Best family dog?

[dh8892]

We are looking at getting a dog for our family.

I WFH 3 days a week, the rest of the time it’s me & our DS (with DH at work during the week).

We would love a dog to add to our family and to give our DS a pet to grow up with (he’s 2).

We are an active household, enjoy walks and bike rides but also don’t think a breed that requires hours of exercise a day would work either because we could only give multiple hours at the weekend (weekdays would be walks twice a day).

Any suggestions/recommendations on breeds before we start doing our research?

TIA 🙂

We've got 2 springer spaniels, Uncle and nephew. The older one is calmer in the house (7 and 4yrs) and the little one is a bit dafter but totally adorable.
We take them out for 2 x one and a half hour walks a day. They are lively lovely dogs who add loads to our family. Beautiful looking dogs too.
Quite trying but we have a good boarding house near us and they come on holidays etc with us.

Tying not trying!

Husband is retired and I work 4 days so they are never really home alone for longer than a couple of hours here and there.

I wouldn't get any dog until your DS is older. A puppy and a toddler is a huge amount of work and you won't be able to focus on either.

Golden retriever. Loves everybody. Up for long walks also happy on busy days to have shorter walks. Down side ...moults hair terribly. Very large so takes big space if house is small. Golden doodle less likely to moult. Affectionate and can have smaller ones when the retriever is bred with smaller poodle. My daughter has a golden retriever. Aged 12 now. Still up for his walks and loves everybody.

My mum has a labradoodle. She's fairly big but is absolutely lovely. Great temperament. Brilliant around kids of all ages. Great on long walks happy with shorter walks if needed. She's really lovely and I'd want one if I was getting a dog.

It sounds like you're thinking about a puppy. Have you had a dog of your own before? Or any experience of puppies?

I only ask because a 2 year old and a puppy might not be a great idea unless you know exactly what you're getting into. Our last dog died when my daughter was about 18 months old. She's 4 now and I still feel like we're nowhere near ready for another dog, especially a puppy.

Besides that, be careful about getting a poodle cross. They can be lovely, but they have the breed traits of their pedigree cousins. My sister's poodle is really neurotic, very intelligent and awful around children for example (sure not all poodles are).

I think breeding and handling go a long way, but look into the traits of the breeds you interested in and maybe avoid working breeds as a first dog. I'm sure the kennel club has an online tool for helping to identify a good breed for your lifestyle. Nothing is guaranteed in life though.

Sorry, no help at all there! I have always kept terriers (various types) but wouldn't necessarily recommend them as a first dog or with a very small child.

I would wait until your child is older, at least until they start school to get a dog. Puppy training and a two year is not the best idea. You need to really commit to training a family dog properly and with a young child it's not possible. That's why so many puppies are given up for adoption as families haven't put the work into them and then couldn't be bothered.

We have a working Sprocker, she’s a maniac outside but calm at home 95% of the time. She gets 45-60min walks off lead 4 days a week, 60 mins pack walk once a week and longer walks at weekends. She also gets lots of brain work at home.
She’s good with kids, but we worked from day 1 on ensuring she’s not a resource guarder and willing to do anything for a bit of cheese and was the easiest to housetrain.
We got her when the youngest at the time was 4, I wouldn’t get a puppy with a child younger than that, you wouldn’t be able to put in the work required to train a good dog. I’d say it was a solid 18 month of constant reinforcement to get the lovely dog we have now. I wouldn’t say they were a good breed for a novice owner.

For the love of god don’t get a cockapoo!

We had a lab. He was such a lovely, soft dog and really easy to train/forgiving for first timers. I would also wait a couple of years before getting a puppy though as they are such hard work! He chewed furniture and shoes, was clever and big so could open doors and once managed to get upstairs to his food bag and eat several kilos! As a puppy he would steal food and attack the bin etc (he had epilepsy and medication made him extra hungry so it wasn’t really his fault but we couldn’t train it out of him either). DD6 is desperate for another dog but we’ll wait until DD2 is at least 5 because it would be too difficult to train the puppy with a toddler who doesn’t listen to/understand instructions.

Cavalier king Charles. We got one because we had the same requirements. They can survive on 2x 20 mins walk a day, although can equally do 2-3 hours on a weekend. They are very gentle with children and cats. They have few behavioural problems and are just very chilled out and easy.
However, they are quite clingy/lap dogs. Our last one wasn't but our new puppy is. They suit environments where they are not left for hours home alone. They are also prone to mitral valve heart disease, so I would only recommend purchasing one from a breeder where they confirm to the new breeding standards from the Kennel Club view their heart clear scheme. This has been shown to reduce MVD incidence by 75%. There are lots of details online. Expect to pay £2-3k for a heart tested puppy. However this can save a lot of money and heartbreak further down the line.

Other dog options could be cocker spaniel (although they can be prone to rage (esp red ones) and working cockers need masses of exercise (around 2 hours a day).

Beagles are another option for a good family friendly dog. They need more exercise than Cavis though.

Always pick the dog that fits best with your lifestyle and then get the healthiest version that you can, according to my vet.

RSPCA has loads of good advice on how to avoid unwittingly buying from a puppy farm.
Also avoid buying from pets4homes type websites as many are from puppy farms.
Avoid Douglas Hall Kennels and Kelly's Kennels as both are massive licensed puppy farms in Ireland that export to the UK via a loop hole in pet shop licensing.
Champdogs online is a good starting point as are KC assured breeders.
KC registered dogs(as opposed to assured breeders) means nothing in terms of quality. Anyone can register their dogs there. Don't be taken in by that.
Also, most breeders will have DNA tests done on their dogs. However, these are often confined to specific easily tested conditions limited to one faulty gene. Polygenetic conditions (where lots of genes are involved) can cause serious conditions and cannot be ruled out by DNA tests. So again, if you see an advert for a KC registered DNA tested dog, it does not mean that that dog has been screened for the particular conditions that might affect your chosen breed the most. So do your research and find a good breeder.

