Which (small) dog breed would you recommend?

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It will be our first dog. We want a friendly little dog: the kind of dog which we could easily take to local pubs or cafes without it being fazed by other dogs or people. Ideally no bigger than 10-15kg. We both work from home full time, and can do around an hours walking a day with the dog, with other activities through the day. Longer walks at weekends. I'd rather a dog which is biddable and eager to please, than a more independently minded dog. I'm happy to groom the dog regularly or take it to the groomers as required. I have tolerance for barking, but as little slobber as possible.

Bichon Frise or Bichon Havanese. They are friendly with people and other animals and very biddable and easy to train. Not independent like terriers and so long as you slowly introduce the idea are fine to be left alone for a couple of hours. They will walk for as long as you want and mine do scentwork, agility, mantrailing and tricks - but are equally as happy cuddling on the sofa. They don't shed but need clipping, which you can do at home or take them to a groomer

For a first time owner, I'd be extra careful about taking breed stereotypes for granted. No dog breed is "good by nature", those are behaviours that require training. As you don't specify if you are willing to buy or rescue, a puppy will require plenty of effort and time. Even wfh, you will need to take time off to deal with your puppy. I suggest looking for an adult dog, where you can see exactly what you are taking home. Always a better option for inexperienced owners. But the problem is that any small dog that is well socialised and happy go lucky will fly out of a rescue, so better be prepared to invest time looking for the right one.

Not a breed, but we have a rescue maltipoo, now aged 2. He meets all of your criteria and has managed to gain weight now but is less than 5kg. He is the sweetest thing, very quiet and does as he is told.

King Charles spaniel - from a proper breeder. Not a fashion one where their heads have been made small to look cute.

I can let you know some (few and far between) good ones.

They were breed as lap dogs and are very cuddly and sweet. But they are a spaniel and can go all day if needed.

My friend's mum has one and I dog sit her. Lovely little thing. Very biddable, can take her anywhere, super cuddly and sweet. But she also loved coming out with my labs on massive muddy wet walks. Little pocket rocket but was equally happy with a hour a day.

I was surprised how much I loved her.

Will Atherton (YouTube Dog Trainer) recommends Cavalier King Charles Spaniels as first time dogs. I tend to agree. Jack Russells are too bouncy and ADHD. Cockers can absolutely snap, so can Corgis. Poodles can be bitey and intolerant. Chihuahuas tend to be nervy, domineering and frankly, aggressive. Pomeranians are lovely dogs if you are willing to put a LOT of work in with training and exercise. If not, you will have a snappy nightmare. I think you need to come to terms with the idea that most small dogs are actually working dogs. I would go for a Cavalier.
Another idea that you might want to look into if you could consider looking up a size is a Keeshond. They’re great family pets. Still need exercise and brushing, they’re very chillax with kids (known as Velcro dogs. They are pack animals and need their family.) They need lots of socialization from early on - puppy school, walking, dog park, cafes, etc and they are great with strangers, dogs, etc. Have very low prey drive, etc. Terrible bark if bored, so exercise is important but I defy you to find a dog this doesn’t apply to.

I would stay well away from Cavaliers, as lovely as they are it is heart breaking losing them at a young age to heart issues.

Poodles aren’t bitey and intolerant. Poodles are great dogs, that’s why they get crossed with everything.

Team Coton here! Famously cheerful, happy-go-lucky and sociable. Smart too - they can be stubborn but are very tuned into their humans and have a strong desire to please. Non-shedding though you do need to keep on top of grooming to avoid mats. Can be barky. Bit more sturdy/robust than the maltese/havanese so always up for a good walk in the park.

Adding: Cotons tend to be healthy - all depends on the individual of course, but they are not prone to the genetic health issues you get with (e.g.) cavaliers and sausages.

I see a Cairn terrier on my daily walk with our lab. A lovely little dog.

Yes I think it's the badly bred Cockers that are bitey and make the cockerpoos neurotic bitey fluff balls.

Chihuahua. I have never had one of my own but I have dog sat a lot and they are amazing. I never knew how fabulous they were until sitting them and now I am hooked and that will be the next dog for me. There do seem to be the soft snuggly ones and the really snappy ones though so yeah. Or I think maybe a Shih Tzu. I have sat a few of them too. A little too laid back fr me but a sweet easy going little dog without the potential agro of the Chihuahua, lol.

