Another dog breed advice thread - sorry!

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Hello all,

I know there are multiple threads asking for advice on dog breeds (and i think i have read them all!), but i'm still left with some questions that i'd appreciate any advice/experiences on.

So we are family of four - children are 5 and 7. I have always wanted a dog for our family but only now i feel ready to make the commitment as i'll be the main care giver. I work three days week so we would need a dog walker for those days during working hours. We are quite "outdoorsy" as a family and like camping, hiking etc etc so are out in the wilds quite a bit and i'm not put off by walking a dog (I walk a great deal by myself now just for enjoyment :-)) We live in the suburbs but have large parks within walking distance for daily walks and often are in the countryside at weekends.

Breed wise, my husband doesn't like small dogs, so i'm ruling them out, he also isn't keen on dogs that shed or drool a lot but he does likes intelligent dogs with a bit of a presence (yep - he's the fussy one!).

Given that info, anyone got any ideas? Would consider a larger dog - the Great Swiss being one of them - but i'm a bit concerned about the picking up the poo situation, and also given their size I'd imagine they are not as easy to take out and about if need be to shops/cafes etc? Also when my kids are older - is it feasible to think they could walk a big dog or is that a no-no?

I guess another question would be is a medium sized dog much more practical on a day to day basis...?

Would really appreciate any ideas :-)

Staffie or springer.
I have to say I’m finding our springer puppy an absolute dream.

Once you’ve had a German Shepherd it’s almost impossible to like anything else

Chosen from a good line you won’t find a better family dog.

@JuliaS92 I'm googling them now....

Ha ha I can't keep up with all the suggestions! Thanks everyone.

@Juliephine That would be fab - thank you!

Miniature Schnauzer! (They're not actually ministure!) Hilarious, adore me dogs who are so loving! They don't shed either or chew

This is Alfie! He's 8 and like all Miniature Schnauzers, he's fab with kids!

Hi. I'm a breeder of beagles They are a great family pet. Very affectionate and would love the outdoorsy life you can provide. I wouldn't pin your hopes on children keeping to their promise of walking a dog. Mine promised but didn't and many of my new owners say the same. If you go into having a dog knowing this you can't go far wrong.

Deerhound! Will walk 10 miles with you, or will chase a laser pen for 10 Minutes. Main requirements are a large bed or sofa to sleep on for 22 hours a day. Dog hair in the hoover buy very rarely found on clothes etc.

I have an Irish Setter, and he's just perfection on 4 feathery legs! He's full of life and energy when he's out and about, and has boundless enthusiasm for long walks. At home, he's a complete lounge lizard, other than the odd flurry of ball-related activity, so pretty easy to live with. He's 14 now, but still the same in terms of energy levels as he was when he was young.
There's a phenomenon known as the setter yowl, which is the most joyful sound in the world. Mine has a vast repertoire of yowls, which he uses to express great joy - which can be anything from seeing the first person come downstairs in the morning, to the prospect of a ride in the car, or just meeting a new person. He makes at least one new friend every day, and has a huge fan club, because he's so charming!
They lean on your legs, and gaze soulfully into your eyes-just adorable!
He always has to have at least one paw touching one of his people, but prefers full body contact if he can get away with it!

Setters are excellent dogs but they can drool a lot, especially the show bred ones. They do moult a fair bit but you don't get the dog smell like you sometimes do with labs etc. Temperament is generally excellent and they are very intelligent just not always very obedient. Strong willed and affectionate. Skin allergies and ear problems are common. You will need to put the work in early on and keep on top of the training - it's a permanent work in progress.

If you are interested I can point you in the direction of the lady that maintains one of the current lists of available litters. It's a small world and all the breeders know each other. I have one myself. There are also a lot of rescue Spanish/ Greek/ Romanian setters. I would do your research about foreign rescues if you are interested but they can make excellent pets. They tend to be working setters and lighter in frame than the UK variety.

Another one suggesting a Vizsla here, absolutely amazing dogs. Medium sized, although some of the males can be quite big so you could go for a boy if you wanted a bigger dog. They don’t drool and shedding isn’t significant as they have short hair and they definitely have presence.

They are intelligent hugely affectionate dogs. They are high energy dogs so require decent walks, but that doesn’t sound like an issue for you. Ours is so incredible with our two young children. She has endless patience with them and plays fetch with both my three year old and even the one year old. She is a constant companion to my three year old, by her side in the garden all day it’s lovely.

Pointer? Bigger than lab, outdoorsy, good looking dogs and lovely looking dogs.

Failing that something like a collie is probably a good bet.

Eurasier!
Good size and bred as companion and therapy dogs (so fab for kids)
www.eurasiersociety.org.uk/index.html
And as they are somewhat unusal in the UK, a great talking point.

Then again I'm rather biassed as I have an 11 week old puppy and I'm in love. She's been amazing..

