Dogs for beginners

Santaisstilleatingmincepies · 07/01/2022 22:13

We have 2 Lurchers. 8 +11 . Very underestimated family pets. Our ds 7 is besotted with them.
Very easy to get one is to look in any farming magazine!
Lots of rescues also if your dc are old enough..

CMOTDibbler · 07/01/2022 22:15

Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue would rehome a puppy to you (as long as it was right for the pup) as they get a good number in around 6 months old. All their dogs are in foster homes and so although a puppy is a lot of work they are well known behaviourly and the fosterer will have made a lot of progress with toilet training, lead walking and sleeping. Lurchers are proper random cross breeds and when grown up are very chilled round the house. Mine spend the day snoring in my office with me, stirring for a run together or continuing to sleep if they don't like the weather

SmallGreenStripes · 07/01/2022 22:15

We got a lab/lurcher cross puppy from the local council kennels. She’s amazing. We would def go for a pure rescue next time though, when the kids are older. Probably a greyhound

Original poster

Frazzled2207 · 07/01/2022 22:19

@SmallGreenStripes

We got a lab/lurcher cross puppy from the local council kennels. She’s amazing. We would def go for a pure rescue next time though, when the kids are older. Probably a greyhound

aw that sounds like you got lucky there! We would love a greyhound or lurcher, but the fact that we have kids probably counts us out?

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SummerSazz · 07/01/2022 22:23

My Nova Scotia Duck Tollong retriever fits the bill perfectly but they are hard to get hold of (albeit ok if you're happy to wait!)

Original poster

Frazzled2207 · 07/01/2022 22:29

@SummerSazz
omg she (he?) is beautiful

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mrsrobin · 07/01/2022 22:32

I can say my lurcher makes a great running partner! Greyhounds wouldn't be the best for this. She is happy to skip along next to me (slow)! She is also fantastic with children - any children. She loves sleeping, is medium size and a sweet soul.
It really depends on the type of lurcher to what the personality is. Mine is an intelligent girl (Border Collie cross) - easy to train and keen to learn. Saluki crosses will be less easy. Don't rule a lurcher out - they are a bit under-rated as PP said.

SmallGreenStripes · 07/01/2022 22:32

Greyhounds can be amazing with kids so not necessarily, but if you want to do lots of walking they might not be for you - they run around like crazy things for about 10 minutes twice a day and the rest of the time want to be horizontal, preferably on a comfy sofa! One of our greyhounds just used to lie down on walks once she felt they were too long and wouldn’t budge unless it was in the direction of home!

SmallGreenStripes · 07/01/2022 22:33

What about a lurcher pup? Greyhound rescues sometimes have those

SummerSazz · 07/01/2022 22:40

[quote Frazzled2207]@SummerSazz
omg she (he?) is beautiful[/quote]
She!! Yes she is fab (and she knows it 😄). Toller ears are supposed to be flat but we appear to have the marmoset variant 🤣

Pic of Flat eared version attached!

LizzieMacQueen · 07/01/2022 22:43

I recommend show cocker spaniels. They do need fairly regular haircuts but we have groomers that come in a van.

HonestlyFFS · 07/01/2022 22:57

A pointer sounds like the perfect fit - German or English. Amazing with children. Will take as much exercise as you can give them and would be thrilled to run alongside you but then would be an absolute couch potato at home. Incredibly affectionate.

Pucarbuile · 07/01/2022 23:07

Our greyhound would walk all day, he's done 9km in two walks today and regularly does a slow 5k jog with me, so don't discount them. He's a retired racer and the charity we got him from foster them out for a couple of months to get a good idea of their personality. Our kids were 8 and 10 when he came to us.

wherearemychickens · 07/01/2022 23:07

@CMOTDibbler would it be possible to socialise a lurcher puppy with a couple of indoor rabbits, do you think? They could be separated in a dog-proof run, but it would have a see through front. We also have chickens in the back garden - again they'd be separated but visible. A couple of people I've spoken to have said 'avoid sighthounds' because we already have these animals?