Shih Tzu. My little girl is just adorable. So loving and friendly with all other dogs and people. She never yaps or is naughty. Loves to cuddle all day but equally happy on a walk over the fields.

Not sure about that. MIL is on her 4th poodle and each one has been a truly horrible dog, and I say that as a dog lover. Bark at anything, needy, separation anxiety, hard to house train, snappy, always crusty looking no matter how much they are groomed. One has managed to defy the odds and live forever and its still not lost the attitude. Couldn’t think of much worse!

If I were to go small I would go Keeshond or corgi.

A cockapoo, ours is just the sweetest, happiest dog I have ever known, always has a toy in his mouth to greet people. My parents have his sister from a litter before and again the friendliest kindest family dog you could find.
Ours are between 10-13kg.
Most cockapoos are non-shedding too, but require grooming.

You will get loads of different answers. Even different dogs from the same breed won't be the same. If you get the dog as a pup then make sure it is well socialised from the start. Take it out and about and let it meet other dogs/people. Make sure it's well trained, has good recall, can sit, lie, leave it, be quiet on request. Then you can take the dog anywhere.

Pug. Adorable.

@3RingADing

"Just don't treat them like a toy, treat them like a dog. Train, socialise and nip any bad behaviour in the bud (ie don't think it's funny and cute because they're small and let them carry on with it"

This made my night. So refreshing to hear someone echo how ALL small dogs should be treated. Chihuahuas are SO intelligent. All dogs need SO much more, than just to be loved. Every small dog with problem behaviour I have encountered has been treated as a baby substitute.

We have a Lhasa Apso crossed with a poodle. Sweetest little guy in the world. Loves people, loves to play with other dogs, very good natured. Downsides - needs regular grooming & bathing. You must train as due to the Lhasa side of things they can pick and choose when they want to obey!! You have to really work at getting recall, more so than some other dogs.

There are no healthy cavaliers. They have so many issues and often really suffer. Its really not a good breed to recommend.
I would also recommend looking at rescues. A reputable rescue can tell you a lot about a dogs character and you can get to know the dog a bit first and take him out.
If you really want a purebred puppy, theres lots of options that can fit your criteria. Most of them are due to training and not necessarily breed.

Australian terrier! Cheerful, healthy, friendly non shedding sturdy little dogs. They are not very well known in the UK so you won’t find them on gumtree from a puppy farmer, and they are not crazy expensive. (Only mine has eaten quite a lot of my garden, and a little bit of the sofa, but she is such good fun we don’t mind a bit of chewing)

Jack Russell. I have one and he is the sweetest dog ever. Loves everyone (no exceptions) and just as happy to snuggle on the couch as tear about outside. They're also very easy to train as they're so smart. When my dog was a puppy, he would learn to do things in a matter of hours ! I think they're an overlooked breed and I don't know why.

We looked at Cavaliers, they are lovely little dogs but the health problems put us off.

We finally settled on a miniature poodle and we have no regrets. We’ve had dogs before and frankly, I was dreading the puppy phase.

We’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how easy our mini has been. Poodles are very intelligent so they learn things very quickly. Housetraining was very quick and easy. It helped that she came from an excellent breeder, who had the puppies in her home with their mother and grandmother. So toilet training was well under way when we picked her up. The breeder gave us blankets and toys, smelling of mum and we brought her home with them in her canvass kennel. She used the kennel as her bed to start with and she loved it. She settled very quickly at night.

Our poodle hasn’t chewed anything, she hardly ever barks, she was top of the puppy class, she loves other dogs, children, people, she’s loving, and just an absolute joy to have around.

We have a rescue pug. he is the most loving easy dog. Very rarely barks, and only in the garden when other dogs start him off. Isn’t food oriented so isn’t jumping at me when I eat or eating rubbish on the floor. Doesn’t need much physical attention and is happy just being in the room with my while I work, but does love a cuddle when in on the sofa. Amazing with my daughter, she is an only and really is her little play companion. I know pugs get a bad rep for health reasons but there are many that need rescuing.

Lovely we have a delightful rescue pug too. Utterly gorgeous and full of love ❤️