Best dog breed for an inexperienced owner

[thisisit77]

Just that! What would you recommend?
I have a medium sized garden, I only have time for one walk a day/possibly 2 small ones

If I had my time over again I would have got a ex racer greyhound. As it was we got a boxer puppy. They are boisterous, they bounce like Tigger. Although she is an absolute love sponge boxers are not ideal for first time dog owners.

Bolognese would be perfect.

I had an ex racer as a child! But I was very young, he was lovely. What a good suggestion thank you

@Lovecatsanddogs I thought spaghetti 😂 they're cute I'll do a bit of research thank you

I'd have a staff well actually I do have one she's 13 now I've had her from 10 weeks and she was/is a dream

Retired greyhound.

Yorkshire Terriers though I'm partial to them! They're smart. They'll do anything for a treat. Small enough to fly with you in cabin. Small enough to put in a discreet carrier and take to the supermarket, shopping centre, everywhere really! Not prone to serious illness. They don't shed like most dogs do -mine only sheds when she's very sick not every summer if you know what I mean - and they don't have fur but hair so they're hipoallergenic. They're also great judges of character - don't ask me how but when they meet a bad person they know which means you'll know too. They're also soooo cute that even as adults, people can't resist looking at them like they're made of nutella! hahah!
I use baby's hairclips on mine and when I walk her, people will be minding their own business with a stern face, then they see her and they always crack a smile (I can always tell when they notice the hairclips too haha!).
It's not all positive though. Sooner or later they'll be in charge. If they decide your bed's better they will expect to sleep with you. They like to go to bed early and they like to eat what they like to eat. I once mixed two types of pet food, mine removed all the bits she didn't like and set them on the floor, outside the bowl in a neat pile, she ate the rest.
Mine doesn't like toys either, at all, but she likes to sleep on my clothes and she loves to chew on clothes pegs. Mine's very partial to older people and kids (maybe they fuss more?).
Sth most of them do is bark quite a bit when strangers come into the house or if sb rings the doorbell. They're very very alert to their surroundings but you can work on this by checking out a few videos or reading a bit -they'll do anything for a treat so can they be trained very easily. I taught mine to sit and lay down in less than an hour and I'd never done it before.

Retired greyhound 😍

Definitely a Collie

Chihuahuas are massively underrated in my opinion! Never met anyone who has had one who went on to have any other breed. Absolutely not for everyone - but worth a consideration

Collie, that was my parents first dog super intelligent and easy to learn

Something very small. Please.

Best wishes. Everybody local.

Definitely not a Miniature Dachshund though. They might be small but can every needy and need walking at least twice a day.

When I looked into this, either a greyhound or a border terrier came up a lot as being good options!

Miniature schnauzer, fun, very intelligent so easy to train, small enough to easily be picked up. And sooo cute!

Border terrier. Lazy but happy to do a long walk if offered but equally happy to sleep all day.

I second miniature schnauzer. I had one for 15 years and he was a complete star. Some say they're yappy but I didn't find that. He was gentle, kind, patient and loved my very small kids.

Labs are always touted as a great family dog and they are but they're very hard work for the at least three years. I have friends who are in despair with their adolescent labs.

Greyhound or lurcher. Lazy loveable beasts. A sofa, some cuddles and treats and one or two half hour walks a day and my boy is happy. He's a lurcher.

We have a rescued Pomeranian mix (mostly Pom). He weighs 17 lbs and is a lovely, friendly personality. Great with all humans of all ages and fine in a medium-sized garden. We walk him twice a day. He isn’t needy at all and can be left alone for several hours without getting anxious, he just sleeps!

The main con is that he gets vocal if another dog walks by and as for squirrels…berserk isn’t the word for it.🤣 But he soon calms down.

They have a fairly long lifespan (12-16 yrs) and are generally healthy-ours is anyway, fingers crossed.

I’d advise against a miniature daschund. Our neighbors got one after always owning beagles and he’s a nightmare. Only likes one family member, has bitten the others, only just tolerates their laid-back beagle and yaps SO much. He’s downright unpleasant!

Definitely not a collie, they need way more exercise and stimulation than you can offer. At least 2 hours of walking a day I would say, plus brain activities in addition. They are very energetic and clever dogs.

I think you need to go for a small lap dog type of dog if you have limited time to exercise them. Like a shitzu, Bichon, papillion etc.

I agree with you Snoken. I was walking my DGD's when she had Covid-19. I'd walk him 5K. He'd had off lead time and training them walk in the house like nothing had happened and was still super alert.

The most aggressive dog that my DH ever dealt with when he was a practicing vet was a chihuahua, he belonged to some one that many years later looked after our wonderful rescue Great Dane. She said to me "does he remember Charlie ?" Oh yes! Great Danes are very easy and they curl up quite neatly, also don't need a lot of exercise, good with children too.

chihuahuas would be a banned breed if they were any bigger. I do have a fondness for them though. The good ones are really good.

I can’t believe people are suggesting Collies for one walk a day. They need loads of stimulation and exercise!

This for sure. Wonderful dogs