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.

Golden retrievers are gentle, loyal,loving, eager to please and easy to train and ours have never slobbered! We also have a flat coat who is a poppet but completely different personality. Equally loving, loyal, eager to please and easy to train but much more energetic and demanding! Wants endless love! Both breeds are delightful but as a first family dog you really won't regret choosing a goldie!

I love flat coats!
Do read OP people. Lower shedding. So NOT a golden!!!!
Working labs are nothing like show labs. Awesome dogs and yes highly trainable but high energy too. Wouldn't be happy with just a quick potter!

Lower shedding is another tick mark for whippets. They do shed but not drastically and their coats are so short and fine that it's hardly noticeable.

I swear 99% of the dog hair quota in this house comes from DDog2, who has a short but double coat. It's always DDog2 hair that finds its way into your food.........

Talked with DH about a qhippet. He's not convinced, sorry!

This stuff about breeding is fascinating but terrifying! I think dog shows are the way to go.

I would love a retriever but, although DS has never shown dog allergy tendencies I'd hate to risk it.

Don't blame you. Be heartbreaking to get a dog and months later have to give it up. I am allergic to some cats and all horses. Before getting my dog I went to lots of shows and got up close to lots of the breed to see if I would react. Worth a try? Oh and just a thought. There are breed specific rescues too. Puppies are very hard work!!

Do you know anyone (with a well behaved dog!) who might like you to dogsit whilst they go away? It would give you an idea of how a dog would fit in and also whether your ds/dh reacts?

I don't have anything to add - i mainly lurk on the doggy boards in the hope Wolfiefan posts a photo of her Irish Wolfhound

We are first time owners with a 5yo, but we both have experience of dogs when we were younger (DH with King Charles Spaniels and Tibetans, me with Fox/Welsh terriers). We adopted a Portugese Podenco - basically a mid-sized 'doggy' looking dog with huge paws and a pink nose - who we fostered for a 3-week probation period before officially adopting. It's been so amazing that we're half-thinking about adopting another woof!

She has been great with ds and we have been very strict with training both dog and child. She loves huge walks and small walks to a clearing where she runs about like a loon! We are able to leave her up to 2 hours, after a big walk and with a Kong full of treats (a stuffable chew toy).

Podencos are bred for hunting wild boar and such. Ours is a bit dopey, perhaps why she was abandoned on an industrial estate. And although she has seen lots of wild bunnies, she's yet to catch one.

I'm allergic to all sorts of things, pollen, cats, guinea pigs, yet I was never allergic to our Golden Retriever.

I think if you're going to be allergic to dogs the breed doesn't matter so much. It's the protein in the saliva that causes an allergy, hence why cats are so bad for allergies; they lick themselves more than dogs.

Therefore short or long hair shouldn't make a difference.

Our Goldie was amazing.

Ooooh JumpingJumpers that's good. We have a friend with a short-haired mongrel that I think has a bit of German Shepherd in him. DS never reacts to him or to my sister's labradoodles.

I have also been looking at Bichon Frises... They look like a manageable size! And seem very cuddly. Any thoughts?

Also, male or female? Apart from the obvious, are there differences? In behaviour? Needs?

We have a miniature schnauzer. They are great with kids, playful etc and will walk as far as you want - round the block or for miles! Also don't cast so are suitable for people with allergies

I have just googled... They are ADORABLE!!! You may have just found my dog!

I can't recommend a staffy enough and their characteristics seem to match with everything you want. Hardly shed anything, good medium size, never met one yet that isn't awesome on a lead, can walk for hours but equally happy to laze about, beautiful looks, live for cuddles, massive softies who love being around their family and very low maintenance. Or an English bully if you're not too bothered by their little piggy faces :)

Always a bitch. We've had dogs and bitches and I've found that a bitch is easier in every way.

A quick google brought up this:

Health Issues Common to Miniature Schnauzers. Miniature Schnauzers can suffer from health problems that include allergies, epilepsy, diabetes and pancreatitis. The most common genetic problem in the breed is a strong tendency to form different types of bladder stones, usually struvite or calcium oxalate stones.

Miniature Schnauzers can be quite barky, it's actually mentioned as a potential con on the breed club site.

I would go for the individual dog/puppy that suits you best rather than deciding to go for either a dog or bitch beforehand if there's no real need (such as existing dogs to fit around) to go for one or the other. Sex isn't a reliable predictor of temperament so I wouldn't get unnecessarily hung up on it.

All breeds have the potential to be prone to different types of illnesses.

Agree with Cornflake that some can be barky. Ours likes to bark when someone comes to the door however our neighbour also has a mini schnauzer and you never hear a peep out of her. Ours is still quite puppy like though so hoping he will grow out out of it! Lol

Also just to add that as they don't cast hair, they do need kept on top of with grooming which can cost a lot. Although my husband got all the tools, clippers etc and cuts our dogs hair himself and it saves so much money

Oh yes they are barky. So are bichon frises apparently.

Maybe a retriever really is the way to go?

When we needed to replace our previous (rescue) dog we had a long think and ended up thinking lurcher. Despite having a chinchilla. The lurcher learned that the chinchilla's not an option (which is more than the terrier has more recently). Don't believe that they can't tell what they're chasing either as mine will ignore squirrels completely if there are rabbits about but run after squirrels when there's nothing better to chase (she's never caught one).

And as for needing 'short fast' walks - no, she can go all day if you give her the option, stopping only for coffee and tea stops and lunch and supper breaks. But equally she's very good on a good hour's walk with some off-lead time. The downsides to our lurcher - few and far between... counters (bags, tables and pockets) have to be cleared of anything remotely edible otherwise she helps herself, and a track in the lawn where she heads down the garden at speed everyday... a small price to pay. And I happen to know that CMot is currently fostering a lovely looking lurcher puppy...

A lurcher is, of course, a cross between a sight hound and a working dog (or a lurcher to a lurcher) so there are many variations so do read up on what the breed types are like before getting one - for instance, some saluki lurchers don't have a reliable recall, and may be much more sensitive to loud words, collie x lurchers may have many of the characteristics of a collie in their character etc.

The ones I've known are ridiculously hairy, and smelly because of it, although all dogs can be a bit longer! I love retreivers bit am massively put off by the hairyness of them

My lurchers, like Mistles, will go all day given a chance - or settle for a 10 minute blast.

My current foster is a bearded collie x greyhound, and needs 3 decent walks a day plus training and ball throwing. He is an absolute delight to train though and will make his forever family a brilliant dog - he goes tomorrow

It's each to their own. We have cockerpoodle, quite small breed, no malting (aka no hoovering 24/7) but due to that she needs grooming every 6 weeks or so as she had ringlets and gets matted even with brushing.
She loves walks and REALLY loves cuddles and affection. She loves to be wherever we are. She's extremely good with my toddler and very loving. There is not a bad bone in her body and she's been fantastic with kids despite having her tail/fur pulled in the past when my DS and other kids at play dates etc didn't know any better she would just make sure to stay out of the way.
She has a very affectionate and loving personality and was very easy to train despite being very excitable and curious about EVERYTHING. She's the best dog I've ever had and I've had everything from German shepherds to shih tzu breeds.

Irish setter!!