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

Not a collie! They are highly intelligent and needs lots of stimulation and exercise.

🤣. They can be awful, can’t they. I feel the same about my neighbor’s miniature Dachshund, tbh, he’s a horror!

Oh yes, ours hated the window cleaner and once managed to get our and tried to get him by the knee. They are bright too, one boyfriend managed to trip over him, and everytime he saw him afterwards would walk on 3 legs for a while, always held up the same leg .
Best dog ever was half chihuahua, half King Charles.

With one or two short walks a day, I'd suggest a toy breed of lapdog

Retired greyhound would only really work if you got one that recalls, or you have access to a secure field. They don't need to run for long, but they really should have the opportunity to run (if not, then longer, sniffier walks)

You might like to consider Papillons, Pomeranians, Maltese or Havanese terriers (can be yappy so get training advice on that from the off)

Is this the same for a whippet?

Don't get a dog you don't have the time

We got one 18 months ago. Very easy to manage. Lovely dogs x

I have had quite a few dogs in my lifetime. From cross breeds to Staffordshire Bull Terriers to Chihuahuas and Cocker Spaniels but by far the easiest breed and a delight to own are my two pugs. One is five and the other is fifteen weeks and just perfect. They are friendly and happy and intelligent. Easy to train and look after.

I have a whippet and I don't think they're a good choice for a novice. Mine is hard work compared to other dogs I've had. He needs a lot of stimulation and exercise; and he can be a bit neurotic and he whines a lot. He was also very manic as a puppy compared to other breeds. I think greyhounds are more chilled than whippets - although it depends on the individual dog of course.

Retired greyhound. Mine is 3 and still snoozes for about 18 hours a day. He is a complete love bug.

Also can't believe anyone would suggest a collie. Poor thing would go nuts with the limited time you have available.

another yorkie fan here.

robust little dogs with fewer health issues than your pugs/cockers/dachsies etc.

as pp said they are very quick to learn and trainable- once you work out what their reward is it’s easy.

mine doesn’t like walks much, we are rural and he doesn’t see the point when he can be off hunting mice with the cats. Day trips though he comes with us and can potter along all day.

had to teach mine to bark at the door.

if you treat them properly, like dogs, and train them like dogs, there’s none of the spoilt yappy behaviour.

i’m also a big fan of staffies.

Borrow my doggy op.its very trendy now too so will give you lots of options.basically someone loved your dog like you do when you need them to so this could be your extra walk,babysit.
Collies can be ok with not being ran every ten seconds! Gosh this always comes round if anyone dares mention them.if you have them from birth and settle into your routine of works beautifully.thry are clever and do need stimuli. But that can come in many forms.and they truly are the best,loyal friends out there.

Besides the walks put aside I do think it's company and time they DO need though.dont be unfair to them.

Please, not a border collie.

Collies are highly intelligent, wonderful dogs but can be utterly ruined in the hands of a novice.

A retired greyhound is the way to go.

Just read your OP again.

One walk a day???

You shouldn't consider any kind of dog. Please don't even think about it.

*Please, not a border collie.

Collies are highly intelligent, wonderful dogs but can be utterly ruined in the hands of a novice*

agree.

please also no brachycephalics like french bulldogs or pugs. They just aren’t healthy. Dachshunds and their backs I also think should be bred to be healthier.

also no doodly doos or designer crosses. Puppy farm and unethical breeding.

Greyhounds and lurchers are the best in every conceivable way of course. 😉 But with a lurcher you would have to be very careful what it was crossed with - my collie cross lurcher would go absolutely mental on only one walk a day. (He was bloody awful on Friday when he only got two short walks due to the extreme heat - and he generally is a Very Good Boy).

I can see why people are suggesting a rescue greyhound but they can sometimes come with problems too - some have poor-to-no recall, some not great in the house, some chase cats, etc etc. OP would need to speak to the rescue about her lack of experience, and hopefully they could match her with the right dog.....

Only get a dig if you have the time and energy to commit to it. My favourite dog will always be labs, however they need walking 3 times a day (I petsit regularly for one and we do a short one mile or so walk first thing in the morning before work, we do a 3+ mile one in the afternoon and a shorter 1 mile walk before bed around 9/10pm ish).
I'd get a small dog if you can't commit to many walks or get a dog walker.
And to the suggestion of a collie?! Just no! Working dogs, v clever, easily bored, need training and heck of a lot of exercise!

Not a Labrador

Don't be silly - plenty of dogs manage just fine on one walk a day.

We have a beagle and he gets an hour in the morning and he's absolutely fine with that. He's not destructive or manic, doesn't have poor behaviour in the house and is happy to just potter about for the rest of the day.

Too much exercise can actually hype dogs up and cause more problems.

Can he walk for hours? Yes, of course, but I'm not convinced it's actually good for him and it doesn't tire him out any more than one decent walk a day does.

Agree

I love staffys, brilliant dogs but all mine needed a lot more exercise than you can offer. All mine would have struggled to behave well on one walk or 2 small walks a day. They're more the go to work with you if you're a forest ranger / join you on a15 mile bike ride kind of dogs.

Lhasa apso though they can be a bit lot stubborn.

She’s a rescue & We walk her once a day 45 minutes to an hour. She’d never been walked before we got her but has learnt beautifully. But she doesn’t really like being walked for more than an hour. We soon learnt when she would sit on her walk & we would have to carry her home 😂

She positively hates being walked twice a day & would rather we play with her in the evening for about 30 minutes or so.

Shih tzu or llasa apso. Iv had a couple over the years, and a cross, they're proper lap dogs. Don't need long walks although when younger they would walk a good distance. Don't shed although need regular haircuts at the groomers.