Please recommend a dog to us!

[NeverGotMyPuppy]

DH and I are thinking we may be soon ready to take the plunge and get a dog. I have wanted a dog for about 25 years (no exaggeration) and I want to get this right.

About us:
I work 3 days a week, DH often WFH. I am a private school teacher so I get a lot of holidays. We would get doggy day care or a dog walker as appropriate.
We have a baby and would like a second within the next 15 months or so. We only plan on 2 children
We have a cat.
We have a three storey large house with a reasonable sized garden. There are parks and woodland very close by.
We are an active family.

My only real concern is shedding - I'm afraid I don't like labs because of the sheer amount of hair. I'm asthmatic- not badly but I could do without having to hoover 20 times a day.

So hit me with suggestions please!

Thanks. DH isn't a massive whippet fan but he gets ideas into his head which are often very easy to dislodge!

Can I just put a quick vote in for a cockapoo? I know that they are ten a penny, but ours is soft, daft as a brush, gentle and loving. Easily trained too. We were first time dog owners and wanted something that wanted long walks, but could chill when we wanted. We got both in our wee doggy. And he barely moults ….

Greyhound rescues are much more "lax" about rehoming to homes with children as greyhounds are usually so gentle and tolerant. They are very very lazy and lie around a LOT which means that if you are dealing with children they are not under your feet begging to be entertained

^^THIS THIS THIS AND THIS. AND THIS. THIS THIS THIS.

@fucksandflowers thanks for the link!! I never knew all that about boarder collies. Best not tell my beardie, he'll have an identify crisis

@Didthatreallyhappen2 thanks. My sister has a cockapoo and he is a lovely dog.

My concern would be an unknown combination of health and characteristics and also trying to avoid puppy farming. How did you find a reputable breeder?

I've just watched a YouTube clip of a greyhound sleeping on it's back. Its hilarious!!

Italian greyhounds are a toy breed & high energy rather than greyhound personality in miniature. They're also extremely fragile & not unknown to fracture legs just from jumping off sofas etc so wouldn't recommend with kids.
Greyhounds are sprinters & the laziest of the all sighthound breeds & lurchers (usually cross bred for more stamina/drive/brains) .

Sometimes breeds down as high trainability /intelligence can mean they need more human interaction or will get bored & find other outlets. All breeds have their pitfalls but what suits one owner can be a nightmare for another. I think its easier to get a lower energy dog fit than consistently meet a high energy dogs if lifestyle isn't fully geared to that.

I would y discount the cavalier King Charles recommendation further up the thread either. We have one who is an absolute pleasure. Clingy, but also loving, gentle with the toddler and a sheer joy to be about. Training has been relatively easy too.

Staffordshire bull terriers are great with kids, don’t shed much, are able to keep up on long walks and there’s rescues full of them. I had mine from a rescue for 12 years until he died and he was just the nicest dog you could have around kids.

I’d definitely go for an older dog (3+) that’s already had some training if you want to get one now rather than wait until your children are school age.

We have Bichon x Cocker Spaniels. They are super gentle, don't smell doggy, don't shed,easy to house train.But they are needy and want to be with a human 24/7 and will NOT walk to heel! We love them to bits ...

Greyhounds are amazing. I had mine before DS so they've grown up together - he's the most amazing dog. They're just not 'typical' dogs so will look at you with disgust if you throw a ball. Most greyhound rehoming centres will consider you.

No to Italian Greyhound- they are absolute divas and break very easily

“The easy to train thing is because we are both inexperienced owners. I dont want to get a breed that really needs some experienced expertise.”

Tbh then, you don’t want easy to train, you just want easy...they’re not quite the same thing.

So breeds that people describe as easy to train tend to be a nice mix of clever and biddable, so they learn things quickly and they’re willing to spend a fair bit of energy doing things for you.

The downside of that is that they have a lot of spare energy and they’re clever enough to learn things you didn’t mean to and create their own entertainment if you’re not providing it.

So if actually you just want an easy dog to own, you’re often better going for that’s not as clever and doesn’t need that same level of training to start with.

Greyhounds for example as they’ve come up already, aren’t the brightest breed and you don’t get many of them making obedience champions... but they also don’t really need a huge amount of training, they’re not going to start herding children up because they’re bored or mugging random dogs into playing with them...and they’re not likely to develop attention seeking behaviours, so realistically you can own a greyhound and never teach it anything other than to come to it’s name and you’ve got a perfectly pleasant pet to own.

A lurcher. Lurchers are the best dogs ever. Calm, gentle, patient. Sleep a lot but love to run. Ours needs a good run most days and a walk every day. If he's been out all day he's absolutely shattered. So many people compliment his manners. He walks without a lead and is very intelligent - knows to stop at side roads, walk on the inside of the pavement, understands when to cross, when to leave other dogs alone etc. Always comes back.

One problem. You'll need a comfy sofa. Most sighthounds are deep chested, meaning they find sitting uncomfortable. They like to lay on their backs with their feet stretched into the air, leaning on the back of a sofa.

I love lurchers.

I know they didn’t end up on your shortlist a few posts back, but another vote for a poodle! No shedding, intelligent and lovely dogs. Great with kids.

