Looking for the right breed for us

[shushpenfold]

Hi all,

I’m after some advice from you lot. We’ve gone round in circles for several years ref: getting a dog and the time is now right for one (New year onwards) We’re going for a pedigree this time, with the thought that subsequent dogs will be rescues....we have older cats so want a puppy and it’s the first dog our kids have had so want to choose the ideal one for us on the first occasion. We have a few favourite breeds but some seem to have breed traits which aren’t right for us I wondered if you could have a look at the list below and see if you come to the same conclusion as us (ridgeback)

We dont want (relatively)
Drooly
Smelly
Waxy coat
High shedder
Long haired
Tightly wound
Dog who hates being left for a short amount of time.
Small/medium sized

We can cope with
Stubborn to train (as long as trainable)
Needs lots of exercise

Dog needs to cope with
Holidays in kennels
A few hours alone on some days a week

We do want
Big dog
Loyal, loving and very friendly with family.
Big bark that will make burglars think twice.
Friendly enough with strangers but not overly affectionate.
Not aggressive.
Ok with 2 adult cats.

Can offer
Big house
Big enclosed garden
Loving adults and older kids/teens

Thoughts?

Obviously, all of this is dependent on getting a well bred dog and on training/putting in the work with them. We would on both counts.

If we're doing pictures

BTW, my older lurcher is soft as butter, but when people come to the door they def look twice as he has long jaws and lots of teeth when he's grinning at people. He's grinning because the postman has dog biscuits and so do other people who come round, but they don't know that!

Ddog2 is a doberman cross, and I've thought that if I ever went for a pedigree I'd consider one, but I'm not sure thats because he is such a soppy toad or that he generates such a lot of attention due to his unusual colouring

Cmot - definitely doing pictures! Your lurchers are lovely and rottie cross is fabulous....definitely my kind of dog.

....wanders off to look up rotties..

Shush. Just a word about KC reg. it doesn't mean they're not a puppy farmer. That's a whole other thread.
Do love Rottweilers too!

Wolfie - understood, will check out the thread. I was going to go via the breeder from our friends dog (from champdogs)

Some great advice given by others. I am a huge greyhound fan (I have one) my boy has a high prey drive, muzzled when off lead because I just can't be sure with him around smaller dogs and cats are a definite no for him but my mums lurcher, who is greyhound saluki cross is fine with cats and other dogs. However if a sight hound isn't fir you have you considered a trail hound, I have seen a few out and about and they are lovely dogs and there are often a few young adult dogs in rescues, somebody on here may know more about them than me but this link may be of interest.

www.trailhoundwelfare.org.uk/frequently-asked-questions/

Not sure champ dogs is any better! And just because you know someone who got a dog they're happy with is no guarantee either.
Can you tell I hate puppy farmers!!

Re the vizlador suggestion, I'm sure you wouldn't anyway but don't go to Canning's K9s. This is copied and pasted from the previous vizlador thread.

-------

According to this website, Mark Canning of Canning's K9s is licensed to keep 40 breeding bitches and 2 dogs and produce 60 puppies a year.

Of course it's entirely possible that all 42 breeding dogs are well cared for in comfortable, loving environments hmm

commercialsaleofpuppies.wordpress.com/author/commercialsaleofpuppies/

Rotties are lovely but OMG they shed!

No dogs. I've heard of them.
40. Bloody hell.

Wolfie and nodogs, many thanks for the info. Will be v careful indeed.
Nodogs - bugger; another one off the list😩

Mygirl, will have a look; many thanks.

It's great you are doing the research. Too many people don't.

Hope you don't mind me jumping on the thread, but we're very much interested in a lurcher/whippet. My oh wants a puppy due to being able to train and settle into the family, I had hoped to go for a rescue, but having no luck at all finding any. A known, rescue, dog could be perfect. CMOT, would you mind pm'ing me details of your rescue?

Justasec, my dogs are from, and I foster for, EGLR. It's worth following them on Facebook as well since the fosterers will often get a post up very quickly and the website can take a few days

Has you DH had his own dogs as an adult or did he just grow up with family dogs?

I wouldn't recommend Dobes at all because the health of the breed really is in a dire state. Currently around 60% of Dobes in Europe have DCM (a heart condition which can cause young and otherwise healthy dogs to drop dead without warning) and, despite various screening options becoming available, the proportion of dogs affected is increasing.

Generally (though not always) the breeds that shed the least are those with longer, curly or wire coats and, also generally, the less shedding a dog does the more grooming (both at home and potentially professionally) it will need. Some breeds with super short single coats (i.e. they only have the smooth top coat, no undercoat) seem to shed relatively lightly as their hairs are so short and fine, plus they don't have that much to shed in the first place, but they do still shed.

How are your cats around dogs? It's much easier to integrate a dog (particularly if you're looking at any breeds with notable prey drive) with confident, dog savvy cats who aren't likely to run from the puppy. Whenever you're mixing dogs and cats it's always sensible to go in prepared for the eventuality that keeping both together may require some level of management. The cats should always have spaces they can get to easily that the dog can't physically get to and I'd never leave them with access to each other when you're out.

Smooth Collies (the short haired version of the "Lassie dog", not short haired Border Collies) are super dogs; intelligent, trainable, active, great family dogs but they do shed.

Some of the HPR breeds might be worth a look such as the German Shorthaired Pointer, Hungarian Vizsla and Weimaraner. Again though, these breeds all shed but on a similar-ish scale to a RR would; little and often!!

Pointers can be great pets for an active family.

Do you happen to be anywhere near London? If so it's Discover Dogs this weekend and it's a brilliant opportunity to meet different breeds and chat to breed representatives. I've found doing so far more valuable than any amount of online research. There's also a Discover Dogs area at Crufts which is held in Birmingham next March.

