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The doghouse

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What dog breed do I need??

79 replies

CandlelightGlow · 26/02/2023 20:08

I'm looking to September next year when my youngest starts school, would love to finally get a dog but I am looking for one that will fit my lifestyle. I should probably preface this by saying that I know my criteria won't just come down to breed, and that individual personality and training will factor in too. But can you help me find this dog?! They need to be:

Good with children
Low prey drive - very important, I have a house rabbit, but we have the space make her a separate area if needed
Small to medium size
Not a brachycephalic breed
Active and capable of walking frequently, or small enough for me to carry

I'm having a hard time googling as a lot of the breeds suggested seem to be brachycephalic (French Bulldog etc)

OP posts:
Spanielsarepainless · 27/02/2023 19:41

Papillon. It's what I plan to have when working gundogs get too much for my decrepit form. Or perhaps a Cavalier.
I always thought Labs had a low prey drive but we were working one winter and some pheasants got trapped against a fence out of a covert. All these highly trained dogs got at least one each.
I wouldn't leave any dog with a bunny and I had both.

hennaoj · 27/02/2023 19:44

Rough collie should fit the bill. The bitches are smaller than the dogs and have less coat.

Ellmau · 27/02/2023 23:48

Actually, our sheltie was good friends with our rabbit. But I don't think you can assume one friendship would translate to all breeds.

CandlelightGlow · 01/03/2023 09:42

Ellmau · 27/02/2023 23:48

Actually, our sheltie was good friends with our rabbit. But I don't think you can assume one friendship would translate to all breeds.

I'm starting to come around to this way of thinking. I think when the time comes I'm just going to be asking lots of questions about mum and dad, look for any dogs who come from homes with children and other pets, and carefully socialise from early on.

I've been looking online and seen accounts of all sorts of different types of dogs being genuine good friends with rabbits, and I've read accounts of dogs with typically low prey drives still chasing everything in sight, so I'll probably just try and make a sensible decision when the time comes Smile

This thread has still been really useful and I've learned quite a but so I'll trawl through some other threads about puppies and such!

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