Original poster

Frazzled2207 · 07/01/2022 23:12

loving the pointer/greyhound/lurcher ideas - friends have greyhounds and they seem so incredibly chilled.

@LizzieMacQueen
i love cocker spaniels I just get the impression (perhaps wrongly) that they're very high energy. We have friends who have two and they're a fab pair, but two dogs is definitely a step too far for us. At least initially.

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marchingtotheend2021 · 07/01/2022 23:19

@SummerSazz

My Nova Scotia Duck Tollong retriever fits the bill perfectly but they are hard to get hold of (albeit ok if you're happy to wait!)

Beautiful dog

marchingtotheend2021 · 07/01/2022 23:25

@Frazzled2207

DH and I are both 'dog people' but he's never had one and I had them growing up so not completely clueless but that was a long time ago.

Now in our early 40s with two children (8 and 6)with a bigger house, working mostly from home (likely permanently) with a dog proof (fenced in) garden we are finally having the Serious Dog Conversation. We're not in a rush and may well not be ready for a year or two, understand that waiting lists are sometimes long anyway! So just at the very beginning of thinking really and would like some pointers on which breeds we should be considering and investigating.

We are not dead set on a puppy and not that bothered about 'pedigree' but I know rescues are unlikely to rehome a rescue where there are children; also I would be slightly wary of any adult dog where I didn't know the background.

General dog considerations
-we're prepared to walk a dog for a minimum of an hour a day, probably more at weekends
-we both wfh most of the time but assuming the dog is generally well exercised it would be great if he/she could be relatively chilled for most of the working day at least and not need constant attention
-ideally would be happy to run with me on a lead (not very fast)
-medium to large breed, not a small yappy terrier. Definitely not very large dogs though like great danes.
-not a dog that needs serious grooming and/or sheds a lot
-obviously needs to be good with kids albeit not particularly small any more.

Any ideas of breeds to start researching would be great.

Also a possibly stupid question. I get the impression that these days it's basically pay 000s (and wait months) for a 'breed', either from a reputable breeder or puppy farm (obviously won't go near the latter), or hopefully get lucky at a rescue. I wouldn't mind a mongrel as long as I knew about the parentage, is there a way to get a 'legit' mongrel puppy, from a family rather than a rescue? That's where our family dogs came from!

Thanks all

I second a greyhound or cocker spaniel We have both! And they are very chilled have a few mad moments throughout the day but love a cuddle on the sofa or laying on the blankets! Our girl not long had a litter of puppies so she is a bit fed up and try's to hide away from the the puppies, I suppose to get some relief from nursing and pups jumping all over her

either are great on walks/ runs and brilliant with children.

CrotchetyQuaver · 07/01/2022 23:33

I've had various dogs over the years and currently have two crossbreeds, a terrier x and a pointer/spaniel x. The pointer x is a complete and utter joy, the happiest dog I've ever had. More pointer than spaniel in him I'd say having had a springer/cocker x before. Because he turned out so much bigger than we expected (sold to us as a terrier/spaniel x which he most definitely isn't) we did puppy classes with him which has been beneficial for all of us.

I keep away from purebreds these days because of so many health issues in them. I wouldn't hesitate to go for a pure pointer though next time, apart from my husband is nearly 70 and his walking isnt so good these days and will only get worse which was why we were after a smaller dog.

Original poster

Frazzled2207 · 07/01/2022 23:36

@marchingtotheend2021
aw, if you don't mind my asking how will you be selling the puppies if you plan on doing so? Been looking at gumtree for general inspiration (and puppy pictures!) and there are clearly some cowboys on there but some sellers look reputable. Or is that not possible.
I obviously know to look out for puppy farms, but am not sure of the most ethical way of actually ordering a dog.

