What breed?

[guardiansofthegalaxychocs]

We are considered getting a dog next year.

Our circumstances are:
I work out of the house about 2 school length days per week, usually my husband is home then. I only work in term time so would be looking to get at the start of the summer hols, to settle them in. They need to be okay with being left for short periods (couple of hours) eventually but mostly we will be around (this is a pre covid working pattern so very unlikely to change, I feel I should add!). Weekends we usually go for walks anyway, so dog can come too.

We live in a city with a big house and medium sized garden.

We have two school aged young children kids.

We would value a loving pet, who enjoys lots of affection and doesn’t need too much mental stimulation.

I grew up with dogs in the countryside, but the breed I grew up with needs a lot of exercise, lots of mental stimulation and is quite large. So looking for a breed that be happy in a more urban environment.

Any suggestions?

Get a cat. All dogs need mental stimulation and a green space to run around on.

All dogs need quite a bit of excercise

@Immaculatemisconception

Get a cat. All dogs need mental stimulation and a green space to run around on.

I thought the same!

An adult rescue cat would meet your 'affectionate and not needing much mental stimulation' criteria best.

Absolutely, I grew up with dogs. I’m aware all need exercise and stimulation, but some need to be doing elaborate trails to keep interest. Others are happy going on daily walks a couple of times a day and longer family walks at the weekend. Not all breeds are the same.

I grew up with springer spaniels who need A LOT of exercise. They can go on a 15 mile walk and still feel a bit short changed

Retired greyhound owner since May 2020. Gentle with all people, quite lazy, needs only 2 20 min walks a day but happy to go for longer ones. Short coat so not much shedding. Love her!

We have a Basset Hound who is happy with 30-45 mins playing in the park with her pals or longer weekend walks. Happily sleeps at home but adores attention, she'll do the rounds of people in the park for stroking.

We have an 8 year old and they are fantastic with children, ours loves just pottering around the garden during the day.

They need a different approach to training but aren't untrainable, moult a lot but aren't smelly. Don't wash them, just a regular brush.

Fantastic family dog, easy going but just typical hound attitude so can be very stubborn,

Hmm, I think we need a lot more information tbh - have a think about things like:

• the amount of exercise you're consistently able to give each day.
• what kind of coat type you're happy with - eg. is shedding going to bother you, are you happy to brush daily - what about things like trips to the groomers?
• what traits you would like in a dog and what traits you absolutely couldn't cope with (so think about things like recall, barking, prey drive, intelligence).

From what you've said, a companion type breed sounds best but many don't like being left alone so you need to think about that long-term.

Retired greyhound? They can cope with a couple of short walks and otherwise sleep a lot. The ones I know are a bit nice but dim so def wouldn't be too demanding on the mental stimulation front!!

I think a Lhasa Apso would be a good match.

An adult Tibetan Terrier. They are very people oriented and love being with you. They are happy with a long or short walk, happy to just sit by your feet all day or go wherever you go...
Puppies however are very different. If you are willing to put in the time, you will have your perfect family dog.

Thanks for the suggestions. Will look into them.

In addition to icedcoffees questions, which are important, what are your views on drool?

I think there are quite a lot of breeds which could suit you (especially if you use a walker or doggy day care on your working days, again especially when the pup is younger) but don't want to offer suggestions whilst key questions are unanswered

How about a whippet/lurcher/greyhound.

Walks wise - 2X 30min walks daily, first thing and late afternoon, and then longer walks at the weekends. We live about 10 minutes from an enclosed park but for bigger walks we’d need to take them out in the car.

Coat wise- to be honest I’m a bit scared off by the long haired breeds. I imagine they need a lot of detangling. I’m happy doing daily grooming but only had experience with medium haired dogs before. So might need to do some more research on that.

Not too bothered by drool.

Watching with interest.

Lurchers are very underestimated family pets ime.
Love a zoomie.
Love snoozing more!!
Love a jumper.
Love a blanket..
And bloody love dc..
Very loyal and loving.
Ours are great off lead. And we have dcats.

If you don’t want one that needs mental stimulation I’d say don’t get a poodle or poodle mix.

@guardiansofthegalaxychocs

Walks wise - 2X 30min walks daily, first thing and late afternoon, and then longer walks at the weekends. We live about 10 minutes from an enclosed park but for bigger walks we’d need to take them out in the car.

Coat wise- to be honest I’m a bit scared off by the long haired breeds. I imagine they need a lot of detangling. I’m happy doing daily grooming but only had experience with medium haired dogs before. So might need to do some more research on that.

