Which dog?

[Curlykale]

We have been thinking about getting a dog for ages, and have been doing some research into different breeds to try and make sure that when we do take the plunge we get the right one for our family. As we often have small children around, any dog we get must be totally trustworthy and not in the slightest bit aggressive. If we could find the perfect dog it would meet the following criteria:-

Affectionate, happy to have lots of cuddles
Likes children
Not nervous/timid
Playful but also happy to chill out
Friendly with people and other dogs
Able to get on with cats (and chickens)
Happy to be groomed/bathed
Easy(ish) to train
Not 'yappy'
Able to manage long walks (when we have the time) but happy with shorter walks when we are short of time
Happy to be left at home on its own sometimes
Not destructive
Small or medium sized (I used to love big slobbery dogs but couldn't cope with that any more!)
Doesn't shed too much

Am I looking for the impossible? I know there is no such thing as the "perfect" dog but can anyone suggest a breed that meets most, if not all, of the above, which may suit our family?

[VirginVegGrower]

Rules out the family friendly golden retriever then? Shedders and big. Labradors, not my favourite, but ditto. Spaniel of some description or home a beagle? We have terriers, middling sized, dressed up and carted about by my daughter and her friends but they are a handful sometimes. Good with chickens - no. Good with cats - no

[PAULW]

How about a good old fashion common or garden mongrel, usually well tempered and a lot healthier than a pure bred.

[rustylady]

Have you considered re-homing a dog? Rescue kennels are full of all types of dog and usually encourage prospective owners to visit and meet / exercise before making a decision.

[veggiechicken]

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I've had 6 now, many of them rescues and there's not a nasty bone in their body. Meets virtually all of you criteria apart from the hairy bit!

[Paulottie]

I agree a heinz 57...low maitenance and usually intelligent! (tho I like terriors too VVG)

I might worry about the cat...often fine together but does not always work if you suddenly bring a dog into a cat's established territory.

Whatever the breeding... although a lot is down to your own personality,patience and training...all creatures have their faults and idiosyncracies. There are no guarentees and you'll need to love it whatever...otherwise don't get one.

[Mrs Dobby]

Only dogs I know with the characteristics are Great Danes, but they are a tad above the medium sized tag!



You could go with a GD cross, we are on our second, Bella (GD X Alsatian) was 26" tall, behaved like a Danie but with Alsatian colouring and short non shedding hair (we lost her to Cancer 3 months ago), and now we have Poppy, a GD X? (staffy or lab possibly) who is another rescue, approx 6 months old (could be up to 8 months old) who is 22" tall, weighs in at 65lb and is gorgeous and sooo sweet natured!!



We were going for a full Great Dane rescue, even got homechecked by the rescue people, but when we came across Poppy in a 1 bed council flat with no food nor even a bowl, she was coming home with us!

Hope this helps!

[Dead Dogs]

Whatever the breeding... although a lot is down to your own personality,patience and training...all creatures have their faults and idiosyncracies. There are no guarentees and you'll need to love it whatever...otherwise don't get one.

Couldn't agree more. You only get out what you put into a relationship.

I might worry about the cat...often fine together but does not always work if you suddenly bring a dog into a cat's established territory.

Our last three dogs were all brought into our home with established cats. After the initial hissing, swipe of the paw or the occasional cat in a tree, they became one happy family.

One thing to remember. Dogs are a pack animal. Your family will become the pack, that includes the cat. You have to be the top dog, do NOT let the dog rule that will only lead to trouble.

[CaroltheCarrot]

Cavalier King Charles yes, when the boys were little we had Charlie (I Know!) and he was perfect, great natured didnt have a mean bone in his body and didnt give a stuff about the chooks or the rabbit.
He was quite hairy but heyho you can hoover, he didnt mind a little short walk but was also quite happy to go for a trek when time permitted.
Now we have big dogs ( a german sh pointer and a bull mastiff) although these are both good tempered and agreeable I wouldnt trust the pointer around the chooks if they werent cooped up(!) and the mastiff can be a bit clumsy so perhaps not good with small children around (only for her size and clumsiness, she is the gentlest sweetest natured dog I have ever had) O and she slobbers, A lot

[Jeanied]

Another vote for a spaniel here. Or a spaniel cross - we had a springer spaniel crossed with a labrador - she was a medium sized dog with a very sweet nature, very obedient and patient.

[GardenFaery]

I have my personal preferences, but I would say, rather than the breed as such, please consider rehoming a rescue dog. Too many puppies are still being bred, when there are some lovely dogs already out there desperately awaiting a home.

Too many human politics surrounding the issue of types and breed of dogs and it seems to move from breed to breed as the current fashion in ignorance and hearsay takes. It does annoy me when humans harm other creatures because of going with the crowd or projection of their unwanted attributes, but that's a whole different perception...

ANY breed or dog can be the cutest baby you've ever witnessed, LIKEWISE they can be the instinctual snapper if surprised or fearful - they are pack animals and as someone has alreayd said you need to lead your pack by example - through love, respect and self confidence - not through ego control and fear of losing face as I see many humans doing at training schools etc.

Once your pack is establish ( pack can be one dog, one person or 10 dogs, one person etc) you will have a friend for life as this pic and quote suggest



Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog;
but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog. ~Douglas Mallock

[Two_Sheds]

You're right to think very carefully about a suitable breed. The problem now with rescue centres is that they're full of staffies and greyhounds, both with potential for a lot of trouble (and I say that as a staffy lover).

The breed has had certain characteristics bred into it, eg. border collies need something to herd and lots of exercise. Terriers are working/hunting dogs, and prone to hyperactivity/aggression if their needs aren't met. That's a general rule: of course you can train a dog, but you can't change its fundamental nature.

All dogs need firm discipline, rules, plus mental & physical exercise, every day. Whichever breed you end up with, it will have problems if you don't meet its needs, and make sure it knows you are the boss.

This is a good start: Finding the right pedigree dog breed - The Kennel Club

Dog Breed Selector

There are others, just goggle them

[Two_Sheds]

the perfect dog ... would meet the following criteria:

That was my exact "want" list, and we ended up with a French Bulldog. Expensive to buy, but cheap to feed (cheaper than a Great Dane anyway).

You all know the problems I've had with housetraining: that's down to the individual animal though, not the breed. Ours was allowed to poo in her crate in the house for 7 months, so she now thinks it's perfectly OK to poo in the house *sigh*

[mothhawk]

A lot of your criteria are down to good training, and as you want a dog that's easy to train, I would put hounds of any type to the bottom of the list as they can be quite independent. Possibly not a French bulldog also......

[Two_Sheds]

Possibly not a French bulldog also......

Why not?

(are you referring to the toilet training? That's down to her first 7 months, not her breed). She's really quick to train (tricks). She can sit, stay, give paw, come when she's called, walk on her hind legs ... I'm now teaching her to sing the national anthem