Spam me with your breed knowledge please

[Nochangeplease]

I know I’m about to list several breeds that are polar opposites of each other but please any real life experience and anecdotes of these breeds will be much appreciated.
Mainly things like personality, trainability, sensitivity, exercise needs (how much and what type) and any other helpful info please.
Cocker spaniel (show)
Cavalier
Westie
Shih tzu
Or possibly some of the mixes (shihpoo, cockerpoo, cavapoo ect)
Thank you 😊

We have a cavalier King Charles spaniel, lovely placid nature and she lived to be 15 was PST about 3 years ago, no health issues at all. We have 2 1 year old Cavapoo, male and female (neutered) they're an absolute delight! Girl is lazier but barks slightly more, boy possibly more hyper and a bit clingy but both fine being left for a few hours if we're all out at work. They get 2 40 min walks each day but can easily walk 8-9 miles but are also happy with just one walk as neither likes the rain

Sorry, HAD a King Charles spaniel

Don’t get a Cavalier. Their innate health problems mean they should not be bred or sold. Health testing the parents gives no reassurance about the puppies.

@MissShapesMissStakes, he is a gorgeous boy. To be fair so is the dad of our dog. DH wasn’t keen though. I was very lucky finding the breeder of our boy. I still look at puppy adverts out of curiosity and can see how many dodgy breeders there are out there.

We have a Shih Tzu, she is amazing and works so well for our family. Very relaxed, not clingy, cuddly and so good with children of all ages. She is friendly to everyone she meets and not scared of anything that's she's encountered so far (I did work v hard early on with her socialisation). Every Shih Tzu we've met has been really sweet natured, Grooming can be a pain/expensive though but I clip her hair myself. Regarding training, toilet training was so much quicker and easier than I thought it would be. Recall took a lot longer but it was probably my fault rather than hers, now she is very, very good, i can get and keep her attention when out if there is a bike, runner etc going by us.

Sorry forgot excercise, if it's raining she's happy to miss a walk for that day and potter around and play at home. If we're all on a long walk in woods etc she'll happily keep up with us.

Shih Tzus can have health problems and I've seen a lot of overweight ones with dodgy joints, but there are also quite a few that live to a grand old age.

If you like the Shih Tzu, you will probably also like the Lhasa Apso and if you're open to a slightly bigger dog, the Tibetan Terrier. A Tibetan Spaniel is another possibility, although I think they're quite hard to get hold of and their grooming needs are a bit more complex.

Tibetan Terriers are an underrated breed imo. Generally healthy, not too tiny, full of personality and not hugely energetic, although they do enjoy being out.

Firstly its great to see you are asking as all too often i see people with a totally unsuitable dog.
You have missed one off your list The Dandie Dinmont Terrier
www.donthibernate.co.uk/dummys-guide-to-dandie-dinmont-terriers/

Separation is a big issue with most dogs talk to the breeder before you buy, ours is fine for 4 hours in her crate, but we still crate her for a couple of hours when we are home to keep the routine for when we are not working from home.
Just consider if the dogs covered in mud etc will it fit in the car with out covering you. Look at what the dog was historically used for IE a Dandie or other pest control dogs are no good if you had a cat or rabbit etc I am not saying it cant be done its just difficult and I would avoid it.

I’ve continued my research this week. I think I’m leaning towards shih tzus and more so cavapoos but cavapoos are a lot harder to find. If anyone can recommend a breeder I’d appreciate it.

The only worries I really have about shih tzus are if they have a tendancy to be a bit grumpy/snappy or if this is just down to poor training. Also, I’ve read they can’t do long walks. Generally that’s fine, but sometimes I like to wander round a nice park for a couple of hours or so and would like the dog to come.

Westies I still love but I’d also like to have off lead walks sometimes. I keep coming across Boston terriers too but don’t know much about them yet.

Thanks for all other suggestions. I’ll keep looking.

Small, scruffy rescue dogs are the way to go.

There's going to be one out there for you, you just have to find it.

Bostons have the squashed faces that predispose to breathing issues. There is one locally and she has masses of character but you can hear her breathing all the time.

The only worries I really have about shih tzus are if they have a tendancy to be a bit grumpy/snappy or if this is just down to poor training. Also, I’ve read they can’t do long walks. Generally that’s fine, but sometimes I like to wander round a nice park for a couple of hours or so and would like the dog to come.

I've had a shih tzu and she wasn't really snappy or grumpy, but quite independent. She would happily go off and sleep upstairs when I was working from home, wasn't desperate for human interaction all the time, but was incredibly affectionate and playful.

Regarding walks, as long as it wasn't ridiculously hot she could do a good 2 hours and then look to me to carry her some way.

She was a very hardy dog, too. Hardly ever at the vet for anything.

I'd have another shih tzu in a heart beat. Not sure about Cavapoo's, I think they are so "in fashion" at the minute that finding reputable breeders will be tricky.

