Recommend me a dog

[Frenchfancy]

Some of you may remember we lost our Ddog (a 14 year old Gordon setter) at the end of July. We were looking to replace her with a rescue straight away but for various reasons that hasn't happened.

So now we are looking for a puppy. Our instinct is to go for a gun dog, pointer, weimaraner type. But we have recently adopted a kitten so I gather weimaraners aren't a good idea. I've seen some dalmatians but the amount of exercise they need is putting me off (but are they really worse than setters?)

The main change in our lives since we had our last puppy (other than dcs growing up - I was pregnant with DD3 now she is 14 and her sisters are adults) is the fact that I now work part time out of the house. Most days I just work mornings but I work all day on Monday (could come home at lunchtime for a 30 minute walk).

Things we loved about Ddog, loyalty, playfulness, security (no need for a door bell and no danger of an intruder)

Things we didn't love, the hair.

So please help me find our next dog. I would go for an 'oodle of some sort but they are practically unknown in France.

Lol I know several Weims! All lovely level headed dogs! Make sure u use an HPRs brain and u have a lovely dog

What does an HPRs brain mean?

What about an Italian Spinone?

Don’t believe the bad press about Staffies. They are wonderful family dogs. I’ve mentioned in here many times, enough to bore the pants off people, that when I attend dog shows,the terrier group with my bolshy bunch of dour Scots, the rings most crowded round with families with small children & prams in tow are the Staffie rings. You don’t get that round other terrier rings.
If any help my son has two Cocker Spaniels, both working type, that are kept well under the paw by his two cats.

I had Irish setters for years and highly recommended them to anyone who will listen to me, but reading through your requirements they are rubbish at security - more likely to wag their tail or hide than bark at intruders, and shed.... You could make a Teddy dog after each grooming session.
But they are the best dogs in the world. Fact.
I'm on waiting lists for litters next year...

We have vislas and weineramers on the farm, they occasionally half heartedly chase the farm cats buts it's never with any intent. Most of the time you find them snoozing in the sunlight in a stable with one of the horses. They bark like mad when someone comes on the yard so good alert dogs. They seem quite lazy but have the freedom of being out all day and lots of people coming and going all day to fuss them, and go up the fields once or twice a day for a run. Absolutely lovely dogs.

@Frenchfancy HPRs is a collection for Wiem/ viz/ pointer. They were bred to hunt point retrieve

So as much as there are differences between them there are also a lot of similarities. So what I meant by hpr brain is they like to think and be trained. They like to please and be with people. You can walk them all day long but if u mentally tire one u have a much happier dog

@PrayingandHoping thanks for the explanation. We do generally favour gun dogs. Now wondering about a Labrador.

Staffies here are split into two types, Staffordshire bull terrier and American Staffs. The later are a category dog that needs a licence and needs to be muzzled in public. The former seem to be the family friendly ones. Of course it is mostly the latter that are available. I have found a litter of Staffordshire bull terrier but they are going for double the price of a wiemaraner.

If you've had a setter before, OP, you will find the HPRs similar in some ways, though probably more drivey as there seem to be more pet lines in the setters than in the HPRs. They are similar in size, and are all bred to quarter the ground very wide and to point game.

Labradors shed like buggery. Lovely dogs but hair everywhere.

I'd also add that if you go down the gundog route, be aware if you're not already of the show/work split in several breeds. It's marked in the spaniels, goldens and labs, and becoming noticeable now in the HPRs: you still get dual champion HPRs (winning shows and trials) but for how much longer I don't know.

The working-line dogs will tend to be more active and more driven than the show-bred ones. They make fantastic dogs in the right hands but can end up as neurotic, frustrated nightmares in the wrong ones.

I was brought up with (I was 4 when we got them, 19 when the last one died) 2 female Dalmatians. They didn't need any more exercise than the average dog as far as I can remember. I am pretty sure we only walked them once a day, and this suited them (they had no behavioral issues to suggest this wasn't enough). We used to play with them in the garden too. They were big softies and nothing made them happier than cuddling up to us (one of them even thought she was a lap dog!). I'd get Dalmatians again in a heartbeat (if only I had a bigger home!)

Gordon setter is my dream dog. My second dream is a flat coat 🥰

I would say if you are prepared to go smaller a couple of good breeds that often get a bad rep are Lhasa Apso and Yorkshire Terriers. I have forever heard people call them noisy or yappy, but they are not like this when trained well. Both breeds that will really protect your house and have decent barks for their size. I have found them easy to train, no issues.

