Show me your little white dogs!

[Coursha]

My 10 year old niece has finally talked her mum and dad into getting her a dog but it has to be a small white one! Any recommendations? She has an 8 year old brother so quite a lively household.

Bit of an odd requirement.

Are they set up for dog ownership? Who will look after it and walk it and pay all the bills? How much time are they willing to dedicate to the dog each day?

A bichon frise or a shi tzu? Or a white mini poodle? Poodles may be more high maintenance than the other two though, very smart dogs. I would say not a west highland terrier as they can be quite aggressive in comparison (not all but some!)

Ps yes as pp says walking etc needs to be guaranteed as well as holiday care etc. And grooming costs.

Pre moult our dhusky was huge.
Now she is bald and small!
*joking as not a ddog to recommend!!

@Hotenoughtoburnasausage she's gorgeous! Definitely not a beginner dog though haha. Have you been on the thread where someone was considering a husky for their first dog and wondering how much walking they'd need to do?

A dog should be a member of the family not belong to one particular person particularly a child. What happens if ddog favours another family member for example the younger brother and is sitting on his knee. Will niece want ‘her’ dog back? Course she will. She’s 10! I saw a horrendously sickening tug of war occur once between a friend’s daughter and son with ‘her’ cat in the middle. Also do the whole family want a dog? They have been finally persuaded??? Plus dogs should be chosen for temperament and fit for family. Not at the whim of a 10 year old girl. Small and white indeed. She sounds like she wants a new toy. Not a trusting, living thing. All of this is asking for trouble and I’d be discouraging such nonsense not supporting it.

Interesting responses! When we got our dog I was quite keen to get a certain type/size/colour as well as looking at the dogs temperament. I also got a dog due to my youngest son really wanting one where the rest of the family were indifferent but he is everyone’s dog. Is that not normal? It’s mostly my niece who wants a dog and they have taken a long time to consider it so they are allowing her to have a say in what type they get. Just came on to get some ideas of different characteristics of small white dogs, not questions about who will walk it and pay the bills. They have obviously considered that 😂
@cyberworrier bichon frise and shitzu are two types they have been looking at, as well as cavachons.

Lhasa apsos as well.

OP well that's great! but you'd be amazed at the number of posters who are considering a dog who don't consider these matters!

I have a cross bread - Maltese ShihTzu. Lovely dog, easy to train and doesn’t moult. Can be a bit barky at the window as he is a watch dog - you will know if someone is arriving at your door. Very good fun and friendly too. Although white, he is fairly easy to clean.

When we got our dog I was quite keen to get a certain type/size/colour as well as looking at the dogs temperament

Hmm, but what you can offer a dog is way more important than its size or colour.

Just came on to get some ideas of different characteristics of small white dogs, not questions about who will walk it and pay the bills. They have obviously considered that 😂

But small white dogs vary massively. Do they want a dog that needs lots of exercise? Can they cope with lots of barking? Do they want a dog that needs to go to the groomers on a regular basis?

There's no point people recommending a Jack Russell if they can only manage two short walks a day. Equally there's probably not much point recommending a Bichon if they're not willing to do daily brushing and regular trips to the groomers, or a Westie if they don't want to deal with barking and the likelihood of skin problems.

All three of those dogs are small and white, yet incredibly different in terms of their looks, exercise needs, temperaments and personalities.

So, again, what do they want from a dog? How much exercise can they give it daily? Do they want a dog that needs brushing and grooming?

Size, temperament, care needs - all valid criteria as they affect the 'fit' between the dog a family.

Colour is irrelevant

Our westie just passed away but he was the best, most loving, small white dog you could imagine. Dodgy recall if he saw a squirrel to chase in the park but he was pretty perfect and bomb proof with kids (we had him first before the DC).

This is Gypsy. She’s a 4 year old chihuahua and weighs all of 2.5kg

To my dhusky that would appear to be Lunch!!

I’d get a Westie. Lovely robust little dogs that have great personalities. Don’t tend to suffer from little dog syndrome

The Cavapoo that I know is very sweet and friendly, but also full of energy and bouncy. Great fun.

Samoyeds are white but not little. And not for beginners. Would a little Westie do?
So disappointed people haven't yet rocked up with their dog pics. Delighted to see Gypsy. I'd watch out for politically sensitive names, though.

Dh is Romany Gypsy

Fabulous! You've got your permission slip right there. :)

My scruffy little white ish westie , she got such a lovely personality she loves walks and cuddling . Such a lovely little dog and she's great with kids too

I think it's fine that your niece is the driving force behind getting a dog. When I was a child, I was the one who yearned for a dog and I also chose the breed. Obviously, my parents were fully on board and did all the hard work of training. In reality he was a family dog, though I always felt pleased that he was technically mine. I also see nothing wrong with choosing a breed in part due to appearance. I would say that most dog owners take that into consideration when deciding on a new dog.

I've never had a Westie but they seem like brilliant little dogs. Sealyham terriers are also lovely.

We love our little Bolognese! She’s very small (3kg), soft and cuddly, fun and playful and very attached to us. Doesn’t shed but does need regular grooming - very loving, we have teenaged children who give her a lot of attention, but she copes fine with younger children too. Recommended - rarer breed in the UK, but we didn’t have to wait too long for ours.

For petes sake lots of people call their dogs Gypsy it's not offensive. Ask the travellers who live near me their dogs names🙄

Sealyham Terrier