What dog should we get?

[Amielondon23]

Ok so I’m a fairly experienced dog owner. I need help deciding on a breed that will fit our lifestyle. I keep finding a breed I love them find something that puts me off - usually health wise.
We have a 6 year old and a cat.
We are always home (even pre lockdown)
If we pop out it’s only for a couple of hours.
We want a friendly happy dog that gets on with people, dogs and cats.
We have a large house but small garden.
We can walk 1 hour sometimes 2 hours a day.
I don’t want a barky dog.
I don’t want any dog with a flat face that can’t breathe!
Something fairly healthy (obvs I know all breeds have something health wise bad going on)

I love retrievers! But worried 1 hour walk a day won’t be enough
Also love all spaniels but again worried 1 hour walk isn’t enough .

Any recommendations?

We have 2 Lurchers.. And a dcat.
Very underestimated family pet.. Great off lead... No shedding as such. Not a smelly ddog either!! My ds 6 absolutely adores them. Very obedient.. Don't steal food. Fold up small!! Need a speed round then sleep mostly!! Can walk hours if you wish also!!

I don't believe you @Easterbunnygettingready

You clearly have 1 lurcher next to a large mirror

Better pic! Health wise very low maintenance!!

What gorgeous pooches!

I was going to suggest a greyhound or lurcher but you have a cat 😬. A Bichon Frise or Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (if they are not too small).

Do not get a vizsla. I've got one. They are very loyal. Will never run off but they are scared of their own shadows and bark and grumble constantly.
Had a Rottweiler, I loved her, she was my baby but the first three years were tough and she tested me every single day over everything, have to have her PTS last year due to elbow dysplasia. It's very common in certain breeds as they are so inbred. You'll love whatever you get and accept their Naughty ways.

I have a ten month old golden retriever and she doesn't get one hour walks! She's pretty content with half an hour in the morning off lead at her own pace, then a short lead walk in the afternoon. Trying to build up her walks slowly due to the reasons another PP said, they are prone to hip and elbow issues!

My friend has retired greyhounds, an they get on fine with her cats.

My dc can also manage to take ddogs out alone. Ds was 10 when he first took 1 at a time. Ddogs enjoy a bedtime story every night too! Very very gentle natured. 1 we have had since tiny and her dm for 3 years now.

And Lurcher puppies are so cute!!

I love greyhounds and Lurchers but think it can always go one of two ways. They are either fine with them or they chase them.
My cat is an old man so definitely wouldn’t be able out run one

I love cavaliers- I had one but they have too many health issues

Thats good to know that retrievers would be happy with an hours walk.
On a weekend we would walk for longer than that.

My husband and daughter are very keen on getting a dog as they’ve never had one. I have had dogs and I know walking them in the wind and rain isn’t always much fun but has to be done. That’s why sometimes the dog would have to be content with shorter walks sometimes.

I’m thinking if we got a puppy Lurcher he would be used to cats. That would be less risky than rescuing one. Definitely going to research Lurchers. Puppy pic is very cute

Golden Retriever 100%. We used to throw a ball for ours, so he had plenty of exercise. Being a retriever, he loved bringing his ball back. They have such a lovely nature and are great with kids/cats/dogs etc.

We have the dd and her dm. Dm was a working ddog. Very good at it (def not OK with me but wasn't my ddog back then).. She quickly got to know dcat wasn't for her to chase! She was 7/8 when she came and is intrigued with dcat. Very gentle and accommodating!! The dd is well aware he has claws after being a bit pushy when young. They all get along great.

Maybe an idea to get a farming life type newspaper... Be breeders there who aren't as much in it for the £££. Just seen locally Lurchers going for 1k!! Mine was free!!

Another vote for a golden retriever. Ours is a great family pet. He's now 5 years old. Really chilled and relaxed in the house and actively seeks out the DC to lie close to them when they're playing/reading/watching TV. He's like a best friend to them and he's big enough to properly hug and loves cuddles and being talked to. He also seems to notice if you're sad and puts his head on your lap.

I always thought he would be more hyper than he is but he's v calm indoors but still loads of fun and bouncy when playing, either in the house or when on walks. Doesn't bark at all and really sociable with other people and dogs. We also have an 8 year old cat, no issues there - she is definitely in charge! He was relatively easy to train too and always wants to please.

