Which breed?

[coffeecoffeee]

We are considering finally getting a family dog in the next year or so. So currently in the research and prep stage!

I am leaning towards a golden retriever but i am looking for suggestions of breeds I may not have considered.
Ideally would like a medium/large sized dog, and one that would enjoy long walks, and family life.

We have 2 children so family friendly.

It's a big decision and I want to make the right, fully informed choice!

You say long walks, but what would be their normal day to day life? Would you need a dog that can deal with just doing the school run twice a day?
How much time day to day do you have for training/walking, how much grooming are you willing to do, what’s your tolerance for barking/drool/shedding?

How old are your children?
Would the dog need to be left alone regularly or for long periods?
Are you prepared to do lots of brushing and grooming?
Would the dog get long walks everyday or just occasionally?

If you can give a bit more information people may be able to give you some suggestions 😊

Children are 5 and 8.

Daily life would be 2 long walks (anywhere between 45mins to 2 hours each per day) on lead but also hopefully with training to be able to go off lead and be trained to have good recall.

Minimal/medium grooming needs.

I work full time from home in a very flexible role so would rarely be left for long periods alone. If any it would be for school runs/shopping trips etc.

I am hoping to plan for some initial training with an expert and then obviously daily training at home between myself and my husband.

Ime Lurchers are a very underestimated family ddog. We had 1 before our youngest dc came along. No better bond than watching those 2. Added another Lurcher a few years after... We also have 2 dcats without issue. They love a zoomie then can snooze all day. Or can walk happily for hours... Also fold up small..
They are very hardy health wise. Can be rescued or sought via breeders very cheap... Sadly used for poaching but 'cheap' as a family pet too!
Paying thousands for a cross poo ddog was never for us!

If you want minimal grooming needs I wouldn't go for a golden retriever - they she'd like crazy and need lots of brushing.

A labrador could fit the bill if you can cope with the shedding.

Of the most popular breeds...

labs and spaniels are more trainable than goldens, goldens can be a bit... I hate the word stubborn because people use it wrong with dogs usually, but they can be. If they don’t want to do something they’ll literally lie down and refuse to move 🤣

Spaniels are more intense than labs.

Theyre all pretty active and biddable though and tbh similar amounts of grooming, spaniels and goldens to stop the floof matting and labs to keep on top of the shedding.

Staffies are a bit goofier, but very trainable and minimal grooming, literally run a brush over them once a week, good breeders are rare though and they would take more socialising with other dogs, cats etc than a gun dog.

And rare... but no clue why - smooth collies. Clever and active without the intensity of border collies and without the grooming of rough collies, yet both are way more common 🤷‍♀️

Goldens can be challenging. I’d go for a lab - half working line if you can but a good fit health tested show line if not.

Most dogs will cope with as much exercise and walking as you throw at them as long as it’s regular and it’s built up. Terriers will walk all day for example, as will spaniels and labs.

Pointers would be worth a look. They are unspoilt breed wise, healthy and a lovely temperament for the most part.

Lurchers can be very good pets but they’re such a lottery. Most dogs are good with children as long as socialised and supervised.

Discover dogs is good for speaking to owners and breeders but the next one isn’t until Crufts.

I wouldn’t go for a golden if you want minimal grooming…
A show line lab could be a brilliant option if you don’t mind the shedding.

My friend has a lurcher which they think is 3/4 grey 1/4 staffy, it could fit your bill, joins them on full day hikes at the weekend, goes to parkrun etc, but a couple of days in the week often just gets 2x 15 mins round the block and is very calm in the house at all times, was easy to train the basics but probably not clever enough for proper obedience or trick training, minimal grooming and very little shedding. Teenage stage was pretty painless. Lovely dog.

Labradors are popular with families for a reason. Lovely natured, easy to train. I'm personally a bit put off by how barrelly most look as adults, big tums and seemingly too short legs, but that's a very shallow con 🙈 goldies are gorgeous, but I met a flat coated retriever the other day and fell in love. As big as a golden, soooo friendly, plus the owner said he shed less (she had had a golden before).

I have a lurcher cross with strong lurcher traits (despite having gsd & husky on her other side). She's goofy, very playful, beautiful, looks like a very healthy dog imo (no weird too short this, too squashed that), has been easy to train, though has an independent streak that means she can be left alone no trouble but also gives her selective hearing at times. She runs like a dream, but because she loves to run I prefer enclosed or partially enclosed fields. I do think lurchers are lovely, but that retrievers are better if you want a more predictable dog who will potter along with you on walks.

Just no to spaniels. So many families get them, but while some are lovely a good percentage seem aloof with humans and unfriendly (mine has been attacked by two) towards other dogs, and love a ball more than anything, which I guess makes walks easy if you just like throwing them, but seems dull to me. They used to be a favourite breed of mine, but since getting to know them better I think they're a real gamble.

Standard poodle. Intelligent, needs good exercise, gentle temperaments and excellent family dogs.

I am biased since we have one, but I say Golden all day.
Ours is 18 months and has been nothing but an absolute dream. Lineage is mix of working and show. He's been so easy to train, loves his walks but also happy to chill in the house while I work from home.

