Which breed to consider

[Aug12]

Hi all,

We are a good 18month to 2yr away from being in a position to welcome a dog into our lives but just thinking/researching which breeds might be an option for our family.. I know good breeding comes into play and you can never know exactly what traits your dog will have.

We have 3 young children (hence waiting a few year) so friendliness needs to be top priority. We can manage a daily walk of an 1hr per day and then playing in the garden. A medium or small breed would be preferred and due to having a cat and bunny, preferably with little prey drive/instinct. Someone is always home so bar popping to Tesco or swimming lessons on a Saturday, they wouldn’t be left home alone. My eldest is keen to try agility classes with their dog and we will have a trainer in place to help us along with it all.

thanks

Some of the breeds being recommended are iffy with cats, never mind a rabbit too.

Also it’s hugely unrealistic to recommend a rescue with an existing cat and rabbit.

Rabbits aren’t like cats where if you introduce a confident one to a puppy it’s likely to go ok, they do stuff like break their own backs trying to get away from things.

Sheltie. Insanely intelligent, loyal, affectionate, cute. 1 hr a day walks ( or two half an hour, plus exercise in the garden would do it fine. Small enough to be a lap dog but not so small as to be a yappy little rat!

@OrlandointheWilderness absolutely 😂

The one I walk has the most adorable personality but oh my god, her prey drive is insane 🙈 the owners also have her half brother who's a full cocker and the differences between them are crazy.

Don't get me wrong they are both the sweetest dogs and probably some of my favourites but they've taught me that I never want to own a spaniel 😂😂

Ah we've had all sorts @sunsetsandboardwalks - as I say we have working ones. The prey drive is a necessary part and we want that, we just need to train them to be steady and use it in the right way. It's all in the training. A chap once said to me in the woods 'wow, your dogs are so obedient! Wish mine was. How did you get them like that!?' He seemed a little shocked that the answer was simply effort and time! And a huge amount of both. We spend hours training. We never go for a walk and have them do their own thing, we are always doing bits even leg stretching.

Apart from socks, shoes or slippers stealing. No amount of training will break a spaniel from his footwear. This photo was literally just taken.

Yes she's very well trained as an adult @OrlandointheWilderness but it took a years of work to get her there!

She also did canicross until she tore her cruciate so now it's much more brain work etc. while out and about.

I have a beagle myself and lots of people say how good he is - like you, it took hours of work and lots of patience 😂

As a Papillon owner, as much as I love the breed, I wouldn't recommend them for a household with 3 young children. They are physically quite delicate and it would be too easy for them to get accidentally hurt in a busy household.

You're right about friendliness (or perhaps a calm temperament) being your top priority as your dog is going to have a lifetime surrounded by children not only at the ages the children are when you get the dog but also for the next decade +.

[Edited I was quoting this but the quote disappeared for some reason...
"A Papillon. They are small and an hour of exercise would be enough. They are one of the smartest breeds and perform at a very high level in agility."]

I think you need more of a lap dog. Definitely not a Border Terrier, in fact don't get any terrier, they have high prey drive. I lived nextdoor to two BTs for 4 years, in those years they killed 3 cats that came into their garden. Wouldn't trust them near any small animal.

I think something like a Lahsa Also, Bichon, Malteser etc would fit. They don't need much exercise and are usually good with children and other animals.

A cavalier from fully health tested parents or a cairn terrier I think would be the best best for your circumstances.
Easy going, don't needs huge amount of exercise. Good for first time owners.

Cairn terriers have high prey drive though and I wouldn't have a cat and rabbit around them.

We have just adopted A 9 month old Toy Poodle/Shih Tzu from a local rescue place. He is enormous fun, very clever, likes long walks and very pretty. We also adopted his best buddy, an older Toy Poodle, I’d say the Toy Poodle would not be robust enough for very active children but he is a bit of a clown too. My brother had a succession of Golden Retrievers, very hairy, she’d a lot, and very good motivated.Lovely dogs but I couldn’t cope with one.

Grew up with Cairns.

Absolute no go with a rabbit. And even the cat.

Prey drive is insane.

poodle. cant go wrong. literally the most perfect breed for a family 💜 comes in three sizes standard, medium and toy.
insanely inteligent, loving, cuddly, gentle.
ours is smarter than most people i know 😂