Which breed puppy would suit us?

[RubyRoo2]

We are looking for a new puppy
We had a golden retriever for 13 years and adored him but I do not miss the hair!
We live in a small house, a cottage with no upstairs so really looking for a smaller breed but not tiny.
I like cavachon/ cavapoo but am aware that they may be more likely from puppy farms
My son is slightly nervous of the bitey stage so anything that bites less is a bonus.
Any suggestions?

Your Cairn Terrier is absolutely gorgeous, @Cairneyes - nobody could find him or her disappointing! 😍🩷😍

Chinese crested powderpuff which is the full coated version of the hairless type. The hairless are a genetic anomaly of the normal full coated dog (or something like that) so you can't breed out the full coated ones and you get a mix of hair type in each litter.

It has hair rather than fur so does not shed, and is very loving and quick to learn. It is basically the pedigree version of the cavapoo that no one knows exists and are overshadowed by their hairless siblings.

It does need a regular groom, but because they are not over bred they are quite a healthy dog too. The hairless dogs are a genetic mutation of the powderpuff and can have health and teeth issues, but the powder puff is more robust.

Thank you. I think he’s just adorable 🥰

Cockers do not fit your requirement of “not needy”. And I don’t think cocker puppies of either show or working type are good fit with very small children.

There is NO good reason for anyone to be producing Cavachon or Cavapoo puppies. Cavaliers have a raft of well-known health issues. A responsible breeder breeds for health and longevity and there are some great knowledgeable breeders of excellent pure Cavaliers. They don’t cross them with poodles or Bichons or anything else to sell their designer freaks for more than a pure bred costs.

LOL at people suggesting a Labrador, when the OP has said they don’t miss the hair shed by their old retriever! Perhaps these people have never had a Labrador visit, let alone lived with one.

OP I’d suggest a border terrier would be ideal, maybe a Westie if you’re up for the grooming costs. My DSis had to have hers done every 8 weeks at £50 a time and that was 10 years ago!

I have a Yorkie x JRT who is a gem, I’ve known a lot of pure Yorkies and all have been delightful. Also have an old working cocker, DD has a Labrador, when I was a child we had border collies. My late aunt bred Cavaliers many years ago, I do have some experience of these breeds.

The only dogs I’ve been bitten by are Poodles, they look cute and cuddly but are highly intelligent and can have behaviour problems. My boss has one who is a nightmare.
Spaniels are lovely but busy dogs.
Anything with terrier in its name can be snappy. They are bread for their ability to catch vermin so will snap at anything that moves. We had a Bedlington Terrier when I was young. Beautiful dog, no hair issue but would snap, although she would stop short of biting.

My DSis paid a fortune for an x breed. He was a poodle/pug/beagle cross. He has a lovely temperament but totally untrainable. They spent months going to training classes with him and the trainer gave up.

Im in my third Labrador and although there would be benefits to being dog free I suspect she will not be our last. We are now retired but I can’t imagine a house without a dog. She is my shadow, fills my house with hair 3x a year ( she doesn’t shed continuously) and although disabled, due to a spinal injury, still walks with me daily although not as far nowadays.

Labradors shed but quietly without the need for grooming. The working lines seem to be sporadic shedders rather than continuously. They have less feathering. People will tell you they need more exercise but I’ve not found that to be true. They are naturally less prone to weight gain and love learning tasks. Ours is a self taught sock collector. She doesn’t bark, when she does you pay attention.

We have a 6 month old minature poodle & he is a dream of a dog. I miss my spaniel owning days but I dont miss the hair and our poodle has been so easy to train and just slotted into our lives taking everything in his stride. He is not too disiimilar in size to my friends show cocker. He is not needy or barky and I really can't think of anything negative about him... other than that people often think he is a cockapoo or poodle cross and are judgy about it!

We also have a miniature poodle! Ours is 10 months old and he’s wonderful - calm, cuddly and clever. ☺️

We also get people mistaking him for a cockapoo/ cavapoo but other people surprise me by knowing he’s a poodle - usually because they have owned one in the past themselves.

