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 🙂

I'm going to join the "don't do it!" chorus.

Our dog was 11 months old when our first baby was born. We had a second baby shortly after. So they have all literally grown up together.

But it's an uneasy relationship. The children, even now at 6 and 7, struggle to remember that dogs don't like hugs, etc. They don't understand dog behaviour much at all, despite living with one their whole lives and having parents who try to explain. They are just a bit too little still. My kids have now reached the age where they have friends over after school, so I now have to manage those relationships as well. Some kids are actively scared of the dog.

The dog tolerates the kids well, but it really is tolerating. She's a super friendly gundog breed, but she's still a dog. She has a deep relationship with DH and I because we understand her.

Also, dogs are such a tie. I hope you have family who will dog-sit. Want to go out for the day to a farm park or amusement park? Can't, have a dog. Want to go into the city for a day out? Can't, have a dog. The dog population has exploded in the last 10 years and it is so much harder to find local kennels, etc and many wont take dogs just for the day anymore because financially it doesn't make sense with the high demand.

And finally, my dog is currently dying of cancer. You never know when they're going to go. But I find having a 6 and 7 year old stressful enough without adding this to the mix :(

We also have two cats. The cats have been much more accessible pets for the children. The cats just run away when they're fed up with kids. We can leave them for the day. It's easy to find a cat sitter. Highly recommend!

Wait until your ds will walk the dog without moaning each day.

That said u got my show cocker when dd2 was 2 and it's been fine. My dds adore him and he's an easy dog who is very affectionate and cuddly.

Did you read the OP? 🤣 Three hours walking is quite a lot.

You're brave ... mentioning a doodle on here, but I agree with you.

Depends on the dog, which is obviously not an easy thing to predict, and your commitment/capacity to get up at night for toileting, sleeping issues etc. Personally I'd leave it longer with a 2 year old, and get a dog that fits your needs, so don't get a border collie or similar if you can't walk a lot, bigger dogs need more garden / larger house space. Terriers can be biters ... loads to consider - we have a Samoyed and adore her. She's a great family dog (kids tween/teen) needs attention(house never empty more than an hour or two - DH and I wfh mostly), needs lots of social time, plenty of walks and runs (DH loves this and takes her running a few times a week, long walks each day, plus she is in the garden a lot), plenty of cool places for her to sleep. All that fits in our world... and hers too so chose for needs and not for cuteness (otherwise everyone would have a Samoyed 😝)

We got a golden retriever when my youngest was 2. It wasn't intentional as such. We were asked to look after her temporarily and train her as her owner was struggling to. I was asked because I was involved in guide dogs and was friends with a breeder. Anyway we ended up keeping her.

She has been the best dog of my life. She is calm and well behaved and soft and just wonderful with everyone.

When we first took her on she had never been trained on lead or off lead and had no recall or manners. We got her in her teenage stage and she was challenging at times.
She was easy to train but you have to be very firm and very consistent because these are big clumsy dogs with potential for trouble. Goldens are said to be soft and good family dogs and they absolutely are, but only with lots of work. People forget they are working breeds who need plenty of exercise and stimulation and a firm hand. Mine has never chewed, mouthed or had accidents in the house but others I know have been nightmares chewing and mouthing and hard to toilet train.

It wasn't difficult for me to care and train ours with small children but that's because it was kind of like my job and I only worked very part time. My youngest dd at 2 was used to walking and being outside and my dh is able to take dog to work where she can have freedom of a huge indoor and outdoor area. We live and work rurally so being outside in fields is part of our life. I think it would be a struggle if we lived in a city or had a busy schedule.

Consider that you would need to give them a good few hours a day walking and mental stimulation. How would that fit in.

Dogs are very expensive too. Food, insurance, grooming etc and the vet bills even with insurance will make your eyes water.

They are very tying as well. You can't just go for a family day out on a whim and if you are enjoying an activity with dc you can't decide to stay longer or have another drink for example as you have to get home to the dog. Your whole life has to be planned around the dog and holiday planning is a lot harder and often more expensive as you need boarding. I think people do underestimate how tying they are. Imagine going for a play date and trip to the park, then the other person asks if you want to stop for a coffee as it's a nice summer evening and the dc are playing great together and you are getting a bit of peace and able to chat to an adult.....nope sorry got to get home to the dog.

