Suggestions for first family dog

[Flubadubba]

Just that, really. Looking at dogs for a small family- DH, DD (4) and me. Would be first time owners, open to suggestions.

We have a large garden and plenty of space. There is usually someone at home at all times as we WFH a lot.

Probably couldn't cope with a breed that needs a insane amount of walking, so ideally a breed that is calm and good with children.

Both my close friends have/had cocker spaniels and I think they're demanding, like tons of exercise, and like their own way. I'd choose a different breed.

@Flubadubba so sad to sew so many posters recommending mongrels to you ie crosses. These are the breeds most likely to come from puppy farms and have serious gealth/behaviour issues due to poor breeding eg high % of in-breeding and lack of health tests.
For first time owner don't get a working breed eg spaniel, HPR, beagle etc. These all require correct breed appropriate training and a job to do.
Would recommend whippet or poodle or a toy breed.
However whichever you go for please do your research on the breeder carefully and get the book Easy, Peasy Puppy Squeezy to cover the first few months.

@lilyblue5 Do you have a havanese? I'm always surprised when someone knows the breed as I've only met 3 in RL and they belonged to the same person.

I have 2 myself and they are a wonderful breed.

Can't believe 2 other people on here have the joy of a Havanese.

Labrador or a cockapoo

My friend rescues greyhounds and they're the easiest dogs I've ever met. Like to sprint but apart from that very lazy. Give mournful looks (really dramatic ones) at the suggestion of going out in the rain. Kind and patient. I have to say they don't seem as intelligent as our corgis (who are hard work) but maybe that's just their personalities. They get cold easily because they're so skinny so they have a lot of blankets, coats and fleeces.

@EraOfTheGrey I do and she’s wonderful!
she’s tiny (4kg), has the cutest face and is very playful. Super fluffy, cuddly and is a great lap dog.

I know you know this already, but for the purposes of the OP…

Shes lovely with the kids. Like a teddy bear. She loves to sleep and lives for treats and playtime.
Downside. Very sneaky. She knows my youngest drops food so waits under his feet at dinnertime. She’s got an attitude with big dogs (we are working on this at the moment). She takes the ‘bark first’ ask questions later approach.
Shes a bit skittish and scares herself with her reflection/shadow/anything.
She’s escaped a few times.. (being small has squeezed through fence gaps etc.)

As I said way back, we do keep her short haired as she’s not keen on being brushed but she loves going in for a pamper session and I don’t mind paying for her to look and smell lovely.
There have been a few nips when she was testing boundaries as a pup but she doesn’t have sharp teeth so it was more of a scratch. (shes 3 now).

They don’t have many health problems aside from knees/eyes but we’ve had normal health checks etc. Got her from a KC assured breeder and came with certificates.
My youngest is allergic to dogs but he’s fine with her as she doesn’t drool/shed loads of hair.

I am nervous walking her off lead, I won’t lie. The thought of the XL bullies tearing her to bits scares me… but I’ve actually never seen one in RL and only hear about them through mumsnet 😅

@lilyblue5 1 of mine is silky haired and weighs in at 6.5kg and the other is really curly and 5.6kgs. The smallest one is the calmest and the youngest. They are brilliant with my wee nieces and nephews. Unlike you I have met up with several XL's and they scare the bejesus out of me. I've never seen one where the owner had proper control over them so I turn on my heel and skedaddle with my tiny pups.

OP small children are very drawn to these wee dogs because of their looks so they (the pups) must be socialised around children from early on. They are naturally cuddly though.

You need to consider whether you want a dog with hair or fur. Ie. Do you want one that moults, or one that you need to take to the dog groomer every few weeks (added cost)?

Aww, lucky daughter. My vote is a male, house-trained rescue which has been tested with children.

FWIW, my own dog, a smooth miniature dachshund, has proven barely trainable (a year to stop shitting in the house 😭, has never come when called, couldn’t care less about being called a good boy) yet is the gentlest dog imaginable, loves my friends and family, is super loyal and just walks away from handsy children in the park (loves it if a kid visits us though). Dream family dog temperament in other words - and NOTHING like most other dachshunds I’ve met, who are so tense and anxious, in spite of their owners spending £££ on behaviourists. So I now wonder how reliable breed is as a guide, or even breed + training

Please don't get a rescue dog, they are unknown quantities and most have issues, please raise a pup for you first dog.

Don't get a Jack Russell! Whilst many are wonderfully gentle family pets, they are one of the breeds most likely to bite, they are bred to be keen ratters, and are highly intelligent intense dogs who need heeps of exercise and mental stimulation. Not a good choice for a first dog.

Collies are the ultimate highly intelligent and intense working dog. Tend to be neurotic unless given lots of work to do. Not a good choice for a first dog.

Jack Russells are great, just need a firm hand when young. total characters.

