What breed?

[GoofyIsACow]

We are finally in a position to get a family dog, we both have experience of dogs, dh large gsd cross breeds and king charles spaniels. Me staffies. (Family dogs so first time being totally and utterly responsible)
We would love a gsd but upon googling i have starting twitching, so then i googled all sorts of breeds,always find someone who says 'consider a different breed'
So am i going to find that with every breed or is there a breed that is good for families?

Sorry about typos! Sat on phone waiting for ds1 outside cubs!

Other than being a good family dog (and there are loads of breeds that can fit that description!) have you got any other requirements or preferences? Things like size, how much exercise you'll be able to provide, how much grooming you're happy to do, are there any particular activities you want to do with the dog, etc.

Plenty of, if not most, breeds will make good family dogs if they've been bred with temperament in mind and fit in with the family lifestyle.

Bingo for 'Loathsome'. Although there are some breeds that may be better for families than others, to me it's all about the breed-ER, not the breed.

I'd contact your local kennel club and ask for reputable breeders for breeds you're considering.

Thankyou both, to answer some questions.
DH wants a knee height dog at least.
We have a lot of space for running around and are able to walk regularly and far.
We adjoin farmland (securely fenced) so nothing likely to eat sheep

Plenty of family dogs but no such thing as a family breed.
They are individual, their temperaments are the result of the parents personality and their life experiences.

You like gsd's, then get a gsd.
As long as you select from a good line - a breeder whose dogs all have personalities you like, are all fully health screened, as long as you socialise and train the puppy properly there is no reason why it shouldn't be an excellent family pet.

Research the breed, familiarise yourself with any possible, not so desirable traits in the breed like high prey drive, sensitivity, possible aloofness with strangers etc, think about how will manage aforementioned breed traits (if your dog exhibits them, not all gsd's will show all typical breed traits) and off you go!

How about a lurcher? Nice size, popular with men as a proper size dog, as lazy or active as you like, plenty in rescue and puppies born in rescue.

Mine are totally soppy with children, love to curl up on the sofa/bed, and though I wouldn't let ddog off the lead with sheep (because he loves to run and would spook them), he's actually scared of them. TBH he's scared of the chickens too

We've always had Labradors so I'm biased, but they do make awesome family pets. But they are slightly cuckoo for their entire life the first few years

We were faced with wanting a new dog some 2 years ago and had a lot of thinking about what sort we wanted. We ended up picking lurcher because we didn't want to be pestered all day to play - but wanted to have a dog that would play when we wanted and had time. We wanted a dog that would be happy to sleep when there was nothing on, but walk for long walks when we could. We wanted a dog to play hide and seek in the woods, to run with our 9 yo (then 7!) son, to play football, perhaps to do agility. We wanted a dog that wasn't one breed and hopefully come from breeds (or a mix of breeds) that might be slightly less likely to have problems than some others.

We got a 2.5 yo from a rescue - we were shown 2 that fitted our (extensive!) list of what we could offer and what we would like. She was probably an ex worker - so wasn't housetrained, but learned. She tries not to look at sheep although she likes to chase rabbits (she's not caught anything since we've had her).

Ours is 23" TTS (to the shoulder). She's not very larger as a lurcher. A friend has one that's 30" TTS. But there are smaller ones too - depends on the breeding - as does the character.

It's funny lurchers get mentioned as it is a breed I have considered as I have heard they are fab dogs and (if I am not mistaken) mistle, i have noticed you have mentioned a lurcher rescue before?

We have seen a 6mth old gsd pup in rescue which we would like to go and meet but I might have a look at lurchers I think.
Our youngest is coming up 4, is getting an older rescue (2/3) a no no with young children or is that a bit of a myth?

Blueberry, I would love a lab, DSis has one and it's bonkers lovely

Bear in mind, that although a lurcher can be a greyhound crossed with just about anything, it is 'technically' a greyhound x border collie.

I love both breeds and have a border collie but bear in mind that most lurchers will have a very, very high prey drive.
Some lurchers have very little prey drive, but that is not usually typical.
Like the parent breeds, the lurcher is a working breed.
A dog with high prey drive can be both a blessing and a curse.

Another thing to consider is that a high proportion of rescue lurchers will be ex working dogs.
If a lurcher is an ex worker it will not be safe around any kind of small animal including cats as it will chase and kill and small dogs from a distance.
There have been many cases of sight hounds mistaking a small dog at distance for prey and ipoften, it doesn't end well.

