What Type of Dog?

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Any advice on how to decide what type of dog to buy or adopt from a rescue center. From what (limited) research I've done a gun dog may be best but I've only ever had a Shih Tzu and Chihuahuas and I'd definitely buy another of these breeds but right now I think a more active dog is better suited to my lifestyle right now. Shih Tzu's are prone to anxiety and that'll make living in a busy house of six with people in and out all the time will unsettle one and Chihuahuas are better suited to living in smaller households. Any ideas where I can start?

Less designer the better

I don't know what you mean by designer @Monty27, the dog breeds I have/had were chosen because of their temperaments and size mainly. Ideally I'd like to adopt a dog from a shelter but I've no idea where to start with what type of dog is best for my lifestyle. I don't want to commit to a dog and not be able to care for it properly.

I suppose I mean please avoid puppy farming even if they purport to be a rescue centre

we have a lurcher that we adopted from a rehoming centre and he is the most relaxed dog ever. he’s walked three times ago, has a rapid spurt of running, and then home to bed! he’s very calm around my three kids and absolutely loves our cat. he’s so easy going it’s ridiculous!

Ah ok @Monty27, no I'm looking at either kennel club registered breeders or places like Blue Cross, RSPCA, Dogs Trust or local animal rescue centers. I'm not going to look online or anywhere that puppy farming is in excess. I'd rather pay more for a puppy without worrying about funding a puppy farm, but ideally I'd adopt from a rescue center if I can find the right dog. My other dogs, one was bought from a kennel club registered breeder and the puppies were from a litter that my sisters friends dog had, had.

I'm hoping to rescue one from Europe. Scary as it's such a responsibility. Have a look at a website: I think it's Dogblog

Thats awesome, I'll check it out . I'm hopeful I can get getting a dog to fall into place with moving into my new house (once we've found one, I'm a mature student living with other students so it's difficult trying to find a 'student' property that allows dogs but I'm going to ask around and do lots of looking) and hopefully by the time I'm settled there wont be long before the dog moves in. I'm torn between rescuing from a shelter and buying from a breeder because ideally I'd like to train the dog to be an assistance dog of sorts as I have high functioning Autism and it would probably help me a lot day to day and provide companionship I can't get from people.

I think a retriever or GSD or rhodesian ridgeback or staffy @sunshineandshowers21 or even another Shih Tzu at a push would probably be best for my lifestyle at the moment. But I think I'd rather adopt than buy if I can. But I have to consider I'm going to be living with five other adults who will be in and out of the house a lot with friends and I need to make sure that any dog I'd adopt isn't going to be upset or unsettled/threatened by so much traffic and strangers through the house.

Not doing so would be unfair to the dog and my housemates (who range from supportive and excited about my decision to get a dog too unsurprised and bemused but not upset because they actually really like dogs and happy to play with them) though I suspect we may need to implement some ground rules on what they can/can't do with the dog because some of them have never had them before so basic dog safety and that they'd have to respect that as the dogs owner and if I do follow through with assistance dog training that as a working dog things are slightly different in terms of interaction/playing in certain scenarios.

How much and what type of exercise are you realistically willing/able to provide?

How much grooming?

How much training and for how long?

How much do you expect to spend on food?

What traits can you NOT live with? Chewing? Digging? Barking?

How friendly does the dog need to be to other people, dogs, animals?

To add..

KC registered does not automatically mean it's a good/ethical breeder so please do additional research to weed out the good from the bad.

I walk for at least two miles split by each morning and evening, I have time to walk more and would do if my dog needed it.

I'm happy to groom a dog daily, I usually do so with the Shih Tzu to prevent any knotting or matting and because it's nice to just sit and be with the dog.

I would quite like an easy to train dog but I'm aware that it needs to be consistent and maintained through the dog's life.

I'm not bothered about how much I'll spend on food I'm good at budgeting and it's all part of dog ownership.

Drooling, I don't think I could deal with that at all.

The dog needs to be able to be friendly and cope around adults, children and other pets. I have lots of nieces and nephews as well as my mums dogs and housemates to consider as well. So that is a must.

@missbattenburg that's what I'm worried about, I don't want to support any sort of poor breeding practice. Thats why I think I'll probably be better off going with a well known or local rescue center. At least that way I know that the funds are going directly to the animals.

A rescue has the advantage that you would
Know the temperament of the dog before getting it. With a puppy, breed traits give you an idea but are no guarantee.

With a pup, breeds like RRBs and GSDs are guarding dogs so we're bred to be suspicious of new people etc. For sure that doesn't mean all are and people do have them as family pets very successfully but if this is a requirement then I'd suggest avoiding those breeds unless it's an adult dog so you know the temperament.

Ditto some of the more sensitive breeds might struggle with a busy home. I know many lurches, greys, that would not like that (though some might).

The right staffy can be a sociable and bomb proof dog...

Companion breeds should also have a good chance of coping with many people (cab King Charles, pugs, bishon). Again, it require an adult with the right temp or a puppy that is well socialised.

Two miles twice a day is not a huge amount of exercise for a dog - especially if on lead - though could be plenty for the right dog but I'd avoid the high energy working breeds like collies, pointers, springers, huskies etc.

I would recommend speaking to a breed specific rescue if you have a breed in mind. They are the best places usually and can tell you more about the breed and how they will fit in with you, helping to match one to you from however many are in kennels or foster. The lab rescue are always inundated with lots of dogs, golden retrievers are much less common though.

Until you mentioned "other pets" I would have agreed that a rescue Staffy would probably be a good match. But once you factor in other dogs, cats, etc. it's far more individual to the dog and depends entirely on their pre-rescue history/socialisation which you are highly unlikely to ever know.

Our rescue Staffy is great with any number of people, makes human friends very easily and isn't phased by friends visiting, parties, or the pub. But she's less predictable with other dogs and inclined to grumble. None of this is atypical of the breed.

@DogInATent Yeah the dog wouldn't be around other pets day to day, but when I visit home I'd be in a house with three other dogs. One elderly but still bouncyish shih tzu and two tiny chihuahuas and lots of little kids (kids don't live there but are there everyday there are seven kids aged between 1 and 9 then there's five teens to young adults) and I'd never forgive myself if they were hurt and I can't justify putting any dog into a stressful situation where it wouldn't be able to cope. It sucks that I have so many requirements but I'd rather be like this do a tonne of research and take longer to find a dog than potentially get one and not be able to care for it properly, because that's not fair on the dog.