Which breed?

[Minihero]

Which breed dog do you have?

We are planning on getting a puppy in Spring and looking at breeds. We love golden retrievers and have the space for a medium-big dog. We also like the idea of cocker spaniels and cockerpoos. There's also a maltipoo in our family that we adore.

We have 2xDC age 8 and 6 and DH works from home every day.

She's beautiful @CellophaneFlower , she's like the dog every kid dreams of ❤

I often answer this, but my reason was as I'd heard poodles can be quite highly strung (more common in the smaller types though) and prone to separation anxiety, which I really wanted to hopefully avoid. I also wanted a bit more of a "robust" dog and hoped to get that by introducing retriever. GR's are also my favourite dogs so was a big part of my choice.

Thank you! I'm still hoping one day you share a pic of yours 😍

I’ve had bearded collies they are wonderful dogs that I think are dwindling in numbers. But they bounce and are certainly sharp, quick, and need a lot of attention, you don’t want a bored beardie! They can be fabulous fun dogs, but they need serious work in my experience anyway.

From your description of wanting something trainable but not too sharp, I would avoid working and pastoral breeds (unless you were to go through a breed specific rescue as some dogs certainly break their breed trait moulds).

Golden retrievers shedding is ridiculous, plus I’ve known some GRs that can have dodgy temperaments and resource guarding issues, so I guess as for all breeds, choose breeder and proven history of great temperament rather than looks.

Hope you enjoy whatever you choose!

Thanks @CellophaneFlower

Sorry if I got it wrong @Pinkandorangeskies 😳I'm always drawn to working and pastoral breeds but you may be right.

@CellophaneFlower Go to the Puppy Survival Thread or Adolescent Survival Thread (both are on The Doghouse board) and look at the gallery pics😁There's a recent pic of her on each. At 7 months we're sort of straddling puppy and adolescent...

(It's a guarding breed and not the most trainable 😬 so I would definitely not recommend as a dog for the faint-hearted or the novice owner...).

@CellophaneFlower I audibly gasped when I saw that photo!
Yes that one please

Border Terrier

I've always wanted one but I couldn't afford one so ended up with two mongrels which are both a mixture of Pug/Border/Shih-Tzu. Same ingredients, different recipe 😉

Our girl who is half border has honestly been the best, easiest dog. She's so robust and is an absolute darling. So much so we got another, however a boy who is much more playful but has been a bit more stubborn. They're amazing with our daughter.
So happy to go for long walks but are more than happy just to have a short one on poor weather days and love nothing more than cuddling on the sofa with you.

We have a show-line labrador. He's smart(ish) incredibly sweet and great fun on a walk /beach. We take him on lots of walks but he doesnt get bored if he misses out on a few. He's also very even tempered and doesn't get stressed about car journeys, fireworks, new places or strange dogs. There's a reason they are popular! The shedding is a lot but he's worth it! He is bigger than I expected (40kg) so I'd find our the size of the parents and consider a female if you're looking for a medium/large dog.

Yup. That was my reaction too. Perfect family dog.

I like the idea of border collies. Them, Bernese mountain dogs and golden retrievers are the ones were seriously considering now. I do also like cocker spaniels but don't think it's the right breed for us.

That GR poodle cross though....

Border collies can be quite intense - I personally wouldn't recommend one for a first time dog owner as they can very easily go rogue and create their own entertainment if they're not adequately exercised and stimulated.

Basically, you want a dog who is biddable and will do as you ask, not one who is intelligent and will do what they want

We have a Doodle (mixture of Australian labradoodle, medium poodle, and Irish setter). He is an absolute teddy bear, really good with the kids and the perfect energy level. He looks fairly big (Labrador size) but isn’t because it’s all fluff. I looked in forums before getting him and everyone was so sniffy about labradoodles! Saying they are nervous, anxious, not a real breed etc etc. So glad I decided to ignore. He’s been easy to train and the perfect beginner dog. Also love the fact he doesn’t smell or moult, although we do have to spend £50 every 6 weeks at the groomers. The kids flock to him in the playground 😂

Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. Our boy has the loveliest temperament and every other one we've met has been the same. He's friendly with everybody and dogs, barely barks, doesn't shed, and great with children .

Doodle -cross of Irish setter, medium poodle, Australian Labrador

I have a Labrador, a breed often cited as being ‘a great family dog’. He is, but he’s only ‘settled’ nows he two. He was hard work until then We have an American /working, rather than an English/show lab, and I think they tend to be the harder type (I didn’t know there different types either).

Be prepared for the puppy stage to get hard, cute but hard, with someone on (almost) 24 hour puppy for the first few weeks. It does fet easier, but you do need someone one dog duty all the time. My hound is now snoozing on the sofa, but I’m still overseeing his actions, whilst others are upstairs.

My 'boring' retrievers 😉

Boring has a lot of advantages, yes they shed (although not as badly as I was expecting) but minimal grooming requirements. Appreciate their short coats almost every walk when we encounter longer hard dogs covered in mud or full of grass seeds, twigs and general detritus. A robot vacuum is a hell of a lot cheaper than 6 weekly grooms too!

We’ve got a whippet. He’s lovely but am not sure I would have another-his prey drive is through the roof and for that reason he can’t really go off lead. He will chase anything including other dogs (especially smaller ones) so can only go off lead in a secure paddock. He also goes bat-shit crazy when he sees a cat or a squirrel on a walk (which seems to be all the time) and it’s very embarrassing.

Have you considered an Irish setter? My friend has one and she is lovely, biddable, sweet and soft. Plus she is beautiful with her auburn coat. Nice size too, not too big or small.

I have a soft coated wheaten terrier. I have no idea why they're not more popular. Beautiful breed.

My beautiful boy

Was coming on to suggest a Basset Hound too

Amazing breed. Today we have gone one a 2 hour walk but most weekends he gets a 30 min and is happy.

They have such personalities and really integrate into their human pack. Adore their family. Gentle dogs who thinks they a big dogs (weight wise they are 😀) cuddly and can also be playfully.

Yes very trainable but get a trainer that will learn a out Basset Hounds. Ours goes to a doggy daycare twice a week and adores it he is such a social little chap and when we see photos of them all in the field Conkers is always to be found in the centre.

I adore the breed ours like @grumpypedestrian s. Walks beautifully off lead. And I think ours looks a lot alike 😀

I can’t believe that you’re considering a border collie, from your posts and the description of what you and your family would like. Something not too sharp aye right …

Ha ha, well they are classed as a large breed. But newfoundlands, leonbergers etc are giant breed so they aren't as big as some. Here is a pic of my older boy

And my younger one