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!!

The whippet is the perfect dog..I had mine for 10 yrs...sadly he died,but he was an amazing dog.recall was spot on.i do a low whistle and he was back..no shedding.no grumpy snappy behaviour.just perfect...a food thief given a chance,but we knew not to leave food in reach of him...he was 2 yrs old when I had my last baby,and he was amazing..so undemanding and happy with whatever fuss and love and walks he got...im welling up typing this...please consider a whippet,you won't regret it x

Ideal and realistic are completely different.
I do agree with you there, grace. It also depends on how well your dog copes. On the rare occasions we leave ours all day, we come back to find one mildly pleased to see us, and one thoroughly chilled and kipping on the sofa.

8 hrs left alone occasionally if your dog doesn't have separation issues is perfectly reasonable . FFS lets be a bit realistic about it . My dog is rarely left for more than a couple of hours , he's perfectly happy either sleeps on the settee or goes and watched cats from the bedrooms . On the days when I'm out all day my dh comes home for 2 hours at lunch , last time he did this the dog came down , went out for a wee because he was told to and then went straight back to the bedroom on his own . I've always told dh that if he can't make it home for whatever reason not to worry about it because the dog doesn't care . Makes me laugh when the odd full day alone , free range in a house is frowned upon and people who go to work but leave a dog in a cage all day with perhaps an hour out with a dog walker at lunch time , then back in the cage for the afternoon and then back in the cage for 8 hrs overnight is seen as acceptable .

Lurcher - best dogs in the world.

We very occasionally leave our two alone for a full day. We make sure they have a long walk (and a good run) first though, and we wouldn't leave them in cages. We certainly wouldn't do it on a regular basis (it's maybe twice a year), but they've honestly never come to any harm. If it's something like a wedding, where it'll be longer than 7/8 hours, we'd put them in kennels.