Best first dog- small

[pinkpanther84]

We would like to get a small family dog, we don't have the biggest house so do really want a small one. We have had pets before but never a dog- what dog would people recommend for first time dog owners that and one that is good with children? Thanks

There’s nothing wrong with poodle crosses as long as you make sure you get it from a decent breeder. I’m not going to get into an argument about it, decent -poo breeders do exist.

Both cockapoos and cavapoos are popular family dogs for a reason, small size, low shedding, clever, good with children.
Obviously a cockapoo is going to be higher energy than a cavapoo.

No poodle cross will be calm. And I’ve never yet found a reputable breeder.
I would take your time with your research OP. I wouldn’t want a pup and a 3 year old!!

My middle goldendoodle is super calm. Even as a puppy she was so laid back. The other, not so much but she’s still young and our other dog (standard poodle) winds her up.

And we’ve had 3 goldendoodles from the same breeder and they are as reputable as any breeder. We had 2 interviews before we were allowed to take our first puppy home, I was more nervous of that than my job interview!

(Wouldn’t recommend as a breed for a young family though as they are huge and clumsy)

Cavalier King Charles spaniel.
People focussed lap dogs.

Big enough to not be fragile. will walk for ages but don’t bother if they don’t sometimes especially if it’s raining 😂

Still very much of the land shark persuasion as teething puppies though !

Inherited health issues though but most breeds have at least some of these

Cairn Terrier. Beautiful wee dogs; friendly and full of character

I wouldn’t go for a cockapoo- too hit and miss with temperament and as someone else has said, too many unscrupulous breeders.

(My favourite terriers are Scotties but they are not for faint hearted and not necessarily so keen on young kids)

Op I’m going to be the voice of doom unfortunately.

If you’ve never had a dog before and you have children of 3&6 there is pretty much no way I’d get a puppy, at least for another 3-4 years.

The biting stage is horrendous. Honestly. They draw blood, shred your clothes, hang off you, run around like maniacs and shred your ankles. I don’t know a puppy that hasn’t done this.

You’d have to keep your children and puppy apart completely to stop the biting and your kids being scared of the dog. Plus 3 year olds especially aren’t know to be the most responsible around small animals!

A good dog owner will get a dog when the time is right for them AND the dog, not just when you want one. I am completely desperate for another pup, my lovely old boy passed away not long ago, but Dd is 3.5 and I know I can’t give the pup as much time and effort as I know it takes to raise a well-mannered dog with a 3 year old.

The biting stage is horrendous. Honestly. They draw blood, shred your clothes, hang off you, run around like maniacs and shred your ankles. I don’t know a puppy that hasn’t done this
My dog as a puppy did put holes in all my clothes admittedly and ran like a maniac but she never really bit skin.
Certainly never drew blood.
I don’t remember her ever biting my DS who was 4.
Though I agree all puppies do bite to varying degrees, it can be truly horrendous and I also wouldn’t have a puppy with a 3 year old, I’d wait until the youngest was 4 or 5

Mumsnet hates poodle crosses but I meet numerous ones in our very dog friendly area, plus have friends and family with some and they really are fun dogs. I'd agree with a cavapoo being well suited to your requirements but it would take a good bit of research to find a reputable breeder and would likely cost a good bit at the moment. We have a Jack Russell puppy who is the perfect fit for our family but probably wouldn't recommend as a first dog with very young dc or for anyone wanting a less active adult dog

@TeddyIsaHe

Op I’m going to be the voice of doom unfortunately.

If you’ve never had a dog before and you have children of 3&6 there is pretty much no way I’d get a puppy, at least for another 3-4 years.

The biting stage is horrendous. Honestly. They draw blood, shred your clothes, hang off you, run around like maniacs and shred your ankles. I don’t know a puppy that hasn’t done this.

You’d have to keep your children and puppy apart completely to stop the biting and your kids being scared of the dog. Plus 3 year olds especially aren’t know to be the most responsible around small animals!