They don’t shed hair, hair will only come out when you brush. Lhasa’s do need a wee bit more upkeep as they have double coats, but if you get them groomed regularly it is easy to manage. Both are dogs which are said to be good for older people or less active folks as they don’t need lots of exercise but both my Lhasa and my Yorkie ran and walked miles every day. Terrific with my kids as well and just absolutely devoted to their families.

There no diff is working and show gsps and none I've seen in the other hprs. In build or temp.

In gsps like most breeds you just need to research lines. German gsps (I know... sounds odd!) are much more hunty grab English bred ones. The terrain they have been worked on is more open so they are more independent and can bog off hunting more easily than English bred ones which work more closely (although not close cloSe)

There no diff is working and show gsps and none I've seen in the other hprs. In build or temp
I heard a talk by a long-time breeder (50 yrs) of GSPs last summer. She works her dogs and said that in her view there is a split developing between work and show, that it used to be said that any GSP would work and that this is not necessarily true any longer. I have heard another GSP breeder (40 yrs in the breed) say that the show ring is beginning to reward conformation that in her view isn't good for dogs that are expected to go all day (too upright in the shoulder, I think she said). Her dogs win in the ring as well as in field trials so I assume she knows what she's talking about.

My understanding from talking to a couple of people with working Weims is that similar things are happening there.

I agree about the German import GSPs, though. Big, wide-running and amped.

I've been in gsps a fair few years but not that long. The breeder (dog) I get mine from has been in them a long long time and has gone best of breed at crufts and is a judge herself. I know that's her opinion and the dogs she breeds. I've never heard the opinion to be different on gsp fb pages either.

If u stand them next to each other there is no difference, not like cockers/labs. And many are crossed lines. Yes mine have a lot of show gsp in them but they also have working lines and the bitch line in both of mine worked. That's often how they are bred.

Neither of mine show or work! They do agility lol! True jack of all trades dogs. But I don't and won't ever breed.

Judges may start to be being swayed by a certain conformation. That sort of thing sadly happens in all kinds of showing.

They do agility lol! True jack of all trades dogs
I'd agree there. I know a couple of pets, a couple who work and one who is a therapy dog. I know a lot do canicross as well.

Yes they are v popular for canicross

Any gsp we get would most likely be a working type. We are in rural France and such dogs are bread for hunting and are rarely kept as pets. They are normally kept outside un kennels or outhouses and only get out on Sundays for half the year. Even our setter was from a hunting line.

How about a rough collie? Mine hardly sheds, they blow their coat twice a year though but it's easy to pick up. Good watch dogs, really friendly, playful and tend to stick near you on walks.

@hennaoj I'm amazed that t they don't shed. Do they suffer in the heat? We get long summers here.

[quote Frenchfancy]@hennaoj I'm amazed that t they don't shed. Do they suffer in the heat? We get long summers here.[/quote]
They shed a tiny bit when they aren't blowing their coat but when they blow the undercoat you can make a whole new dog with it, it can be blasted outside when that happens. His sister is living in France. There are collies in Florida, I think they must acclimatize to the heat.

Not for everyone but as you're looking at large dogs a Rhodesian Ridegeback could suit your requirements.

Pros:
Affectionate, people-focused dogs.
Sheds but only short hair so hoovers up fine.
Can wipe down quickly
Fine with cats if brought up with them
Good intruder deterrent (bark/size)
Needs hound-level exercise (short and off-lead) rather than gun-dog level.

Downsides:
Not as biddable as gundogs
Boisterous as puppies.
You couldn't leave for a whole day for the first few months.

I have a Dalmatian and I love him to pieces.

Cons:

Sheds constantly
Tall and like to steal food - constant battle on training there
Prone to allergies
If you aren't chatty you'll still get stopped a lot

Pros:
Friendly and soft as anything
Is bright and can learn things (he's leaving his teen phase now so that's helped)
Likes a good walk but needs nothing like the web would have you believe
Excellent companion
Spotty
If you're social you'll get stopped a lot

Honestly he's fab. Took a bit of work to leave him, but that's partly because we work from home, but he's grown into a beautiful, gentle, intelligent dog.

DH likes Rhodesian RBs but I just don't think I could love one. They make me nervous(not normally nervous around dogs and it has nothing to do with any reputation). Dd2 had a friend who had 2. She said they were friendly.

I've seen some Staffie x boxer pups. I quite like boxers.