Which dog???

[jetlaggedmummy]

I'm going round in circles and would appreciate some advice......

We're a family of 4, kids are 10 and 13. Both work shifts, opposites most of the time, so usually someone is home. We have decided to get a dog, but here's where I'm going round in circles:

We would prefer something small and non shedding, however, most breeds that fall into this category seem to have problems being house trained and/or eat their own poo. I know I couldn't deal with this (I'm aware that a puppy needs to be trained, and happy to do this, as long as we get there sooner rather than later!)

So, I started looking at Cavaliers, seemed perfect (despite shedding), but they seem to have sooooo many health problems

So I've been looking at rescues, yet they're nearly all 'adult only' (and I find myself drawn to beautiful Border Collies which, realistically, are extremely hard work) Those that aren't seem to be of the Lurcher type, which I'm not really keen on.

I think we do need something small, so does anyone have any experience with any of the toy breeds that they'd be willing to share? Especially along the lines of house training issues.

Many thanks for any advice.

[SleepyKat]

How about a wire haired Portuguese podengo pequano? Small, doesn’t shed, had no problem house training mine.

[Constantbronchitislaryngitis]

Btw
We tried to get a rescue
We have a RSPCA down our road
We went every day for months and they wouldn’t give any dogs to us- they’d it like giving to families of kids 8 and under
Was a real shame
But now my daughter is asthmatic it’s a blessing we got a mini schnauzer

[Constantbronchitislaryngitis]

Oops forgot to say about our mini schnauzer - I didn’t actually believe she wouldn’t shed but not one hair in nearly two years
It’s amazing
She really is a fabby doggy

[Cahu58]

Golden retriever..... the calmest,happiest, most gentle dog I have ever met. Yes the shedding is a pain but they more than make up for that with their lovely nature.

[Wolfiefan]

If you’re after a pedigree puppy then could you make it to Crufts? They should have a section where you can meet the breeds.
Avoid poodle type crosses unless it’s a rescue so you know what you’re taking on. Too likely to come from a puppy farmer and too much of an unknown.
Also excuse if someone has mentioned this (haven’t RTFT!) but give serious consideration to things like grooming. A border terrier is generally stripped.
I have never met any schnauzer that wasn’t hard work and a stubborn bugger. Maybe I’ve been unlucky.
Lurcher types and off lead? Depends. An ex racer with high chase drive is very different from a puppy that’s been raised in a foster home.
Good luck OP.

[han01uk]

We have a cocker,and she doesn't shed at all,ever. My mum has two who are terrible shedders. Our cocker is a working/show 50:50 cross,still crazy at times at nearly 13 years old but is calm and amazing with kids.

We also have a dachshund who ticks all of your avoid boxes so please steer clear....noisy,sheds,eats poo like no tomorrow,doesn't recall,still isn't house trained aged 2 (especially if it's raining!),stubborn and grumpy.

I would consider another cocker in a heartbeat.

[Iusedtobecarmen]

OP
Dont think breed, just be prepared for all eventualities.
We have a rescue. Had her from a puppy. Unsure what breed, but a cross,possibly staff with some lurcher type

Lovely dog. Excellent with kids. Tolerant of the cat(though not other peoples). Genrally well socialised with other dogs. Lovely pet
Quiet at home but can walk all day if we take her out.
Don't think specific dog. Be open minded. And please ...
get a rescue,not a pedigree from a breeder

[brightlights73]

I have Tibetan Terriers. Exceptional family dogs, smart, non shedding and so people focused. Also v cute. Adore them.

[AmazingAardvark]

I have a cavalier (from a rescue) but as you say OP, I wouldn’t get a puppy due to the health issues with the breed. It seems cruel to keep breeding them at this point.
She is a terrible poo eater (not her own, but cat, fox and badger are all favourites) and definitely sheds, so not sure they are the breed for you anyway

[Constantbronchitislaryngitis]

We have a mini schnauzer
I can’t tell you how much research I did
We have had her nearly two years
She is so easy
I leave her with full run of the house for up to 6 hours a day
She shows no sign of boredom. I put music on for her and leave a few chew toys around
She is easy to walk
Also they’re good watch dogs

[jetlaggedmummy]

Wow, so many posts to digest and respond to. Thank you all for your time.

I really wish I had known about the Discover Dogs show, we did go once many years ago with the inlaws and it would be so useful for us now......

I'm kind of leaning towards a Miniature Poodle at the moment, though not ruled out various terriers and the Miniature Scnauzer. (This is where the dog show would have been so helpful, as I really have little personal experience of these breeds.)

Someone did ask about Lurchers and why I wasn't keen? To be honest I'm not really sure Same goes for Whippets. Many years ago I used to do dog walking at our local rehoming centre, and all the greyhound/ lurcher/ whippet dogs were lovely, so sweet and gentle. Yet, it's a bit heart ruling head I suppose in that I just don't feel a connection with them. That and the fact that those I do know can't be let off lead and will bolt out of the front door given the opportunity, kind of puts me off. Sorry. But happy to be corrected if anyone has a different experience!

So, once again, thanks all and I have lots to consider!

[shinynewapple]

I have a Jack Russell. He was quite easy to toilet train, although we did get him during the summer and basically spent 4 weeks with the back door open!

He does shed but as is short haired it's not too bad. Minimal grooming needed and I understand they are generally quite healthy dogs.

My dog is very good natured and loving - although I know some Jack Russells are supposedly snappy, mine isn't.