Only drawback I can think of is probably him being a bit of a mud magnet! And hairy too.

He gets at least two half hour walks a day, not always off lead. Every other day we manage an hour walk, usually off lead.

We had a collie cross before who was also a great dog, but definitely preferred his own space and didn't seek out the DC in the same way our retriever does. He also needed far more exercise!

Good luck with deciding!

Good on you for doing your research OP.

I accept that it's easy to overgeneralise but to reduce risk to your cat I would avoid all sighthounds (including lurchers), and terriers. I'm a dog Walker and love both breed groups but the instinct to chase small furries runs very very deep within most of these dogs and training it out of them is an uphill task that can defeat every effort because it is hardwired into their DNA. Many can be 'almost' reliably trained not to chase, but almost isn't good enough to keep your cat safe. There are exceptions of course, but IMO it's not worth the risk.

Once past adolescence most balanced retrievers and labradors can cope with an hours walk a day, especially if you are at home and able to provide companionship most of the time.

Retrievers are fantastic. The one I have at the moment (I'm a puppy Walker) is 18 months old...some days we only have a half hour free run, she still snores her head off all afternoon!

Sorry, pressed post too soon! Anyway, she's hilarious, totally adores everyone but is a total muck magnet. She will roll around in puddles, fox poo, jump in the canal for a swim etc. We've never had any problems with her in the house in terms of chewing etc, and she never barks (although she used to bark at me when she was little but managed to put a stop to it) I don't think I'd ever choose any other breed but as with any dog, you really do have to put the time in when they are little. It will pay off in the end!

We have leonberger and they are such happy friendly souls, I’ve not found a thing they don’t like and they just sleep when they are not being interacted with. They don’t require loads of exercise either but not everyone likes giant dogs!

I also do love retrievers however they are higher energy than ours by quite a bit!

I wouldn't recommend a lurcher, whippet or greyhound with a cat. Like you say, it might be okay, but if it's not, the consequences could be disastrous.

I'm also really surprised about people saying retrievers are happy with 30 minute walks - that really doesn't seem like enough to me, especially when they're young. I wouldn't expect all retrievers to be happy with such a small amount of exercise, to be honest.

Other breeds you might want to consider:

Shih-tzu.
Papillon.
Pomeranian (though they can be yappy).
Cairn terrier.
Bichon Frise.
Lhasa Apso.

@sunflowersandbuttercups I've never aimed to tire my girl out through exercise and hours of walking as I, along with a lot of other retriever owners, have concerns about their joints. They like lots of mental stimulation. Plenty of time for hours of exercise when she is older and musculoskeletally mature. She also doesn't get upstairs or to jump in and out of the car. Good breeders will usually inform their puppy owners to avoid high impact exercise and jumping up etc in young dogs.

[quote abeanbaked]@sunflowersandbuttercups I've never aimed to tire my girl out through exercise and hours of walking as I, along with a lot of other retriever owners, have concerns about their joints. They like lots of mental stimulation. Plenty of time for hours of exercise when she is older and musculoskeletally mature. She also doesn't get upstairs or to jump in and out of the car. Good breeders will usually inform their puppy owners to avoid high impact exercise and jumping up etc in young dogs. [/quote]
I wasn't referring to puppies, though - a fully grown adult retriever should need more than 30 minutes of walking a day - otherwise I would argue it was extremely out of shape.

@sunflowersandbuttercups 'I'm also really surprised about people saying retrievers are happy with 30 minute walks - that really doesn't seem like enough to me, especially when they're young.'

Sorry, 'young' is wide open to interpretation IMO. Was just putting across that I wouldn't recommend over exerting a young retriever, which is anything under 18 months. Also, just my opinion and advice to someone who hasn't owned one before.

[quote abeanbaked]**@sunflowersandbuttercups* 'I'm also really surprised about people saying retrievers are happy with 30 minute walks - that really doesn't seem like enough to me, especially when they're young*.'

Sorry, 'young' is wide open to interpretation IMO. Was just putting across that I wouldn't recommend over exerting a young retriever, which is anything under 18 months. Also, just my opinion and advice to someone who hasn't owned one before. [/quote]
Yeah, when I say young, I mean 2-5 years old or so, rather than the puppy stage. I should have been a bit clearer, lol.