Haha TopBitchoftheWitches we had 3 long hair German shepherds they all loved their own voices and shed like crazy, honestly brushing them every day barely touched the issue but my god they were beautiful. Those eyes, they were very easy to train except from pulling on the lead they were always in a hurry.

Haha yeah it really was a hilarious bunch but they were all so obedient and soft as putty shushpenfold. The neighbouring farm bred jack Russell’s and I swear they were terrifying lol.

Just to add; the HPRs and Pointer may be a no go because of your cats.

German pointer? I don't think mine would bother with cats and ticks all your boxes. Although don't underestimate their liveliness!! Lovely dogs though.

Or a Visla?

Good with kids!

Wow buckyou our beagle could not be that near an open box of cheerios! Beautiful dog

Hi shush,

Didn't mean to put you off a ridgeback, just to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into and sounds like you have dog experience in the family. They are great dogs with wonderful personalities just all the work is up front.

TBH any large breed puppy is going to be a handful as they have bigger teeth, and enough weight to knock people if they jump up. Lots of lungeing at everything on the lead till thats trained too.

My ridgeback will bark at people at the door and I feel very safe out running alone with him. They're a people-protecting breed rather than a property-protecting breed (eg. rottie or GSD). They are hounds so if you can walk them off-lead they don't need loads of exercise unless you want to (1x40 min/day). Quiet in the house the rest of the time. Easy to wipe down when muddy and I throw him in the shower once a month.

I was home with him when he was a puppy though once toilet trained he was fine for 2hrs then we worked up to 4hrs. Used a crate when out/sleeping and a stairgate to keep him in kitchen when not watching him.

Will sway you with some pics ;)

Thanks Tiny. He was watching intently!! I complain about him quite a lot but he is a good boy really.

Can I play devil's advocate/reality check person and please ask what you want the dog for? As in, hobbies? Sports? What sort of 'lots of exercise' do you do/want to do?

Showing? Obedience? Canicross? Agility? Flyball? Hiking? Manwork?Or just a walk in the park and the rest of the time in the garden, when it's not on a bed in the hall waiting to bark at strangers?

Also how long and how often will it be left alone 'a few hours some days a week' and how often and for how long will it be 'coping with kennels for holidays'?

Your list of wants and don't wants is pretty exhaustive and I can't help but think you may have to compromise somewhere down the line, or have a bit of a (hopefully minor!) shock coming. You seem to be asking for some kind of canine paragon, and in return you're offering a house and garden with some people in it, apart from a few hours some days a week and holidays, when there won't be any people in it.

I don't think there's one single breed or type which can offer ALL the things you ask, whatever their adherents might recommend here; at some point I feel you'll have to say (for example), okay, I'd rather vacuum a bit more than have my cats eaten, so I'll put up with a bit of shedding from a cat-loving dog.

Most of the BIG big dogs are slow to mature (and also drool!); many dogs smell at some point, particularly those with double coats. Some have notoriously windy digestion. Those that don't shed will need some kind of grooming or trimming. 'Big barkers' may become fond of the sound of their own voices. Any dog (even one had from a puppy) can develop separation anxiety or a suddenly awakened prey drive.

I'm strongly in favour of rescue but to be honest if you went to a rescue with that list, they wouldn't know what to offer you. As others have said, I'd go to Discover Dogs and meet some likely candidates, then read up on their 'warts and all' characteristics. Then look for a puppy from a good breeder of a line with proven good temperament which is being brought up with cats (though you'd still have to introduce yours carefully).

Also, how keen are the kids? Are university and social lives looming on the horizon? If so the dog will probably spend most of its time with (and need most of its input from) you and DH. Would that make a difference to the equation?

Hi justasec; not at all. 😁

Cornflake; very interesting points/questions. Dh hasn’t had new dogs since an adult but was with family dogs until properly into adulthood and is very confident with training them.

The cats are not vastly confident with dogs (one worse than the other) but that’s thanks to being chased by close family dog. I think they’d be fine with some time and separation as they originally came from a house with multiple dogs. We’d certainly not think of leaving them together and introductions will be slow and steady.

Didn’t know that about dobes; thanks for telling me.
The HPRs are the sort of dogs we like physically; dh has mentioned a German shorthaired pointer (or even wirehaired); they seem very similar to an Italian spinone to me but just a little smaller/sleeker.

Buckyou; gorgeous! (Your bub’s pretty cute too😁)

Aww User1475!!! Very, very beautiful dog. They remind me of deer with the length of their legs. I used to wonder if people choose dogs that look like them, but we are a family of very tall, long legged beasties and I wonder if it’s just that certain digs look more like they belong......

Will show dh this thread when he gets back and then the fun shall start.

Oh and nowhere near London sadly but wondering if we should take a trip on Sunday.

Hi shambolica; devils advocate is a good thing as it makes you think.👍🏼

Interesting question on what we’d rather compromise on; yes, some shedding as if we don’t want long haired (ie clipped or just falling out) then it goes without saying. I just don’t want fur everywhere (GSD style)

I want to be able to walk and run with the dog (running isn’t essential though) but mostly it’ll be a treasured part of the family. None of the family have vast social lives (fairly non existent) so we won’t be out all the time. There will be lots of time in the garden and long school hols. The kids are desperate for a dog and have been asking (17 yr old) and begging (13 yr old) for many years. 15 yr old would be happy but likely not a main walker.
The dog would have to do kennels for 10 days in the summer and 6 days just before Xmas (although we may just bring them along for that one) Not big travellers either; in fact, we’re pretty bloody boring!