mine especially love the children in the family! Lastly, they just look beautiful.

Cons - SOME have high prey drive, one of mine does and one doesn't. Can be fussy and aloof sometimes, scroungers at meal times but can be trained out of this, don't like the cold/rain (that's where getting them a fashionable coat comes in handy!), can have a tendency to get stomach upsets but again that's different per dog, sometimes do things on their terms. Some say separation anxiety, but none of mine experience this. It's all about training them to be left alone from a young age! Really work on it and you wont have a problem.

Highly recommend them as a breed and probably wont be getting any other kind now. 100% sold on them. Any sighthound is the way to go if you want a chilled out, loving, super model of a dog!

English Bull Terrier - I've always wanted one partly due to looks (he's very handsome!) partly personality.

We went for a male because our last dog (garden variety rescue mongrel) was female so we just fancied a change.

EBTs have big personalities and you get everything 1000%, that means the pros and cons!

Pros - loyal, loving, affectionate, huge heart, talkative, wants to play with everybody and be everyone's friend, just wants to be loved 24/7.

Cons - stubborn AF which makes all training hard work, no concept of personal space, can be destructive (can't be left alone unless in a crate), just wants to be loved 24/7!

EBTs are not for the faint hearted and definitely not for first time dog owners. (But I'd happily have a house full )

Cockapoos (spaniel poodle mixes).

We’d always had spaniels and I liked the look of this mix; one of ours is very curly m, and one has very straight hair. With a mix you never know what you’re getting.

Pros and cons: very affectionate, loving, give you the best welcome when you come home, even if you have only been out to the bin.

The curly one is prone to matting. So we have to pay for professional grooming.

Our young one has too much energy if I’m honest, we can never tire him out. The older one is the perfect blend of energy when we want it, cuddling and sleepy when we don’t.

Oh, and both males. I never wanted to breed, and was put off females when watching my sister in law’s non-spayed female in season, basically walking around the house with toddlers etc spreading mess. I know it’s a short period (!) and you can clean them, but at the time I was horrified.

We wanted:

Taller but slender build of dog
Intelligent and easy to housetrain/ train
Non-shedding
Very friendly and affectionate
Family dog (not a one-person dog)
Good watchdog with deep bark if stranger coming down the drive (but soft as soap)

We went for: girl standard poodle from smaller parents- some lines are much bigger (ours is 22” high and 21kg)

Pros: all of the above

Cons: everyone thinks she is a labradoodle though she is a completely different build and personality

We got a shih tzu. I wanted another cat,dp wanted a dog and the shih tzu was closest to a cat as compromise 🤣Small, loyal, likes cuddles but can be territorial and difficult to teach. Tbh we picked our pups on which one looked the cutest and she turned out to be a girl. I think I prefer girls, had boy dogs when I was younger and hated the 'lipstick' 😆😆 11 years on and I dont imagine ever getting any other type of pooch ( until I see prices now of shih tzus and cry!)

Like @RunningFromInsanity we have a Goldendoodle which is obviously a mixed breed .
We wanted a good natured, non shedding hypoallergenic dog that could walk for long distances (DH).
Pros-
Lovely temperament
very little shedding
DH is not allergic

Cons -
Big, Huge, much larger than expected

As we have quite a non curly version which is good from a grooming perspective we get asked at least 5 times per walk what breed he is

Many people are sniffy about crossbreeds, so I generally say he's a mongrel when asked

Needs quite a lot of walking- but very chilled out the rest of the time

We got a boy as it was DH and DS12(at the time) who wanted a dog so I thought getting a boy would be better. DS of course does nothing for the dog but we're over that now.

Labradors
Easy going, easy to train just generally easy dogs. Fairly healthy, like exercise, like children, cats and people, no prey drive, will bark when someone is around but won’t do anything else.
Cons
Hairy so need a good vacuum, greedy and they do go up to people when out and about.

I had a whippet lurcher for years lovely dog but no good for rural life as she was always hunting and would dig her way out of the garden. A larger lurcher would be a disaster as instead of rabbits, pheasants, mice and squirrels it would be after deer! They are a bit like cats some hunt some don’t and it’s hard to stop a hunter. Lovely in the house though and fine with cats and chickens
She also bit a burglar quite badly, never saw the burglar only the drips of blood left behind!

If you bought your dog based on its breed please tell me-

1- what breed and why that breed?

Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Previously acquired one when working with horses and she was a lovely natured biddable dog. Then when I was looking after having children I researched thoroughly the best dogs for our lifestyle and suitable with children and SBT turned out the best option.

