Best family dog breed suggestions please

[SarfE4sticated]

Hi everyone, since the sad demise of our lovely rescue cat, and my new career as freelance publishing goddess, I think we at long last might be able to get a dog. I have registered with all of the local rescues, and will hopefully get a rescue mixed breed dog, but would like some breed recommendations just in case.
My DD would love a soppy loving gentle dog as my DD (10) is a bit of a wuss so something like a Cavalier King Charles but without the health problems
My DH would love something sleek looking like a pointer (he's not really bothered though so we only slightly need to take his opinion into account)
I would love a Cairn, as i know and trust them as a breed, I like that you can have them on your lap for a cuddle, carry them on the escalators but also that you can walk them for miles and they're fun to be with.
I would also love to get another rescue cat, so a breed that is happy with a cat would be great.
I have no real experience of any dog types apart from terriers, so any advice you could give me would be great.
Thanks all!

Staffy!

I have just posted this on another thread asking what breeds.

I think there is a quiz on the kennel club website to help narrow down some breeds that might be suitable.

You need to them decide which suits your lifestyle in terms of temperament, grooming and exercise requirements. I would also check out all the negatives of any breed you are considering (there are negatives with all of them) and see if you can cope with them.

What I mean by negatives is for example my cocker is a hunting dog and I have to manage that on every walk because if I ignore him and he gets a smell he will be off.

I've done that Bitey and quite a few more besides, some of the American websites are quite funny, I was suggested a pocket beagle by one, and a clumber spaniel by another.
I have friends that have a spaniel, and as much as I love him, I wouldn't want one really. Too vigorous! I need a dog that DD could walk when she's older, so reliable recall.
I guess I need a cav, cross cairn with staffy undertones!

“I have friends that have a spaniel, and as much as I love him, I wouldn't want one really. Too vigorous!”

Clumber Spaniel might not have been as daft as it sounds, they’re not high energy dogs like springers or cockers. They’re not a breed I’d think of particularly because they’re so rare... other than size they’d fit everything you’re after pretty well tbh.

Springers are great family dogs if you can give them a fair amount of exercise, ideally off lead. I am a first time dog owner with a 12 year old son who absolute adores the springer and they are best friends ! He gets aprox 2 hrs of exercise a day split into two but all is off lead running and chasing the ball in fields (great recall). He is excitable but in a very endearing way but can also be calm and cuddly in the house and the most adorable and happy soul. I can't actually believe how easy he is. He is scared of cats !

Labradors - especially brown labs - they are great, soft, cuddly creatures - and are equally happy curled up, fast asleep, or running round playing silly labrador games. We have a brown lab, and she is an absolute delight. Not that I am at all biased, of course.

We also have a labrador cross, who is a rescue dog (from the Dogs Trust - who I cannot praise highly enough) - we think she is lab-pointer cross, and she is a more highly strung dog - a bit of a neurotic bitch, if I am honest - but that is more to do with having been a breeding dog (she had at least 2 litters, apparently), and then being rehomed in an entirely unsuitable home and ending up in the rescue kennels.

She is a contact dog - she likes to be as close to you as she can possibly get - 37kg of dog is not the most suitable lap dog, in my opinion, but she doesn't always agree with this! She is needy but very loving. Like the brown lab, she is equally happy fast asleep or running like the wind - she really enjoys chasing seagulls on the beach.

They both love swimming and splashing - preferably in a muddy puddle.

Downsides - labradors are notoriously greedy, so you do have to be careful not to let them get overweight - and they do tend to be food thieves, given half a chance. They will eat practically anything - which makes choosing food for them very easy - but also means they can and do eat cow poo, horse poo, their own poo, and anything nasty and rotting they can find. If they do find something really smelly, they will either eat it or roll in it - or both.

Ddog2 (the lab-pointer cross) once found half a dead seal on the beach - it was very runny and rotten. She tried to drag it off the rocks to bring it home, and when she couldn't, she rolled in it instead. I have never smelled anything so terrible. Normally, if they need a bath, we take them upstairs, into the shower in our en suite because that is easiest - this time, I refused point blank to allow her into the house, and she was washed twice, in the garden - and there was still a bit of a smell, and she had a third bath in the shower!!

Working cocker spaniels make great pets. Mine (and most that I come across) aren't mad at all. An hours walk a day and mine sleeps for the rest of the day.

Highly loyal dogs.

Papillon?

Soppy, loving, small breed, will walk for miles, very trainable, often used for agility. Rarely seen breed, but brilliant dogs - I had one growing up and would have one again.

We are a spaniel home. I've had 4 different variations of spaniels (3 cross breeds).

