Where to start?

[stayathomer]

Will be moving house soon and can finally get a dog. Have 4 ds. The youngest is 5. The thing is its over 20 years since I had a dog and even then my parents did a lot of the legwork, I just walked and played with him. We are looking to get a breed that won't affect the two ds that have asthma but aside from that I know nothing. Can anyone recommend some reading or where to go for advice? I rang two vets practices and they seemed a bit confused as to what I wanted and just told me to ring dogs trust or a pound. Also dh wants it to be a puppy, is that a good idea? Sorry about this it's just we can't ask anyone we know as they would be into breeds I amnt a fan of (husky, elation and Rothweiler crosses) cos of the kids.

I think a Portuguese Water Dog would suit your family. they are great with kids, and are hypoallergenic so wouldn't aggravate the kids asthma. you would be fine with a puppy, as long as you are prepared to go through the training (dogs trust have many articles on this, including crate training and basic actions such as sit). all the best x

Try this little quiz:
www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/findabreed/Default.aspx

If nothing else, it gives you a few pointers!

On the other hand... how about a Tibetan Terrier? Best breed in the world. BTW I am not bias at all, I am owned by 4, and they think I am Ace! 😇

Whatever you do, if you go for a puppy, there are a few key things to think about:

Choice of breed or cross: different breeds grow to different sizes and tend to behave in different ways. As someone has just said on another threads, collies can be nippers (it's a herding behaviour), and a field-bred gundog will need more training to stop it bogging off after a scent than will a bichon frise.

Choice of breeder: Find out as much as you can about the breeder and avoid puppy farmed puppies at all costs. There is loads of advice on the net about spotting puppy farms, and there was a thread on here a while ago about what makes a good breeder.

Pedigree puppy health: if you go for a pedigree, check out what health issues are in the breed and how severe and prevalent they are (a breed can have a long list of problems which are all fairly unusual or minor, or a list of only two or three, which are widespread and will knock years off the dog's lifespan). Check out health tests recommended for the breed.

Pedigree puppy inbreeding: this is a real soapbox of mine. You do not want a dog with a high co-efficient of inbreeding (COI). The dog might be fine, but a high COI increases the chance of health issues and shortens average lifespans. Get the Kennel Club names of both parents and plug them into the KC's Mate Select tool online. Ideally you want it under 5%, and lower is better.

As vivamoon has posted above, the kennel club quiz is a good place to start

Thanks so much everyone, that's brilliant!

I second the Tibetan terrier. A breed that doesn't shed. Is considered by my DH to be big enough for him to still look slightly macho but not too big that you can't pick him up to pop over gates,cattle grids etc.

We have a tiny chihuahua who wears a pink harness with wings 😂
6ft 2 burly builder dh carried her back to the car at the motorway services yesterday as he was so embarrassed hahahahaha
Do it! We got her at 11 1/2 weeks from the breeder. We wanted her to have extra time with the sibling they were keeping and her parents. Knowing she’d be a single dog we just wanted her socialisation extended. A good breeder shave happy with that.
My sis got her first dog at 8 weeks ...

There’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. Low shedding dogs are less likely to effect asthma and allergies but you need to carefully check them out first. It’s not always the case and they may still cause issues.

I have asthma and we got a miniature poodle (poodles are great btw). But I made sure I met poodles first and tried out my allergies.

Adult coats are different to puppy coats too so you need to try your kids out with both.

When we did get a poodle, the breeder knew about my allergies and was happy to have the dog back and keep him at any time if needed.

Whatever you do, don’t get a cross between a low shedding dog and a shedding dog. You don’t know what you will get.

Thanks again everyone! Was looking into allergy tests last night and might talk about it with gp too? 7yo has a bad chest and 10 yo used to so I'd be gutted if we got a dog and it affected one and they couldn't be around him or her

We have a breed known for being hairy (although he’s actually not too bad) and he doesn’t aggravate DD’s asthma at all, even though the cats do.
Might not be the same for you but don’t assume it wont

I think the best way with allergies is what MissShapess suggested. Spend time with the dogs: adult and puppy.
Any reputable breeder will let you spend time with their dogs.
And stay clear of cross breeds (x-poo) - I have met people who bought one only to find out that they have allergic reactions. Despite being promoted as non allergenic.

I tried that KC quiz.

It didn't even get close to the breed I own and love. I can see that it could have its uses, but don't take it too seriously.

Well thanks again anyhoo!!

That KC quiz is ridiculous! I ticked short haired, medium dogs and it threw up terriers and curly coated dogs! I can't say I'm over impressed by the kennel club in general.

Op it sounds like you and your children need to spend a lot more time with dogs generally, finding out whether the allergies are an issue before you get the dog, and seeing what you veer towards. Look at Borrow my doggie, the cinnamon Trust or walking dogs for local rescues perhaps?