I've been looking at rescue dogs and a 5 year old bishon frise has come up.
Im just not sure about a rescue
I would love to miss the puppy stage but wondering if there will be more behavioural issues? Im going to call and have a chat tomorrow.
What do I need to ask?

If you send us the link to the dog, we can point out any red flags (or otherwise) in the description. Certain 'rescue charities' are pretty poor when it comes to being honest about problems with their dogs.

But you should be asking: does the dog have any health issues and/or skin issues, has the dog exhibited any behavioural issues (resource guarding, separation anxiety, shadow chasing, any sort of nervousness around anything 'normal', any fear based aggression, any aggression, barking or howling, destructive behaviour etc).

Is it an escape artist? How well trained is it? What does it eat? What sort of exercise can it handle? What is it like around other dogs? What is it like around cats? Why was it relinquished? How have they checked the suitability of the dog for your home? I.E have they thoroughly checked it around children and in a home environment? How long has the dog been in kennels (or foster if it is in foster).

Depending on the age of your child, I would avoid rescuing - there's another thread at the moment where the OP bought home a rescue dog and wasn't informed it had a (very serious) behavioural issue and it has already bitten her/someone in the house four times in a week. Sadly, not uncommon with rescuing.

Rescues like to...withhold key bits of information when re-homing dogs or just downright lie or sugar-coat the truth to shift dogs out more quickly. Ironic, really, given how hard rescuing can be.

Poodles if not well trained are a bitey nightmare. Doberman’s surprisingly are lovely loyal dogs. Labrador lovely only shedding. Schnauzer neighbour has one and it’s barky, nice though. Mini pinscher, cute and surprisingly friendly but do bark. Afghan hound, lovely but hard to train and need lots of walking. Springer spaniels, bonkers. Weinamarer nice. Normal size dachshund and mini, lovely. Yorkies nice but some can be barky.

Friends and family have all had the above. All with children. If I was getting a dog I’d get a Doberman. My auntie and grandad had Dobermans with/as children/babies and no biting at all. Very loyal dogs. Yes they can be guard dogs but also good family dogs.

Labs are great dogs, my childhood dog. Had one with working dog father (gun dog). An absolute dream of a dog. Ours could’ve been a guide dog she had such a nice temperament. Easy to train.

Nothing with with him at all. I mean the lack of photos. I just love all the photos of all the lovely dogs. He is indeed perfect

I used this before i got a dog. The only dogs I am not a fan of and have never been a fan of are Jack Russells (sorry). They just dont shut up. Like, ever. I've never met one that I like (again sorry).

One of the multiple choice questions was about barking and obviously my answer was "least barky possible" and put that answer at the top of the priority scale of all the questions.

Guess whatbreed it suggested .... 😂😂

P.s another vote here for a poodle. Bloody wonderful dogs! X

Mini Schnauzer. No shedding at all. Very intelligent.

We have a miniature golden doodle! He's adorable and brings us so much joy - non shedding and perfect medium dog size

Go to www.champdogs.co.uk or the breeder club website for the breed you're interested in. Otherwise, you end up with a backyard greeder instead of a breeder who is interested in preservation of the health of dog breeds and continuity in the line etc.

I went through this OP last year. Settled on a Wheaten Terrier. No shed, wonderful social dog, low barking.

Sooo gorgeous

Not a -poo dog. They are everywhere and as a result many native breeds are at risk. (I also think their characters are less interesting).

That’s a bit rude saying only ignorant people get a cross breed. I am on my second pug x poodle. I have had a German Shepherd and 2 springer spaniels. My pugapoo is intelligent, very affectionate, easy to train and fits my lifestyle perfectly. Training is the secret to having a perfect dog.

It depends on your lifestyle and what purpose the dog would have.

dog photos to make you smile

It wasn't meant to be rude.

Ignorant is defined as follows:

ignorant
/ĭg′nər-ənt/
adjective
Lacking education or knowledge.
Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge.
an ignorant mistake.
Unaware or uninformed.
was ignorant of the drug's harmful effects.

The intended usage and statement stands.

For every person that has a good dog from a backyard breeder, countless thousands of other dogs, bitches and puppies were abused or have died.

I will never apologise for educating against this.

It's my life passion.

I'm glad your case worked out. It's an exception and not a rule.