Alternative to a labrador?

[JessiCake]

We are edging closer and closer to getting a family dog. We are all 'dog' people, DD is an only, and we just think the time is approaching (excited!)

BUT - a big but - I don't know what type to get!!

If it was up to DH (and DD) entirely, it would be a lab, no question. He grew up with them and we all love them.

But our house is small (terrace in London), our garden small too. We have good commons neraby for long walks etc and would biuld the dog's exercise in obv, but I am just increasingly unsure about how a Lab would 'feel' around our small house... DH's labs as a child were always on the small side, it's true, and I guess we would do as much as we could to get one on the small side, but he lived in a larger house with a larger garden.

The other issue for me is shedding. I'm mildly allergic and suspect DD may be too, and would rather minimise the dog hair issue as much as is feasible. Obviously if we decided on a lab we'd arm ourselves with a great hoover etc, but if there's an alternative that is less 'sheddy' or hairy, I think we shoudl consider it.

I met an absolutely adorable cockapoo (sp?) out today and fell in love a bit but brief research shows they can be a little bit too flighty and bonkers (?) and I'm such a novice I'm uncertain of the ethics of a cross? I like labradoodles too but they are also on the large side, right, and you still have the same 'cross' issues?

Really what we need is a smaller-than-normal lab that doesn't shed too much and not sure if this exists (!!!)

Essentially we just want a great family dog and one that is good and calm with children (subject to good training obv) - DD has many cousins we see a lot of and a couple of them are nervy with dogs so we would of course want to maximise the chances of ending up with a calm, friendly dog.

Any out of the box ideas?

Thanks in advance!!

Yes people breed crosses to make money but the same can be said for pedigree dogs too!

Yet to meet a breeder (big or small) who is not making money by selling puppies or older dogs. It's a profession in its own right. You get people adhering to a code of conduct and rogues- just as in any other profession.
I don't understand why some people are so against dog breeding when even your unwanted rescue dog started live at a breeder.
And yes, the rescue centres are in on the act too, they do "sell" puppies / pedigree dogs for more than the average mongrel. Their dogs / puppies are less likely to be health checked beyond a visual examination and can have additional behaviour problems. (Yes, Yes, you pay for the upkeep of the rescue centres...)

So where you buy your pet is down to personal preferences- as with most things you buy throughout your life.

Be careful with any cross breed OP. Not only is there the ethical question (are they testing both parents for problems each breed is prone to?) There is also the unknown. Poodle crosses are often referred to as good for people with allergies but who knows what sort of coat the dog will end up with.
Small labs are often working labs. Very busy and high energy.
Tollers are beautiful. Lurchers are ace though!

dog decision yes rules can be relaxed.

Personally I'd rather see a dog home alone for a day than in a foster home for years. Or worse, kennels for years.

Christ, even my dog gets left home for 8+ hours occasionally when I take the kids for a day out. Do I think I should be chastised for that?! Hell no. She lives a great life. 2 long walks a day, unlimited access to beds/sofas, raw meat to eat, holidays by the beach. I refuse to feel guilty for the odd day I can't be arsed with her evening walk too.

In fact, only this week I got asked to foster a 12 year old staffie who was found in a house with his sadly deceased owner. This dog has very very little hope of being rehomed, even though it's soft as shit and a lovely little character.

People don't want staffs.
People don't want black dogs.
People don't want old dogs.
People moan about the adoption fees (£200. Try getting a dog, spay/neuter/injections/microchip/lifetime back up for that price anywhere else...)
People moan when we want to home check.

Basically, I hate people for what they do to dogs

Oh, and PP, many rescues won't rehome to homes with children, correct. But LOADS will.

It's lazy to use that as an excuse. I have 3 kids and I foster hounds. It can always be done if you can be arsed to try.

Would a mini schnauzer work? Smaller and not the shedding issue.

Thank you @monkeyfacegrace.

That was my reasoning too - we're a family ready and willing to take a dog or pair of dogs and more than happy to take a hard to home dog which is surely better than the dog being stuck in kennels. Thank you also for being honest about sometimes leaving your dog alone. I posted to ask about this recently and nearly everyone said they never leave their dog more than 4 hours at a time. I even messaged an old colleague who has a whippet (the breed I think would be good for our family) and despite the fact that she got hers as a puppy and works full time, she urged me not to get a dog unless I could be around more. She admitted that her's was ok to be left though .

I came across a website which specifically advertises older dogs and those with health conditions on behalf of rescues and found a dog which would suit our family (good with children and cats) which they were apparently desperate to rehome as the owner was being made homeless imminently. I emailed the rescue and was completely honest about our circumstances. I knew our garden wouldn't meet their minimum standards as our fences are only 3ft but there is no way I can easily change this due to the layout of neighbouring gardens and I doubt my neighbours would agree. So I sent photos and was rejected on that basis. They wouldn't even home check. I would use a dog walking service if necessary but that a no too.

I also applied to become a foster home and nobody got back to me, I'm assuming because I work but no idea as I've not heard from them with a reason.

I feel like I'm trying to be responsible by seeking out an older dog which has been vetted to find out its temperament but rehoming places don't seem interested in us. I feel really sad at the prospect that we'll never own a dog as a family unless we by some miracle become wealthy enough to not work .

Our black lab isn't very big, they really can vary a lot so that's worth looking into. She does shed but brushing her and regular professional grooming helps a lot.

In all seriousness as your DH is hearing impaired why not talk to Hearing Dogs about a proper hearing dog?

dogdecision I think your fences are going to be an issue for any rescue , 3' is really not high enough for dogs . I was going to suggest you try one of the Battersea sites as IME they are less rigorous than other rescues ,it's more interview than home check , but I think your fencing would still be a issue .