A good dog owner will get a dog when the time is right for them AND the dog, not just when you want one. I am completely desperate for another pup, my lovely old boy passed away not long ago, but Dd is 3.5 and I know I can’t give the pup as much time and effort as I know it takes to raise a well-mannered dog with a 3 year old.

Really not my experience with biting. I can count on one hand the number of times my puppy bit me and it was always on my fingers during play and she never drew blood. The breeder should really start training them in bite inhibition and they should naturally learn it via play with their siblings. I'd be concerned if I had a puppy that was very bitey and would be concerned about whether they had been socialised properly...

The biting stage is horrendous. Honestly. They draw blood, shred your clothes, hang off you, run around like maniacs and shred your ankles. I don’t know a puppy that hasn’t done this.

That's certainly not my experience, and I have a breed that's well known for being mouthy. I'm also a dog-sitter and look after numerous puppies - I've only ever had blood drawn once. Yes, the bites hurt and I've had some ripped clothes but it's honestly nothing like you describe.

Yes, some puppies can be a bit manic but a lot of that is down to them being hyped up and over-tired. Puppies need huge amounts of sleep and down time each day - if a puppy is being an absolute maniac then they probably need to go down for a nap.

Well not much experience with breeds here as other than a spaniel all the dogs I had when little were cross breed. I am currently after a dog but my DD is 4. So would prefer to avoid a puppy and searching in rescues however it's next to impossible to find one for children below 6. In terms of size, some medium size dogs would be ok too as long as you can take them for walks. Also they will be more able to impose some respect to your young kids :)

Mines a shitzu lhasa cross and has been a dream since day one as a pup. I'm a first dog owner and he only needs 1 walk a day of 20 mins but will happily walk for far longer. Very loving temperament and doesn't shed.

I would wait another 3 years until your youngest is 6. If my young nephews are anything to go by, little children and puppies would be the worst combination. My youngest nephew would wrestle a dog given the chance, that's how little ones get nipped (and no, the family doesn't have a dog!!) As a first time dog owner and with small children, wait. Experienced dog owners who can read dog body language and have kids trained in being around dogs can do it, but a first timer isn't recommended.

Also, you'd probably need a join a puppy waiting list anyway. This year is mental and many breeders have closed their waiting list. You might be waiting 1-2 years anyway!

Be wary of ANYONE selling litters openly right now. All good reputable breeders don't need to advertise.

@Borderstotheleftofme

I get so frustrated by people who scoop up their delicate flower so the big dog, who is paying not a blind bit of attention to them and is 40 feet away, "won't attack them"

I think it’s worth acknowledging that for many of these little dogs a bigger one could easily kill them in one swift shake or accidentally fracture limbs by jumping on them in excitement.

I have a bigger dog (roughly Labrador sized) and have been shocked by the number of both aggressive dogs and rude boisterous dogs.
I actually have had dogs ‘40 feet away’ or more come running over to attack her and I have had so called ‘friendly’ dogs knock her over in their eagerness to play.

I don’t allow her to meet and greet strange dogs anymore and I would definately not allow a teeny dog contact with other dogs.

I think that rather than being insulting and referring to them as ‘delicate little flowers’ you should instead acknowledge that if people could be bothered to train and socialise and control their dogs in the first place the owners of the tiny dogs probably wouldn’t feel panicked enough to scoop them up at the sight of another dog...

The vast majority of problems that I have is with small dogs acting aggressively towards my Border Collie - who literally has no interest at all in them and is totally ignoring them. No dog, large or small, should be bounding anywhere or acting aggressively; and if they are properly trained and socialised they will not do so. And I stand by my comment that a great many owners of small dogs treat them like handbag accessories or babies rather than dogs. If you don't like my comments about the delicate little flowers, then tough - small dogs are still dogs and should be treated as such. Scooping them up teaches the dog entirely the wrong social cues and creates the fear that causes them to act aggressively towards others. I see it all too often.

We have a medium/large dog and experienced people picking their tiny dog up when they see us.

We know small dogs who are socialised as puppies with all dogs and are great. It's the unsocialised small dogs that are aggressive and haven't learned dog behaviour.