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.

My two good girls, Dora (lurcher) and Maisie (cavapoo). At least, Dora is a good girl; Maisie is a loon.

Wanted to add sth about breed traits. They can vary hugely. Our first bernese used to round people up - if we were in a big group he would look for stragglers and peel off and nudge them back in. He was also very much a guard dog.

None of my others were/are interested in herding. Nos 2 and 3 love/d guarding the house but no 4 is a scaredy cat who freezes if someone comes to the door.

No 2 loved chasing things like squirrels. None of the others have done that.

No 4 howls. None of the others could do that. He is a loveable rogue but not sure what his skills are.

Anyway, thing is that breed traits can really vary according to the individual pup.

So is your pooch a gr poodle mix? Beautiful dog!

Thank you! Yes, she has lab in her as well. Her dna test (I knew her breeds but did one out of curiosity and wanted to test how accurate they are!) actually shows she's 66% standard poodle, 18% GR, 13% lab and 3% miniature poodle. She seems far more retriever than poodle to me in temperament and build though and her body certainly didn't get the miniature poodle memo 😂 She's 36kg, so heavier than even your average male standard poodle, but I wanted big, that's why I opted for this particular litter, as parents were both very tall.

Oh wow they are gorgeous dogs, sadly never met one in real life. I love huge dogs, but I know I couldn’t manage one these days. Also anything beardie-ish in appearance, like the Mioritics (but very different traits to beardies).

My husband met Mioritics and South Russians at The World Dog Show in Finland - both are interesting shaggy dogs. He went there specifically for the Livestock Protection breeds and saw a lot of the rarer ones like Tatras, Kuvasz, Cuvac and his personal favourite the Sarplaninac, as well as the more numerous breeds like Maremma, Spanish Mastiff and Pyrenean Mastiff. We are slightly obsessed with this type of dog 😆

I'm 60 now so we should think about sizing down for our next dog, but, that said, it'll probably be another PMD because better the devil you know...😉

So interesting! I’ve never heard of those breeds, something to Google later

If you like the look of huskies and want a silky-haired medium sized family dog I don’t think you could do better than a Samoyed. Even after 13 years I still spend ten minutes of every day staring at our girl’s etherial beauty and her double coat feels like cashmere - far softer than silk.
She looks after her own coat too, cleaning it even after swimming or muddy feet. Twice a year she moults for two, three days. Clouds of white fluff all over the house but at other times not a problem.
Totally a family dog, always wants to be with her pack. Theoretically a working dog but happy with a couple of walks a day. It just means when she and the kids were younger she was happy to pull them around on a sledge or skateboard. They were the dogs used on many polar expeditions.
She’s very clever (remembered Japanese orders years after hearing the language), sings, says hello at relevant times. Never attacked a cat (our lodger fosters then) or snapped at a person. Both bouncy and placid.
Her only downside is she hates car travel but I think that’s more’her’ than the breed.
I’ve previously had cocker spaniels, a Labrador and German shepherds. I loved them dearly but there’s no doubt Samoyeds are my rec.

A beagle. He’s full of love and fun. Very active/bonkers for the first 4 years - wrestling with the kids etc but steadier and quite the lap dog now. Nice as the kids grow into teens. Also very hardy and not prone to illnesses or genetic weaknesses. He has a darling nature. Would recommend.

I know a few samoyeds. Nice dogs. Fur is gorgeous

Agree completely. Fellow beagle family here.

Thanks for the link - I'll see if we can make this

We have a working cocker spaniel. He’s a year old and we’ve had him from a pup. He’s absolutely brilliant - we live close to lots of rural walks so he gets a good walk every day and we play games with him plus we are doing scent training. We briefly tried agility but he literally couldn’t concentrate because of all the other dogs he wanted to play with!
he’s high energy but does have a great off switch and will chill when we do.