2- what are the pros & cons of your dogs breed?

Pro's:

Medium sized dog.
Easy to train
Very little moulting
Loving
Great with kids
Kind natured
Limited health issues

Cons:

Bad reputation brought about by chav owners, ill educated owners and bad breeding
They steal your heart
Chewer when a puppy but antlers/frozen carrots resolve this

Bonus question if you don’t mind- why did you choose a female or male?

I have one of each (the boy is younger). The boy is more 'velcro dog' and is more needy than the female. However, both are loving and affectionate dogs. The girl is greedier which helped with training more 🤣

Girl is more of a 'family' dog whereas the boy is my dog.

Working Springer. Have always had them.

Pros: Bright, loyal and loving.
Cons: Hair, hair everywhere!

We want a working lab but are waiting until the prices come down. If they ever do!

Show line Springer, was rehomed with us at a year old, he is totally laid back, snoozy, cuddly and was easy to train ( except when there are birds involved, the incident of the chicken coup and a near miss still scars me) he even helped train the Boxer ( growled at her and grabbed her scruff when she went to pee in the hall). We don’t get a lot of shedding due to having him groomed and clipped very short every 10 weeks ( arm climate so also helps him deal with the heat, well it would if he didn’t lie out in the midday sun of his own volition on a regular basis .

Cons, totally like a lab re food obsessed, oh my the ear infections and constant ear cleaning, which he hates and I don’t relish. Will only drink the very freshest of water in the home, so comes and asks for new water in his bowl even if it has been put in ten minutes ago ( ignored fountain drink bowls etc etc) outside the house will drink stagnant pond water, the sea, puddles but at home his lordship has standards! Rather contrary for a dog.

I have always owned bitches and didn’t want a boy, but he came neutered and well acts like a neutered bitch, no excessive peeing/ scenting and pees like a girl. I love my secondhand boy so much ,

The Boxer, ( got as a puppy two weeks after spaniel was rehomed with us) DH’s choice, the two dogs love each other a lot. She’s funny, bouncy and always ready for a giggle, great guard dog, fabulous with children. She is the nosiest dog I have ever known, cannot go to the bin without ‘help’, trots round after me all the time. Even huffs and puffs under the lavatory door when I am in there. Total snuggle bunny which can be a little trying when she is 30 kg of lean Boxer cuddle monster.

Cons, took ages to train, can be too excitable even though she is ten, not great with bitches of a similar age, fine with boys though. I do love her but DH is under no illusions that we will not be having another Boxer am just not prepared for the cons. Her vet described Boxers as the ‘clowns of the dog world’ just before getting a face full of dog snot from a sneeze..... got a bitch because that’s what I had always known... until we got a boy :) think I may prefer neutered boys.

I prefer my gun dogs...

I choose cavalier King Charles as I've always wanted one. I've now got two - the first us nearly 11 and was a gift from a friend who had both parents. The second was a, rescue from a cavalier rescue organisation.

The size suits us perfectly, they are both full of affection and love to just be with family. They're happy to have walks but won't be a disaster if they miss some. They don't have a reputation for aggression and make terrible guard dogs - they welcome everyone with wagging tails and no barking. Basically they are ornaments in the house!

I choose female as like a previous poster didn't want to end up rubbing a dog Willie when giving tummy rubs.

Thank you everyone. You have really helped with my research so that’s great.

So @SoggyBiscuitss what are you thinking? Which breeds are on your short list?

I wanted a Labrador and two as all my friends have labradors. I wouldn’t do it again. I love them but I actually am small and a nice small dog suits me better. If and when something happens to the elder one he won’t be replaced and when the younger one dies we will get a Jack Russell.

We have a Bedlington Terrier. I hadn’t heard of the breed and was considering a greyhound or a Staffy. We saw a Bedlington and got into conversation with her owner. I thought they were spindly softy dogs.
I researched the breed and spent the net 18 months tracking one down.
I had an hour and a half interview with the breeder on the phone, paid a deposit and my DD and I drove 3 hours each way to meet him.
4 weeks later we did the same journey to bring him home.
He is the best boy, he had to be castrated because he is so attached to me that he began ejaculating when he first saw me in the morning.
I love him dearly

Labrador. I grew up with Labradors, first my grandparents’ dog, then my parents’ (our family dog) and adored them. I couldn’t seriously imagine having any other breed. They are so beautiful, gentle, patient and loving. The only con really is that my dog loves to roll in poo 🤢 but other than that I wouldn’t change a thing.

We got her from a Labrador rescue charity and she suited our family (had previously lived with young children so we knew she’d be fine with our young kids) - so no choice over male or female, but I didn’t feel particularly strongly either way.

