Which breed would suit us?

[NeilTheBaby12]

I was wonder whether anyone could help me decide which dog breed would suit our family?

We've wanted a puppy for ages and had a breed in mind that we were both set on but...now I'm questioning myself.

It's just me, my partner and our 4 year old DC. I work school hours (currently at home but could change) and partner works full time out of the house. If I were to go back to work, we'd ofcourse arrange suitable care for the dog. We havent got hours to spend in fields but do have about 45 minutes in the morning and 1 hr - 1hr 30 in the evening to walk a dog. My partner really doesnt like small 'cute' breeds such as westies, pomeranians ect. Were not particularly keen on terriers with the exception of a SBT. Were happy to take pup training and train at home. We have a small house so although we'd love a large breed such as a golden retriever, I think a large dog would find the lack of space quite stressful in our house. So...any ideas?

Oops, probably should have had a little proof read of this before I posted!

The size of your house shouldn't matter at all if you can give the dog plenty of walks and mental stimulation. Mine spends most of his indoor time sleeping or eating so I really don't think he's phased by the lack of space, lol.

Have either of you ever have dogs before?

I would look at breeds like labradors, golden retrievers, whippets and maybe even spaniels if you have lots of energy.

A whippet? Or small lurcher? Hounds like that are known to fold up small and snooze a lot

They can be sensitive to separation anxiety though… so maybe not ideal to be left most of the day

Same for all dogs really

The puppy years need a lot of hands on owner interaction

We can currently only leave our (very laid back) £ month old pup for about 2 hrs a day

Spaniels are small but “proper” dogs and fun, but very dynamic and, again, can’t be left all day…

£ = 7

Standard Schnauzer - very adaptable dogs and not yappy like the miniatures, nor as enormous as the giants. Hard to find, but tolerate periods on their own and adaptable exercise wise.
Extended family used to have 2 and they were lovely creatures.
In my opinion, females of most breed as easier to train, but that’s based on experience with Labs.

I agree that it’s not the size if the house but the time and your own fitness levels.
You mentioned golden retrievers, be mindful that there are big differences within the breed, sine of them need lies of exercise, others don’t.

What are your thoughts on size, amount of grooming needed, shedding and levels of drool?

And what is it about terriers that puts you off ? (Not criticising, it's just that the reason might inform other choices)

The reason we think the size of the house would be bad for a larger breed is just that I know that they sometimes dont realise how big they are and I can imagine them bumping into things, knocking things over ect and it makes me feel sad for them 😂
Also...I dont think we would be able to exercise them enough.

In terms of terriers, we dont really like how most of them look and from personal experience (not saying that all types of terriers are like this) I have found that they dont often have the nicest temperaments and can be snappy. I have found that lots like to bark a lot too!

Grooming - we dont mind brushing daily and taking a dog to the groomers as required. Not fussed about shedding either as I vaccume every day anyway due to having a messy 4 year old!

My dream dog would be a golden retriever or a cocker spaniel but realistically I dont think we could do enough for them.

That activity level is fine for a show cocker. For spaniels it's as much about tiring their brains out as their bodies. Sniffing, retrieving, finding, working for their food.

A beagle

A show golden is a lazy as they come. Stay away from the working ones.

If you like SBTs then a SBT!

They're such lovely family dogs (when not owned by utter dickheads)....they used to be known as 'Nanny dogs' because of their calm nature with children.

I grew up with a SBT and he had the sweetest nature...very easy to train (except recall, we had to keep him on a lead as the little bugger would never come back).

Big enough to enjoy good walks out with the family but lazy enough not to be bothered if they don't get huge long walks every day.

Plus their faces look like brown bears 🐻

Size of your house is unimportant. Dogs don't go bumping into things. A puppy is a baby, for some months,4 meals a day, going outside hourly to toilet train. Crying at night and when left alone. Grooming.not so much excercise when they are young,not till their bones etc are strong. 6 months on,lots of excercise. Spaniels are high energy dogs. As for breed recommendation, depends if you've had dogs previously

We havent owned a dog before. Only had dogs as children/teenagers.

