Ignorant. Help me make a good breed decision please MN

[SnotandBothered]

I confess to knowing little. I have always liked dogs but we always had cats when I was growing up and my only experience of dogs is via friends and family.

DH loves dogs. He grew up with dogs and they always had at least two Rescues in the home.

DC are now 9 and 7 (as keen as DH IN THEORY) and I feel that I have the time and stamina to devote to a puppy and have agreed that now is as good a time as any.

We can't seem to agree on a breed. I have looked at books / on line / and scrutinise all the dogs in the park but am not sure.

Factors are: Our House: 4 bed Victorian semi / 50 foot garden
Location: London suburb but very leafy with lots of open space (Richmond Park is a 5 minute walk)
My time: I work freelance and often from home so would be around a lot and am happy to walk for around 1/1.5 hours a day. Longer than that would be hard.
Training: Happy to put in whatever training / puppy socialisation would b best.

The only dog I really LOVE is a Beagle. I love the look, size, temperament - everything, but I have read so many horror stories and DH think it would be a nightmare.

DH has only ever had mutts (all rescue) and he insists that these are the best dogs but we want a puppy and I don't think such a thing as an ethically sourced mutt puppy exists???

IF I am brutally honest, I want a dog that drools too much and nothing too big. But equally don't want a handbag/toy dog. Beagle sized is ideal :)

Given our criteria, can anyone recommend some breeds that I should look into?

Spaniels are quite high energy and often need a lot of mental and physical exertion.

I think good options for op would be a lurcher/Greyhound or a Cavalier King Charles.

There are tons of sighthound rescues - Hounds First are a good one and have a FB page.

We've got show bred labradors (as opposed to field/working type), and in my unbiased opinion they are just wonderful.

*Wonderful nature- silly and fun, happy to join in every game with the kids, but happy to snooze all afternoon once they've been walked (as adults).
*Dont require a lot of grooming
*IMO good size- not huge but substantial
*Easy to train
*Want to please you and get it right
*They are generally the most cheerful happy dogs ever

Bad points

*When they moult you could easily stuff a mattress a day with what comes off them. I found my entire dog moulted less but more often than my entire bitch who drops her coat down to her undies about 2 months after each season, and just a little bit in between.
*The mess- they love mud, and water, and muddy stagnant water even more. If you come across a particularly foul puddle of standing water they will insist in getting in it, possibly lying in it.
*Bitey-ness as puppies - they are like very speedy little crocodiles! With needle teeth.. and it hurts!
*Chewers- as older puppies they will chew... I remember leaving Ddog1 asleep on the kitchen floor when he was about 3 months old for ten min whilst i ate dinner in the other room. He had looked so peaceful I hadn't wanted to wake him to put him in his crate... I didn't make that mistake again... when i came back into the room he had eaten an a4 sized piece of the lino!!

However, when you come out the other side of puppiness, IF you have put in a lot of hard work (and blood, sweat and tears!) you will have the most amazing, delightful family dog.

Toller! The best family dog you've never heard of - medium-sized, easy to train, fabulous temperament, great with kids, will go for hours if you need them to but have an 'off' switch when chilling out at home and in my utterly unbiased () opinion absolutely gorgeous

sprocker spaniel without a doubt. best dogs ever. ours is amazing in every way.
lovely with kids, clever, affectionate, well behaved if a bit mad

I walk our sprocker in a park with lots of open space and birds. she runs for miles chasing birds and her ball so the exercise really isn't that ott unless you want it to be

Ok back now. I am going to look at all the revue centres mentioned but not call any of the until I have a clearer idea of what we think is a fit with our family. Rather than waste anyone's time or (worse) fall in love with a dog whose needs we can't really meet...

So going to now read up on every single breed mentioned so far and see what I think. Really happy to keep getting more suggestions and will be back with more questions and thoughts. Thanks

I am starting with Toller as I have never heard of it

I have a catalan sheepdog. She is placid, great with children and other dogs, likes a walk but isn't champing at the bit to go out all r time (if that makes sense), doesn't moult (but needs a good daily brush), a decent size (not too small or big), doesn't eat me out of house and home, intelligent, affectionate...

I recommend a springer spaniel. We have two. They are not too big, attractive to look at, don't drool, great with kids, affectionate, loving, intelligent, eager to please & reasonably easy to train. They have bags of energy, but a daily long walk in Richmond Park would do the trick.

Second choice would be a cocker spaniel.

I really, really wouldn't go for a beagle. Nice to look at I agree, but the ones I know are mad, disobedient & destructive!

We took a beagle for a walk before getting our dog. Blimey, it was hard. I'd really think twice about it.

A dachshund looks a bit similar...