Our show cocker spaniel is absolutely perfect with our kids. A good size too so doesn't knock them over, but is also not too small she doesn't get under your feet

Blimey, you have every size of dog there! We too had done every online ‘choose your perfect dog’ and have ended up with one that was never recommended by anyone; a Rhodesian Ridgeback. We knew it was a possibility breed from a long way out as our friends have one, so we thought about others suggested (pointer, vizsla plus floofy ones!) We too wanted sleek.
Ours is lovely but you have to want a big dog (think sweep cups off tables height!), not want any kind of retriever ability (he almost smirks when you ask him to bring a stick back....he will eat it though) and know that training will be more difficult than say with a lab, spaniel, poodle etc. Having said that, he’s incredibly loving, cuddly, licky, unreactive (eg doesn’t bat an eyelid at large HGVs passing or small dogs going for him, which some seem to do on a walk), rarely barks and is friendly with people and dogs alike....he’s calmly confident.

My advice therefore would be to keep open to advice on all breeds but once you’re closer to a decision between a few, do loads of research as to what the breed is like to live with. Ours lives up to the breed standard....ish.....and we think we’ve been very lucky with him.

We live in a flat in London tho, so don’t feel it we have the house room for anything bigger than a beagle-size dog. I think we’ll have to deprioritise DHs requirements for a sleek/noble dog, and go for a Cav-like dog. The suitability for DD is the priority, and I like all dogs really and they do get on with cats.

I've got two Cavaliers both over 10 years old with no health problems it's just old age hindering one of mine now eye sight. I do know lol the different health problems associated with the breed. There are health problems with many breeds though.

Staff or EBT

I've just gone through my dog breed book, and spent an hour thinking about how much I'd love a Vizla, researching the breed, finding breeders, finding a litter of puppies and then found out that the puppies are over £1000 each. Back to earth with a bump.
I might just go to Battersea and see who warms the cockles of my heart.

Cavalier... Absolutely fits all the requirements. All pedigrees breeds have some issues.
Dearly departed dog 1 lasted until 11 with heart problems
Ddog 2 14yrs no health problems.. Just old age.
Now on dpuppies x2... The terrible twins... Aged 20months.. No heart murmurs yet.

In all four cavies and non had the wierd brain thing, one had heart problems but lived jolly happy life right to the end.

None have needed masses of exercise, we have dog flap into garden and they often entertain themselves.

Dpuppies very cuddly souky... Share bed with dd2... And dsd1 who is nervy of dogs loves them

Plus they arw small and portable.. Ours travel up and down between London and Cornwall easily, train, planes and cars.. They do the tube easily and can cope with a few days at our London flat

Sarf... A vizla in a London flat...?????? Barking mad

What about an Italian greyhound?
Noble, sleek and small... But prone to broken leg bones and not cuddly

A whippet would suit a London flat. Lazy in the house and lots of fun on walks. They don't smell or shed much.

I've got a whippet cross, she's lovely, sleek, knee height, sleeps loads, loves kids, hates the rain, loves a cuddle, only downside is she spends a large part of her time looking like we've beaten the living daylights out of her, with her sad eyes and her shivery default setting 🙄
However she is such a lovely dog, so I vote something whippetty

We also have a cavalier. Absolutely beautiful dog and temperament. She’s very needy and loves to be with people 24/7 and can get quite distressed if left for any length of time. Apparently this is common for the breed so worth bearing in mind.
We are her second owners so we’re not sure about her breeder and she does have some of the typical health problems such as the heart murmur. If you get a good breeder there is less risk of some of the health issues. However, she’s almost 11 and this has not worsened since she was 3yrs old and she is still not on any medication. She’s the 3rd cavalier we have had in the family and all of them have had heart murmurs and lived perfectly healthy (and long - 13+14yrs) lives. The previous poster is right, all breeds can potentially have health problems.

I'm allowed to dream Jelly they're just so pretty and would match my hair beautifully. We do plan to move to a house soon but I do take your point (grudgingly). Would you mind pm'ing me the name of your breeder?
Orangette I really like whippets too but they don't get on with cats, (or do they?)

Hahaha... My cavalier twins are Ruby and match my hair.... I love vizlas too and pointers and weineramers but just don't have time to do them justice

Kelper is your whippersnapper a rescue dog? None of the rescues I have been looking at have any whippety cross puppies...

Another vote for whippet here. Ours so far gets on with our two cats (well, is desperate to play with them, they mostly ignore him, but he doesn't want to chase/hurt them), but I understand sometimes they can be cat chasers. As pp said, lazy, cuddly, don't shed much, happy not to go out in the rain, has begun really easy to train and very loving.