What dog breed would you suggest?

[DodgeDog]

I have teen aged kids, dog friendly cats, mostly work from home, rural woodland walks to hand and a tendency to walk 6 or 7 miles daily off road. No allergies.

Golden retriever every time! Our current retriever is my fourth, don’t think I’ll ever feel the need to own another breed. Loving and friendly nature, easy going, happy to do both long and short walks, eager to please, get on well with other pets and dogs - I could go on!

Lurcher.... Every time.

There’s a thread about ‘what should I know about getting a puppy’. I think it’s worth a read, as it gives a lot of experience about getting a puppy.

I would personally not go for a cross breed, but a pedigree, as you then will know the breed traits you will be getting.

Suggested breeds include Labrador, golden retrievers, spaniels etc

Cocker spaniel, working type because the show ones can be stubborn.
WCS are lively, spirited, happy, smart, and a joy to be around.

I’m a lurcher person through and through but they aren’t all cat friendly. Mine is, to our own cat but any others are fair game.

If I was ever going to get another dog and I couldn’t have a lurcher I’d have a border terrier.

Definitely second this!!

What does ‘mostly work from home’ mean? Two days a week in the office? Two hours in the office?

Labrador.

Think about size and wether or not you want a dog that needs regular visits to the groomer. We've had a mix of sizes at different times of our lives and there's pros for both. We had a long haired dogs that needed visits to the groomer and more regular baths, but regardless always seemed a bit more wiffy than our short haired pooch. To me it's part of having a dog, but I know some people can't cope with the doggo smell.

How do you feel about dog hair, grooming, the first year of a lab can be brutal 😳🤣 they are lovely dogs though.
Mine tore his cruciate age 6, it took a long time to heal, insurance and costs were high. We certainly didn’t walk five miles again- he could exercise as normal but nowhere near what we had previously done. Not sure I’ll get another.

thankyou for the reply’s. To answer questions, yes Im ok to groom and bath. Im out a couple hours here and there for work.

are some breeds less injury and illness prone then others?

With a lab, they can take longer to get to maturity. Therefore, we were advised not to let them go upstairs, so too much running etc until at heart a year old, to reduce the likehood of injuries.

Labrador.

A lab/retriever or cocker spaniel

Please look at some of our endangered native breeds like smooth collies.

What do you want to do with the dog? Just walk it and let it run around, or do you think you'd enjoy training it, or taking up some dog-focused activity?

Do you like big dogs, small dogs, smooth-coated dogs or hairy dogs? Have you ever had a dog before or did you grow up with dogs?

If zero or limited dog experience, opt for one of the easier breeds. Show-line labradors tend to be pretty chilled if you like bigger dogs, and if you like smaller ones, the terrier breeds (borders, Norfolks, cairns etc) are pretty hardy and will go for miles. Some terrier lines (including most Jack Russells) are either bred for or close to rat-catching and similar, so while fabulous dogs are not for the faint-hearted.

Springer spaniel every time!

A rescue. Crossbreed/ mix of everything. Saving a dog already in the world and from a reputable rescue (esp if not a small puppy) you will be able to have a behavioural assessment and temperament match. Pet insurance is also generally cheaper as cross breeds/ heinz varieties don't carry the burdens of specific breed illnesses/ issues

Instead of buying a puppy try a dog charity. Explain to them your circumstances and they can match you with a suitable breed. We’ve re homed our last two dogs when they’re around a year old and I’d highly recommend it. So many dogs are looking for a forever home and are there through no fault of their own. So many had lockdown dogs that have ended up in kennels, it’s heartbreaking. I’d sooner have a dog that’s already potty trained as well.

Please do not get a working breed ie spaniels unless you are prepared to do the breed appropriate training ie gundog or scentwork.
Get a pure breed where you can research breeding and ensure fully health tested. Don't buy a bloody designer mongrel ie poo Cross

I found this helpful before buying our dog

https://www.purina.co.uk/find-a-pet/dog-breeds/breed-selector

i Researched dog breeds before we got one, as I’m not that keen on dogs. We wanted something midsized trainable, cross bred (as they tend to have less genetic defects), non shedding and nice natured, cat friendly.
we have a lovely Australian labradoodle. There are no downsides to the breed at all.
(except maybe they cost a little more).

Except it isn't a breed so no standard breed characteristics etc, no standard health tests etc. Not true that cross breeds have fewer health issues, often they have more because of lack of health testing etc.

unless they’ve been interbred, cross breeds do have fewer health problems as your genes come from a wider gene pool. You have less ‘fatal’ genes.
we could see the breeding partners for the three previous generations of our dog. His siblings aren’t using for breeding, but are used for therapy dogs.
they’re lovely dogs. Everyone I know who has one has an easy going dog with no health problems.

But many cross breeds have been interbred especially poo crosses because they are #1 for puppy farmers.