I like the small size - just right to curl up on a cushion on your lap, and smaller dogs are cheaper to feed and cheaper medical costs.

His down side is his bark though - it is very high pitched and he's quite vocal.

[TheSandgroper]

Our border terrier has a bladder of iron. Most useful.

[userxx]

Border terrier? Big dogs in little bodies.

[Zuma76]

Look at schnauzers. All three sizes are funny characters. They love people and will walk with you all day or just snuggle up for the day. They are stubborn so need training.

[missbattenburg]

A cavapoo won’t shed. Cockaliers might still shed but are much more robust health wise than cavaliers.

Any evidence for that because basic genetics would disagree?

[whyamidoingthis]

A cavapoo won’t shed

You have no way of knowing whether a cavapoo will shed until you meet it. It depends on whether it inherits the cocker or the poodle shediness.

[Proseccoinamug]

Cavaliers are gorgeous, beautiful, perfect dogs. But they do have health issues. And they do shed a lot.

What about a cavalier cross? A cavapoo won’t shed. Cockaliers might still shed but are much more robust health wise than cavaliers.

[SleepySunflower]

We have a 16 week old miniature poodle. We have crate trained and within a few weeks she was sleeping through from 10-6am but we did stay with her until this time. She has never pooped in the house and was fully house trained weeks ago. She is has been very easy to train and walks beautifully on a lead. We have just started working on recall. However, she is very mouthy but we are working hard on this. We all adore her. We too looked at crosses to start with but soon realised the best way to go was a pure breed from a trusted breeder.

[whyamidoingthis]

You should ignore the people saying the crosses (e.g. cockerpoo, labradoodle, cavapoo, etc) don't shed. Many of them don't shed. However, it depends on whose hair they inherit. I know someone with a labradoodle and he sheds really, really badly. I know someone with a cavachon that doesn't shed and another who does.

The only way to get a dog that doesn't shed is a purebred that is an established non-shedder.

My westie sheds a bit but nowhere near as bad as my cocker.

[Ylvamoon]

If you are after a clever dog with a sense of humour, easy to train, with some stubbornness mixed in. A dog that always wants to be in the thick of it, family life that is and is happy to play the class clown (If you can handle the embarrassment with a shrug & smile) than please have a look at the Tibetan Terrier!

[Choufleur]

I don’t think that you can guarantee that any breed of dog won’t eat poo tbh. I have two spaniels. One does eat it, the other doesn’t.

Why do you want a puppy? They are hard work and it will wee/poo in the house at some point.

[CakeAndGin]

Another cockapoo owner here. We did extensive research into cockapoos before getting ours - still the variation in coat, size and characteristics is pretty diverse. Ours is F1 which means she is from a cocker spaniel and a poodle, not a cockapoo and cockapoo. Ours is about 15kg and her head comes to my just below my knee (I’m 5’ 4”), so in my opinion she’s a nice sized breed. That’s as big as you’re going to get for a cockapoo (although you can obviously get heavier ones but a cockapoo shouldn’t weight much more than that) but you can get smaller ones if that suits. Ours is working cocker spaniel (mum) and standard poodle (dad). My colleague had one from show spaniel and toy poodle so his dog was only about 5kg.

In terms of what to look for, it depends on the variants of spaniels and poodles but you want a breeder that has done health checks ideally on both mum and dad. The Cockapoo club of GB gives gives on which health checks are needed for each variant of cockapoo. The usual rules apply for a breeder. Make sure you see the mum and the litter. If they have multiple litters they should be a council approved breeder. If seems dodgy, no matter how heartbreaking, don it but a puppy from them.

Ours was easy to house train but there was some regression around 6 months and then a one off incident at about 12months. We took her to training straight away and still continue now (she is 3 in February). She has a lovely temperament, is fantastic with kids, older people and is a very friendly dog. However, she’s really clever and with it comes manipulation. We’ve had to work quite hard on training her. She would have been an OK dog without the extensive training but would have been subject to her own whims a lot more but we didn’t want an ‘OK’ dog, we wanted a very well behaved dog.

She doesn’t shed but she is like a microfibre cloth, her fur picks up everything. Where we live there are a lot of grass seeds, dart grass and sticky weeds mainly, we spend a lot of time brushing things out of her fur and pulling seeds out. It’s easier when she’s trimmed short but that gets expensive. Not all cockapoos are as doggy as ours though. Our friends have a little white one who won’t go swimming, doesn’t roll in mud and never seems to need her fur de-seeding.

[alwaysonadiet1]

Wire hair fox terrier!
They don't shed and are full of character and clever. Can be strong willed. There is a rescue centre, in Norfolk I think...

[MissShapesMissStakes]

Another mini poodle owner here. He’s our first dog and only about 15 months so nothing to compare him to.

But he was no trouble at night from day one, toilet trained quickly, learns fast as poodles are clever and mine loves his food, he’s happy with a big walk or a couple of 20 min walks. He doesn’t shed or smell very ‘doggy’. He only ate his own poo once, he learned it was disgusting. But he will happily chomp on a horse poo unless I tell him to leave it . He does use his ‘voice’ to tell us things - if his ball is stuck under the settee, he wants to go out etc. But he’s not yappy. He loves cuddling up with us to watch tv, but is also happy playing in the garden with my kids.

I was looking into poodle mixes to start, but the more I learned the less I wanted a cross. All the traits I wanted were all poodle.