Which breed? American Water Spaniel? Lab?

[Cooki3Monst3r]

We're in the very early stages of thinking about getting a dog.

I've had a look on the kennel club website for advice about the right breed but there's so many I'm getting bamboozled!!

The priority is that the dog is great with children, as we have DCs 5 & 3. Non-shedding would be great (!), and not too big.

I think a labrador would be the ideal temperament for us. But the size and therefore amount of exercise required is putting me off. We've never had a dog before so I think perhaps something a bit smaller would be a better starting point for us.

The Kennel Club 'find a breed' tool came up with the American Water Spaniel as a suggestion. This ticks all the boxes for us, but the wikipedia listing for the breed says -

However, members of the breed can attempt to take an alpha dog position, and may also have issues with food possessiveness.[15] They can be stubborn, and mentally are slow to mature from puppyhood

This doesn't sound good to me. It also says -

Some lines of the breed still retain dominant and aggressive temperaments; other than these lines, the AWS gets on well with children and enjoys playing with them.

How do you know whether a dog is from an aggressive live, or a 'likes children' line???

Can anyone offer some advice?

Thanks!!!

Going by that ^ I'd say staffy...playful, good with kids, eager to please and although they shed, they don't have the fluffy undercoat that sticks to things like cat fur does.

Or a mini poodle (that's a medium one)...though, you run the risk there as you do with lots of working breeds if them needing a bit of trick training as they're clever.

An hour as the main walk and one or two shorter ones only really rules out the very high energy breeds.

If you've nothing against small maybe look at bichons, if it's just fur that bothers you consider a whippet or a greyhound as like staffies, no fluffy undercoat... Though they're not exactly as easy to train as other breeds it's because they're ( no offence) nice but dim rather than obstinate.

Thanks Tabulah, staffordshire sounds lovely (just had a quick google). Shows how much I know, I thought bulldogs and terriers were aggressive types.

I don't really want a small dog. I am the person who lets out a little giggle when my toddlers used to do a 'miaow' small dogs. very juvenile, I know!!

I'm afraid I would take the Kennel Club exercise requirement suggestions with a large pinch of salt ... Ddog has a minimum of an hour in the morning and then at least 45 mins in the afternoon/evening plus lots of short playing/training sessions with the DC and he could easily take more and the same goes for Brittany spaniels (I've never met the other dogs on your list so can't compare)

I wouldn't say he's non-shedding but he's definitely not a heavy shedder - I clean up a lot more mud than hair!

However he ticks the other boxes on your list and he really adores children - he's just started going into a primary school to 'hear' children read and he's so calm - just laps up all the attention

Actually Tabulah, the 'news' google results for Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Are pretty horrific. What's the deal there?

Gratuitous photo of him (dd made his bandana)

Staffies have a really bad image...partly perpetuated by the press (there's a huge difference in how they report if it's a staffy rather than another breed for starters) and so attract some very dodgy owners.

Quite a large number of staffies actually end up in rescues because they're acquired by people who want then to be aggressive and they end up with silly licky friendly dogs and so they get rid of them.

I think your expectations about training are unrealistic especially if you take on a Lab. Rescues are FULL of Labs who get surrendered at the teenage phase when they stop being Andrex puppies and turn into two year old monsters who will tow you everywhere, chew everything in the house (including the house itself), smell very doggy and leave trails of hair everywhere. It's often said but it's true - Don't get a dog unless you are happy to regard dog hair as a condiment. Labs can turn into well socialised adults but to do that you have to invest in the time and effort required to do constant, consistent, repetitive training on the basics like recall, loose lead walking etc. Also you do NOT want to be "that" owner in the park that every other dog owner avoids/eye rolls when you arrive as your out of control Lab bounces round like a hyperactive wrecking ball and you stand there smiling weakly and saying "He's only being friendly".

Whippets, greyhounds and other pointies are definitely trainable - I've taken previous greys through to KC Gold Award and have done Rally with two of our current ones. They are not usually interested in retrieves but good basic training, and activities like Rally or basic obedience are certainly possible, and lurchers often pop up in agility, flyball etc. There's even a Greyhound Obedience team that do demonstrations at shows in the East of England.

