Which dog?

[veggiechicken]

They are gorgeous! Here are my Cavaliers: Rosie and Mary as a comparison.

[cardiffsteve]

This is my favourite

[Two_Sheds]

Another breed that hasnt come up yet is Mini Schnauzer.

My BiL has one: he's anti-social, snappy, very barky/yappy and pees up every lamppost (but they love him). However... his temperament is down to (lack of) socialisation & discipline

a dog that had not learned to play/grab without force was always a danger esp round kids.

True, true. Their mother & siblings would teach them that biting hurts (by yelping) and they learn to hold back their bite. I've done it with our dogs, letting them mouth/nibble my hands and then yelping LOUDLY ~ it really works, they back right off and look very concerned

[Two_Sheds]

Affectionate, happy to have lots of cuddles...Able to get on with cats (and chickens)

She's never met a cat or a chicken (yet) but she's great with the guinea pigs & parrots (whereas the staffie just tries to chase & murder them)

Able to manage long walks

Mine can do 40 mins walk. When I take her out with the staffie (who can do 5 miles easily) I pop her in her buggy.
I got her one of these, it's totally brilliant. Mine was 2nd hand, from eBay

I don't care if I look like a mad bag lady (as my sister called me). I can rollerblade or jog with her, or turn it round and attach it to my bike. Because it looks like a normal buggy I can take her into shops too, and it collapses down to fit in the car. Brilliant bit of kit

[TEB]

Another breed that hasnt come up yet is Mini Schnauzer. They fit all the criteria and are supposed to be fun, adaptable little dogs.
(I love Benji!! so cute....will def be getting a Shih Tzu one of these days)

I'm on my third schnauzer and yes they are all what you said, they are good vocal guard dogs so yes they can bark (though 2 of my 3 didn't ). The latest one now at 7 months is mad as hatter and never stops, easy to train (took 3 days to house train) but you need as Two Sheds mentioned show them who's boss and don't allow any anti-social behaviour (anti-social behaviour isn’t a characteristic of this breed though). Downsides, not many that I can think off, can be prone to overeating, need to make sure that the parents and the puppies all have clear eye certificates. may need professional grooming about twice a year (I dont), be prepared to be physicaly and mentally knackered until they settle down into adulthood (about 10 months) but their great fun though. Here's mine at about 12 weeks

[mothhawk]

Poodle - they come in 3 sizes (toy, miniature and standard) and a multitude of colours. They are highly intelligent, eager to please and very trainable. Even the toy's can do agility/heelwork to music/junior handler work etc.

They shed very little, and actually only need minimal regular grooming, which you can do yourself.

They are hardy dogs - don't be fooled by the curls and the 'show cuts' - they will walk as much as you want, but are happy sunggled up on the sofa in bad weather and don't demand walks etc

I agree - poodles are brilliant dogs, and hardy? Take a look at these sled dogs...

[kentishgal]

They are gorgeous! Here are my Cavaliers: Rosie and Mary as a comparison.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]30748[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]30749[/ATTACH]

wow, they certainly are gorgeous! I love Cavaliers, its just the health problems that put me off.

[Two_Sheds]

I love Cavaliers, its just the health problems that put me off.

It is a concern, but almost every breed has some health problems: Labs & GSDs with their hips, etc etc. The scare stories (potential heart/breathing/spine problems) put me off getting a Frenchie for ages (I particularly didn't like the fact that they have to be born by C-section). We read all the books, questioned several breeders, and chose our pup carefully ~ fingers crossed she's very healthy and will remain that way

[veggiechicken]

But what health problems? I know there is this small skull inbreeding issue but I've never come across it. My 2 are ex-puppy farm breeding bitches. Rosie had had 5 litters before she was 6, Mary 2 litters both by Caesarian. So the puppy farm owners just offload the dogs to a rescue centre and that where these came from. They had to be house trained age 6 and 4 and taught to walk on leads etc. It took a while!
I don't recommend anyone unused to dogs to do this as it requires a lot of time and patience for them to adjust to life in a home instead of a kennel. Its very rewarding though

[Two_Sheds]

But what health problems?

Heart mitral valve disease (MVD) is a terminal illness which afflicts over half of all cavalier King Charles spaniels by the age of 5 years

Hip dysplasia reportedly afflicts up to one out of every four cavalier King Charles spaniels

Syringomyelia (SM) is reported to be "very widespread" in the cavalier King Charles spaniel breed.

Elongated soft palates, stenotic nares, everted laryngeal saccules, and laryngeal collapse are inherited developmental defects in the breed.

(I wish I hadn't looked )

[veggiechicken]

I've had 6 Cavaliers, 2 of them lived to 14 and 15 (both males). Most, if not all of them have had heart murmurs. One female became diabetic (at 8), the other rescue ex breeding bitch the vet said was just exhausted from all the pregnancies. The eldest of my 2 has a heart murmur now at 9, the other (7) is OK so far. No hip dysplasia or Syringomyelia - but a bit of snoring!!
As you said before 2S, most breeds have their health problems, some worse than others. Its a sad fact of life that where an unscrupulous breeder can make money by churning out puppies they will do so and with little thought to the wellbeing of the dogs.
To anyone thinking of buying a puppy, make sure that you see the parent dogs on their home turf, in a home preferably and check that this is where they live, not in the barn around the corner with dozens of other dogs.

[Glutton4...]

This is one of my favourite pictures of Oscar when he was a wee baby (17 months ago!!!)

[ancee]

Well done veggiechicken, he is. They aren't supposed to have tail docking anymore - it's outlawed but some still do Though I would say that's his most dangerous part, and we can't have a coffee table as everything gets swept off it.

[veggiechicken]

Thought it might be ancee! I know a few lovely Rotties and Dobermann - in fact I don't know a nasty one of either. Such beautiful dogs, both of them. Enjoy his company

[Curlykale]

Oh more gorgeous photos - you all have such beautiful dogs. Now I'm even more confused about what to get! TS, everyone came running into the room to see what I was laughing about when I saw the photos of your dog and parrot - how cute! I want to see a photo of you rollerblading with your buggy! What a great invention - I've never seen one of those. How sad that Cavaliers have so many potential health problems. Cardiffsteve I presume the Cavoodles are Cavalier and Poodle crosses? They look similar to the Cavajons (Cavalier/Bijon cross) I have been looking at. Presumably both of these breeds also run the risk (maybe a slightly reduced risk) of having the same health problems as Cavaliers. You have all given me plenty of food for thought, thanks for the excellent tips and advice. I now need to do some research on Amazon to find a really good book on training and socialising dogs, so I will be prepared when we do eventually make a decision and take the plunge.