Not always the case!! My cockapoo came from a reputable breeder and I was able to see both parents. Both were owned by the breeders. My cockapoo is 8 and we rehomed him at 16 weeks as original owners gave him back and he needed a loving home (we had only just recently lost a dog at that time) . He is the calmest, most wonderful of dogs I’ve ever had. He’s a multi coloured American Cocker and miniature poodle cross. Weighs 9kg and loves kids. He never snaps or shows his teeth. He is obsessed with food and loves to snuggle and takes long naps. He requires 2 walks a day (40-60 mins)

Which is why I said "a collie cross or a lab cross" and not "a highly strung border collie from working lines you don't plan to work or train"...

There are many types of collie, not just borders.

I'd take your purebred farm-bred border collie over half of the brainless small bog brush dogs recommended on this thread, frankly, though.

Avoid spaniels as they are nuts if they don't get long walks everyday (even though they are my favourite).

A poster up thread mentioned Vizlas which I would avoid with small children. I know two people that have had them; the first had to be put to sleep as it bit a child and the second was lovely but very bouncy and had to be kept away from the child in case it knocked them over.

Labradors and Golden retrievers are popular for a reason and are generally good around children and love walks but also happy to have cuddles on the sofa.

Sorry this is batshit. Get an adult rescue and you know what you’re getting. My greyhound is my first dog . I couldn’t have a puppy - way too much work.

Another vote for a rescue greyhound!

Our boy is a dream: snoozes on his bed most of the day, cuddles into our laps for scritches, is a gentle giant with our baby (watching their relationship develop over the past 15 months has been SO lovely), happy with two short walks a day (though when he was younger he would’ve been happy to go for longer), doesn’t bark and was already toilet trained. He was a racer but has zero prey drive -doesn’t give cats or squirrels a second glance! Doesn’t pull on the lead either and is happy travelling in the car.

A greyhound rescue should match you up to a couple of dogs based on your needs eg. good with children, first dog for you. Most Greys are dreams with kids because they’re naturally very docile and used to being around them in the kennels.

The usual advice with kids applies regardless of breed: don’t touch dog when he’s sleeping on his bed, don’t take his food or toys from him etc.

I also know a few people with Labs/Retrievers who are also great with kids after the bouncy puppy stage.

We love our black show cocker and this was our consideration for our first family dog. Have a 9yeard old daughter and 7 year old son. The son was very nervous of all dogs therefore, we had tro be careful with what we went for.

They are SO friendly. He doesn't understand aggression at all. The minute another dog snaps at him he will walk away onto the next. They are also intelligent and can respond to all commands (he is 18months). The reason for a show is that they are less energetic and bouncy than their working counterparts. He is happy to be at home and has never chewed anything apart from one flip flop on the first week! My 7year old had lost his dog fear completely and they're now best friends. And has the improved his confidence in general too. He loves walking and would all day if he could but, he is just as happy having a duvet day and cuddling up. He nudges you for affection a lot.

The only real downside is that they are hard to train on the lead. I believe most spaniels are like this and it's because of two reasons 1, they get super excited about walkies and secondly, they always have their head down looking for a scent. He now walks well with me on the lead but, will pull of the kids or my wife are walking him(as generally I'm the walker). The only other thing is the grooming, we decided to buy grooming sets and I cut him every 6weeks. Two of our friends were so impressed that they asked me to do their dogs too! Amazing the skills you can learn from YouTube!

@J007 spaniels are incredibly easy to train if you start at Day 1 and teach them where heel is without the lead. Most working dogs are spaniels and they walk for miles to heel on and off the lead.

I agree and he does this for me. He is also clever though and will do what he wants if you're not following the rules ;) My wife has a much more laid back approach hence, he knows that he can get away with more!

After much research and agonising, we got a golden doodle, though actually he is more poodle (mum was a golden doodle, dad a poodle). He is now 16 months.

Like you, we were/are first time owners. We have 3 dc (now 12, 6, 4).

The early days were bloody hard. Kids really had to grit their teeth and get through it. Puppy biting, esp, was bad and they sat on the sofa wearing wellies as he would bite their feet.

Finding time and energy to train was also hard. I underestimated the amount of time needed.

But.... He is the most amazing dog now. Kids adore him. He loves them. Can't imagine life without him. Great for the kids to grow up knowing how to behave around dogs.

He is still quite bonkers, but calmed down lots. V social - loves other dogs and people. Doesn't shed, which is a bonus.

Big enough but not huge - he's about 22kg.

Why get a doodle? Poodles are amazing dogs. Ours is now one and I can honestly say she’s been easy, far easier than I could have hoped for. She’s loving, loyal, very intelligent, beautiful, and very easy to train.

Another vote for a beagle. They are excellent family dogs - happy to put up with a lot of manhandling. Ours will happily go to the park and let little kids climb all over her (letting toddlers pull her ears so the toddler can stand up!). At 3 years, ours is now pretty lazy and is fine without a walk every day. Easy to train as so food driven but you do need to be strict during training because they are so food focused (ie will steal food out of the bin, off the kitchen counter etc). Ours is not a barker / howler but some are. Ours sleeps with our son every night and is his best friend.

My greyhound raced until he was almost 4 and was quite good from what we know of his history. He doesn't have any prey drive at all now. He can be off lead and a squirrel runs across the path and he totally ignores it every time. I think he's just over that part of his life now! Such dogs definitely exist 😊