Can you recommend me a dog breed?

[PooSniffer]

I can’t decide what dog to get. I’m moderately active so the dog would get two 1 hour walks a day, longer on weekends (possibly all day trips to the forest etc). I’d like to take part in agility training (for fun, nothing serious) and showing.
it would have to be a medium to large breed. Good with small children (hence why no rescue).

current shortlist:

golden retriever
standard poodle
Leonberger

this is a while into the future though so only light heartedly window shopping at the minute. I’d obviously research thoroughly before the time came.

I am a mongrel lover. We've had 5 over the years. All gorgeous. Currently have (probably) collie/lab/spaniel cross and a collie/retriever cross. Absolutely gorgeous, clever beautiful and much less likely to have genetic issues.

Not in your list but I rescued a smooth collie when my kids were 4, 5, and 7. He's been such a great dog for us. He's clever and so loving. Obedient and loyal. He's my shadow. We did get him at 4 though, so what he was like as a pup I've no idea. He's very low maintenance grooming wise as his coat just takes care of itself mostly. I just bathe and brush him and that's it.
Yes he's a pain in my ass sometimes but he's been a great addition to our family and so patient with my children.

Rescue is the best breed 😊🐾💕

I have tried to rescue a dog but the process is a nightmare.

Out of those 3 I would choose the poodle. Especially for agility although retrievers do well at it too

I don't know where you live as the breed in banned in some countries but I absolutely adore our Fila brasileiro's. Big lazy dogs, brilliant with our son as very gentle with him but protective against unknown visitors. We currently have 12, most of them born with us. However, in this breed you will find that lot of owners go for the more reactive dogs with lots of ojeriza. We are the opposite, dogs need to be calm and caring but being able to guard when necessary.

For us it works well, as we live very remote so they protect us when needed. For the remainder, they love to sleep, hug, play and drool.training is really important with them. One of our guys is really sweet and mellow but his sister was raised by somebody else and turned out extremely reactive.

In shirt, perhaps a molloser type of dog? Great danes are lovely f.e.

That's a wonderful write up on the Leonberger. Excellent info!

Can I swap you for ours?! 🤣

Our GR girl is a year old and an absolute nightmare to train. She’s so smart + quick to learn but prefers to use all her brain power to get up to mischief instead! Her only redeeming factor is her rather gorgeous looks..

She is our 4th retriever so I was expecting a relatively easy ride as usual with a calm and biddable pooch but oh boy was I wrong - never met one like her!!

We have a miniature poodle and she’s fabulous. We clip her every six weeks. It’s not difficult, just a bit time consuming. Having a dog that doesn’t shed is a joy that cannot be overstated.

We previously had a Goldie Retriever, who was a wonderful dog. The fur though, it gets everywhere and it never stops.

Another vote for the boxer here. We've had two. Way smarter than some people give them credit it. They're super family dogs, great with kids. They really do love to be involved in whatever is going on.

No matter what breed you go with, you'll not be able to desex if you want to show, which might (or not) be something you need to to think about.

Everything @Netaporter said. I don’t think mine would walk an hour twice a day every day, unless there was a cafe in the middle for a nap. He would do it occasionally but not at any great speed. If it’s hot (above 20) he won’t go at all. If he misses a walk he’s equally happy bouncing around the garden. This suits me at the moment and is one of the reasons I chose the breed! I’ve had dogs that needed hours of walks my whole life and I just wanted something low pressure which they definitely are. He does jump around like tigger every single time I come home though, I get flattened multiple times a day 😄

Hes great for things like taking the kids to the park as waiting for them to play is an opportunity for a rest, but proper exercise (ie power walking around for hours) isn’t his thing.

I found all of mine easy to train. I’ve done competitive obedience, hoopers, agility and showing. The problem is don’t have the enthusiasm that others have, they are easily bored and don’t want to do the same thing over and over! I think you can compete with them but it’s hard to be competitive against something like a collie or a shepherd!

Most leonberger are calm and friendly, but there are reactive ones out there. Like people, some are aloof and some are happy to meet everyone. Generally they should be outgoing though.

The mess is something else. Hair, mud, damp. I groom mine myself and it takes hours at a time. If you don’t get the undercoat out and keep the coat clean it does smell. They also lie upside down against walls which will get filthy.

People will bother you wherever you go forever more…

There are so many good points. Mine are calm, gentle, easy to live with. They will lie in the garden with the Guinea pigs running around and not care. Couldn’t get a more loving dog with the children. Never heard mine bark either. Happy to be left alone without ripping the house apart.

I love goldens but be careful as there’s some bad lines around in terms of resource guarding and aggression.

Have you looked at some of the vulnerable native breeds? There’s a huge push at the moment to try and promote those before they are lost altogether!

