Looking for a gentle companion dog

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Looking for a companion dog to join my quiet household. Dh and I are semi retired and regularly go away for weekends ,and would like a companion dog to come camping with us and join us for sunday lunches , walks and the like.
We are aware that due to the nature of camping - we do not need a hi alert breed ( barking) .
We have narrowed it down to two litters.

1. Pure Bichon. Mum very affectionate calm. Dad unknown.But kennel club show type dog/ stud . Breeder - at home- providing lots of cuddles- have dc . Say will socialise- but unsure - how much. Household feels calm. Puppies mostly in large playpen . Feel that the family wont have a great deal of time to start potty training— and that pups will be in the pen quite a lot. Seem to care for pups .. slight communication issues as English second language . (Eastern Europe) .Seem v keen on breeding lines . 2 nd litter - first litter -2 years ago . Health checks done.
2. Cavapooshon.Mum - gentle cavashon. Dad gentle toy poodle. Family home. Mum works. They have the grandma, the pups mums mum and they have the pups mum , and have kept a sibling of the last litter ( a year ago) 3rd litter. Health checks done.

Both pups seem good options. Human focused.
We do not want a high alert dog prone to barking. We are looking for a dod that would enjoy a family focused life and enjoy the ride ! It is important that it is a human focused companion type dog as we are in out 60 s. ( family around should ill health strike) .

Which would you choose for us - and why ? Please do not talk about other breeds as It really is between the two. We do not carr what a dog looks like- temperament is paramount. - easy going .

Many thanks.

LandSharksAnonymous

Thank you for your feedback .Mum seems very friendly and accepting of visitors. She came for a cuddle and a pup was latched on at the time.

looked at links, if I were you I'd go for the Bichon. ☺️

MuffinsAreJustCakesAtBreakfast Thank you for your time 😁

MuffinsAreJustCakesAtBreakfast

regarding your question about me knowing who the dad is - what I meant is I dont know about his disposition.

Pure bred every time! Bichons are adorable, playful and loyal dog. They love affection and will walk for hours despite them being a small breed. So I'd definitely go for a Bichon!

salcombebabe Thank you .

We got a bichon from a kennel club breeder back in February. Honestly couldn't be more in love with our now 7 month old. He's just wonderful. He comes everywhere with me and is great company when my husband is working away. I would very much recommend 😊

OP is asking for advice. She’s following the advice of me and @MuffinsAreJustCakesAtBreakfast re. A particularly litter.

It’s not ‘weird. It’s not ‘obsessive’

It’s someone doing what more posters should do, and seeking advice from people who know their way around dog breeding.

Your comment was rather unnecessary and a bit cruel. And for me to say that, takes a lot given I am usually the first person piping up to tear down an OP when it comes to dogs.

OP has 100% done the right thing and, quite frankly, I wish we had more people like her and a few less people of the ‘well there’s a litter on Pets4Home that’s 2 miles away and although there’s no health tests and the owner has six other litters also available and there’s more red flags than a CCP convention…I’m going to go for it’ type.’

Full kudos from me to OP tbh. It’s nice to help someone who isn’t lazy and who actually considers animal welfare.

LandSharksAnonymous
thank you for your understanding and expertise.
I am aware of my ignorance and lack of ability to judge some dog related situations and issues - hence owning up to that and trying to learn.
I have found what I think is the name of the kennel that produced the mum of the bichon litter. As a matter of interest . I will link below.

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/dog-profile/

mum is as above and it looks like she was from the tauro kennel - which can be googled.

"Defective dogs and overbred dogs" coming from a person who breeds genetic messes like golden retrievers is rich, they're short lived dogs riddled with cancer and bad joints and apparently, fear aggression and they bite kids if recent posts about breed clubs are to be believed...

There's nothing inherently wrong with breeding a dog more than three times if it's a healthy dog who whelps easily - there's a reason they go into estrus once or twice a year and can die of pyo if they're not altered or bred. The problem is dog overpopulation and structurally unsound dogs who have a bad time giving birth due to being bred to have overly large heads/narrow hips/weak bodies vs how a dog's body wants to be eg. pariah dogs etc.

Good ethical breeders, if there was such a thing, wouldn't waste time on breeding any breed these days outside of something like coursing whippets or kangals or working line terriers because dogs are such a mess these days. Lots of breeders kid themselves they're different because they have a lifetime plan of making a drop of difference in a breed and let themselves forget all of the miserable poor health dogs that come in a litter that should in theory be healthier than the breed is in general (ie - breeding a breed with known health issues to a higher standard - if in a litter of 6, lets say 5 of those are much better than most in the breed, there will still be the 1 suffering with the typical health issues of the breed which wouldn't likely exist in a thriving dog like a hard working terrier that would be a terrible pet anyway.) Most breeds should just be scrapped.

You’re a bit nutty, aren’t you?

I don’t even need to come back and dissect your nonsense as it speaks for itself.

The two you have described are happy breeds yet you don’t want barking dogs!

I had a Cavachon he was a fabulous dog, loving, gentle and loved his walks. I lost him to diabetes 2 tears ago and miss hi terribly

Both breeds you’ve linked bark a lot in my experience. Toy poodles yap so if it takes on the poodle it won’t be quiet.

Have you considered a full cavi. Generally lovely little dogs. Putting poodle in won’t get rid of any health issues the breed has, just go to a reputable health/heart testing breeder.

We have a cavapoochon and she is honestly fantastic. She is tiny and was really easy to train. She is brilliant off the lead. She doesn't need lots of walks, is very settled at home and likes to chill but at the same time if we do go for a long walk she is also fine. We take her camping with us and also to restaurants, shops etc...regularly. I will be honest, she does bark not sure if that is just her or the breed though.

Bichon Frise are high alert barky dogs so if a breed that is quiet is essential then they aren't the breed for you.

With a Cavapoochon (or any mixed breed) you do not know what traits you are going to get and health of these 'designer' breeds is poor.

As stated by other posters these both are by backyard breeders and I wouldn't go with either of them.

Please note that anyone with a KC registered dog can list puppies on the KC website. It does not mean they are well bred/well cared for dogs.

If you are set on a Bichon Frise (which is silly if you are after a quiet dog) then please contact the breed club for your area who will be able to advise and direct you to a good breeder. A good breeder will have a waiting list for puppies.

Also make sure you are looking at the COI for each parent. The father of the Bichon has a COI of 11% and a good breeder wouldn't be breeding for a dog with a COI of over 5 usually.

Well it’s hard to say though isn’t it. Who’s to say the OP will get a ‘good’ mix of the three breeds. We’re all 3 of good health and temperament? Who knows.

You either get lucky or you don’t but it’s impossible to say what you’ll get with a cross of multiple breeds.

Two of our neighbours have Bichons. One has just the one and another one has three. They are all lovely dogs but my god they bark, a lot! And then they set each other off because they all join in. Not sure if that's normal or just those particular ones but they don't seem like they would be suited to someone who wants a quiet dog breed