Not too bothered by drool.

2 x 30 minutes isn't much at all, so I would say you need to look at either a sighthound breed (greyhound, maybe whippet) or a companion breed like a Maltese, Lhasa Apso or Shih-tzu type.

However, the latter dogs would need regular (daily) brushing and trips to the groomers to keep them fresh and tangle-free - the last thing you want is a matted dog as it's painful for them and unpleasant for you. You also need to make sure they're brushed out properly after muddy walks.

A couple of considerations;

• if you get a pup at the start of the holidays, they'll only be 14-18 weeks when you go back to work (depending on age you get them). My dog (cocker spaniel) couldn't manage a couple of hours alone until 7+ months, and some pups in our online support group haven't yet mastered it at 12-14 months. Have a back up plan for this, if your DH can't be home.

• puppies need a lot of interaction and a degree of mental stimulation - you won't get the calm adult dog you desire til after adolescence (12-24 months depending on breed and pup). An adult rescue may be a better option if a mad bitey zoomy pup will drive you up the wall.

I think you are absolutely right in ruling out springers/cockers or other working type breeds. Retired greyhound could be a good suggestion (low maintenance coat too) or one of the small companion breeds (Lhasa Apso? Cavalier - although be aware of the health issues?). These often have higher maintenance coats though...

From what you’ve said, I definitely think a companion breed (especially Lhasa Apso or Shih Tzu), or a small, low-medium energy adult rescue, would suit you best. Obviously avoid anything high energy and high intelligence, like Spaniels, Border Collies, etc.

A Dachshund could be another option, especially since the short-haired ones don’t need much grooming. I walk a few of them, and they are so damn sweet (especially the males). They can be a bit stubborn though, and damn do they love to dart into corners for chicken bones and other city street trash. They might be a bit too sparky and energetic for what you’re looking for though.

2x30min walk is very short walk.any active breed is out of the question for you.Greyhounds sounds appropriate,they need a good short run twice a day and the rest of the day they snooze.however some greyhounds have a very strong prey instinct and chase anything small for the kill(cats and dogs included).maybe a so called toydog is the best choice for you.

Border Terrier ?

Whippet? Almost always very sweet natured, not terribly bright, happy to do a longer walk but not demanding, curl up like cats. Can be terrible food thieves. Don't shed much.

If you want a bit more sass from your dog, maybe a schipperke. Damnably cute, great little guard dogs (fine with other dogs if socialised), will get by on a decent-sized garden and a couple of shortish walks but also capable of going miles. Quite bright though - you will need to play a schip - but by no means as knackering as a springer. Usually a very fit and hardy breed.

@Santahatesbraisedcabbage

Lurchers are very underestimated family pets ime. Love a zoomie. Love snoozing more!! Love a jumper. Love a blanket.. And bloody love dc.. Very loyal and loving. Ours are great off lead. And we have dcats.

After reading this thread, I looked at a a local greyhound rescue site and saw a lovely lurcher. Now on our list.

I would say a Lurcher (although probably not a straight Saluki or Collie cross) would probably suit, given your description.

My boy is Deerhound/Saluki x Greyhound/Bearded collie and has been the sweetest, calmest, easiest dog we’ve ever had (he’s now over 16 and came to us as a rescue pup). As a youngster he was happy with a couple of short off-lead zoomie walks a day, but equally happy going for a good hike or spending all day on the beach during summer weekends/holidays. He’s an absolute sweetheart, very loving and loyal, fantastic with our (admittedly very dog aware dcs) but bless him, not the brightest bulb in the box. He enjoys trying brain games, but needs an awful lot of help and is perfectly happy without. His favourite activity at home is sleeping and the more blankets that involves the better! He is long coated and does shed, but there are plenty of short coated Lurchers that have similar coats to Greys/Whippets as well. My other Lurcher was also rough coated, but with Bedlington-type wispy fur and super soft, short fur on his legs and stomach. He barely shed and needed very little grooming.

Given your timescales for settling in, I would consider an adult rescue that has been fostered, rather than a pup (although pups/litters do come up in rescue fairly often). Several of the Greyhound/Lurcher rescues rehome on a case-by-case basis in this way, matching appropriate homes to dogs, so don’t have child/age specific restrictions on who rehomes their dogs. EGLR and Lurcher Link are two to take a look at.

An alternative would be a Whppet, which would suit you once mature, but you would need to bear in mind that they are generally absolutely bonkers as puppies.