Tell me what dog to get!

[CabbageLooking]

Hello - I am an aspiring dog-owner. We are about to move into a dog friendly house (good sized garden, floorboards rather than carpets, lots of great walks nearby) and I am at home all day and myself DH and DS really want to add a dog to the family. Before you ask: yes, we can afford it; yes, we are willing and able to give it the time and attention it needs and no, we haven't had a dog before.

It's not going to happen immediately, we need to work out what we want, research it and get the house ready before we do but, on the basis of the following, what would you recommend?

1. We are new to dog ownership.
2. We want something soft and gentle rather than barky and/or aggressive (I realise that some of this may come from nuture rather than nature).
3. We want something from puppy rather than kennel (we're not experienced - we need to know where it comes from, we wouldn't know what to do with a dog that had a difficult background).
4. It may need to be left for around an hour each day (for a walking school-run, I might be able to take it with me but I can't be sure).
5. Dh and DS both have a tendency towards allergies - neither have been noticeably allergic to dogs but ones which are heavy shedders might not be ideal.
6. I am fond of: golden retrievers, old english sheepdogs, springer spaniels and west-highland terriers. This is not an exclusive list. I don't like muscle dogs (I know, I know, they're misunderstood. I still don't want want one).

Go on wise MNers - tell me what you recommend.

We are first time dog owners and have a working cocker spaniel. He has been a Jem since we got him, so loveable and great with children. He needs a good amount of exercise to keep him happy but I've is very good around the house and has a sleep in his bed when we go out. People always comment on what a good boy he is.

There are lots of breed quiz things you can try. Kennel club has one.
Consider the amount of walking and grooming you are prepared to do. Size of dog. Would you be willing to take the dog to the groomers?
Also consider health issues of different breeds. Eg westies can have skin issues.
Retrievers do shed a LOT I believe.
When you decide on a breed look for a breed club. Go to shows. Get up close to dogs. See about allergies. Ask questions. Find out about decent breeders.
Kc reg for breeders means v little. Very many dogs that may not appear to actually come from puppy farmers.
Don't discount rescue. Some foster so they can be honest about any issues. Not all rescues have issues.

Golden retrievers are the best! Gentle, intelligent, will follow an active family anywhere, quiet in the house, super friendly. But they shed, a lot!

I think a well adjusted, properly assessed adult rescue that's come from a foster home rather than kennels can actually be a really great introduction to dog ownership. It's fairly common for small, independent rescues to be pretty much entirely foster based and dogs end up in need of homes for all sorts of reasons which don't leave them with emotional baggage.

Allergy wise a lack of shedding doesn't necessarily mean less allergies as the allergens that dogs produce are in their saliva and dander (shed skin cells) so even breeds that don't shed still deposit them around the house. It's also worth bearing in mind that, as a general rule, the less dogs shed the more upkeep the coat needs.

As well as the things on your list, you need to consider things like how much time you have for exercise and mental stimulation, how much grooming you're prepared to do, etc.. Breed selector quizzes like the KC one can be a good way to come up with a short list of breeds to research further.

Thanks all - this is helpful. Since this is a bit of a baby substitute I think we are quite up for something that needs some stimulation but I also don't want to over-estimate our abilities if you see what I mean!

I think I'm nervous about the whole rescue thing because I've heard horror stories. How does it work? Do you go down, have a chat and if something suitable comes in they give you a call, like estate agents?! Presumably they check me out too?

I have a friend who is a hugely experienced (and very good) dog owner who rescued a dog who simply needed more than she could give and she had to, heartbreakingly, give it back. I'd hate to be in that position.

Just surfing the Blue Cross website - there are loads of lurchers. Why is that? They're quite sweet aren't they?

Some people don't like the look of lurchers. Weird people.
They are sight hounds and may be iffy with small furries. Recall can be challenging. Many people wrongly think they need a lot of exercising.
Love me a sighthound!

Lurchers tend to be bred for working and it's very common for the surplus and those who don't make the grade to end up in rescues.

There are quite a number of lurcher/sighthound specific rescues about, many of whom use fosterers for their dogs.

They can vary quite a bit depending on what cross they are (a lurcher is a cross between a sighthound and another, usually working, breed, and a longdog is a cross between two sighthound breeds) but they do tend to be very lovely dogs if you can cope with potentially high prey drive.

I am a total novice - sighthound? What does that mean?

And... high prey drive???

But I've met a few of these and they've seemed sweet, well trained (that may speak more to the owner than the breed I guess).

I've just worked out what a sighthound is. Sorry, I'm a dimwit.

We had a rough collie (tri colour) who was the sweetest natured most gentle family pet you could wish for. Just wonderful. I am getting teary just typing this & he was put down in 1992. He didn't moult much as far as I remember.

Not at all. A dimwit is someone who sees a cute puppy on the Internet and buys it with no research!
Prey drive means wanting to chase small furries. This is a sighthound!

Think about what the dog was intended to do. So a collie will be high energy and be very bright so ripe for training or trouble. . A sighthound may be calm until it sees something in the distance. A Dalmatian (bred to run by carriages) will need lots of exercise.
Discover dogs is a good event if you want to see different breeds.
Total novice here BTW. Got first dog end of last year.

Basenjis are wonderful dogs. They are affectionate, beautiful, can't make much noise, loyal and easy to train.

If you're home a lot you can cope with terriers although they are bastards to train.

If you like walking, get a spaniel.

Our first dog is a lurcher (mostly greyhound)

Very chilled out in the house, very excited about the wildlife on walks, but we learned where to put her on the lead

She can be off lead in our local park

She is very sociable and loves playing with labs and goldens.

When she runs full pelt it is heart-stopping amazing .

She is gentle and calm with kids

It's a lurcher love thing

I've got a small Jack Russell. Very intelligent and likes to be busy, but is small enough not to knock people over, doesn't do big poos and doesn't eat enough to feed a hoard of Vikings etc.
Have to be firm with them though.

A whippet would suit you well I think... another sight hound but if raised with smaller fluffy creatures they ( IME) are fine.

I've had many over the years but now only have my old lady as you can see she is terrible with cats.

German Shorthaired Pointer. Just look at that ludicrously cute puppy! They are lovely lovely dogs.

If you're home a lot you can cope with terriers although they are bastards to train.

Depends on the breed of terrier! A Patterdale or Jack Russell are going to be different to a West Highland or Border.

Check these two out for some very well trained terriers:
www.facebook.com/hazelandbramble/

Many breeds of dogs look appealing OP. You need to be honest about what would fit into your lifestyle and what you can cope with. I couldn't deal with a very intelligent collie that needed brain work as well as lots of physical exercise. I could cope with grooming a Sheltie. A whizzy spaniel would exhaust me!
In other homes these dogs would be perfect. Be honest about what you want.

Here's mine. He's fab. He's our first family dog. Affectionate, fun, happy to be left for a few hours (though not all are, obviously). He's very strong and energetic but well behaved.

People might recommend a Tibetan terrier (they're not really terriers) on account of the non shedding thing. Do not do it as a first time dog owner

Eolian - that is beautiful. Wolfie - you are very wise! I keep looking at gorgeous animals and being swept off my feet but I simply don't know if I could cope with, for example, tonnes of grooming. I know I couldn't cope with a terrier. I need something that's a bit dopey and loyal I think.

German Shorthaired Pointer. Just look at that ludicrously cute puppy! They are lovely lovely dogs.
Oh, @Eolian, I couldn't agree more, but they can be a tad high energy... I never want to own another breed, though!