Serious answer and I’ve owned multiple dogs and have friends who are dog owners. If you get a golden retriever you’ll definitely enjoy him/her as a pet, but they’re HIGH MAINTENANCE. Extreme energy, they like to chew everything around, they’re very destructive unless entertained with other things (bones, lick mats, 2-3 walks a day) very very high maintenance.

i currently own a whippet and he is a lovely, loving dog with a lot of personality but the maintenance is HIGH. The most easy-going, loving, independent dogs I ever owned were Staffordshire bull-terriers. They’re called nanny dogs for a reason. Very good with children (males are a little boisterous but are very easily trained) and I recommend you the breed to everybody who has children. A KC registered staffy will never let you down.

golden retrievers are amazing, very intelligent dogs, but that is the main thing portrayed in the videos and media. The maintenance is extremely high, and they will destroy everything they sniff if they’re bored. However, I won’t discourage your decision if you have the time and A LOT of energy to raise one. My go-to recommendation is always going to be the staffy for a family with children.

There are 2 types of Goldens though and the show ones (larger with blockier heads) are far calmer. All the show Goldens I've known are pretty lazy and I've never known them to be destructive (bar the puppy stages). They are easy to train but generally as they're people pleasers rather than hugely intelligent imo. Working goldens are stunning but need a lot more mental stimulation and exercise.

Retrievers are all twatty little sharks as pups though.

Agree with you @CellophaneFlower re goldens.

I think the appearance and the overall great reputation and nature of the breed creates a complacency almost that many other dog breeds don’t. I have been guilty of that and I’m sure I’m not alone. Probably in the most part down to breeding choices that have exacerbated some undesirable traits. I agree that the lovely temperament ones are amazing though, if I were to get one it would be by checking out likely temperament above everything.

Oh goodness you are my people! Our Sammy is 2.5 years old, exactly the same as yours except she likes car travel - an absolute delight! Everyone ALWAYS things they're high maintenance with the coat but totally agree with you, we are straight to the groomers when she blows her coat and she comes back half the size lol and the groomers is like a snow dome 😝 but god they're so loving, caring and adore walks, runs, pottering around - ours gets a complete mix
They 'can' be a little barky at times but you can train most of that
Out of them 🤣

But staffies are generally not good with other dogs and taking them out, to parks with other dogs, is often impossible. Round here we havexa big rec which is used by literally hundreds of dogs each day but no staffs. People with staffs walk them round the streets on their leads, because a staff's idea of playing really upsets other dogs and their owners. They grab the other dog by the neck. I have known several people get staffs. Lovely at home but not good if you want to interact with other dogs. Plus OP wants long hair

Another one with a retired greyhound here. Aside from the usual pluses that everyone mentions (sleeps a lot, doesn't need to be walked for hours, generally very calm and good with people), they are the handsomest and most elegant of dogs, with a very long and fascinating history. And it is such fun watching them run around.

Yes and that’s why I would never recommend anyone gets a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

@Floofpaws She sounds lovely!
You’re right about the biannual blowing. Some owners spin and knit it. Our spaniels were much more trouble with grooming (oh,the ears)!
At two and a half I guess yours in growing out of the adolescent barking stage. Ours did years ago and now mostly ‘talks’ except when someone knocks on the door or she’s told she’s going for an evening walk (we trained her not to bark in the morning).
She’s also brilliant with other dogs. She did get into a fight with an aggressive badger once but totally ignored an old, lovesick fox which fell in love with her and gazed moonstruck through the yard fence for weeks one spring.

I've never seen that with staffs. I had a cross with a Labrador and he was fabulous in every way. He taught our Rottweiler how to be a fabulous dog too (they chew everything so I don't recommend but otherwise top personalities. At one point he stopped chewing sofas and shoes etc and moved straight onto £10 notes.) and our rottie had a few acquaintances that were staffs with no issues at all.

Another Border Terrier owner (slave!)
My boy is almost a year old, easy to train but has his stubborn streak!
Loyal, loving and very friendly. He makes me laugh daily, he's such a funny character. Oh and he's gorgeous!

I've never heard of samoyeds- what beautiful dogs.

Australian labradoodle (don't confuse with labradoodle) is the perfect dog IMHO. It's a breed in development for companionship/therapy. Also non shedding. Can be mini (6kg to standard size 21 kg).