Give me some breed ideas!

[EagerTaupePlayer]

I don't plan to add another dog until 2027 but I still enjoy thinking about what breed I want next 😂I clearly have no life.

I'm curious as to what breeds others would suggest. My current young dog is a female working cocker. Of course, the obvious solution is another working spaniel, which may end up being the case but I do like to explore other breeds. Open to any breed that fits the parameters I'll outline. Bonus points if it's a vulnerable native breed. Of course, exercise and things outlined would be with an adult dog rather than a puppy.

Must have:

• Moderate in size. At least the size of a Parson or Border Terrier but no large than a female working line Labrador.
• Very active and likely to enjoy high levels of exercise. I'm a canicross runner and competitor. I run three times a week and can do runs of up to 15 miles (although runs of this length would be off lead so likely off lead reliability is ideal). Harnessed runs are typically 5-10K. The dog would need to keep pace with my other dog really and she's no slouch- sub-20 5K in harness. I also enjoy long hikes especially in the summer across the Lakes, Northumbria and the Dales. Daily, if not running, the dog would get 2 hours + of exercise mostly off lead.
• Social with strange dogs and humans. Had a dog in the past who really did not like other dogs. He was a fantastic dog but managing interactions with random dogs was stressful for me- I already have an anxiety disorder so it made me not want to take him to different places.

Nice to have but can live without:

• Enjoys playing fetch and swimming. We live near a lot of rivers and lakes which my spaniel loves swimming in and it's ideal to cool the dog down mid-hike/run.
• Enjoys trick training- I'm not interested in agility or anything like that but I do like trick training.
• On the lower side of shedding.

Breeds I've considered:

• Border Collie- these seem like a good choice but I don't know if they fit me exactly or I'd gel with them- I like the personality of my spaniel and don't know how collies differ.
• Parson/Border Terrier- not sure if they are active enough for what I want and there is the sociability issue.
• Wheaten Terrier- like these and they are ideal size-wise being leggier than the Parson or Border but not sure how active they are.
• Labrador- a good WL Lab is a great dog but I'm not sure if they would be suitable for my lifestyle given how rampant hip issues are in the breed.
• Vizsla- they seem ideal but all the one's I've met have been a bit nervy.
• GSP- nice dogs but all the one's I've met have been very big- bigger than a Lab.

Thanks :)

If you like Vizlas but they're a bit on the nervy side for you, I would consider a female pointer. Mine does everything on your list and more.

You need a kelpie. Bred to run all day and bred to work as part of a team.

https://www.uk.pedigree.com/dog-advice/dog-breeds/australian-kelpie#:~:text=This%20wonderful%20breed%20came%20from,Zealand%2C%20Germany%20and%20the%20Netherlands.

Curly coated retriever? Fairly rare; less social than a golden but still polite, and is very active? Less of the health issues of a usual retriever.

Irish water spaniel? Same again.

I have a parsons and would be cautious. He's the light of the my life and a great companion but not biddable. Even working with a trainer, it's likely his recall will never be 100%. A terrier might be a shock if you are used to dogs who live to please...

As soon as I read your wish list I thought of a GSP! Not all are big, and they are so lean and curl up in to such a small ball / insist on sitting on your lap, they take up no space whatsoever 😂

Thanks for all the suggestions, some really good ones here.

Australian Shepherd is a good one and not one I've considered tbh, not sure how they differ from BCs?

My vote goes to a border terrier. We had one before our current cockapoo (who is frankly lazy). BT ran along side bikes on rides. I’m sure could probably manage those distances.

If you don't really want a collie I really wouldn't recommend an Aussie - they're very similar and I'd argue the Aussies are even more high-energy in many ways.

Have you looked at English Shepherds?

I know a few collies and Australian shepherds. Whilst they're not unfriendly to other dogs, they can't walk in groups as they just want to herd the other dogs.

Brittany spaniel? Gorgeous looking and will go on and on! Collies can be massively anti-social, I find. Good at interacting with other collies, but maybe less so with other breeds?

It is. My last male e was 22kg. But as I said, my current female is 14kg

I have a Toller (doesn’t fit the native!) and she loves water (originally a duck hunting dog from Canada). She’d love your life! We do agility and maintrailing and I have done some canicross but hate running 🤣

They are a retriever, spaniel, collie, red setter cross. My girl is 14.5kg and on the smaller side as most would be 16-18kg ish.

Smooth Collie? Active, friendly temperament, native vulnerable breed, more chilled than Border collies.

A Toller ticks all your boxes apart from being a native breed. Smart, friendly, active, medium-sized, lovely happy-go-lucky temperament. I’d be wary of smooth collies - some lines can be very reactive - our girl was sweet and gorgeous but so neurotic and we subsequently found out quite a few of her close relatives had similar problems.

Dalmatian or Red Setter. Though realistically, I'd probably just go for another working cocker

I bet there’s a rescue place waiting for an application like this! ❤️

Before we got our girlie out dream dog list was

• border collie
• english/gordon/irish setter
• labrador
• golden retriever
• briard
• otterhound

there are so many lovely breeds out there and so many lovely mixes too! I do enjoy looking up different pooches so really enjoying the thread!

Have a look at Samoyeds. They look bigger than they are because of the fluff but the shedding really isn’t that bad - it’s terrible twice a year when they blow their coats but that only lasts a couple of weeks.

Plenty of energy but don’t go nuts if they have a couple of quiet days and the friendliest dogs I’ve ever encountered. They’re the babysitters of the snow dog world.

I don't think you need to try and reinvent the wheel...I think a spaniel is your perfect choice tbh.

If you fancy a slight difference, go for a Springer. We have a working Springer and she's everything you're looking for. The only difference is that I wouldn't call her 'social'. She's simply fairly disinterested in most dogs and humans that she doesn't know and will side step them on walks or runs like they're not there...it's a trait I've seen in many Springers and tbph it's far easier than having a 'social' dog that wants to engage with strange dogs or humans.

Have you considered an English Setter? It’s a vulnerable native breed, and seems to match your requirements (although top end of the size limit). Lovely dogs.

Came across a Spanish water dog on a walk recently - was gorgeous didn't look like it shed. That might fit your bill!
I have 2 poodle types - one is absolutely water and ball obsessed. Will go for miles and miles and still be spitting her ball at me when we get home.
The other likes to lie in water to cool but is more hippo like 😉

Rhodesian Ridgeback. They were bred to run with horses.

You don’t want an Aussie. And that’s coming from someone who has one!

Another vote for GSP. The girls tend to be a bit smaller/finer so would definitely suit size wise and would easily do all the things listed.

We got our first GSP last year and can’t imagine having another breed now.

I was coming to say springer as well, our springer meets all your requirements he is very sociable loves everyone, never tires out on the go and loves swimming, he is a bigger springer at 25kg but his parents are gamekeepers dogs do proper working.

I love English Settlers but the ones I know (3 total) always have to be on a lead/long line most places. One can be off lead in certain places but I know it's been a lot of work to get that far (4 years old). They're quite independent compared to say a lab or a spaniel which makes recall much trickier to train.