DogDecision I work and my dog is left alone for around 3 hours before he goes to daycare. I was going to use a dog walker but it became apparent he needed more company until he is older. As long as you have the money for lots of dog waking or day care if the dog doesn't cope with being left for long times I see no reason to not get one just because you work. The fence height though would be an issue unless you have a tiny dog that could not jump or could fence off a higher secure area for the dog to use.

@Floralnomad, thank you for the suggestion. I'll look into it. The fence issue is one I was hoping to find out if some rehoming places would relax. We wouldn't leave a dog unsupervised in the garden and would be leashed when out to prevent escape but it seems they are very insistent on having an enclosed outdoor space. I would happily have that done but my neighbours would never agree. My NDN has a springer spaniel and her garden is the same as mine but I'm assuming she got the dog privately. Her dog has never escaped either.

Is there a reason they all insist on the garden thing? They want a minimum of 6ft fences but surely if the dog won't be left alone then it's not an issue?

Thanks @BiteyShark.

I'm happy to use a dog walking service but the rehoming places I've looked at have said this is not acceptable as a replacement for us being at home.

I'd happily get a bonded pair too but when I've posted about this before, PPs have said its not a good solution to a dog being left for more than 4 hours. Is it a toiletting issue? Any ideas how I can get around this? I'm not exactly house proud as we have a cat who sprays (no idea why as he's neutered) and we just deal with it by cleaning up after him.

The fence thing, mine likes to jump and boy he can jump high for a small spaniel. If he saw a bird/squirrel/dog he would be off. Not sure about leashing though. I guess that might prevent the escape but I think rescues might not want to risk it in case the dog bolts out before you have leashed them.

Can you guarantee that every time, for the whole of its life, you will put a lead on and wander round the garden with your dog?
Leaving a dog for 8 hours at a time? FFS. Don't do that @monkeygraceface. Can you hold in wee for that long? (Night is different as urine production decreases.)

@Wolfiefan, yes, for the times the dog will be out in the garden, I would leash it. I would also happily work on training the dog for recall and not jumping but obviously if the dog has a high prey drive, then I would always leash. It's only for short toilet breaks anyway surely? The rest of the time the dog would be taken on reasonable length walks. It doesn't seem to be an issue for my neighbours springer.

I'd also happily get a very small breed but the same rules seem to apply .

Mine has to be on a lead. (Puppy and giant sight hound and we have cats. Working on it!)She does like to be outside though so I often find myself mooching about the garden.
There's also the issue of a child opening the door and dog shooting off.

Thanks @Wolfiefan. How did you get your dog if you don't mind me asking? We have cats too so I'm aware that could be an issue. There is an enclosed entrance hall to the back garden so I could easily install a stair gate giving an additional barrier to escape. Having says that, my DC are pretty good about making sure we don't let the cats escape during the times they have needed to be house bound.

Tibetan terriers are not easy dogs...grooming requirements are high, they're very intelligent so easy to train but they will run rings around an owner who doesn't keep them stimulated. They very very often suffer from separation anxiety. They love human contact so don't cope well being left. I wouldn't recommend them for a first time owner!

Dog doors are a wonderful thing. We don't often leave our dogs all day, but when we do, they have water and access to the outdoors.

dogdecision , I think with Battersea you can do all the interview stuff online / by phone before you visit if you live further away and that way you know that if you turn up and there is a suitable dog there should be no reason why you can't take it . Do be prepared to take the dog home on the same day though , they don't hang about .

Thank you again @Floralnomad

I have emailed them to register my interest in adopting so just waiting to hear back. Fingers crossed they're able to match us

Apologies to the op for hijacking your thread .

I'm afraid we abandoned the idea of a rescue dog. We didn't have a dog already and had kids and cats. I looked for ages and found nothing.
I ended up doing what I REALLY wanted. Getting an Irish Wolfhound pup. It was hard to find a decent breeder. We went through breed clubs and went to shows. Spoke to people and asked questions. Following a homecheck we did eventually (months and months) find the pup of our dreams.

"Yet to meet a breeder (big or small) who is not making money by selling puppies or older dogs."

Then you've met some not great breeders, done right, breeders are lucky to break even with a litter.

Whoever was saying about working dogs... ethically breeders should be breeding for a reason other than to sell puppies, showing, working or an activity are all usually regarded as reasons, the point isn't whether they're intended for the the show ring but that they exist to improve the breed, not to line somebody's pockets.

Lurchers btw are usually fantastic dogs, but, they might not be the best suggestion for someone wanting a lab - as a rule (yes obviously it's going to depend on the cross and individual dog) they're not going to be as trainable as a lab for starters, it's s very different set of traits going on there.

Good luck dog , another word of advice , if you do get as far as looking round the centre and there's nothing suitable do ask if they have anything else , we couldn't find one to agree on but they had a couple of puppies not on display and we took one of those , we were very lucky as he's turned out to be the most fabulous pet .

wolfie you can ffs all you like at me occasionally leaving my hound.

A few times a year, being left for a full day so I can go out is not doing her any harm. She has access to outside and toys and a bed, and gets walked before and after.

I repeat, dogs have a HELL of a lot worse to contend with. I live in a row of 10 houses. That's it, rural, 10 homes. Out of us, there are 3 dogs that are lucky to get one quick walk per week.

Ideal and realistic are completely different.

Though I'm afraid I would fail a home check on 3 foot fences, sorry. You can't guarantee a dog wouldn't shoot past you for whatever reason, and a newly adopted dog will display behaviour that isn't always expected. I'd certainly look to raise those