Yes, he sheds a lot, but a run around with the hoover and not being too focused on having a pristine house is all it needs 😁

Labs are lovely, but I personally have found them overly energetic and boisterous as youngsters, and have met some that absolutely stink!
Not known the same smell problem with Goldies - and although some can be hard work when young, it's not on the same level as a lab (or spaniel).

Plus you might be as lucky as us and get a puppy that is as good as gold from day one and never nips/chews/cries!
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Picking a good breeder who really focuses on temperament is the key though. We were so lucky with ours and all the pups from our boy's litter have been amazing ❤️

I'm sure I've said this on other threads like this, but if you are a novice dog owner and you want a quiet life, be very wary of getting a working line anything, and especially a gundog from a field trialling line.

I'm not saying that such dogs aren't lovely (because they are, I have 2), but they are bloody hard work, especially the spaniels and the various pointing breeds. They need a lot of mental stimulation, clear boundaries and plenty of training. It could very well work if you were prepared to see a gundog trainer regularly, join a gundog club and spend 20 mins a day or so doing stuff with your dog; it could quite possibly work without that, but there are enough threads on here started by distraught people with out of control working line spaniels that it's obvious that it could also be a disaster. I see far too many hunt-point-retrieve dogs (German pointers, Vizslas etc) who either kept on-lead all the time, or who run wild off it.

Also, if you want a dog who can be off-lead, be aware that some lurchers have massive issues with recall. Some of the lurchers in rescue have been used for both coursing and lamping. They've been bred for prey drive, and they've had the chance to use it, so when they see Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail on the other side of the field, they're off.

Honestly, I'm not trying to put you off dog ownership, and if you decide you want something like a Vizsla, there are lines that have been bred for show and pet homes for the last 30-odd years who should a bit easier.

I'm biased as have a goldie. She's a carefree, laid back, always up for a bit of a laugh, loving, fun-loving girl. She's happy with a 2 hour hike or a 15 min potter. Ruled by her tummy but that makes her easier to train. Dotes on me as I her. She's not too bad grooming wise as we finish most days with a cuddle/ 15 min brush down. Confident, secure attachment and now we are out of the puppy stage without being cocky.
Cons would be attention span of a gnat which means very poor recall, yes she can be stubborn and today on our lunchtime walk she attracts a lot of attention because she's particularly bonnie. She loves it though and plays her crowd well, just annoying if you are all out of small talk.

I am looking at my large breed hound right now - yes, she is hairy (but nowhere near as sheddy as the corgi), but she is also fast asleep, and will remain so until I get up in 3 minutes and get her harness off the hook. She will then spring into life, trot around happily for about 45-60 mins, then curl up again at my feet.

People usually rule out hounds in these 'what dog should I get?' discussions, because 'they're hard to train and have bad recall' but ime their recall's no worse than your average bloody-minded terrier, and they have lots of really family-friendly qualities too - friendliness, companionability, low amusement needs, love walks, gentle. If you want to widen your search beyond goldens and labs, why not have a look at GBGVs, or Basset hounds?

Minimal/medium grooming needs.

I have a golden and I love her but the hair.

I think you might be more suited to a short coated dog like a lab. They do still have hair but not in the same quantity.

Hounds are completely underestimated as family pets and in my unbiased opinion far better than high energy spaniels or poodle mixes.

Ours goes running with me, long walks when we do them but equally just chills and sleeps when we are home. Ours is a scent hound and has reliable recall, super friendly and great with kids.

More people should get hounds, they’re great. Just the occasional brush but we rarely do that, never washed.

Nothing that was originally bred for ultra high gameness and blood-sport ability (dog fighting, bull baiting, etc) - i.e. the bull breeds, such as staffies, bully xls, pit bulls, etc. They have a tendency to snap, maul and kill.

I'd get a Labrador or a Golden. Spaniels are lovely dogs, but very hyper.

I posted recently with a similar quabdry…. We’ve had three labs over the last 15 years. Our girls are now 8 and 12, and we’re debating when our older girl goes (hopefully way way way in the future!!) whether we’d get another lab or something else.

They are the most wonderful dogs, who can look into your soul. We have three kids and they have always been amazing with them. They’re no bother now, mooch about the house with me all day, mainly sleeping unless I move, when they NEED to come with me (there could be food, don’t you know!), happy with a 30 min trundle, all day hikes, or a ten mile run with my husband (not the 12 year old any more, too much for her now!). They’ve always been good with kids friends over, actually any houseguests at all (woohooo! My new best friend! Let me sit next to you!). They wander through life with a smile on their face and are constantly cheerful.

BUT…..

Do not underestimate the hair!!! (Which seems to get worse as they age). The shedding is nuts. We have black hair everywhere. We have a robot hoover that automatically goes round every day but it gets EVERYWHERE, inc places they don’t go.

So whilst they don’t need huge amounts of grooming, the house will.

Also, lab puppies are hard work!! Also known as land sharks! Bitey, chewy little buggers!!! Absolutely worth it once they’ve got through the puppy/ adolescent stage, but make sure you go in with your eyes open.