My perfect breed, does it exist?

[Porcupineintherough]

We are thinking about dog ownership but the question is, which breed of dog? They must be non-shedding and have a very low prey drive, and would ideally be small-medium and up for walks of 3-10 miles a day.

Is there such a breed?

Other than that we are a family of adults and teenagers, there is almost always someone home and I have experience of dog ownership, though always terriers which wouldnt work for us now as we have pet tortoises.

I look after a friend's Bichon Frise regularly and he pretty much fits the bill perfectly, was just wondering whether I was overlooking other options?

Why is non shedding a must? Would you be up for the grooming/trips to the groomers that most non shedders need?

Low prey drive, in what way? I have a yorkie and while small he still has that drive, and will spend hours hunting down mice. He is incredibly persistent, although anything non- rodenty is perfectly safe.

What about a mini poodle?

Non shedding as I have a minor dog allergy and do better with non shedding breeds. Yes the grooming would be fine. My job is managing woodland estates so this would be a dog that's out and about a lot so coat will need to be kept short and in good condition so I can check for ticks, burrs, brambles etc.

Prey drive mostly because of the tortoises but also because of wildlife disturbance. Tortoises dont trigger most dogs in the same way rodents would but I've never owned a terrier that wasnt at least a bit "interested" in things that move.

Agree with poodle but would strongly avoid anything that's a poodle crossbreed because there are no guarantees in terms of the coat.

My soft coated wheaten terrier has zero prey drive whatsoever but this is more individual to the dog rather than the breed. They aren't terriers in the traditional sense though so maybe worth looking into!

Miniature poodle would seem to be the obvious choice.

Llhsa Apso, they are hypo allergenic. I have a friend with one (has allergies) and my Dd has two. They are lovely dogs, and that’s coming from a cat person!

They look like this. Image from a google search.

We do a lot of walking on forestry land and in areas of long grass. People I know with poodles/poodle mixes spend a lot of time picking out grass seeds and other bits of detritus from their dog's coats.

Bichon frise, Shih Tzu, Llasa Apso.
Would you consider a cross breed? We have a Zuchon (Shih tzu x bichon) that is the most amazing dog and would totally fit your bill.

@ButFirstTea

Agree with poodle but would strongly avoid anything that's a poodle crossbreed because there are no guarantees in terms of the coat.

My soft coated wheaten terrier has zero prey drive whatsoever but this is more individual to the dog rather than the breed. They aren't terriers in the traditional sense though so maybe worth looking into!

My Wheaten didn’t have a prey drive either. She would definitely have been up for 3-10 mile walks as well. She was still terrier-ish in terms of tenacity and energy, but not at all quarrelsome or interested in prey animals. She was awesome in every way and was a fantastic all-round family dog once the dc came along. That said, she was trained extensively as a pup/youngster and had her Gold Good Citizen award by 18 months old.

I would suggest the Irish rather than English/American coat though, as mine was a nightmare with sticky burrs and brambles and had a tendency to soak up rain/water/mud etc. If I ever had another I would definitely go for the Irish coat.

You just described a Tibetan Terrier.

Lovely dogs, not likely to stray, very low prey drive, non shedding and intelligent.
Bonus point, they are friendly, very sociable and take most things in their stride. And they are not a typical Terrier, despite the name!
Picture is a TT in full coat, but it can easily be clipped!

Oooh lots of lovely choices, thank you all! I'm very interested in what you say about Wheaten terriers as I've always fancied one (only had border and Manchester terriers before). Didnt know Wheatens had different coat types, will take a look. Also the Tibetan terriers.

I've always found poodles a bit neurotic (but very smart), not had huge experience of the breed though. Definitely not a poodle cross, I've found them complete Russian roulette allergy wise - some not bad, others terrible. And no way could I get a dog then get rid, I get very, very attached to them and find loosing them traumatic. Hence 10 years since last dog (and also the tortoises who should outlive me).

Our cavachon sounds exactly what you need! Non-shedding (also have allergies), has been fine with our cats and has met a tortoise and wasn’t bothered! She will walk miles and is just so loving and good. Thoroughly recommend if you don’t mind a cross-breed (and doing the leg work to find a breeder who does all the health and DNA checks).

Ours is the irish coat! Definitely easier to manage than the American one I think although still a bit of a magnet for bits of leaves etc

OP, they are lovely dogs. Loads of energy when it's walk time, ours can do a good few miles very easily - but at home he's very sweet and sleepy, perfect for cuddling up with! He loves cats and always seems to ignore squirrels, birds etc in the park, he's never chased after a smaller animal before.

Rough collie, they only shed when blowing their coat and even then it's different to smooth coated dogs as its fluffy clumps and is easy to pick up.

Right I know pretty much chuff all about tortoises... but I’m kind of thinking prey drive might not be that much of an issue...as in, they don’t scurry about or make squeaky noises or anything?

Do they?

The slow thing is true? Not some weird thing I’ve picked up from children’s books and tv?

A warm male tortoise can be surprisingly nippy when he spots a female, as can a female trying to get away. But their movement is very much reptile, no scurrying.
The males also mew like kittens when mating and they mate a lot.

There are quite a lot of reports of tortoises being injured by dogs, so this is a concern for me.

Huh, you learn something new every day.

I now want to google mating tortoises but it seems wrong somehow, lol.

@TheGoldenWolfFleece

Miniature poodle would seem to be the obvious choice.

Some poodles can be quite prey driven.

Adult rescue and then you can see the individuals temperament and prey drive? They can be great if you tell them what you are looking for they will help match you.

With a puppy you have no guarantee how they will turn out. My friends Shih Tzus are chalk and cheese, one will walk for miles but has a high prey drive and likes to chase ducks. The other is steady and very easy going with no prey drive but not a big walker! Same breed!

My spaniels are also very different personalities as are my rescue terriers. I know breeds give us a rough idea but individual personalities vary greatly. Plus with an adult rescue you are giving a dog that needs a home one, and you have your companion ready to go!

My terrier (Jack Russell) has a pretty strong prey drive but her recall is still very good only with a slight delay specifically for cats. I don't think she'd pay the slightest attention to a tortoise bar some initial curious interest. She does she'd though mini poodles tend to be trainable

My neighbour has a tortoise and all my dogs go mental at it. Border terrier, Dalmatian and cocker spaniel. The Dalmatian has no prey drive at all for anything else but this tortoise. So they definitely do trigger prey drive. (Or just confuse the dogs).

@tabulahrasa you really need to Google it! There are some brilliant videos of tortoises mating with random things like crocs on YouTube and the noise they make is hilarious

Adult rescue is a good idea. I'd be up for that but need to decide on a breed first for allergy purposes. Will ponder some more, thanks.

I'm not sure, my friend's poodle certainly has a prey drive. She's quite small but actively looks out for mice, voles, etc and would definitely kill them given half a chance. She's in good control but I believe she has killed a few mice etc in her younger years.