Help us chose our first dog

[MrsPicklesonSmythe]

Having never been a dog person, over the last year I've become bit of a fan of other people's pet pooches and can't stop thinking about having one. I think it would be a great addition to the family, good for my mental health and despite showering affection on my cat let's face it, he'll never love me! 😂

We are currently in a rental but would like to adopt a dog when we are in a better position to do so. Maybe in a years time.

I work nights part time, dh works full time from home and we have 3 ds's 17, 11 and 4 who would love a dog, there's always someone home and we rarely go away (last time 6 years ago!). We don't have much of a garden and I'm guessing we won't have a huge one in the next house but they'd have at least two 30 min walks a day (is that enough?) and we do have plenty of lovely places for longer weekend walks close by. I'd also sign us straight up to a good local trainer and there's loads of groomers and vets locally.

I am fairly allergy prone, never specifically to dogs though just dust, pollen etc

In my research Havanese seem to look a good option.

Does anyone have any experience or could you help me consider some other small/medium-sized family dogs suitable for first time owners?

Any advice much appreciated as we won't go into it lightly

Our Maltese with our cat.

He is fine with 2 x 30min walks. As you can see, he is a very small dog 😄

I have a friend who’s a registered Havanese breeder, can point you at her FB page if you drop me a PM. They’re a lovely family, the dogs are very well looked after and the puppies sometimes come to the group thing I know her through for socialisation, we all love those days!

@Klank ❤️🐶

I really wouldn't recommend a greyhound.

Yes, some are fine on the fabled 2x20 minute walks a day but many are not. They are racing dogs and need to run, but many aren't safe off lead as they will chase (and potentially kill) small furries. Many have never lived in homes before and aren't toilet trained or house trained in any way. They also have sensitive stomachs which can be an issue when it comes to diet.

All the ones I meet on walks can't be let off the lead and they're incredibly nervous of people and other dogs (probably because they were all raised around greyhounds and nothing else).

If you can only offer short walks I would go for a companion breed like a Maltese, a bolognese or a Bichon.

She has a cat!

A greyhound or a lurched would be an awful decision.

If you're allergy prone then something like a poodle or poodle X, there are plenty of charities out there bursting at the seams with rescue dogs now the Covid bubble has burst.

One dog.

hardly broad experience of the cross to demonise the whole 'breed'. I know plenty of well behaved, easily trained, no fuss cockerpoos.

My friend rescued one. She had an 8yo, was pregnant & had 2 cats!

the only issue they had was the dog could not be 'off lead' or it would run & run & run. They had to be careful it didn't get out the front door!

I'm in a massive group with over 20, 000 people who own the breed and the experienced is pretty common. They are known for being excitable, suffer from separation anxiety and to be destructive. I'm not demonising the breed, merely pointing out that they aren't a great "first dog" , as they take a lot of work.

This. Greyhounds are fantastic pets and do really well in small hones. They live routine so 2 30 minute walks is ideal. Quiet and clean too.

Greyhound. So many needing a home. Lovely natured dogs. No bark no smell. Love to sleep. Lovely all round dog

Rescue. Don't encourage more breeding

Not many breeds could cope either only 2 x 30 min walks per day. Definitely avoid any working breeds such as cocker spaniels etc as they would not be satisfied with such little outdoor activity.

Consider a rescue rather than a puppy. Puppies are hard work.

Greyhounds do have a prey drive, but they are happy on a lead and the prey drive has lessened over time. Ours get three twenty minute walks a day and isn't bothered if she misses one.

They are big, but my DS keeps one in a two up two down and is fine.

They do sleep a lot and the very expressive ears are adorable.

As others have said, there are a lot of them needing adoption.

And equally there are a lot who end up in rescues for eg resource guarding etc. The problem with cockapoos etc is that fundamentally they are mongrels and you have no way of knowing how much cocker Vs poodle is in them. Both of these breeds can have anxiety/behaviour issues and they aren't being bred for their temperaments, only because they are fashionable. Hence we are seeing a lot with behavioural issues that inexperienced dog owners don't know how to prevent/handle.

A few greyhounds are tested as cat safe.

This. I wish everyone would get a greyhound. I'll never have another breed

I wouldn't trust any rescue that claimed that of any greyhound or sighthound tbh.

Cat safe around...what? A cat in someone's house who's used to a steady stream of dogs and so doesn't run? Kittens? An elderly cat? Cats on walks?

My own dog lives with cats but he would 100% chase one on a walk if he was off the lead.

I also know quite a few people with "cat safe" rescues who turned out to be anything but.

Maltipoo could be a good option.

I asked the rescue for a non-racer. She has no prey drive and walks beautifully off lead. She was under 2 when we got her and is the perfect pet.
I think adopting an ex racer is quite different to a non-racer.
Another non-racer I know lives with a house rabbit!

Rescue. Always rescue 💔

1 x 30 min walk a day. Refuses to go if it's raining.
See my previous comment about non-racers and ex-racers.
Some are cat friendly.
Ours had never lived in a house. Didn't know what carpet or stairs were. She took a little while to come out of her shell but all it needed was love and patience. Yes she had the odd accident but not often.
We take her for a short walk before we have to leave her as she will reliably toilet then. We have a camera on her when we're out. She just sleeps on the sofa.
Not all greyhounds are the same.
Feel free to pm

It doesn’t need to be safe against cats on walks. We’re talking about the OP owning a cat.
We have two greyhounds and have had a cat. I see photos of cats and greyhounds chilling together on my FB feed.
I agree, it’s not the norm, but they are out there.

As a cat owner, I'm afraid it's just not a risk I would take. They were here first.

I do agree that they don't need to be cat safe on walks, but greyhounds are big, fast dogs so you need to make sure you can control them if they have a strong prey drive and spot a cat while out and about.

I've seen dogs pull their owners over trying to get to cats/squirrels/rabbits - it's something worth thinking about.