We've got a few breeds of dog in the family, most of which have cropped up here already. For what its worth:
Border Collie - Too clever for its own good, escape artist and general postman worrier, difficult to keep entertained.
Sprocker Spaniel - Great with the kids but an absolute lunatic for exercise. Drops a lot of hair and a bit smelly too.
Cavalier King Carles - Again great with the kids but spend half their lives at the vets with all sorts of problems (and are sooooo thick)
Westie - Great little dogs but prone to skin and ear problems. Also need cutting every 6-8 weeks at £30 a time.
Jack Russel (smooth coat) - Great dog. Lap dog when you want it to be, will run all day if you're out and about. Good with the kids and other dogs and doesn't smell. Pretty indestructible too, they don't break easily.
Rescue Greyhound - The most amazing dog I've ever known around kids, pretty happy with minimal exercise but they're just so big.
DSC00006 by kerystwin, on Flickr
DSC00167 by kerystwin, on Flickr
Missy and Stitch (minature Russell)
Chat Forum
Thinking of getting a small dog, but with one???
-
Posted 9 months ago #
-
be aware that cockers can be possessive.
thought about a tibetan terrier?
not actually terriers. seem like really nice dogs whenever i meet them.Posted 9 months ago # -
Mini labradoodle ... best of both breeds, very low moult factor, intelligence of both breeds and very self reliant.
Ours loves to run, and sleep in equal measure. Great around kids and not a barker / howler etc.
Just check hip and eye scores of parents, and the price here is pretty ridiculous considering the bitsa approach.
Posted 9 months ago # -
The good thing about Greyhounds is the way they are bred. It is for performance, speed and stamina and ultimately good health. They are not allowed to breed them within their own family lines Etc, they are not bred to a breed standard like so many dogs these days. You can check their pedigree back for several generations on the Greyhound data website. Ours is only 26kilo's quite small for a greyhound.
Posted 9 months ago # -
+! mightymarmite
We have 2 labradoodles and out of all the breeds I have had over 40 years, they are the best I've had. They are bred in small, medium and large sizes. We have a large (65 lbs) and a medium (40 lbs) and a friend has a small verstion at 25 lbs.
Great personalities, good with kids, dogs, people in general. Exceptionally smart and easly to train. They do need exercise.
Shed very little and don't get that "dog" smell if you brush them regularly.
One of ours is a first generation (F1) bred between a labrador and a standard poodle, so has a wavy, flatter coat. The other is an F2 (labradoodle bred back to a poodle) and she has a soft, curly/fleece coat and feels just like a little lamb.Posted 9 months ago # -
mightymarmite---what is the cost range of labradoodles in the UK.
THey are pricey here too, especially if you go to a good, professional breeder. You can get one from backyard breeders for $400-700, but some of the really top-bred/good bloodline breeders get $1500-2500, but they offer full medical guarantees (hips, eyes, etc)--and some will even take a dog back if something happens and an owner has to give one up due a change in life circumstances.Posted 9 months ago # -
We paid just under £1K for our female with ability to breed. Was at middle / upper end as we hunted around to find a breeder with the lowest possible hip scores for the Lab (ours was a combined 4) as well as healthy eyes for the mother.
Mother was a miniature black, so ours has a scruffy black coat which we clip every three months or so to keep wooly and moulting to almost nothing.
Weight sits around 12.5kg, and is very very agile. Still amuses me when she barks (very infrequent), innocent looking thing with the voice of a great dane !
Have had a range of dogs in the past, both working as well as house dogs. Had two cavaliers and both suffered from SM which was horrible to watch, as well as a jack russell who was a complete lunatic (in an entertaining way). As above the Labradoodle is a great way to get the best of two very good breeds and the best I have come across.
Posted 9 months ago # -
prices sound pretty comparable as we paid $1400 for the F2 female and $800 for the F1 female. We signed a spay/neuter contract as we didn't want to breed and it cut a little off the cost on the F2.
I have enough to do to keep up with these two without having to deal with a batch of pups (although Mrs. Busydog would love it if we had a dozen).
If we lived in the country or on the outskirts of the city where we had 3-4 acres, I would have a couple more in a minute. Very entertaining dogs---like you said, agile, fun-loving and these two will chase tennis balls until they can't move (never met a lab who didn't like to fetch).Posted 9 months ago # -
All breeds have some degree of health issues that can affect some of the breed.
The incidence of individuals affected does vary though.
LOTS of Westies have skin problems.
LOTS of Cavliers have heart problems, much fewer have the syringomyelia.
I have a Tibetan Terrier and she is great, good with the cats and child but can be a bit barky. Hair cuts are pricy though.
Staffs are great too and if brought up well can be a great family pet. I do however believe they have to be watched round other dogs. They won't back down so if somebody elses badly behaved dog winds up your Staff then it will be your dog getting blamed for the large vet bill.
Pick what fits in with your lifestyle and get it trained and insured.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Our Lurcher is about 23inch to the shoulder, so about the height of a tallish lab, but she weighs less than 20kg and folds up really small. Whippet x bedlington lurchers wil be smaller. Kea is a real mix ( 3/8 greyhound, 1/4 whippet, 1/8 bedlington terrier, 1/8 boarder collie and 1/8 beared collie) but she's lazy like a greyhound, very gentle (unless you are a rabbit, cat or fox) and doesnt care if she's left in the garden with her kennel for 8 hours a day (although this isnt a regular thing)
Problem with Staffie's is that most Chav's have Staffie crosses which are much bigger, usually very people friendly dogs though, Pit Bulls, Pet Bulls and Staffies are all bred to be dog aggressive to one degree or another as they are/were fighting dogs. Always seems an odd choice for a dealer, they'd be much better off with a protection dog like a rottie, German Sheppard or Dobe.
Posted 9 months ago # -
Always seems an odd choice for a dealer, they'd be much better off with a protection dog like a rottie, German Sheppard or Dobe.
or a junky dog like a chihuahua..
Posted 9 months ago # -
Small dogs are rubbish. Get a decent size cat instead. Our Maine Coon is great with kids, the size of small dog and no worries about walking him. His liking for bringing live animals into the house is a bit of a downer though.
Posted 9 months ago # -
First up, I would like to declare a vested interest in spaniels. I own two (one springer and one cocker) and love them both. Both are lovely dogs and great to be around.
However, they are working dogs and need to be exercised both physically and mentally a lot more than some other dogs I have known, so leaving a dog like that alone for a long time is going to result in chewed skirting board, chewed clothing and chewed DSL dongles. I speak from experience...
I think a dog like Ralph, our cocker, would be perfect for you. He will run out with the bikes for ages and, at home, all he wants to do is be cuddled. That's probably why he's not that good a gundog, but he is a pretty perfect pet (apart from chewing tea towels). He sheds a bit, but not much and does not have the curly hair that you'd normal expect on a cocker.
Ready for the cuteness???
Posted 9 months ago # -
Posted 9 months ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
