Recommendations for a first family dog breed

[TheShins]

Can anyone recommend a breed for our first family dog? We have two primary school aged children. We both work a mixture of office/at home so there is rarely a day with nobody in the house. We don't like large breeds or very small breeds. We are prepared to walk a dog twice a day. Ideally, we don't want a dog that sheds or has a tendency to bark a lot or pull too much on a lead as our children will want to join in walking the dog. Any ideas from experienced dog owners? Thanks!

Agree. Labs are mental until the age of 2. Having said that we got a lab puppy each time we had a child. Seems a totally deranged decison now but we muddled through. It wasn't easy though.

Wholeheartedly recommended a border terrier. Got ours from a reputable breeder when the kids were 8 and 10 and they were wonderful together from the get go. She’s small enough that even when she did pull on the lead (which all puppies do) she is easy to control. Minimal shedding too.

I’d stay away from labradors actually - wonderful adult dogs but they shed a ton and, as puppies, they are very bitey and they are strong and powerful on the lead,

I love Borders but every single one I know (and they are very popular where I live) has bitten a child. They have very strong jaws so when they clamp down it's hard to unclamp them. For that reason I wouldn't have that breed with little children. I appreciate that's just anecdotal and others will have had a very different experience.

You forgot to mention that many a Labrador is a Scavenger Extraordinaire ...

Labrador - the cannon ball with fur and teeth of the dog community. Rarely through temperament issues, just high on life and totally lacking in any sense of personal space. Goldies too, just for the record
And when you are bred to carry stuff, every moment of excitement is dealt with by stuffing something in their mouth. Quite often, the nearest available arm

Labs are fabulous but very hard work. Very smart, loving and full of energy.
Shed like mad though.
No off button regarding food- canine dustbin 😄

I had to hold a bounding-towards-us off lead lab away from my shy little poodle once - CHRIST ON A BIKE they are really strong strong dogs!! I struggled with its strength and I am not a weakling.

Also their coat is an oily kind - which is the biggest culprit for doggy smell. Other breeds have non oily fur that is technically hair, not fur. That stinks less, but the trade off is that is requires regular trimming at the groomers because, like hair - it just keeps growing and growing.

Would I have had my first Border Terrier as a first dog? Absolutely. We chose one as they have reputation as being brilliant with children. He was fabulous and all the children at the local Infant school loved him too.
Would I have had my second BT as a first dog? Nope. She's lovely, has never bitten anyone, adores her family but is not interested in any other people.
BT 1 was very chilled. BT 2 is definitely a Terrier. 🤣
Factor in approx £85 twice a year for hand stripping, unless you learn to do it yourself.

I'd have to disagree with you for the many reasons pp have put forward - in a much better way than I did - on this thread.

As for WFH, you are, or should be, at work. Sure they'll appreciate the companionship but you are essentially at work. I imagine it would work pretty well for an adult dog but a pup needs much more than a home worker can give them. Try to do pup and job and one of them is going to miss out.
When children are a bit older and as long as everyone knows what owning a pet entails and they've answered the question of what they can offer the dog and how much they are willing to sacrifice to have a dog, then I see no problem.

I suppose it depends how chained to your desk you are. I diagree that if you are WFH then it automatically means you cannnot possibly meet the needs of a puppy at all while meeting the requirements of your job. I did both without any problem.

Puppies certainly don't need stimulation every hour of every day (that's almost a sure-fire way of creating a dog without an off switch!).

I worked from home with my puppy and it was totally fine. Whenever I got up to make a tea we'd have a play or a round of obedience for treats, I have always been good about taking my eyes off my screen every so often and stretching my legs so naturally there was interaction then, lunch breaks are taken.... (it's the same times as in-office before anyone starts wailing....)

It's said you should get puppies sleeping 15 ish hours ish a day anyway! Even the KC says "Puppies will start sleeping less as they reach the 6-month mark, but they still require 14-16 hours of sleep per day. "

HOWEVER - it meant that all my break-times were oriented around my dog's needs. example - rather than eating my lunch on the patio sunning myself in my lunch hour, food was taken at my desk, in the form of an easier to eat while typing "picky bits" and my 1hr break away from my desk was used for more walkies/training/playing etc.

