1st timer

[superplumb]

Researching for a family dog. I work hybrid and go to the office once every two weeks. Dh comes home at 130 from work. Our boys are 9 amd 11. Both asd but main stream school.
Live near a park and lots of woods. 4 bed semi house, average garden but have 6 chickens.
Nothing too large. I'd love a golden but too large I think. I'd love a cavalier but health worries me. Have also looked at poodles but they are very bright.
Not keen on borders terriers though. Open to other suggestions. My parents have a sprocker so needs to be happy woth other dogs too

Would a Chinese Crested Powderpuff be to small?

Have you thought about what traits you'd ideally like ? And what level of activity you can offer, including indoor games ? Bearing in mind that breed traits are indicators only and every dog is individual.

You don't want a Border Terrier - do you know why ? Is it looks or traits that put you off ? That would help narrow down whether it's terriers you don't like in general or borders in specific. What is it that appeals about a Golden ?

Short haired or long haired ? Affectionate ? Watch dog ? Noise level ? Etc

The chickens will rule out some options and will need any dog to be trained thoroughly around them

If you have chickens, you probably want a lap-dog type breed with a low or non-existent prey drive. That generally rules out most working dogs, terriers, scent and sight hounds.

What about breeds like Lhasa Apso or Havanese?

I think you need to think about what you don't want.

Drool? If that's a no, it rules out most family-friendly first time breeds (St Bernards, Bernese, Goldies, Labs, Boxers).

Don't want to be covered in fur? That rules out Goldies, Bernese, Labs, Collies (or most shepherds), Corgies, Samoyed etc).

Don't want one too intelligent (i.e. lots of training really needed)? That rules out Collies, most retriever breeds, poodles, most spaniels etc.

I'd go for something like a Bichon Frise. Pretty healthy, good with kids, reasonably good with other dogs (training permitting), robust, no drool. Needs grooming a lot - but tbh there's no such thing as 'the perfect dog.'

Hardly any dog owner loves absolutely everything about their dog - it's about finding a dog that ticks 'most' of your boxes and learning to love the bits you really hate. Personally, I absolutely hate fur. I hate hoovering. But, I have a Goldie - because he is perfect in every other way and so I look past his bloody fur.

I have a Border Terrier now 😂, but my first dog was a Miniature Poodle. They are excellent dogs. Easy to house train, follow you everywhere, go everywhere, no prey drive, walk for miles, not destructive...what's not to love?

Thanks all.
Drool not ideal. Can walk an hour or so a day. Happy to train a trainable dog. Lap dog sounds ideal. Jut wish cavs ticked the health box because they seem ideal for us

You can still get healthy Cavaliers but they're very hard to find and breeders will have massive waiting lists - I agree it's such a shame as they're lovely dogs.

The lack of fur gives me the heebie jeebies

I don't mind fur and I'd love a golden.i keep looking at them but they're so big

If you stick to bitches, the size of a Golden or a Lab could be smaller than you think. I do think they're great dogs for first timers but you can't avoid that the puppy stage for both breeds can be full on. And if you're uncertain about size, having a Golden or Lab in your life as a first time owner can be a shock and not nessecarily a pleasant one.

What about something like a Tibetan Terrier for size ? They're not terriers despite the name. Or a Havanese which is smaller ?

OP you've not said whether you're planning to get a puppy. If so, someone has to be home with it all the time, probably for several months. A young puppy can't be left alone at all, and will demand a lot of your attention when you are home. Does your job allow you to be fairly self-directed? Will you be able to arrange someone to be in the house when you're in work? Do you envisage having to leave the dog alone a lot or at all, e.g. for school runs? All of this might influence both breed and whether you get a puppy or not.

Is the hour or so a day the maximum? That will rule out some larger breeds and many gundogs, who may want a bit more than that, and some dogs will also need work to do - e.g. gundog training or agility. Can you spare the time for puppy classes?

Not to put you off at all - I think it's great you're looking for ideas, you're doing much more research than I did! But the puppy months are HARD and it's like a small furry bomb going off in your life.

A Powderpuff has plenty of fur...
And they are not smelly, not to bright and easy to train!

Oh OK.. I googled them and the photos were off dogs with no fur..weird.

Puppy yes. I've contacted lots of rescues but with chickens and children with sen ( both primary aged) rescue is out.
Mostly be at home.. I'd take dog to the school run.
I'll be at home most of the time, husband afternoon and of that fails my parents a 5 mins walk away.the

Hmm even bittxhes are too big I think. Havanese isn't a bad shout. Are they yappy?

Being able to be left, be good with chickens and being good with your kids is more down to training than breed traits TBH.

Also, yapping and barking will happen. Smaller breeds can be more vocal, I have a Pomchi and she literally gave me tinnitus in one ear last week when she screamed in my face while on my desk at work, that was fun. (Fortunately dog friendly office tolerates the woofs even if my body doesn't!) You mention your children are SEN - how are they with barking? Some children can find it a bit much. Children running around and playing can also rile up most dogs and result in more barking than a quieter household.

There are two types hairless and ones that have hair

One is a Chinese Crested Dog... that's the hairless version.

You can also get a Chinese Crested Powderpuff, they have long soft silky hair that needs regular grooming and brushing.

I had 2 Powderpuffs when DC were little and thought they were lovely, playful little dogs ... but not very bright, it took ages to teach them anything! Personally I think they are underrated as family dogs.

Well bred Staffie or well bred show type Cocker Spaniel ticks most of your boxes.

People with young kids should 100% avoid cocker spaniels. They can go incredibly wrong (speaking as someone who has fostered Spaniels for the last ten years - I'd say about 95% of the ones I've fostered have come from families with young children). Even Show strains need a lot more exercise and mental stimulation to be truly satiated than most people realise. My girl is 11 and needs 2hrs a day, every day, and keeps up with my parents border collies (which are working dogs). She's not alone as a lot of the show strains I've fostered have been similarly energetic.

A well-bred Staffie is a thing of beauty and a perfect family pet. Very intelligent and loyal.

No dog NEEDS 2 hours of exercise per day. You want to give it to them. I’ve had or have; working line Labs, Cockers, several HPRs, Rottweilers and now working GSDs. None have “needed” 2 hours of exercise per day, but of course will take it if I give it to them.

We'll have to agree to disagree, because I think if you get a dog that is known for being high energy and don't exercise it or give it adequate stimulation then you're a negligent owner running the risk of serious behavioural issues.

Aww cocker spaniels make great family pets, very loving and need lots of attention x

There is a vast difference between not giving a dog any exercise or stimulation and insisting they need 2 hours of walking per day. How you can mistake what I said for giving a dog NO exercise I am not entirely sure?

To suggest that any dog NEEDS two hours of exercise per day is ludicrous. As I said if you want to give them that then that’s fine. But they don’t NEED it. And as for stimulation, that can be achieved by far more than just exercise.

I am also sure that the 10s of thousand of families that have Cocker Spaniels as pets would disagree with your assertion, too. There is a reason they are one of the most popular breeds of dog and it’s not because they are incredibly hard work or challenging.

Cairn. Vastly underated little dogs.

also Yorkies. They have a reputation for being yappy and nippy but IME this is only if you don’t treat them like dogs. I have had them for 50 years and never had one nip or bark other than at the door- current one I had to train him to do that. What’s the point of a silent dog that means you miss your parcels 😂

generally though both breeds like their cuddles and are little lapdogs, with enough terrier to make them proper dogs. The Yorkie hates walks, spends his days in the garden hunting with the cat. He’s definitely a scaled down dog rather than a “toy” breed. And much easier to handle at that size!