Anyone want to recommend a breed for my situation?

[ABitCrapper]

I have 3 children aged 2-7 years old. They have been asking for a dog for ages as family members have dogs which they love. I am very reticent having had dogs in the past and know what a commitment they are. My previous dogs were very very mixed breed / unknown, but with small children in the house I'd rather get a pup from a known background with known parents. Which means a breed really.

I'm a SAHM and we have a garden so a puppy is not totally outrageous, and we also have no carpet downstairs and babygates throughout. I'm also not precious about puppies chewing things although I have told the kids that their toys will need to be put away properly or they could harm a dog if eaten!

Family members dogs are jack russels, beagles, cockapoo.

I don't want a large dog, and I don't want a dog with inbred faults such as snub nose or hip dysplasia.
I've always really liked border collies but I'm not sure I will have the time to keep them from being bored as I know they need to be worked.

Any suggestions?

Miniature schnauzer might be a good option. Super cute, happy to be walked for miles or just a quick 20 minutes depending on the day. Are also non-shedding which helps with housework!

Would you consider a small hairy dog? If yes, if suggest a Chinese Crested Powderpuff. I had one from puppy when my kids where really young ( 1+) and mine where really easy in puppy terms. (I've learnt since what little terror pups can be!)
They are also fun dogs for the kids and will be happy to chase a ball in the garden ... which is great if you are shot of time.

I've had a quick look at schnauzer and Chinese crested but if I'm honest they just don't do it for me.
DH is liking what we are reading about border terrier s however so we will continue our research along those lines! Thanks!
We won't be getting a puppy this year as I'd like to have the kids and DH well prepared. Tomorrow we are borrowing an elderly neighbours JRT for a walk to see how they do :)

Thanks again :)

We have a chihuahua x jrt and he’s been perfect for the kids. When he was going through the bonkers older Puppy stage, he was small enough that the kids weren’t overwhelmed by him. It’s also useful that he can happily take me on a 6 mile hill walk, but is equally happy with a 20 minutes walk round the block when it’s the school holidays and I have the kids to drag round with me. He’s also easy for the kids to manage on the lead (when it’s safe) as he can’t pull.

Dogs in our family or friends which seem great

Cockerpoo
Bichon frise
Maltese
Jack Russell
Cairn terrier
Labrador
Pug

Harder work...sheltie

Border terriers are great but for me the jrt wins. Clever, funny and always ready to play. They can be tricky so make sure it's a well socialised pup. IMO they are the dog that keeps giving re adaptability, fun and energy. No health problems either.

Tibetan terrier?

Another vote for Border Terrier...... mine's curled up on the sofa next to me, lovely affectionate dogs. We had our last one when our children were younger and they're a fabulous family pet.

How can you resist?!

Poodle. Not very popular currently unless they are designer mongrels with some other breed but they are lovely dogs. Good temperament, they come in a variety of sizes and have a manageable coat (you are not obliged to give them a ridiculous haircut).

Actually I do quite like poodle but not toy
The only Tibetan terriers I've know have been bitey and not properly house trained (constantly shitting in the house) which had probably unfairly prejudiced me against them. So no sorry but thanks for the suggestion :)

And I'm going to have to look up cairn and Maltese as I don't think I've ever met them

We have a morkie he's a Yorkshire terrier/ Maltese cross.
He's the most loving, friendly, intelligent dog I've ever had. He is small in size, doesn't shed fur and doesnt need masses of exercise. We do short walks with him twice a day but he's great on a long walk too. My kids were 14 and 8 when we got him as a pup so a little older than yours.

My whippet loves to play. In fact he loves to play so much that the other dogs at the park get a bit grumpy with him because they don’t want to play as much. He also loves kids.

No doggy smell and mine sheds very little.

Ours is a Lhasa shitzu cross and all children adore him. He seems happy to walk whatever distance and is such a happy dog.

We also have shelties and my experience is much like that of BrassMonkies. They are wonderfully gentle dogs. Ours are rescues from Many Tears who get in ex breeding shelties occasionally, though you need patience to wait for one and their coats sometimes need a bit of tlc at the start.

We brush ours with an undercoat rake once a week and that seems fine. Probably wouldn't be if we had show dogs but it's enough to prevent mats and keep them looking ok. They tend to moult a bit in the spring but the hair comes out in little clumps as they have an undercoat. I actually find it much easier than our terrier cross who drops white fur constantly which gets everywhere like tumbleweed.

The terrier cross we have is a Jack Russell cross. I adore her, she's a bundle of personality and character but I think would be way "too much" for children the age of yours. The shelties are perfect with children. As a downside to shelties, they can sometimes be a bit barky, though having said that, the brown one pictured we've almost never heard bark.

No problem about Tibetan terrier suggestion

Breed characteristic guidelines are good to follow in general, but the temperament of the individual dog or dog family is usually more important imho!