In terms of terriers, we dont really like how most of them look and from personal experience (not saying that all types of terriers are like this) I have found that they dont often have the nicest temperaments and can be snappy. I have found that lots like to bark a lot too!

You don’t like the look of terriers? All of them? Yorkshire, cairn, australian, english bull, boston, airdale, dandie dinmont, jack russell? Only a few but all completely different.

I have a terrier (yorkshire) fantastic temperament, not yappy… his most terrier like quality is his mousing ability.

Cairns are a favourite too. Wonderful little dogs.

Also...I don't think we would be able to exercise them enough

Don't underestimate how much exercise smaller dogs need - it's often more than larger ones, in reality.

Most dogs (bar serious working breeds like pointers or working spaniel breeds) would be fine with the level of exercise you're proposing, though.

However if you're set on a smaller dog, what about something like a whippet? They don't need hours of exercise, fold up small on your sofa and are generally pretty okay at being left alone for a few hours too. They don't need grooming either :)

As a long term dog owner I would say get a small to medium mongrel puppy, or as someone already said a beagle would be a lovely choice as have a lovely placid personality. My husband has a history of bringing dogs to the house - not ideal with young kids as it’s like having another baby in the mix, one that poops and wees everywhere for a while, the floor which your kids play on! and causes a lot of extra work in the household! Never mind the kids pulling the dog with sharp teeth around! Good luck!

As a beagle owner myself, I wouldn't really recommend them for first-time owners, even though it's worked out really well for us.

They are very very hard work as puppies and adolescents - there's a reason why Beagle Welfare has a large number of adolescent dogs up for rehoming!

They are independent, intelligent, noisy, prone to separation anxiety and have very high prey drives. It can be difficult to let them off the lead (particular in autumn and spring due to all the smells) and they are surprisingly strong for their size.

Yes, they are excellent with children and have wonderful personalities but they are not the easiest dogs to train and own and they dislike being left alone for long periods too.

I love mine and I wouldn't swap him, but I don't have a small child and I don't have to worry about him being left alone for long periods either.

I LOVEEE all the spaniels! I originally wanted at 'show' cocker but my oh has said he doesnt like them. Cant have a working due to the amount of exercise and mental stimulation that they need. Same goes for a Springer spaniel. I absolutely love Cavaliers but am aware of the long list of serious health issues.

We finally agreed on a SBT a few months ago (I've had a few growing up) but I keep questioning it due to my DC still being quite young. I know staff's and I know the likelihood of them turning on their own family is very slim but people keep scaring me about their large mouths and strong jaws and it makes me question my decision which is annoying as I know that breed better than they do but there still a niggling doubt.

We also considered a beagle but after a bit of research and reading a few threads on here I realised that we probably wouldnt be able to offer what they need. A family member had one when I was a child and he coped perfectly well with being left, didnt destroy the house ect but on reflection I think she just got lucky with an easy beagle.

So basically, my dream dog would be a golden receiver or a cockers spaniel where as my OH favourite dog would be a SBT or a french bulldog. I have flat out refused a french bulldog due to their health issues and I cant imagine spending my summer worrying that the heat is going to kill the dog!

I've got 2 SBTs and have owned SBTs most of my adult life. Training and socialisation is key.

Currently I have a 4 Yr old and a 7 Yr old and they are fabulous with my DS8 who has aspergers and adhd. We do keep a close eye but not once have they snapped with him.

Agree with a bitch being easier to train than a dog. The dog has a shorter attention span and we've struggled to find something interesting enough to keep it.

I'd go for a whippet or smaller sized lurcher. Fairly easy to train, only need a couple of short blasts a day for exercise, they're fairly lazy and sweet otherwise!