Best breed in these circumstances?

[Windmyonlyfriend]

I’ve googled myself silly on this so I’m really hoping you lovely doggy experts can help me!

DH and I are considering getting a dog. His family had collies as a child but I’ve never had a dog in my life. I desperately want to make the right decision here as there’s no way I want to do wrong by any dog we get.

We live in a relatively small terraced house with a smallish but very usable garden (with artificial grass - is that ok for dogs?!) So definitely thinking a small breed is the way to go.

We have two DC aged 4 and 5 so need a child-friendly breed.

I’m currently a SAHM so exercise and walks won’t be an issue - I love getting outside so number and duration of walks is flexible.
(The only caveat to this is that this could change in the next year or two to me working two full days if I return to work once my youngest is settled in school. DH works locally so can pop home at lunchtime on those days, however DDog could end up being home alone for 2x 4hr stints should I return to work. Is that too long? Should we rethink getting a dog at all? I don’t actually have a job to go back to, it’s just something to consider as a possible change in circumstances in the future.)

Whatever breed we get I will absolutely be enrolling in a puppy class and doing all I can to train it properly. As I say, I’ve never owned a dog before and I really want to get this right so a breed that is relatively easy to train would be ideal.

So really, i’m hoping you lovely people might have suggestions for a good breed based on our circumstances? I’ll be honest and say I absolutely love Border Terriers and that would be my preference. Would a Border suit our circumstances?

Oh, an additional but not essential point - I’m a keen runner and run 3 or 4 times a week; anything from a short 5k up to 10+ miles. Usually through fields and woodland. A dog that would happily tag along with me on my runs would be a wonderful bonus!

Any help would be so very greatly appreciated!! And is there anything else I need to consider?

I think a border terrier would fit your circumstances perfectly .

Take a look at many tears animal rescue they have a thing called millionhaires matching where they suggest a dog for you based on your circumstances. Based in wales but half the dogs fostered all over the country x

I have read negative comments about Many Tears (i.e. don't get to meet the dogs initially - Many Tears assess your requirements and offer you a dog they want you to have that you can go and see at foster home first but not much of a chance to meet several times and have trial walks with, etc). I thought the RSPCA branch I went to was good and it is best to register initially with whatever rescue you want to try as they can then look out for a suitable dog and let you know if one comes in. You can go and look at all the dogs up for adoption at the RSPCA branch and take them for a little walk, as many times as you like, before you decide (or decide not). I ended up getting my dog from Battersea, whom I would also recommend. They are not just in Central London - they also have branches in Old Windsor and Brands Hatch. Not all rescues refuse to adopt to families with young children - you need to shop around. Some of the smaller ones might be more flexible. Not sure about Battersea so can't say either way with them.

We got ours from Dog’s Trust, they were great.

Dogs Trust do look really good but their website says they’ll only rehome with children 14+

I’ll have a look at the other places people have recommended, thank you everyone!

Dogs Trust do rehome to families with younger children and RSPCA definitely do. It’s just that dogs that are suitable to be rehomed with primary school age children tend to go very quickly and sometimes don’t even make it onto the websites. It’s worth registering with rspca, and going to visit dogs trust as they may have a dog that would suit you.

Breed specific rescues which foster can he helpful too. English Springer Spaniel Welfare, for example, foster dogs with families so you can get a good handle on what a dog is like.

As a runner and a beagle owner, it’s interesting that others have suggested beagles, as that was my first thought. Great family dogs, love kids, want to be involved in whatever you do, love being outside in all weathers.

The bad side is they can be noisy, shed like anything, don’t cope well with being left, and can be stubborn. They are trainable (and both of mine are offlead with good recall) but it takes perseverance.

A chat with Beagle Welfare might be helpful? It would at least give you more info. I’d suggest other breed specific rescues, too - they really know their breed and will advise you, warts and all, as they want it to work.

I would NOT get a beagle as a first dog

My PILs have a border who is a lovely trainable intelligent and tolerant dog but she is always on the go, always wants to play, and she is a nightmare for chewing and can’t be left unsupervised or she will wreck furniture

Our bt is sweet, wants to please, would run lots if the weather is cool enough (in Perth so tricky 6 months of the year), can pull like a train when she wants, is a hunter so she is never off lead sadly as she is walked before the school run and she won't care about that if there is a rabbit, fox, cat, goanna, snake, possum, rat, mouse within airdrift of her. She has a great bladder so can be left all day if necessary, likes food but is reasonably trustworthy with stuff left lying around.

If your kids are biddable enough to be trained in dog manners as well as the dog learning your routine, most borders would do all right. A happy border is one of the best sights.