They don’t have to be shaved like the cliche show poodles (Waffle the Wonderdog is a toy poodle, for example - not a cockapoo as some think.)

Don't get a beagle. They shed horrendously, are a nightmare to train and smell.

greyhound rescues tend to happily home to people with young kids.

If you want an interim fix see if Guide Dogs or another assitance dog charity need boarders in your area. You drop them off on your way to work and pick them up
on the way home. All food and vets bills are covered. If you go away or just change your mind they will take the dog back. You have the support of expert dog trainers and can see how a dog fits in with your family before you commit.

@Octonautsoctopod oops i missed poodles off! Yes we've met some lovely standard poodles all lovely and pink-dye less!

@tabulahrasa that makes a lot of sense, thank you.

@squee123 I didnt know that was a thing! Will have a look.

Don't get a beagle. They shed horrendously, are a nightmare to train and smell.

My beagle rarely sheds (all the hair in this house comes from the cats), doesn't smell at all unless he's rolled in something (rare) and is perfectly well trained.

You get out of dogs what you put into them - often that means playing to their strengths. Beagles are scent/hunting dogs, so a walk around the block won't cut it. But take them to the woods, get them to hunt out treats or toys, and play scent games with them and they'll thrive. Similarly retrievers need to chase and fetch, and poodles love to swim...

His recall can be dodgy if he gets a scent but that just means I'm careful where I let him off the lead. We were at the beach this morning and I didn't use his lead once. He ran off to chase a seagull but as soon as I called him, he came back. Practise, practise, practise, and work to your dogs strengths - don't set them up to fail.

I've read loads of threads on here and on other pages slamming beagles as pets - yet those people leave their dogs alone for hours, think a walk around the block is adequate, and expect their beagle to behave the same way as a Labrador would.

BUT saying all that, I would never recommend a beagle puppy with very young children - wait until the youngest is at school. They're very intense for the first couple of years and need constant supervision and training - either get the dog first and introduce children a bit later, or wait until your children are older and trainable around the dog!

We’ve got an Italian Greyhound and yes, she’s a diva. Having said that, she’s the sweetest, most adorable, most affectionate, loving wonderful little dog.
However we’ve had extreme difficulty in house training her.

I've just watched a YouTube clip of a greyhound sleeping on it's back. Its hilarious!!

Greyhounds come with a whole new vocabulary - this behaviour (sleeping on their backs) is known as "roaching".

Greyhounds are amazing. I had mine before DS so they've grown up together - he's the most amazing dog. They're just not 'typical' dogs so will look at you with disgust if you throw a ball.
I think this must be very dependant on the individual hound, ours is absolutely ball-obsessed to the exclusion of all else (which is handy if there is a field with smaller dogs, just throw the ball and she focusses on that rather than the small dog!)

Greyhounds for example as they’ve come up already, aren’t the brightest breed and you don’t get many of them making obedience champions... but they also don’t really need a huge amount of training, they’re not going to start herding children up because they’re bored or mugging random dogs into playing with them...and they’re not likely to develop attention seeking behaviours, so realistically you can own a greyhound and never teach it anything other than to come to it’s name and you’ve got a perfectly pleasant pet to own.

Also, this is absolutely true - our greyhound is very dense and we have done very little work with her and yet she is a pleasure to have around.

Sigh

re-adds IGs and beagles to the list

This is all very exciting. I know exactly where the dog bed will go (I also know it will be ignored in favour of our bed unless the dog decides to try and hunt my face like the cat did)

yes boarding assistance dogs is a thing in many unexpected places including central London for example. It doesn't necessarily require there to be a training school in the area either as some of the trainers work from their local towns rather than the training centres. Worth investigating at least

I have a Jackabea. He is great with children.
My Mum had a fabulously naughty greyhound. Think naughty and multiply ✖ 100.
He opened a packet of 18 toilet rolls open and bit every one. Got a large empty crisp packet stuck on his head, knocked over and smashed a bottle of wine to get to and eat a box of chocolates. Ate my sisters muesli without disturbing the spoon. Ate eight fat balls and two pumpkin tops, (at different times.). (Interesting poos!!) Also ate three quarters of a simnel cake including disciples! The scariest was the eating of and regurgitation of a wine cork... That was alarming .. Ate his breakfast and fifteen minutes later.... BARRRRF up came his breakfast and something else... Mum picked it up... "I think its a battery dear..." She squeezed it... "its very squishy for a battery."
We then discovered it was a wine cork!!
We miss him very much...

my brother has two Miniature Jack Russells, and they were fine with his babies. (the babies came after the Jack Russells) Need a fair amount of walking but incredibly easy to have around the house, apart from the excessive adoration, and possibly not that easy to house train if you aren't super organised (he wasn't) I remember my sister in law saying she was worried when the babies were born they would bite their noses off, but it never happened.. thank goodness. I've seen other people with small children finding miniature Jack Russells the perfect dog.

the truth is that all puppies are challenging and tiring for at least a year if not more, and you have to decide whether you can cope with it in order to have your family dog.

I have a poodle cross and although he loves children, I don't think he is the perfect dog for a very young family, he needs too much attention to himself and is quite terrier like in his determination to do various things... and poodle like in his disdain for being bossed around.. Soppy and biddable he isn't.