Whats the best dog for us? So many criteria!

[timmygeorgeannedickjulien]

Don't wish to ramble on, so as brief as poss, here's our set of criteria:
*we have a small house and garden
*I am based at home with 2 children, both under 8
*The kids want a dog they can play with, throw a ball for etc, but also one they can cuddle

• I want a dog that isn't going to require stupid amounts of exercise, x2 30 min walks per day would suit, with much longer walks at the w/end *my DH wants a 'manly' dog, whatever the hell that means *I would prefer a medium sized dog, no bigger *I want a dog that can be trained for obedience relatively easily, I cant have one that's going to pull me around on the lead trying to chase all the neighbourhood cats *we all love dogs, I just want to choose the right one, its our first family dog, although Ive grown up with lots of rescue dogs

Which dog?!

The two tibetan terriers I met yesterday had both been clipped and had short, thick, wavy coats. I thought they were cockerpoos because that's what they looked like.

I also recently met a whippet/bedlington cross that was lovely too - looked like a whippet-sized deerhound.

hmmmm whippets could be the right dog for us actually. I love sight hounds, my mum has always had greyhound rescues and they have all been lovely. They are a little bit aloof......and they wont play much with the kids.......do whippets?

We are very fussy aren't we!

How about a Podengo?

here

Nice sighthound, smaller than a whippet. Playful but not terrier bonkers.

Whippets are great fun for kids, my 7 year old girl likes nothing more than dropping toys on us as a request to play. Whippets know they are very special, and they have a long nose so they can't really help looking down them at people.

Maggie dog plays all the time! Loves her toys and balls and loves having things thrown for her.

If your mum has had retired greyhounds they may not be used to playing as they will probably have lived in kennels as puppies.

Do some research. Both me and my sister have one and my sister has a 5 yo ds who loves the dog more than his sister pmsl.

The only thing to be aware of is that they can have a strong chase instinct. So recall training from a young age is a good idea but no guarantee that you will get them to come back if they spy a squirrel or something. We're lucky as we live next door to a big field she can run on with a wood at the side of it. She's not near a road to run across that way if she does see something. And has learnt that once the squirrel is in the tree she can't get it.

Doesn't stop her trying though!

If you Google a forum called k9 I think it is there are lotsof whippet owners on there who will be able to give you lots of advice.

Thank you I will check that forum. I also just had a look at scruples -whippets, oh my, there are some lovely sounding ones who needs homes:)
Yes my mum has always had retired greyhounds, so that might explain the lack of play. Bit of a shame if you cannot let them off lead often though.
Off to check Podengo's as never heard of them before!

Ooooh I really like the sound of Podengo's:) Going to do a bit more research.

Staffie.

apparently it needs 'a lot' of daily exercise, although I don't really know what they mean by 'a lot'!

Maybe back to whippets:)

Timmy - I've got a Podengo. I wouldn't say he has a lot of exercise. He goes for an hour walk 2 or 3 times a week and the other days he only gets about 20 mins.

I have a lurcher pup who would probably fit your criteria, although his potential size is a bit of a question mark at the moment, due to the nature of his rescue meaning we have no clue about either parent, but if you like whippets, a whippet lurcher would definitely suit.

He's bags of fun, full of mischief, super fast to learn with the clicker etc.

I also have a large deerhound/saluki x greyhound/collie lurcher and he is so flexible with regards exercise. He is happy enough with two park walks, chasing a ball or frisbee and will happily snooze for hours with that much if I am busy, but equally loves to go off-road and do long walks or spend whole days on the beach.

My big boy is incredibly calm and gentle with the dcs, extremely loving and very well trained, including a good recall.

There are pictures of them on my profile if you're interested.

Omg moosemama I LOVE your cakes, they're amazing!

Thank you. I forgot they were on there under all those puppy pics. They're only amateur attempts at the dcs' birthday cakes etc. Sadly I can't do as much cake decorating these days, as I have developed intentional tremor, so can't do any fine detail stuff.

timmygeorge - head over the Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue FB page and have a look at Cinders the Whippet Cross. Who could resist her little face?

"Sadly I can't do as much cake decorating these days" that's because you've got a gorgeous squidgy lucher pup Moose!

Absolutely mistle, no time for cake decorating anyway these days. In fact I only ever get to sit down for a minute or two at most before he's off again with me in hot pursuit. Not sure about the squidgy, more bony in his case, but definitely gorgeous.

I'd be losing stacks of weight if it wasn't for all the chocolate that's fuelling all the miles of puppy following I'm doing every day.

I would say whippet too - lovely temperament. I have two and they are great with children and quiet too

Whippets are great. We have a whippet and a whippet x greyhound. Both are rescues (from large, national rescue centres).

Not many whippets come in to rescue though (probably because they are so easy to look after), so I'd also suggest not to rule out smaller lurchers. There are lots of these in rescue.

Don't be worried if a rescue centre says, "none of our dogs are suitable for homes with small children". This does not mean that they will not rehome to homes with children, it means the dogs they have now are not suitable with children. Keep going back, keep asking. Waiting for a dog who is going to be OK with children can take a few months, but many will happily rehome with children for the right dog.

Moosemama, Ive just looked at Cinders, she looks adorable:) She is collie/whippet cross it says, my DH's fav dog would be a collie, so Im going to show her to him and see what he thinks.

By the way, can anyone give me an idea of the difference between male/female in temperament? When I was a kid we only ever had males, all rescue. With only one exception they were all lovely dogs, very gentle and very affectionate.

I have had both bitches and dogs over the past 24 years and to be honest, temperament has been down to the individual dog, rather than their gender.

Quite a few knowledgeable 'lurcher people' have told me they think my new boy has collie in him and he is super sharp. Really quick to pick things up with a clicker. We've only had him home since 10.30 pm last Friday and he's already clean in the house, can sit and give eye contact for treats and food and has learned the cue for 'settle' when I want him to lie down and be quiet in his crate.

:) He sounds amazing!

I can't tell you - because we've only ever had females!!!

We have females partly as all the wee goes on the grass / ground and not all over the shrubs / fruit bushes / runner beans...

At the training I did last Saturday, the trainer suggested bitches were more likely to be in charge at home, whilst dogs are more likely to think that they need to take the lead when out - fine with some but with others the owner needs to do that instead to show the dog they don't need to worry (fear aggressive ones in particular) - but you'd probably need to go along to the class to see how this works in action.

The two collie crosses my family had when I was a student were hard work - the first one had been badly mistreated and not socialised so was frightened of most people and all dogs. We thought she was hyperactive until we got a puppy for her to hopefully play with and hopefully take the heat off in terms of meeting other dogs - the first one turned out to be quite moderate in her requirements compared to the second (who turned out to be some sort of collie / terrier cross although she didn't look like it as a puppy). The two would play for hours in the garden (and I mean active play for 4 hr stints) and run and run together on walks.

In comparison my current lurcher (quite a bit of greyhound in there as clearly not much between the ears)(although not very tall) is much less active (thankfully!)

We think so ... but we may be a bit biased!

My Oldgirl was a Border Collie x Belgian Terv and she was hard work as a pup, but turned out to be the most amazing family dog as an adult. She loved being outdoors and chose to spend most of her time in the garden in all weathers until she started to get old and ill. Puppy days were admittedly a nightmare, but Belgian Tervs are known for being highly strung and excitable and that was very much in evidence when she as young.

Thanks for all the great advice and info:)

I have actually inquired about 'Cinders' this w/end (whippetxcollie) but she has just been reserved. I have been put on the reserve list for a whippet lurcher, so will see what turns up!

I'm secretly hoping for a whippetxlab:)