It's not impossible, but it just involves a few changes, that's all.

You don’t want a dog that has a tendency to bark a lot or pull on the lead Do you not realise that these are things that owners are/should be responsible for managing through training and handling your dog?
You don’t sound very well informed.

But wfh wasn't the only issue. See post above. As well as multiple other posts.

Wow, quite a few negative comments that are uncalled for here.

my current dog is 4, got him as a pup. I worked from home then, and still do. It absolutely wasn’t an issue, but then my job isn’t a stream of constant calls or meetings, so toileting etc was fine. He was actually incredibly chill during my working day from a young age, he would (and still does) sleep for most of the day, either under my desk or at the bottom of the stairs. We were quite aware of the need for him to get used to being home alone though, so would make sure that was still happening at a steady pace. He’s happily left alone for a good 4-5 hour chunk, I wouldn’t want to leave him for an 9-5 though. I also had two primary school children when we got him, 5 and 8.
He’s also a poodle mix 😬 He doesn’t display any of the issues people have mentioned here, but there you go. Possibly luck of the draw, possibly because the breeder I got him from does health check the dogs she breeds from, and said the first thing in her mind when choosing the parents is temperament. I’m sure someone will be along shortly to say that means nothing.
saying all that though, I wouldn’t actually recommend getting one. The grooming costs are insane, and I’m pretty sure more frequent than pure bred poodles, as the mix of the two furs does cause easier matting, which is awful.
the only downside to him is something we’ve created off of our own back, and that’s the fact that he’s incredibly friendly, and as a result of us over socialising him with people as a pup, he still very much expects the same level of attention from strangers on the street as he did then.
all that means is that he will occasionally anchor to the spot when I’m walking him and someone has made the mistake of making eye contact with him. When he does receive the fuss he wants, he’s very vocal about his happiness and excitement. Being vocal is a poodle thing, so maybe take that onboard if thinking about that breed.
strangely enough, I was torn between him and a border terrier, which I’ve seen mentioned several times.
i love my dog…but go with the border terrier 🤣🤣

I have a (nearly) 18 month old lab and a (nearly) 9 year old DS. Teaching them how to behave around each other was probably one of the hardest aspects of raising a puppy. Actually, DS was pretty sensible from day 1 and followed what I did and what I told him but my puppy was another story!

It’s not impossible though, just be prepared for it to be harder than you would imagine.

I do not regret getting my dog one bit. I am not going to recommend a lab to you, I don’t know if one would be the right choice for your family but what others are saying about them being incredibly strong is correct and they do shed a lot. DS asked me the other day when I would let him walk DDog alone and I said when you’re 18 😂 in all seriousness, my lab doesn’t pull on the lead (but that took a serious amount of training that is still on-going) but I still wouldn’t let DS hold the lead because my dog weighs around 30kgs and could easily pull him over.

I now mostly get to watch them interact with each other in a way that makes me very happy. Such as the other week on a beach when I didn’t have to worry about ddog bolting over to say hello to all the other dogs because he was absolutely glued to DS and wouldn’t leave his side. Or now ddog chooses to sleep on DS’ bed and not mine. They really do adore each other.

I also wfh full time. I think it depends on the type of job you have but I had two weeks off when I first brought him home and when I started work back again, I could easily manage my work load as well as supervising, interacting and toilet training my pup.

Having a dog means hard work. Whatever breed you go for and whether you get a puppy or a rescue. You will have to make a lot of sacrifices. You can stack the odds in your favour by doing your research and getting the right dog but please don’t underestimate how much work they take. For me, the work was and still is totally worth it. Will it be worth it for you and your family AND the dog?

Hmmm, poodle mix and health checks...

