Vulnerable Dog Breeds UK - do you have one?

[SweetDogEyes]

Hi all,

I was having a read about vulnerable dog breeds in the UK and learned about the Otterhound, which I'd never come across before, but have now practically fallen in love with.

My two don't feature but I wondered if anyone has one of these dogs or another breed and wanted to share pics or experiences?

I'm not sure what makes a breed vulnerable in the first place eg traits, temperaments, fads etc so would be interesting to hear views!

haha I would love his dumb ass, too! he looks handsome!

She's so cute! How much does she weigh? She looks little and stocky like a little princess!

So handsome - he reminds me of a little gnome or something with his beard x

Although my username suggests otherwise, for years we had Irish Red and White Setters which are very much on the VNB list. Beautiful, fabulous dogs, but definitely not a dog for first time or novice dog owners. Very intelligent, not as mad as Irish Setters (the red ones), the boys are very sensitive, but both sexes make great family dogs. I still miss my last one, he was my heart dog.

Lovely Smooth boy,@YvieYfronts - I don’t know why they’re not more popular in the UK either. However, the breed does seem to be strengthening here, whilst the once popular Rough Collie is teetering on the edge of the VNB list. Sad, but understandable - many are breeding for too much coat, and vets’ pushing of neutering can make the best of coats unmanageable too.

Many of the VNBs are definitely victims of modern life - many of the breeds are high care and/or not really suited to suburban life without extremely dedicated owners.

No don’t. I’ve never heard if it before, and just had to look them up, as you’ve failed to produce a photo.

He is very sassy. Stubborn and will answer back. I've had dogs most of my life but with my Kerry I can practically see the thought bubble over his head as he debates whether he should follow my command or just do what he thinks is better. He grumbles and sighs like he works a heavy manual labour job rather than spending his life walking on the moors or being asleep on the sofa with interludes of barking at absolutely everything. He's the biggest character I've met as a dog

I have an English Toy Terrier, and she’s fabulous 💖
She is definitely the boss of my 3 Rottweilers as well!!

I wonder if poodles are a vunerable breed now? Where I live I very rarely see one. Millions of doodle and poo dogs though.
Are poodles mainly kept for breeding I wonder?

She looks brilliant! How is she temperament wise, I know still a terrier but ok with handling, training, recall etc? I ask as I looked at the breed during Covid but couldnt get one and ended up with a very different breed but may look to for my next dog.

Our lovely Wheaten Terrier is on the list. Best decision ever to get one. Amazing family dog

We have a Bearded Collie which is on the list. Sweetest dog ever although everyone mistakes him for a Dulux dog. Lots of at home grooming plus a professional groom every 4 weeks. Our old boy is 10 now, he has severe allergies and arthritis. He has to follow a novel protein diet and has monthly vet visits. Between his grooming, food, and vet bills it costs us around £650 each month -tho we get about half back from his insurance. Beardies are a really old breed and breaks my heart to see their numbers dropping year by year.

She is only 8 months old, so still a bit bonkers! Definitely a terrier, but very clever and has a fantastic temperament. Can be very noisy when she gets excited.
Very friendly and loves other dogs.
I haven’t let her off the lead while we’ve been out on walks yet, but that’s mostly down to where we walk. In the garden her recall is great, and she dived out the front door the other day but came straight back. She is my little shadow at home and follows me everywhere.
Have to admit I’ve not really done much of the usual training like ‘sit’ etc. Because I show I tend to not teach sit until I’ve got a reliable ‘stand’ first. Just my preference, not saying you can’t teach all the other stuff as well.
Because there are not a huge number of pups born each year you do need to be prepared to potentially wait quite a while. I was very lucky that the breeder I went with had a home fall through for a pup, so they contacted me far sooner than I was expecting.
Wish I’d discovered the breed years ago, I absolutely love them!

My Grandma had a show type springer in the 80s and I was only thinking the other day, you never see them anymore. All the ones I see now are working type, which are very different IMO.

A friend has 2 otter hounds, lovely dogs but definitely not suited to small houses, the dog weighs about 45 kilograms I believe, think the bitch is about 5 kilos less. They do tend to be a bit clumsy he says, so not one for the house proud.

He says they have the most wonderful temperament but his two are not overburdened with intelligence.

I’m pleased people are still looking after these vulnerable breeds.

One thing to note if you get a rare breed, you’d best be someone who likes chatting, you will have no end of people wanting to talk to you about it. We have a non-native breed which is very rare in the UK, can’t walk down the street without getting questioned.

Vulnerable breeds are decided by how many puppies are registered each year. I have bearded collies, the most enthusiastic dog in the world, and a vulnerable native breed. Easy to train, like to bounce and bark. Also have a centralised puppy list with breeders signed up to high welfare which does make getting a puppy a whole lot less complicated

I have Skye Terriers. Owned many of them over the years. They are very high up on the At Risk list & have been for many years,

So true! Always being asked what our Wheaten is.

Oh this is so true.
Out with them, even in Scotland, I’m always getting stopped in the street. “ Oh, aren’t they gorgeous! what are they?”
They stand there like the dour Scots they are, not responding , till the fuss over them has finished.
THEN, still standing perfectly still, they start to bark at their admirers, not aggressively just noisily. They can curse & swear with the best of them. The breed is renowned for being very much “ one man( or woman) dogs even within a family. Probably why they’re so high on the list 😂

You are correct! Yappy and you do have to watch their backs. My 4yo rescue. Your doggo is gorgeous!

Wow! So lovely!

I’ve got one too - they are the best!

My Bedlington 🤍

We had a beardie when I was a teenager 50 years ago. I babysat for his breeder and we got him cheap.as he had a kink in his tale so wasn't suitable for showing.