We have always had Standard Poodles - 2 girls and a boy.

They are highly intelligent, loving, fun, incredibly loyal and very easy to train.

They are also great with children, and the fact that they don’t moult is a great bonus.

The grooming cost is quite high - £60 every 6-7 weeks, but well worth it as they are a beautiful breed and stand out in a crowd.

Their coats are waterproof and they are very easy to dry off and keep clean (I now have a white Poodle and the coat cleans easily).

Standard Poodles also benefit from a few good walks a day, as they have a lot of energy to burn off.

I have had both male and female and would say that my boy is definitely more boisterous, but still so well behaved and the intelligence level means that all of my dogs were housetrained within a week or so.

I love all dogs, but am just speaking from my own personal experience and think that you would love a Standard Poodle so much.

Poodle owner here too. Absolutely wonderful dog. He's a miniature not a standard, so spaniel size. We have a professional groom inc teeth clean every 8 weeks which is expensive but he's totally non shedding and no problem in between grooms. We don't have a "poodle cut". Definitely recommend. My friend has a leonberger who is LOVELY but it would be a no from me based on the pp's perfect description of the breed, and I don't think he'll be doing agility any time soon!

@Leonberger I can’t believe we both forgot to mention the sheer amount of shedding. Do you think it’s like when someone goes nose blind? Or are we in the midst of PTSD? 😂

@PooSniffer unless your day job is a tester for Hoover, you’ll find yourself inadvertently writing vacuum cleaner reviews for Good Housekeeping in your head whilst hoovering for the umpteenth time during shedding season - because the dog has merely walked through the house. Spoiler alert, if you get a Shark, you’ll absolutely disprove their ‘patented anti-hair wrap technology’ 😂

And absolutely yes to no walks once the air temp is above 21deg. And I love the thought of my Leo doing agility, good luck with that. Mine has an exceptionally high prey drive which probably would’ve been negated if he was raised with cats or small furries, but he wasn’t so they are the enemy I’m afraid.

I would avoid the giant breeds if you wanted to do LONG walks and agility.
A standard poodle could be a good fit if you go in with eyes open about the cost/dedication to looking after their coatv

How about a Dobermann? Any experience?

God no.

No dog that is used in protection work belongs in a family home. They can be great with children. They can be. But these are dogs that are used across the world as protection dogs. No one needs that in their family home. Likewise with a GSD or a Cane Corse IMO.

They are horribly intelligent. And if they are not properly stimulated and exercised, then you have serious problems - and not just a little bit of destruction like you might get with a Labrador. They can be seriously aggressive if not socialised (and prone to it - unlike other dogs that might have it if they have a bad experience). They have short life spans due to inbreeding and have serious physical defects as they get older. They're not good with sudden movements or loud noises (so why the hell anyone uses them as a protection dog is beyond me - but people are thick). A dog that isn't good with loud noises, can be aggressive if not exercised/stimulated AND aggressive if not socialised is a terrible idea around a child.

Someone will come along and say 'lovely dog, in have eight and they're soft as butter.' Doesn't mean they are the right dog for a family with young children.

@Netaporter mines shedding at the moment! We got a black sack of hair out of him last weekend with the blaster! He also stinks sometimes, especially with weather like this when the coat doesn’t dry fully. I’m 100% nose blind! People ask me why I chose them all the time and I honestly can’t answer that other than I just love them 😄

A staffie. Always a staffie, especially as a family dog.

@Leonberger yep.

@PooSniffer my friend had dobermans. The only dogs I’ve ever felt nervous around. They are utterly unpredictable and I absolutely wouldn’t trust them around kids. My friend had to have hers destroyed by court order because they had savaged sheep in a neighbouring field. Lawrence Dallagio’s family pet Doberman attached one of his kids. @Devilshands is absolutely correct in their assessment of the breed.

if you are a first time dog owner, can I ask why the attraction to large breeds when you have a young family?

I love Dobermans BUT they need really savvy handlers. They are bred to be wary of strangers, it’s genetic, and needs careful management as they can be just as hostile to an actual threat as much as aunty annie popping round for a cuppa.

If you have young kids I’d not get a Doberman, managing them around kids friends popping round will be a nightmare

West Highland Terrier
Jack Russell
Whippet

Sorry, just to clarify, Dallaglio's dog that bit his child was a Rhodesian Ridgeback and was believed to have a brain tumour causing unpredictable behaviour changes.

Please don't blame Dobermans for this, not that I'd recommend the breed to OP or any inexperienced dog handler.

Staffies are wonderful dogs but you need to be careful about what type of breeder you go to. Anyone that showcases them as a muscle status dog is an absolute no

i have a chocolate lab and he’s ace with less shedding than a golden