I have had dogs for years, all fabulous in their own ways. From Great Dane, Rottweiler, German Shepard to Shitzu, Cavalier King Charles who are the most adorable little dogs.
I decided I wanted a non-shedding dog and I’ve had a Cavapoo for 7 years.. she is the easiest dog i have ever had, clever, funny, active, cuddly and she is actually non-shedding.
Main thing is, with all my dogs I’ve taken to training classes but before that you can start recall the minute you get them home. Puppy at one end of the room, you at the other with tiny treat and call name, big fuss when they get to you, just do it a couple of times a day.
The more you teach them how you want them to be, the easier your life. My girl is now a lovely, funny, loving companion and totally trouble free.
Good luck with your dog and to be fair, dogs are all pretty excellent. 🥰

Hmmm, was provided with copies too.

So you mean tests? Because most breeders of x breeds don't do them.
Even so, while there is an argument for breeding to improve the health of the breed, there is no legitimate argument for breeding x breeds.
People with their wonderful x breeds might take a minute to think about the lives their parents and siblings have. Because for many, they will be pretty shit.

Tests, as in DNA tests that check for inherited diseases and genetic mutations.
since you read my post, you will see that I advised the OP against a poodle mix, so I’m not advocating for them at all. I wouldn’t get another, but I am happy with the fact that I made the best choice I could have - he is a mix breed, there’s no kennel club standards or tests that could be done of his parents.
Whilst I agree that there is a very real problem with breeders, it goes much, much further than just the breeders of poodle mixes.
I can only speak for the health and happiness of my own pup (well, and the people who have bought from the same breeder as we are in a Facebook group together) and he’s perfect. He can breathe properly, he can be walked when it’s warmer than 20 degrees with no issues, he can close his eyes, he doesn’t have any sores between folds of skin. When it comes to some dogs, some of which are actual breeds, he’s certainly not one to be concerned about.

Of course.

I was just politely disagreeing with your statement that it is not possible to raise a puppy while working from home (and meeting both needs).

It appeared to be a blanket statement about WFH+puppy. Apologies if it was not.

"possibly because the breeder I got him from does health check the dogs she breeds from"

Well it was a check in your first post but now it's tests. I am sure you can why I thought you meant checks when that is what you said.
I'm glad you are happy with your dog. But the fact still stands that there is no legitimate argument for breeding x breeds. Maybe we will have to agree to disagree on that.

No worries @BishBashBoshDumpling It probably was a bit of a blanket statement and of course it depends on the person's job. I still think it would be better if people take some time off in the first few weeks at least.

apologies, I used the wrong word. My mistake - tests rather than checks.

Happy to agree to disagree. Hopefully one day the breeding and ownership of dogs will be heavily vetted all round.

there is no legitimate argument for breeding x breeds.
I'm sorry, I have to take issue with this.
Firstly, there are outcross projects which aim to bring in new genetic material to resolve issues prevalent in certain breeds. The absolute classic was the LUA Dalmatian project some years ago. There are several ongoing at the moment.
Secondly, outcrossing purely to bring down COI. Closed gene pools will tend towards increasingly high COIs, with all the attendant health risks, especially where poor decisions are made by breeders e.g. over-use of popular sires.
Thirdly, breeding with a functional gaol in mind. Eurohounds. Bull arabs. Fenlanders.

I know that you and I don't see eye-to-eye on dog ownership, so I doubt you'll agree with the third aim, but I would imagine that you'd support the first two.

Edited for typo.

But surely in the example of the Dalmation, they are trying to improve an established breed. I would not sure I would class that as cross breeding even though it is but not as the phrase is used by most people today. I can understand breeders having to bring new genetic material in to produce healthier dogs. I don't necessarily agree with doing it but I can understand the need to do it.
What I wouldn't like to see is a dalmapoo or a cocktion.

Maybe we can settle on there is rarely a legitimate argument for breeding x breeds? I mean, I would think the vast majority of x breed breeders could in no way be described as breeding for the health of the 'breed'.

“there is no legitimate argument for breeding x breeds”

You will never beat a lurcher for healthiness or temperament. Lurchers have been man’s companion for centuries.