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CMOTDibbler · 08/01/2022 07:49

@wherearemychickens it is possible with the right puppy, and though I don't have rabbits, I do know people with lurchers (and saw pics of another rehomed puppy from the rescue with free roaming house rabbits the other day). I do however have three cats and 4 chickens, and my chickens free range - of the many, many pups I've had only 4 wouldn't have been safe to have around divided chickens and everyone else has learnt quickly that we leave our family alone.
Obviously your 'pool' of suitable dogs is smaller when looking for this, and I'd absolutely say you need to be looking for a pup fostered with other animals in the house rather than one who has been 'tested' whatever that means. I can't speak for other rescues, but several of the EGLR fosterers have cats/chickens/furries so we can make a decision based on real life

Anon2022 · 08/01/2022 08:19

Looked at your criteria …
Similar to ours at start of covid

We ruled out greyhound / lurchers as too variable in their walking needs , and too stubborn to influence

They sound great if you want a chilled home dog - but they take up a lot of space indoors. So long as they get a zoom run occasionally , they don’t actually want much of a walk … but may not want to walk or run when you do. Quite nervous and needy too
I actually think they are great for people who chose to be home lots … but we wanted a dog who would come outside with us

We met a few families before we rules them out

In the end - the low shedding made us choose a poodle mix
We looked at the current lot popular cockapoo but find them a bit too fizzy and emotional and bouncy

In the end we went for ALD. These are a mongrel with a fancy name, bred carefully for 6 generations so you know exactly what you’re getting ( they are not the same as labradoodles which are more random as they are not a breed that’s established , but a mix of 2 breeds and could take after one or the other but no guarantees
ALD don’t shed
Are people pleasers - great around kids
Are chilled in temperament - so long as they can get some time with you
They can walk and run
They can walk lots and won’t stop short and refuse like a greyhound might
But they can cope with less
They are clever and trainable and good at recall ( unlike many sighthoinds )

They can be miniature or medium size - so you can trust them to go on a pee pee walk with your soon to be teenagers … you cannot trust kids with a sighthound who might be away across the road as soon as it sees a squirrel

They are intelligent so you can leave them with a brain toy for a couple of hours and this will keep them occupied and happy

They are amazing dogs for families and don’t shed either

We have had zero issues for our lifestyle and our changing lifestyle over the last 2 pandemic years

We do however feel they are expensive amd waits are long . There are a few breeders and you need to get your name down quick . The breeders are also very “brand conscious” so you need to either sign that you won’t allow yours to have a litter Willy nilly. This means making a choice between getting neutered very early on or committing to enter their breeding program once mature which is very strictly controlled …

We went for the former option and realise that it may not be ideal for the dog as an individual to be neutered early on …

However - we can live with this selfish decision as we do everything for our dog and he is the best dog in the world and is happy and wonderful and makes our family perfect

lostoldname · 08/01/2022 08:27

It's a bit mean to take a dog running in a lead. A walk should be their hour each day to sniff at things and meet other dogs (which also includes sniffing at things).

Original poster

Frazzled2207 · 08/01/2022 08:54

@lostoldname

It's a bit mean to take a dog running in a lead. A walk should be their hour each day to sniff at things and meet other dogs (which also includes sniffing at things).

This would be an occasional rather than regular thing. The dog would be getting its own walk at least once a day.

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HonestlyFFS · 08/01/2022 09:18

@lostoldname

It's a bit mean to take a dog running in a lead. A walk should be their hour each day to sniff at things and meet other dogs (which also includes sniffing at things).

Ridiculous comment. Some dogs are absolutely in their element doing this. Never heard of canicross?

SummerSazz · 08/01/2022 09:29

@lostoldname

It's a bit mean to take a dog running in a lead. A walk should be their hour each day to sniff at things and meet other dogs (which also includes sniffing at things).

I run occasionally with my dog on a running harness. It has flexibility and she can run in a semi circle arc around me to investigate things either side of the path. Clearly I don't run very fast 😂