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?

Whippet? Small dog, very fine short hair and generally clean, not snappy and sleeps a lot of the day after a good run.

I was also going to suggest whippet. The most low maintenance dog I have ever had but without being boring. Happy to be playing, happy to be left alone, happy to go for walks, happy to snooze for hours. Didn't love the Swedish winters but there were clothes for that.

Otherwise, I had a beagle mix puppy who did not do a single puppy bite. He was a bit more high maintenance in other ways but a very friendly and fun dog.

I don't share the opinion that mixed breed dog owners are ignorant or uneducated. There are plenty of dogs that become much healthier when you start mixing them with less inbred and healthier varieties. Pretty much all flat-faced and bug eyed dogs should be mixed with healthier dogs, for example. There has been quite a sharp decline in popularity for pure bred pugs, frenchies, griffons, CKCS etc. lately because they have become so deformed through careless breeding. I think it's wrong to say mixed equals wrong and pure equals right. You can find responsible breeders who do their research in both camps.

@Username3333333 aw thank you. Gorgeous babies

Visit your nearest Dogs Trust, or similar, and explain your lifestyle and situation and they will match you with a dog that needs a home, and that will fit your family. Designer crossbreeds are often high strung and develop health issues due to unethical breeding practices. Adopting from a rehoming centre avoids the ‘bitey’ puppy phase and the house/toilet training stuff.

I live in a very small house, but have two retired racing greyhounds, they barely shed any hair, take up remarkably little room, and adopting them means I’ve not supported any breeders, and can trace their background history back and know exactly what kind of personality they were.

I was going to suggest retired greyhound . You can get all sizes from a daintier one to a great muscled bruiser of a hound .
Italian Greyhounds aren't considered good pets unless you know the breed but an off the track or a Not Good Enough ex-racer - you have the background and if you go to a Greyhound Rescue they will find the one for you .
Many dogs end up in rescue because of temprement or the owners don;t want them.
Greyhounds are an unfortunate byproduct of the racing industry so end up discarded as not their fault .

Any greyhound owners I have met ( who were all really helpful when my DD was overcoming her fear of dogs ) have sung their praises . Obviously they have their bad points like any dog , you'd need to research .

Miniature schnauzer

Any cavalier mix will melt your heart. I found them the ideal companion dog in a smaller property

Which rescue have you found the 5 year old Bichon in ?

first question you ask / find out is why is the dog in rescue, was s/he given up by an owner or is it a former stud dog / x breeder.

I have owned / fostered a few x breeder bichons, and a couple of x stud dogs ( i.e. males that were used in puppy farms, not males that were used to produce Crufts winners )

My last bichon I adopted at the age of 7, she was a former puppy farm breeding bitch. She lived to the age of 18.5.

I’m actually suprised that “retired greyhounds” are still a thing.

is greyhound racing still popular? The tracks I knew are all closed, are there any left?

The one near me has a lot of races listed

They're very much still a thing. Racing is less popular now, thanks partly to misinformed campaigners, but there are still tracks in England and Ireland. It’ll be very sad if they manage to ban licensed racing completely, because it will result in an increase in unlicensed coursing with no welfare standards, no vets on site, no breeding restrictions, no regulation or registration. The vast majority of trainers treat their dogs very well, and pay to get them rehomed once they retire.

https://www.gbgb.org.uk/welfare-care/