A collie would work for you if you are willing to train intensively at the start (they learn good AND bad super quick). They do shed but otherwise they fit all your requirements and once an adult are very good at being left to their own devices as long as you offer them the stimulation and "jobs" they need when you are home (ours rounds up balls, guards against feline intruders, fetches children on demand etc.). As I say they need training, and you have a pretty short window, by 15 weeks ours was fully trained pretty much. They come in different sizes and coat lengths, ours is silky flat coated which is not as common but doesn't shed as much

I also vote for a vizsla. It's what we think we are going to get when our kids are similar ages to yours!

Only just caught up op.
Our beardie is a gentle soul, friendly to everyone and has never shown any signs of aggression. Fabulous with children.
Apparently they're on the VNB list.

Downsides - grooming. Require lots of it.
When Boris is in full coat it takes me about 30 minutes each day plus a trip to the groomers every 4 weeks, which is £70.
He's currently clipped shorter for the summer.

How about a JRT and a different husband?

We have a German Shepherd, would be impossible for us to have any other breed now. Incredibly soft with the children (middle child was 6m old when we got her), really easy to train as so intelligent and loves a walk. Has a good bark when she hears visitors in the drive, but just wants fuss amid cuddles once she actually meets them.

Whippet voter here!
Mines crossed with a Belgian shepherd ( & according to dna test greyhound and staffie) . She's very intelligent, can walk for miles. Loves a cuddle, doesn't drool or shed much ( just fluff) but due to her prey drive I'm careful around kids, but that may be part of her history as she's a rescue.
Beautiful to watch her run and leap like a deer

@Ounce that made me spit out my tea!!

So many suggestions....been doing lots of googling. Love the photos, making me excited about adding a dog to our family!

Here's a list of dog breeds I think would suit your family: (based on personal experience and after having read the comments so a bit of a round up too)

Smallish breeds:
Springer spaniel, cocker spaniel or Brittany spaniel.

Medium to large breeds:
Bearded Collie
Hungarian vizsla
German pointer
Airedale terrier
Weimaraner
Husky. - shedder
Bernese mountain dog
German shepherd
Poodle
Greyhound
Irish setter
Irish wolfhound.
If you like the retriever but don't like the golden or the Labrador, have a look at the curly coated rtvr or the flat coated one.
Small or large Munsterlander
Beauceron - your hubby will like him.

These are the breeds that come to mind. All of them of course come with their "pros and cons" which you will have to measure up for yourself. As a puppy, they will need someone around 100% of the time, they will all chew and per and poop, and ruin a few things. They will all bolt when off leash once in a while, and test your love and patience. This is why it's so important to have lots of those two.
I would encourage you to have a look at shelters. Many people refuse to, but you don't know... You might just find your One.

Gordon Setters are lovely but very drooly. Bit fik. I wouldn't have one because of the drool aspect though.

What about a Shnauzer? We were talking to the breed stand at Crufts and he said they were a fairly easy family dog.

Your other options are lurcher, german shepherd, vizsla, pointer for big dogs. I really wouldn't go for something weird and wonderful - I actually think a cocker sounds perfect.

Just keep in mind that the ones above will need a lot of exercise.

Glad to see you're looking into this so thoroughly, it's refreshing to see someone who isn't just picking a breed they've seen on TV! Also really good that you've ruled out GSDs for a really sensible reason - their health issues - you've obviously already done a lot of research.

Have you thought about visiting the Kennel Club's 'Discover Dogs'? It's not until October but definitely worth waiting for if you want to meet the dogs in real life and discuss points with the breeders directly. They're normally very honest and surprisingly unbiased.

As for big dogs and children, this is almost entirely down to how they're brought up. I've known many bernese mountain, great Dane etc that will allow their young owners to walk them without being pulled at all. Just FYI, the Greater Swiss does shed They're double coated so will leave a fair amount of hair to be cleaned up.

My recommendations echo that of others on here:
Standard poodle - certainly ticks the boxes and is a 'man's dog' when not clipped into the classic poms. This breed is thoroughly underrated and worth exploring.
Airedale - non shedding, do have a reputation for wandering off but that's more of a training issue in my opinion.
A Hunt, Point Retrieve breed e.g. Hungarian Vizla, Weimarana. Both come in a rough haired variety and have the typical gun dog traits of being easy to train and friendly.

Sounds like your future dog will have a great home with you. I'm sure you'll read up on all the training and health related facts in advanced too.

I hope this is helpful.

We have a giant Schnauzer, brilliant with kids, intelligent and need a lot of exercise.

Completely nuts but a loving Velcro dog. We go to cafes all of the time and he will sit beside us out of the way chewing whatever we give him.

We love him and would have another.

@HappyLoneParentDay bet he looks miniature in comparison to mine .

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