@Chocolatedeficitdisorder

I've lived with a Westie and a Cairn. They're terriers and as such are smart, tenacious and very headstrong. Great friends and great pets but I spent many hours as a teenager watching our Cairn as he did his own thing. He would be obedient 95% of the time, but when mood took him he would go deaf and leave you standing. It wasn't a training issue - it was a personality issue.

Me too and I could have written exactly the same post! Good recall when he felt like it. When he didn't, well we had to wait for him.

Still one of best breads imo. I have one snoring on my feet right now.

Westies are small though, it's not as if they're greyhounds which can run at 40mph and leap 6ft in one go. They do have terrier independence but they also have no idea their legs are 6 inches long and they aren't fast.

Dandie Dinmonts are lovely, but aren't they really rare? There used to be an ancient one who lived near me who was the funniest-looking dog ever but a nice old chap, even if he did stink to high heaven.

Short-nosed dogs' health problems are well known but it's also worth noting that a Boston Terrier will fart far more than a dog with a normal-length muzzle. They swallow too much air.

They do have terrier independence but they also have no idea their legs are 6 inches long and they aren't fast.

Faster than your average human and smart enough to stay out of reach. Great stamina too.

Had a show cocker as a kid. He was KC registered but had all the breed associated health problems anyway... Hip problems, ear problems, stomach problems, eye problems. The hip problems ment he had to be kept on lead throughout his puppyhood and young adult life so never socialised properly and was therefore not a particularly playful dog in the way my dog is now and my parents next dog was (both crossbreeds).

I'm not sure whether this is really breed specific advice or more advice for anyone considering highly in bred dogs. But research research research.. breed specific health problems, how to check for them, how much the health insurance will be for a pedigree, ethics of the breeder etc. Make sure you get a really healthy puppy.

I have a show cocker here - although he was a rescue so might possibly be a sprocker as he’s quite a big lad. He’s a good lad. Never been a resource guarder, generally pretty healthy apart from some hip issues probably caused by being very overweight at a young age, and bright - I trained him to work and took him beating for years. He is a bugger in the car - a very good traveller alone but he can’t share the car with another dog and in the beaters wagon he always sat on my lap to avoid him knocking lumps out of the other dogs 🙈 Possibly down to a lack of early socialisation or perhaps just him, no way to know. He’s soft as anything with DS, but can be a bit clingy and has always been a ‘talker’ - all the more so as an old dog. His coat is a bit of a pain as it absorbs water like a sponge, so I clip him fairly regularly all year round.

Spaniels can be terrible sulkers if they feel slighted, and are definitely more sensitive than labs (for example). And he is a stubborn character, I trained him fairly well but some aspects of his behaviour were always a question of management - being selective about where he was let off the lead, for example, because once the nose knows, the ears stop working! And as for food... well, the time he ate a very posh picnic through the fence of the novice gundog scurry has passed into family legend But I do love him. The little bugger.

Oh, and he gets cheesy feet I do not know why.

My last two dogs were Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Both were lovely; friendly, affectionate and really sociable dogs.
The first one was all me but was lovely to all. The second was a right little character; very bossy but very entertaining and loyal. Both were very loving. Both were from reputable sources and the last one was from health tested parents. Unfortunately they both eventually succumbed to heart disease; the first at 13, the last just before 12. The demise of the first was relatively quick, but the last one managed to outlive the prognosis we were given when he had his heart scan. I think this might have been due to advancements in medication. Obviously we didn’t mind but it was quite costly, and there were times when we worried; especially towards the end of his life. Because of the heart problems I don’t think we would have another because it’s so hard to find ones without heart conditions. Saying that, I suppose they both lived to respectable ages, but one vet told me that they had had to put to sleep some at 8/9 years old. I think if they have a heart murmur this usually appears before the age of 5, but someone might be along who knows more than me. A vet might be able to advise you about the breeds as they will probably be impartial.
Good luck with your search!

He’s absolutely gorgeous! With apologies what made us prefer the cockapoo option was shape of face (or what I have in my head as a typical poodle face, which looking at your DDog, isn’t!).

We went for a Cockapoo based on research DD did - the selling points were friendliness and ability to get on with cats. The incredibly nice natured bit is true of ours but while she might like the cat, this feeling is completely unreciprocated.

She is very bouncy, this may be too much for some people. She was the runt and is submissive - gets on with other medium and small dogs but can be terrified of big ones. We live in the country so fur upkeep is time and an expense. I have to keep an eye on her dew claws.

Another vote for a full poodle here- ours is always getting mistaken for a poodle cross- she’s so affectionate and generally gorgeous:

Sorry for reviving an oldish thread. I’ve definitely narrowed it down to either a shih tzu, cavalier or westie. Possibly a cavapoo if I can find one.
Shih tzus are definitely easier to find. Cavs seem more child friendly but hard to find a good breeder and I need to find out more about things like costs further down the line of medication is needed for health conditions. Westies I just love the look of but I don’t know too much about them other than the basic info you find online.
If all was equal in terms of breeders, costs ect id probably go for a cavalier. Although they shed a lot apparently.