Personally, I'd recommend a Staffy. Perfect for you - smallish, good with kids, definitely trainable. The only barrier with Staffies is the one in people's heads unfortunately.

Have sent you a message.

Whichever breed you choose, you need to find a reputable breeder - the Kennel Club run an assured breeders scheme. Most breeds have their own clubs, so you can check their websites, these will give you more information about the breed, and the care & other requirements of the breed.

Good luck - will expect to see cute puppy pics when you get yours!!

Pacific my grandad had greyhounds all his life, loved them.

Basildon he's lovely!! And part-time t/a as well, what a clever boy! ;-)

"Whippets, greyhounds and other pointies are definitely trainable"

Oh I wasn't saying they're untrainable...just, not the fastest at picking things up compared to other breeds.

They make up for it by being sweet though, IMO, if that helps, lol .

Most of the staffies I've met have been lovely natured.

I'm am also biased - and would go for a lurcher in terms of the amount of exercise you suggest you might be able to give... Mine gets up, goes down the garden, waits on the sofa until breakfast.... has another sleep until it's time to get up for a walk... gets up to welcome DS and I home after school, suggests that it might be supper time and then sleeps for the evening. Alternatively, on holiday, we walk at 7.00 am for an hour, back for breakfast, and then out, walking until lunchtime, then more walking in the afternoon, back home late afternoon for a bit of a kip and supper, with another hour at 8pm..... If there's a game to play she will play it, but is happy to sleep the rest of the time.

Border terrier twice her age is much more of a nuisance... small is not necessarily easier.

So... if I was looking at a rescue. Where would be the best place to go?

Spanish Water Dog Rescue

A breed specific one, or a local one that uses foster homes...they tend to know their dogs pretty well.

There are, contrary to myth and legend, plenty of good, reputable rescues that will happily rehome to families with small DC. Most will take a dog by dog approach, so saying that Fred the cocker should go to an adult only home for instance wouldn't preclude Doris the poodle cross from going to a family with DC.

For an all breed rescue that rehomes across the UK, I'd recommend Hope Rescue. All their dogs are in foster for a minimum of a fortnight so their foster owners really get to know the dog's personality and suitability. Another excellent rescue would be Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue - again, lots of use of foster dogs. Funnily enough, one of my friends is one of their fosterers and we spent yesterday having lunch in a busy Cotswold pub with her two permanent lurchers, a current foster, and a visiting prior foster who was having a holiday with her. All four dogs curled up under our table, behaved beautifully and made friends with some nearby families.

I can also recommend Hounds First Rescue for a nice mix of sighthounds and lurchers, and the Retired Greyhound Trust has branches all over the country that will happily rehome ex racing greyhounds, lots to families.

There are a surprising number of puppies born in rescue - all the rescues I've listed above have had or currently have pups available for rehoming that have been born in foster and had excellent starts in life (good socialising, care of mum etc - often far better than from a dodgy breeder). Keep an eye on their websites, follow the FB pages and you'll soon see lots of adorable dogs, ready for their permanent family home.

I think the fact that you admit you don't come from a doggy family and know very little means you really should consider a crossbred from a rescue. If you go to a reputable centre they will work with you find the ideal dog for your family-no decent centre wants to send a dog out for it to be rehomed again. I echo what people have said about exercise and the working breeds you have short listed. Labradors for example are meant to be able to do 60 miles a day and still have the energy to do more! An hour in the morning, then a couple of pop outs later in the day isn't enough for any of the active working breeds, either physically or mentally. You will end up with a dog that displays a lot of undesirable behaviours as it won't be getting enough stimulation throughout the day.
Don't get too hung up about KC breeders being all that either. If someone has bought a bitch with KC papers, they can then mate with a dog that is also registered and produce KC registered puppies. They may be completely useless at dog rearing/training and not have a clue what they are doing. They also don't need to have health tests carried to register the pups. I say this as a KC registered breeder myself! If you are absolutely set on getting a purebred dog then you need to do a lot of research into health tests required etc and what the breeder is offering. Ideally you shouldn't have to ask a thing-all the relevant information should be volunteered in any adverts etc. And tbh a completely reputable breeder may decide that as an inexperienced owner with limited time to offer for exercise that you may not be the owner for their pup!
Labs are fabulous dogs-we have 4. But we have years of dog experience, lots of space and acres of land to exercise them in-they can be outside with me for 6-8 hours in a day and they are still ready to head out as soon as they are asked. And they don't mature and settle down until they are about 2 yrs old, so your young kids may find them hard going in their teenage/adolescent phase-big bouncy playful dog and small child isn't always a great combination. Plus the majority of labs are canine Dysons and hoover up anything that is even remotely edible within seconds-again quite tricky with kids leaving doors open etc.... Many family labradors are horrendously overweight from the combination of too much food and not anywhere near enough exercise, which then precipitates a variety of health issues which are costly and life shortening, so again, with the limit to the amount of exercise you can offer the dog, Labs and similar are not the best choice.

