Which breed? Advice needed

[clpsmum]

We are looking to buy a puppy but are not sure what to go for. We were thinking of a cocker spaniel but after advice from you fantastic lot we've decided against it as don't think we could cope with one!!

We are a family 5, myself DH and 3 boisterous DC aged 3,5 & 7. Middle DC has autism although this not really relevant as won't affect relationship with dog.

We live in a house with a garden and could walk a dog 2 possibly three times a day.

We've previously had a cavalier King Charles which was possibly the best dog in the world and my DH wants another one. I would love another one but I'm slightly put off as our previous dog died very suddenly and unexpectedly at only 8.

We'd like something small to medium sized. Any suggestions?

Personally I think if you got on with that breed before I would go for it again. Any dog unfortunately can have something happen to them at any age, a breed doesn't necessarily mean they will live for x amount of years.

But that's me all over, I have always had border collies (since a child) and continue to do so so i am most probably not the best person to be replying to this. My daughter has autism too (severe) and our collies have always been fine, friend has a son with sev autism too and has a retriever also good. The therapy dog at her school is a standard poodle and is lovely. Not sure if any of that helps!

What about an older dog rather than going through all the hard work a puppy entails? One that's been fostered so you can get an assessment of his/her character and how they get on with children, people, other dogs?

For example, Yaki or Aggie

I would love to rescue a dog and this is something I'll definitely do in the future. At the moment with three young children and one that has extra challenges I'd feel safer and more confident with a puppy rather than an older dog

If you'd like another cavalier then you can always look for a breeder that does all the appropriate health testing to maximise your chances of having a dog that lives a long and healthy life. Obviously things can always go wrong but health testing can at least help rule out some of the heritable issues that exist within the breed.

Unfortunately I think cavs are quite popular puppy farm fodder so it can take a fair bit of looking to find a genuinely good breeder.

The cav page on this site is great for information about what health tests should be in place. The parent dogs will be issued official paperwork when they have been properly tested, always insist on seeing those rather than relying on the breeder's word.

Champdogs is a good pace to look for breeders as you can search for only the breeders who health test.