Research has shown that cross breeds are not generally healthier than pure breds. With cross breeds it can be a bit more pot luck which parent they take after the most. So if with a cocker poo, you might get one that takes after the working cocker side more and needs more exercise. Just something to be aware of if you have stringent requirements.

Just to say we got our first cavalier puppy when my son was 3. He was quite an easy puppy but it was hard work with a younger child as the puppy kept stealing his toys and my son kept leaving all the doors open. We went on to have another baby and our dog was totally trust worthy with her. I do trust them as a breed. However our new puppy doesn't sleep well through the night (he's only 4 months) but it is rather like having a baby again and more tiring than I'd anticipated). I don't regret either though as ours added so much to our family and our children's lives.

Have you looked at rescues? Usually they can give you pretty detailed info on the dogs temperament and will be able to advise which dog would suit your families needs best. This would always be my starting point.
If you cant find a suitable dog there, then you can still look elsewhere.

Not sure why people keep recommending breeds that suffer with such terrible health problems (cavalier). Make sure you research properly, before you make a decision.

Absolutely not sorry

Look at spaniel aid and see how many are being rehomed because families cannot cope with them :(

Our dog died at 18. I was sure I wanted another one. Then got used to not having one. Freedom, holidays without having to find some one to look after him.

then friend’s DD got a dog. Hard work then a baby. The other DD got a puppy, I looked after him for 3 days and decided a dog was not coming to ours ever again.

i suggest borrowing a dog. Seriously.

Puppies and toddlers often aren't a good mix as others have said. I would look at moderate energy companion breeds that are on the smaller side - look up Havanese, Bichon Frise, Lhasa Apso, Cavalier KCS, Japanese Spitz, Lowchen - all small-medium companion breeds with generally good temperaments, lively and fun but not super high energy. They're all capable of going for decent walks but don't need large amounts of exercise like a working Spaniel or Labrador. Some like the Lhasa or Bichon will require regular grooming/clipping. Whatever you decide it's important to research the breed and breeders - health and temperament should be paramount and all breed-specific health testing should be carried out.

My top pick would be the Havanese, they're adorable, I've never met one that didn't have an amazing temperament.

Not sure why people keep recommending breeds that suffer with such terrible health problems (cavalier).

Because they are fantastic family dogs. I was reticent about getting one but consulted my vet and the vets cardiologist and they said that it was a good choice, providing that it confirmed to the KC heart clear scheme and had been screened for Syringomyelia. I did so much research this time round. They are fantastic dogs, but I would only recommend a heart clear one, which I did upthread.

Golden retriever if you can give it a long walk every couple of days

Border collie! I'd never have another breed after getting ours. So easy to train and she's great with any age group and any other animal she's come across

Have you looked at rescues? Usually they can give you pretty detailed info on the dogs temperament and will be able to advise which dog would suit your families needs best. This would always be my starting point.

It is incredibly hard to find a family friendly rescue dog. Most centers simply will not sign their dogs off as being fine with babies and toddlers due to the legal risks. Also, unfortunately many rescue dogs have a plethora of behavioural problems, hence why many end up there. There are also lots of crossbreeds which can make predicting temperament more difficult. Also they tend to have lots of larger dogs or ones with stronger jaws (staffies etc). It's better to get a dog with a less strong jaw, lest the worst happen. I had many rescues growing up and we had some quite aggressive ones. I also worked at a dog's home on a weekend for a few years. When it comes to very young children I would absolutely not take any risks in terms of temperament and strength. Once my children are older/teenagers I would absolutely take on a rescue dog again.

So I would go for a small to medium family friendly pedigree that meets your exercise/lifestyle needs and then do your research and buy the healthiest version that you can.

I wouldn't get any dog with a 2 year old, especially a golden. Not because they aren't great dogs - they are the BEST but because they are big and clumsy and bitey and generally pita for about 2 years. Ours is better now at just over a year but when he jumps up he's as big as me and weighs 40kg. You will be exhausted without kids to look after - I can't imagine both 😂

oh and when they are sick it's as much as you yourself can produce - 🤢

I've got loads of dogs but just one dog requires dedication and selflessness in order to care for and be responsible for the dog.

Your lifestyle set up means the dog would be an accessory and that's not really ideal at the moment whilst you have a toddler as naturally you will put the toddlers needs first.

This in spades.
Also no matter how much a toddler is told to be 'gentle' they can painfully grab a dog
Saw a so called 'family dog' in park who had it's face painfully grabbed by a young child who put her face right into the dog's face - the father said ''This is why we bought this breed, good with children'...except he was completely ignoring the dog pulling back and the whites of the eyes showing.

We waited til son was 9 before getting a dog - old enough to be sensible and to go on daily long walks.

Toddlers and dogs are a complete no no - not fair to dog or child.

Labradors are often cited as good family dogs. However, the puppy stage is Hard Work and it’s Like having another baby in the household. Mine is coming up for 18 months and is now calming down.

Therefore I would look at rescue for an older, dog that has got through the puppy and teenage stages. However, be aware that dogs don’t come ready formed and every interaction is a training session.

No reputable rescue will consider a dog with a toddler or young child for obvious reasons.
The overseas rescues do, and this can really backfire, on both dog and child.

We got our first family dog from RSPCA who recommended a Lurcher Puppy - it was a superb match, and I am forever grateful to the manageress for recommending her to us...I'd definitely not have chosen a Lurcher puppy left to my own devices.
Son was nine and she was a superb companion for 12 years.