go on then everyone ... what sort of dog is best?

[choufleur]

We're thinking about getting a dog (well puppy, want something DS (4 by the time we get a dog) can grow up with) in the spring/summer.

DH and I both work, although DH does shifts and when i'll be out all day dog will go to my parents (they have a springer spaniel).

I like spaniels, but they're a bit too bouncy for me and i'd rather a short hair dog. DH like collies, but they need far too much entertaining i think, so any suggestions for good breeds to get. We also have two cats and i don't want a little jappy dog.

Labrador.

Ostensibly a boring,safe choice but very hard to beat as a family dog.

Definitely steer clear of collies- they are working dogs and way too intelligent to be kept purely as pets.

Good luck.

had a lab growing up. it was lovely.

Labradors.

We have a collie x (with lots of collie traits) - I really wouldn't recommend her as a family dog, whereas our lab is bombproof.

We have Golden Retrievers. Brilliant temperment. Great family dogs, but the dog hairs make me nuts!

Ideally would have a Labrodoodle/Golden Noodle -- sounds like a Chinese Take Away.

Please consider a rescue- they often have puppies or young dogs at rescue centres.

I adore our springer, he is a great family dog, full of personality, loves kids, gets on with other animals, loyal but the hair can be a pain and they need a lot of walking.

I love my Cocker Spaniel (less bouncy that a springer but with the same friendly temperment). She was very easy to train (came to heel and sat at 4 months) and is so good with the children.

Collies can be a bit hit and miss. I know a lot of lovely ones, and a few I wouldn't trust with anything. They can be very nasty.

I like bouncy.

Mixed-breed puppies from rescue centres have always been great family dogs for us.

So do I but I don't have the space

a hot dog

I think labs can be every bit as bouncy as springers, there's just a bit more of them and they move fractionally more slowly that's all!

agree they are hard to beat as family dogs though, although look at my springer there by the fire - happily snoozing while my daughter bandages his legs and tail with her pony travelling kit stuff

or a dog in a manger

(had occasion to visit a rescue centre today and there are some ADORABLE lurcher puppies needing homes - Nobel Prize for Walking Away Without One please)

For me it will be a whippet when DS is a bit older. I don't "do" dogs but DH loves them and wants one, so this is the best option for me.

I don't like labs very much, having been both flattened and bitten by different labs in the past. I also agree that border collies are a bit hit and miss - have a friend who keeps them and they are variable in temperament, to say the least! another friend has a family springer spaniel who has been a star with their 3 DC; not too bouncy but annoyingly "barky".

We have our spinger in a little cottage and he does get under our feet but we have a lot of outdoor space. As long as he is well walked he is not trouble.

Id go for Dog the bounty hunter

Our Springer has recently settled down and has become slightly less bouncy, she'll be 13 in June

anyone else noticed though, that when you see headlines such as 'dramatic cliff-side rescue for dog' or 'dog plunges into 10000ft deep hole' it is almost always a springer?

We have a collie and two collie crosses - they are intelligent and loving but a bit nervy and need entertaining and walking lots.

I love them and have a real soft spot for collies but you need to be prepared.

Mu Springer missed her vocation, she'd have loved to have been a sniffer dog, especially if it involved been allowed to put her head into handbags.

We've had two and they are great pets, but they do have a tendency to woof for no apparent reason in the middle of the night.

Oh and can i say go for it whatever the breed - you won't regret it!

That's our problem twinset, only a small yard. Our cocker gets on fine, but a springer would feel stifled I think.

A word of warning about Dog the Bounty Hunter, he can be a bit tempermental if he doesn't have anyone to hunt. But if you have a full gallery of rogues then he is the one I'd choose.

Hiya. Can I put in a word for Westies? We have a GoldenDoodle, who is gorgeous but totally mad. Had planned to get another big dog, but realised our DCs would never be able to hold the lead if we did without risk of being towed along water-ski style if a squirrel hoved into view. I am so NOT a small yapper type dog person, but did my research on least yappy, most big hearted and got a Westie. She is totally fab. Massive personality, really affectionate, very bright and was easier to train by a gazillion miles than the big soppy retriever/poodle. Love them both to bits, but when the time comes it'll be 2 westies next time.