Pedigree dog for brand new dog owners

[TheBermudaTriangle]

Hi all - firstly, thanks in advance for any thoughts/advice.

My DH and I would love to have a dog, but have always put this dream on the back burner. My question is - would a reputable dog breeder "allow" us to have a dog from their litter?

Neither my DH nor I have had a dog before. I grew up with cats, and my DH had no pets (we currently have a (rescue) cat). It makes me a little worried because I suppose we would be deemed 'higher risk' as we have no prior experience of dog ownership etc.

Would this be a problem, particularly for medium or large breed dogs?

Aww how lovely @Furries - what lovely sounding dogs. Are they easy to train/fairly obedient in terms of recall etc?

We’ve always had working cockers & springers; they are super affectionate and intelligent so easy to train but they do get bored if they’re not stimulated so need a lot of exercise and do hate to be left alone (to the point that we can’t use the loo without scratching at the door) but the positives far outweigh any minor negatives, not sure what they’re like with cats though

@TheBermudaTriangle - they are fairly easy to train. The main thing is for training to be consistent and positive (true with all dogs). Choose your command words and all family members commit to the same strategy. Don’t mix up your commands, keep it simple (sit, down, stay etc - not sit down, that’s confusing!). Once she’d got the basics, I added in hand signals for sit, down and stay. This can be useful for all dogs. Our tone of voice can change depending on our day, mood etc. A hand signal is always a constant.

For me, the main thing was manners as I knew she was going to be big! So, no jumping up - treats were only given/behaviour rewarded when all four paws were on the floor. No jumping on furniture or bounding up and down stairs - larger breeds take longer to mature so their bones stay softer for a while. And no barging me out the way to get through a doorway.

They really are gentle giants as long as they have basic manners. They are often nicknamed Lean-on-Bergers as a favourite thing to do is sit next to you and then lean right into you - you need good knee control if you’re not expecting it 🤣

And as pp said, they don’t take up as much room as you think they would - they don’t constantly barge around the house, they tend to find their spot and chill out.

My girl sadly passed away last week at 9.5, which is a pretty good age for a Leo. She has left a huge void in the house and in my heart. Sadly, for health reasons of my own I don’t think I’m going to be able to have another dog. But, if I could, it would definitely be another Leo, nothing else would do now.

And, for me, my main priority was my cats. As a breed, they are known for being good with kids and other animals. I had to immediately rule out sighthounds.

Thanks very much @Furries - your beautiful girl was clearly a sweetheart. I am completely on the same page re: not having a dog over excitedly jump on greeting etc (especially on strangers), so a chill / gentle character and ability to follow instructions is really important.