Hi op, we have a 9 week old lab / springer spaniel cross. As a pp said they are bitey crocodiles at this stage, with needle sharp teeth . He will also be in the larger side of medium and need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation.
None of this is a problem for us & we were well aware before we got him.
Have you considered a whippet ?

Why don't you find out what rescues are near you and make contact with them?
I arrived at the breed I did (and surprised myself! ) after going on a monthly walk that my local GH rescue organises every month. I got to meet lots of dogs. Consider fostering a dog when the time is right for you - a pain free and near cost free way of actually living with a dog with no guilt involved if you don't want to keep him and he goes off to another loving forever home.

Staffies do get an awful press which is really undeserved as a breed. There is no doubt that there are some individuals who have been maltreated and are full of (fear-)aggression. But so many, many of them are great big softies and wonderful with kids. They used to be known as 'nanny dogs'.

Rescues are also full of black dogs which I find really odd. Black shiny dogs are v attractive, but apparently it is not a fashionable colour just now.
I despair at people sometimes.

The day before we got 'our' dog, I was contacted by the Dog Trust offering me the option on a puppy - I did not even find out what it was as I did not want my heart-strings tugged. They were expecting a whole litter in and were looking for homes for them all.
The rescue I got involved in recently had a 16 week of whippet pup who was an unwanted Christmas present - he was the most gorgeous thing ever.

I looked through the KC breed finder too about a year or 2 ago when I started thinking about dogs. And like you I got overwhelmed by the number of breeds….
I think once you have a rough idea about size and temperament, then finding the right individual dog for you is more important than the exact breed.

Most aggressive dog breeds - read and be astonished!

Hi, we have a cocker spaniel who is a lovely girl with ENDLESS energy. There are two types show and working cockers. We have a working cocker, clearly didn't do our research before hand! Show cockers are much more subdued. So I suppose what I'm saying is keep doing the research and you'll get a dog suited to your family.

Our local rescue currently has 7 puppies waiting to be rehomed- 4 8 week old Jack Russells and 3 what my Australian father used to refer to as "bitzers". So it's certainly worth looking.

If you want to get a known quantity as a puppy don't feel guilt-tripped into getting a rescue ...

When we got our puppy I knew it would be the only time we'd get a puppy while my dc were still young enough for it to be exciting but old enough to take part in training etc and I wanted to have a pretty good idea what I was getting, not only as far as size/health etc was concerned but also things like trainability, temperament as well

Obviously there are no guarantees as dogs aren't programmable robots but I knew the traits of the breed I chose and knew they'd be compatible with what we were after. My dog's ancestors have been bred for generations to be playful, happy, energetic creatures who are intelligent and eager to please so it's no surprise that that's exactly what he is. I'd met his parents and several of his relations who were all delightful and his breeder chooses dams and sires for temperament above all (several of his relations are hearing dogs)

My family's 'rescue karma' is in pretty good shape - around half the dogs we've had in the past have been rescues as have all the cats. We will probably have rescues in the future. But just now, at this particular moment, we wanted to have the experience of having a pedigree puppy and he has brought so much happiness into our lives that I refuse to feel guilty about it

If you want something smallish and non shedding then how about a poodle? Clever dogs though so make sure they can be kept mentally stimulated as well as excercised. Loads of dogs will be good with children if socialised, trained and handled well, and in reverse too, the breed doesn't guarantee much if you don't put in the effort