I love my lurcher - she sleeps when we aren't doing anything interesting, but will walk as far as we'll take her (all day if it's on offer) and play whenever the opportunity arises. But then settles down to have another snooze if nothing's happening. Ideal!

CKC are lovely, loving little things. Our NSDTR was a diamond too.

Whippets are lovely but can be a bit highly strung and not great with loud noises/ chaos (for example, I wouldn't bring one into my home again ).

Pugs have sweeeet temperaments but a zillion health problems.

My springer x cocker is my problem child, so I can't recommend them!

Lurchers can be great (depends on the mix) but I agree with others. Go to battersea!

If you're happy with a cross, keep an open mind. There are also anomalies and atypical characters in every breed and the staff there will give good advice and recommendations of individuals in their care, if enlightened to your needs and preferences

I'd say a whippet great with kids really calm and placid apart from the daily zoomies where they run like lunitics at top speed off lead so need a good recall.
But they don't need hours of walking as long as they get some time off lead to run and are happiest curled up asleep next to you. They do shed but hair is so fine you don't really notice it and they don't dribble

Staffies are fab daily dogs, and lots of rescues have whole litters in for rehoming.

Avoid spaniels unless you want to put in a lot of time and ergot training and working them, they were bred to work not sit around all day! Even more so collies, shouldn't bd pets imo, should only go to working (including agility / flyball) homes as so many end up totally fucked up by being treated as pets.

Retrievers - mud magnets and shed loads but great family dogs, soppy as anything mostly.

Terriers - not a fan so Id say avoid anyway!

Pointy dogs - greyhound, whippets etc fab family dogs, quick blasts of energy, then couch potato lap dogs

Family not daily!
Effort not ergot!

Id go to a rescue and get a mutt about 1yr-2yrs old a puppy if they have them which they will so many of them need a home its unethical to be buying a bred for sale puppy when so many others need a home already "pedigree" dogs and breeders are just cruel and wrong IMHO no need for it with so many shelters around

I have a beagle, used to have two and before then a blend of who knows what. All lovely dogs in their way. Beagles are naughty and destructive, totally soft as, good with children (but not trustworthy still, can cause a lot of damage), totally ruled by their nose and therefore quite difficult to train, let off their lead and leave alone. However, wonderful would have another if I was going to have any more animals. Mine is upstairs sleeping on my 17dd's bed snoring dreadfully. They snore and sing/talk and are really really greedy.

are you fixed on a puppy? there are so many dogs without homes and this is the beagle rehoming site, www.beaglewelfare.org.uk/rehoming.php
Lots of people take on dogs without really understanding what a commitment it is, particularly a puppy, and a dog who is 6 months a year old in need of home are a much easier prospects. All my dogs have been rehomed excepted our first beagle. How he lived to 11 I have no idea. I think my worst moment was when he wee'ed on our bed as protest for leaving him (40 minutes). We had to sleep on the floor, it was horrible, he stayed in the garden from then on when we went out.

At the sweet cute moments

We used to live near a large woods with deer. The dogs just stayed on their leads TBH. two 30 minutes walks a days and they were/are quite happy. I do have experience of dogs though

OMG Bella at the bottom. I am in love. Must not let anyone in my family see or we will have another dog by the end of February and I have said no more pets.

Although the golden oldies are very sweet. Dylan is lovely.

Another Lurcher fan here, I've never met a bad one, really, brilliant family dogs. I have a Bull-lurcher curled up next to me now, utterly adorable.

Do know though,, that all puppies are a pain up the bum, really, really painful (literally), this is my third, if you've never had a pup before BE PREPARED.

They are worse than children because they have very sharp teeth, they destroy your house & your hands.

But be prepared to fall in love, completely, they're not like any other pet, they become a huge part of your family.

Bella is a little darling isn't she!

My friend has a beagle, he's gorgeous and is fine off the lead...the dog is too But you know...anecdote =/= data! And the data seems against them.

There are some lovely breeds. I love spinones, Catalan sheep dogs, golden retrievers. (sorry!) but I don't like lurches, whippets, greyhounds. But best if all I'd love a blue roan cocker spaniel.

However, if I was getting a dog, which I'm not and didn't have babies/toddlers I'd get a rescue. Very much a Mutt. I'd have to do it 95% over the phone/in the office though or I'd need to hire a van.

Have to admit love the beagles but the mutt was the bestest dog ever. We lost one of the beagles last year, heartbreaking. We lost the mixed bread 4 years ago still miss him. He used to sleep under the childrens bed when they were young to keep them safe. Used to wake me to sort them out when they woke in the night. Bless him.

All of you with low-energy whippets and lurchers have not met next-door's mutt. Prefers a good two hours' walk plus some off-lead bombing round angled like a motorbike, and still looks fresh as a daisy. Never yet seen it look relaxed!