We don’t know which breed is best for us

[Mumma2Ro]

Hi there.
myself and my husband have been set on getting a puppy for about 7 months now. But we really cannot decide on what breed of dog is best for us.
we are doing lots of research and are not taking this decision lightly. So I wonder if you guys could offer any advice?
we had our hearts set on an English bulldog or a beagle. Still swinging towards these breeds but hear beagles are very naughty and disobedient haha!

-must be good around young children (we have a 6 year old and a 4 year old)
-Short hair
-requires 30-60 minutes exercise per day
-okay to be left alone (we know this is almost impossible with puppies but I mean longer term when they get older)
-I’d love an affectionate dog!
-preferably medium size

thank you in advance

Wow thank you all for your advice! So helpful.
after staying up til 1am doing lots more reading and taking your advice on board I’m going to do some more reading today about cockapoos and Labradors

Be really careful with cockapoos, they often come from puppy farms.

@Custardpudding crikey 3 hours walking a day ! You must be super fit, do you find the more exercise you give the more they want?

Ours get half that but then we are at home all day with them and they have a big garden.

I have a cockapoo and she needs at least two decent walks a day, 30-60 mins per day wouldn’t be enough.

I have a miniature daschund, and while she is barky in the garden, she's also brilliant- easily house and crate trained and the most loving and lovely dog and absolutely great with children. She's happy walking for miles or a shorter walk (on wet days especially).

Not necessarily. Our last dog was left 4 hours in the morning and 1 - 2 in the afternoon with a 1 hour break in the middle. Other than that our lives revolved around her and her needs and happiness. We did training classes, long walks, fun, games and she was a very happy dog who didn't have any issues with this arrangement.

That said, she had way more than 30 - 60 minutes of exercise a day - and it's not just exercise it's mental stimulation. She was a rescue hound terrier cross so very suited to energy on demand. She lived a long and happy life.

Current pup is not left at all other than training and won't be until she is older. My OH now WFH 99% of the time so things have changed which makes it vastly easier but I know many very happy dogs with full time working owners but they do go to huge lengths to make sure their dogs are otherwise happy and fulfilled. In fact I know more than a few dogs with stay at home owners who are less well cared for and enriched.

Re. walking it's not just about that. Ours will only have up to an hour of offlead good exercise (woods, beach etc) but she does two training classes a week and I also do quite a bit of training and games at home and mental enrichment because I enjoy it.

Please, please don't get a Labrador if you can only provide 30-60 minutes exercise a day and will be leaving it alone so much.

Neither a lab nor a cockerpoo will be remotely suitable for a home where they are walked only 30 mins a day, my cavaliers would be climbing the walls on 30 mins a day and they are lap dogs!

Had you considered a Border? We've just lost ours-but she was a perfect family dog. We said she must have read Enid Blyton as a puppy! Loving, cheerful, healthy, happy to muck in with whatever was going on. Loved a really long walk- but happy with a couple of short ones if that was all that was available. A bit high maintainance to groom- they have a double coat, so need to be properly stripped or they do shed.

But really, no dog should be left alone for long. How long were you thinking?

You're looking for a stick insect. Or a pet rock. Your list is not adequate to PROPERLY care for a dog, puppy or otherwise.

Cockapoos and labs are both working dogs. If you aren't going to be able to give it the stimulation it needs you could end up with a real issue. Cockapoos can have resource guarding problems - they can be fab but need good training. Best to get one from show lines, working bred ones wouldn't cope with so little to do. They tend to find their own entertainment!

Would you consider a rescue greyhound?! Wonderful dogs.

You can't leave them all day. You just can't. I have a shih tzu, we leave him for an odd hour here or there but otherwise he's with us, doggy day care or with my Mum. I mostly work from home.
Doesn't shed, groomed every 8 weeks. Very chilled and loving.
1 hour a day is plenty of exercise for him.

I leave my lab for 4-5 hours and he is fine, asleep after a good early walk or park play with furry friends ( favourite thing in the world!) I walk, work, pop see him lunch time for quick walk and back to work. Another big walk after tea. I’ve done that since puppy.
a friend has a lab in crate downstairs while she works up and doesn’t get a peep from him.

This list is more wishful thinking to be honest :(

-must be good around young children (we have a 6 year old and a 4 year old)
This is down to individual dog's temperament and training rather than breed. The children also need training!!

-Short hair
Doesn't mean less grooming and can still mean lots of moulting, see: Labrador. Cockapoos can also inherit a moulting coat.

-requires 30-60 minutes exercise per day
This would suit my middle-aged PomChi just fine, but for more active breeds like Labradors, Spaniels (or anything with Spaniel in it like a Cockapoo), anything from the Hound family, they'll need a lot more.

-okay to be left alone (we know this is almost impossible with puppies but I mean longer term when they get older)
Again this is down to the individual dog and training. My PomChi has pretty bad separation anxiety, she gets antsy when I leave the room to go to the loo, but she's a private rescue and has a bit of a turbulent time the last few years before I took her on. Separation anxiety can happen to any dog at any time if something traumatic happens or without very careful training to be alone.

-I’d love an affectionate dog!
Affectionate is great, but a velcro dog is more likely to have separation anxiety as well ;)

-preferably medium size
Medium sized breeds are going to need lots of walking.

My dad has a Tibetan Terrier who is lovely, could fit the bill if you can do more in the way of walking and read up carefully on all the training requirements. He's only now settling down at a year and a half, he was quite full on as a puppy!

Take a look on the website Champdogs, they list many breeds and give info on the breed, such as exercise etc. There are also owners and breeders you can contact via the website should you have any questions as to if a particular breed would suit your family.

This 😂my dachshund actually fits the description perfectly (other than not being tested around kids), but not sure I would recommend them as a breed in these circumstances.

(My pup gets a 2+ hour walk twice a week but would be happy with just 30 mins on non rainy days if it came to it… she’s a little legged lazy lump though!)