• 1- what breed and why that breed?

Show cocker spaniel. Lots of families I knew had them and id spent a lot of time with them. I followed my heart but I did lots of research too. We picked a show type as I felt a working dog was far too much for us to keep happy. I wanted a hardy breed too.

2- what are the pros & cons of your dogs breed?

Pros - Very healthy with almost no health weaknesses - supppsedly prone to ear infections but we have had none. He is very healthy generally.
Low shedding - he does shed but a tiny bit.
Very cuddley and loves all humans. He is very affectionate and wants to be with us all the time.
Loads of energy and loves a moor walk with climbing.
Good recall. Didn't chew past puppy. Actually no destructive behaviour at all for years. Thinking about it I trust him quite a lot he's really very good.
He's quite confident and isn't often bothered by nerves.
No aggression. If a child pulls him about to the point of pain (dd2 learned the hard way) he will give a warning growl and a snap which I would prefer as I don't accept it's ok for anyone to hurt him. There have been 3 occasions of this ever. He is very nice with children and though I would never leave him unsupervised he is very good at letting little people cuddle and stroke him. If we are approached in the street I can confidently agree for toddlers to pat him though I hold him firmly but he seems to like meeting people and making friends. This is not the case with other dogs see below...
He will let me bath him etc with no fuss.

Cons...
Needs gluten feee food from an early age. Grain free kibble is cheap though.
Can't cope with electrical noise - cannot be left with the washing machine or dishwasher on ever.
Very hit and miss with other dogs I have to be right behind him. Though he is better after the walk has progressed abs with bigger dogs he's fine. I don't trust him with puppies. He gets very gobby and I never know if it's bordering on aggression. He's totally fine with dogs he knows though.
Pulls on the lead needs a harness and ongoing training.
He's a bit thick - struggles beyond basic commands...
Struggles with separation - sleeps in my room etc I've given up torturing him!!

We researched dogs that fitted our lifestyle and ended up with a smooth collie. Not many of them about.

Pros - affectionate, loyal, easy to train, happy to walk all day or sleep all day, lovely personality.

Cons - the hair. No-one seemed to mention that, but my God does he shed!

We chose a boy puppy - just seemed to fit. We did consider breeding as a) they are a vulnerable breed and b) he has a fantastic pedigree. But he doesn't fit breed standards so never got any further with that and now he has been snipped.

We have a Lhasa Apso. He’s 17, but when we chose this breed it was because:

• low shedding (not entirely true)
• good with children
• doesn’t need huge amounts of exercise (10 mins a day will suffice)
• not yappy
• Not too big

We didn’t have a preference for sex - he was the last one left of his litter.

Unless you’re really on top of the grooming, they need a haircut every 8 weeks or so.

Oh I forgot - spanner is a boy. I didn't have much preference though. We got him fixed at 6 months though no intention of breeding as he is a pet.

Forgot the grooming con! Needs to go to the groomer every 2 months but I found one who works from home who is very reasonable and excellent. The grooming salon was too scary for him!

@Indoctro completely agree with your description of staffs I absolutely love them and would have one in the future. They are a fantastic family pet.

Miniature dachshund.

I live in central London but visit the countryside and am a country outdoorsy girl at heart.

I enjoy long walks but also long cosy pub stays and spending time indoors.

I didn’t want to “have to” walk a dog for hours each day but wanted a dog capable of long walks.
Low maintenance
Good companion
Small to fit in taxis
Small to lift into the bath in a small flat
Small but strong personality!

Good with children.

I wanted something that ate less & did smaller poo’s (confirmed this is the case!)

Said dog allows for lazy lie ins, long dog walks, pub trips (pre Covid), is a wonderful companion.

I chose top pedigree and kennel club to avoid related issues with dachshunds and their backs. And to avoid the over breeding of this breed as it’s seen as a fashionable dog.

I would like to add I grew up with golden retrievers and labradors. I love that my dog doesn’t moult everywhere.

I chose a female for no particular reason. Just preference.

I have a ten year old, male springer spaniel. A family friend had one when I was a child and I've always loved the breed.

Pro's - very intelligent, loyal, loving, good with children and dogs, full of fun, nice size, attractive looking dog, loves walks, enjoyed going to the beach, being in water, etc

Con's - intelligence means he needs lots of stimulation, otherwise he gets bored and up to no good! Needs plenty of walks and exercises, whatever the matter (this isn't an issue for me, but something to consider). Spaniels are mud magnets! They're also hunters and always finding dead birds, etc