However, if you have the time, commitment, money and patience goldens will be the best dog you ever have and will bring so much happiness to your life.,

Westie
Border terrier
Pomeranian

I agree.

A lot of people near me have Miniature Schnauzers. They make very good pets because they are not too big, don't moult, adapt to the amount of exercise their families are able to give them and are generally placid with calm, friendly natures.

I needed to hear this. We have 1 year old lab and it’s been hard, hard work. Our lifestyle suits having a dog, we live rurally with loads of space and I WFH, but those first three months were a killer. She has chewed hundreds of pounds with of trainers, throws, cushions, blankets etc. walking her in this weather means she’s filthy everyday and keeping on top of the dirty floors is a full time job. I love her so much, she’s a huge asset to our family. But you need to consider the financial strain, the wear and tear on the house and the loss of freedom. You can’t just go out all day anymore. As others have said, I would wait until your child is a bit older.

I'd also recommend a cavalier but pay attention to all of this.

Or a show cocker.

Sharing the golden retriever love. They are perfect pets. Mine is 9 now and is a big, soft affectionate lump.
Loves being outside and exploring, too.

We have just said goodbye to our Westie, who joined us when DD was 4, and DD is now 20. She was the perfect family pet. Up for long walks, but could manage with shorter ones, and very tolerant of DC and their friends dressing her up and involving her in their games. Affectionate to the very end.

We had a large Goldendoodle already who we got just as DD turned 3. She was a gorgeous, gentle dog, but too strong for the DC to walk. Plus her size intimidated some of their friends. We’d always planned to have a second dog, and when we decided to go for a small dog, Westies kept coming up as big personalities in small packages.

So I would be recommending a Westie, but also maybe to leave it a few more months until your toddler is able to understand the need to give it space.

Ive had loads of dogs. Loved them all to bits but the best and easiest breed we had in terms of behaviour, food,hair, temperament was a yorkie.

I came on to suggest lurcher too, though of course the term covers loads of different crosses (it's a term for any dog crossed with a sighthound - usually greyhound or whippet).

Something like a greyhound collie cross might suit you well, or something with Bedlington in it maybe?

Full greyhounds are also marvellous family pets as they are lazy and relatively low maintenance (before anybody jumps on me, of course all dogs need regular walks and lots of care etc, but greyhounds are happier with shorter walks than many, and in my extensive experience quite happy just to chill a lot of the time while the family gets on with other stuff.

That said they aren't the brightest, and have a strong prey drive so many people never get to the point where they can walk them off the lead.

Basically most of us will recommend our preferred breeds (within reason) because we don't know exactly how active you are, how big your home is, how much you want to spend, how houseproud you are, etc etc.

If you have friends with dogs, maybe spending time around different breeds would be good to see what suits?

I too would definitely wait a few years, till your son is 5 or 6 at least. Older if he is an impulsive child and may bother the pet.

Lurchers as you say have a myriad crosses
I think ours has a dash of Collie due to ease of training- She was a dream to train ( at 12 weeks)
She got a bit teenageish at 12 months- but easily sorted with more recall and rewards
A lovely girl.
She was broken coated under 22” to shoulder.
Very gentle.

You have stolen my dog. Never seen one so similar to mine. I thought it was a picture of mine at first

What did you did you decide in the end @dh8892

Awww that little smiling face. They are just furry humans in my mind. Lovely xxx

Labradors are clowns and will bring you years of joy. If you were to get one like mine he would also bring you years of vet bills from the random shite he's eaten over the years, but god they are just the best dogs on earth.

Having said all that, I would wait until your DD is older. Puppies are such hard work.

We got an eight week old golden retriever when my twins were two years old. The advantage of this was he learnt in the first week, when he was still really small, to be gentle round them as they were really easy to knock over. He's always been really good round children.

I think you should get a cat

Your child is too young to be around a puppy. Wait until he's older
There's a reason why rescues won't let families with young children adopt animals

Rescues have a lower limit for adoption. Lots of animals are given up ( dumped ) from families who buy companion animals for children