I do not personally believe that mistletoethrush's dog is an ex worker if she 'tries not to look at sheep'
Predatory aggression is an enjoyable behaviour for a dog, sad but true.
It is incredibly difficult to stop a high prey drive dog engaging in chase and borderline impossible to stop a dog with a high prey drive that has been worked and rewarded for the behaviour.

I would not look at the 6 month old shepherd either.
At six months he or she is likely just approaching adolescence.
The mix of hormones, that desire for independence and boundary testing coupled with the stress of settling into a new home with people it doesn't know.
It is not something I would do.

I would get either a well bred puppy from an ethical breeder or a much older rescue dog 3 years plus from a reputable rescue who home check and extensively temperament test the dogs as previous owners frequently lie about their reasons for re homing.

Thanks Butthole, that's great info, we do have two cats here so maybe a lurcher not so good?

Low prey drive greyhounds and lurchers do exist, it's possible that a specific greyhound/lurcher rescue has one that would be suitable for a home with cats, but generally no.

German shepherd dogs also, tend to have quite a high prey drive.
That said, a young puppy, and sometimes older dogs can be taught to live peacefully with 'their' cats.

Thanks so much for the all the info

Actually, most lurchers in rescue are there because they won't work, or are dumped as puppies / pg bitches. I believe that working lurchers who are successful don't get retired/dumped (though this isn't a good outcome either), and I certainly don't see them in our local lurcher specific rescue.

My 2 year old was handed over by the travellers as he has no interest in hare coursing. I think you can train puppies to ignore furries, and alas there are always plenty in lurcher rescue - dpuppy was born in foster and he lives very happily with cats.

EGLR let you filter by cat friendliness (both known and probable by behaviour) and you can see that there are quite a number

I don't know, I have seen a lot of ex workers dumped, mostly from Ireland.
Perhaps they are abandoned because they don't work to a high enough standard or because they are older and not as fast but they still tend to have an overwhelming desire to catch and kill quick moving, smaller animals.
Certainly all of the lurchers I have seen have been highly prey driven.
Though I accept that not all of them are.

I think if they haven't had the opportunity to chase after small furries then you certainly can train them to leave them alone.
I also believe that a high prey drive adult dog can sometimes be taught to live peacefully with the family's cats.

But I am not so sure about training a highly prey driven puppy, who has had the opportunity to chase and the behaviour reinforced and I also don't believe that a prey driven dog who is best friends with the family cat won't chase and kill the neighbours cat.

Also, isn't hare coursing illegal in the UK?!?!?!

I hope the rescue reported them after taking the dog in.

We got a lab puppy in Dec. We went through all options until we found the perfect litter. Experienced breeders and the best experience. He's super smart, great with the the kids, cats and chickens. I've previously had a collie and a setter. I think any dog will be a family dog with the right family. But still this little guy is amazing. They're used as guide dogs for a reason. So I would highly recommend a lab.

Hare coursing is illegal. However, unless people are caught in the act, nothing is done, and mostly the RSPCA/Police don't go looking. And tbh, I hear the police are more interested in the gambling side of it.

Hello Goofy - recognised you from the snow in the Northwest thread . We have a 4 month old German shorthaired pointer. He is wonderful! Bright, energetic, affectionate. He's going to be pretty big though!

Thanks all,

Have had some wonderful advice via pm, the gsd pup we have seen is in a foster home but is about a 5 hr drive away and I just don't feel that going all that way is necessary, especially as I am kind of doubtful now.

I have been looking on champ dogs and will keep looking, DH has fallen for the pup (but he so desperately wants a dog he has rose tinted glasses!)

What about a smaller breed? Not small like jrt small, but medium sized... I love staffies but DH isn't keen.

If you like lurchers they do come in smaller varieties depending on what cross they are.

There's also whippets which are, in my opinion, the most fabulous dogs ever

I have just been on the website CMOT linked to above and there is a litter of beautiful pups born on bonfire night!

I have been emailing DH links to them!
Although evesham is further than the Gsd!

Bet their adorable!

I have been reading through my posts by the way and just want to add, I wasn't trying to put the op off lurchers!

I think it does read a little that way but that was unintended, I personally think any breed can make a fabulous family dog but dogs of a specific breed tend to exhibit a few common traits eg. Collies being very sensitive, sight hounds having high prey drive, guardian breeds being quite aloof etc.

That was all I was trying to say, that lurchers are lovely, but tend to have a high prey drive so just bear in mind and learn how to work it to your advantage :)