What big dog?

[Lambanddog]

Please help me choose!

Non-shedding (I know, I know)
Big but not so big it has a much shorter life span
Intelligent and biddable
Not hound type that I'll struggle to recall - I know recall has to be trained but we aren't rural enough for a dog that can disappear for a couple of hours safely.

We have room/garden/nice walks/experience a few years ago.

@CarltonPeach

German Shepherd - but not the long-haired ones! Very loyal, protective, lots of fun, very intelligent, Shepherds are for me, the ultimate dog.

Definitely agree with this, apart from the shedding

My cousin has clumber spaniels, they are lovely and kind.

@LizzoBorden

Christ alive, don’t get a Weimaraner, they are a nightmare 😂 absolutely adore mine but biddable - no.

Mine is well trained but does push the boundaries 😂

Not exactly a big dog but we have a labrador and we're all in love . He's amazing.

Old English sheep dog? I have a family member that has one and pretty sure they don’t shed. They do need grooming though.

Watch out with golden doodles or any other poodle cross. Some don't shed like their poodle parent. Others shed loads like their other parent.

@daffodilsbluebells

I'm wondering if there is a biddable big dog? I used to think labs were but I hear that they can be tricky for the first two years too.

Labs are biddable, on the whole.

Any large breed dog will be ‘tricky’ for the first two year because they are the puppy/adolescent years. Big dogs take a while to mature, whatever their breed.

@Lambanddog allergies aren’t about just fur though. Dander is a bigger issue.
I would think about a breed that suits your lifestyle and then meet as many of that breed as you can.
And don’t assume hounds don’t have recall!

Many greyhounds can be recall trained. Ours is a big lad and an ex racer (who likes to chase rabbits etc as much as the next dog). We were told by the Trust we got him from that he could be suitable for recall training after a few months. He's off lead on walks every day - not on pavements, but then I'd be a bit twitchy about any dog off lead in that situation. He is pretty biddable. That said, he'd look at you as if you were a fool if you tried to get him to run round an agility circuit, but happily jumps over logs, streams and ditches and slaloms round gates on walks.