Forum menu
I know it's subjective but looking for some inspiration.
Life's settled down enough that we think it's time to get a dog. We have the time/money/space to care for the needs of most dogs. My wife wants a golden retriever but I feel we should consider something smaller. She wants something caring and attentive, I'd like something that enjoying long walks without necessarily needing it each day (oh, and something that doesn't bark too much).
Any ideas? My friend had a lovely Beddlington whippet mix that feels like it ticks the boxes nicely
Don't get a dog. Buy another bike instead.
Felines are purrrfect. Get a cat. Better still, get three.
If you must get a dog, get a 2nd hand one rather than a new one. There's still loads of post lockdown rejects in rescue centres that could make fantastic family hounds.
A rescue from a decent local charity that fosters them first so they have a good idea of the dogs temperament and idiosyncrasies.
Border Terrier - just as happy on a 6 hour hike as a 15 min walk round the block.
Every dog should have at least 2 decent walks a day though.
They are very tying - so think carefully.
EDIT - forgot to add compulsory dog photo - our Rat-Russell Frank*...
(*Border Terriers were out of stock at time of purchase so we ended up with this filthy rat of a thing. Bloody good fun though! 🙂 )
A cat, or four, still cost less than a retriever !
Don't get a rat (tiny dog) nor one of these useless ones, otherwise you'll have the embarrassment of pushing the thing in a pram as the dog can't walk that far (my sister has one - pram and useless dog - other sister a Labrador - he's lovely, but hard work and can't be trusted off the lead).
We've got a Cockerpoo that does all that. If they've got a lot of the Spaniel in them, they can be a bit, er, demanding, but we chose the most sleepy/inactive one of the litter and it's worked out very nicely.
Fringe benefit is I'm now an insufferably smug bastard apparently. 😁
second edit - I'd have preferred a pre-used one, but the main rehoming charities can be incredibly picky about the circumstances of the new owners, and at the end of the day it wasn't up to me.
Another bike would be less work.
Golden Retrievers are quite big and they love water. So I’m the spring / autumn / winter you’re regularly have a big and soaking wet muddy thing in your house. An ex-gf’s parents had 2 and the house smelt of damp dog a lot. Lovely temperament though.
Hard to suggest a specific breed - but personally I went for something smaller that doesn’t really moult hair everywhere and is relatively quick to get dry after a walk in the rain.
I’d also consider the cost to feed / vaccinate / vet bills etc
To date we’ve been pretty lucky on no major issues with our dog - she’s coming up for 8 years old and on her checkup this week they think she has a very slight heart murmur - but nothing to do anything about yet.
Ours is a Cavachon which is one of those little cross breeds - King Charles Spaniel x Bichon Frise. She likes walks (but doesn’t need to go a hugely long way) but is just starting to slow a little now. 5k on the flat round here is more than enough for her. Very friendly and was fairly easy to train as she loves food a lot.
A cat, or four, still cost less than a retriever !
...you need to factor furniture/carpet damage into your costings though! 🙂
“Needing” long walks is a myth. Dogs bred to herd or hunt 8 hours a day (and well, any dogs really) will just get fitter and fitter with exercise. Once they stop getting tired on a two hour walk- what then? Give up work to walk them 3hrs twice a day 🤷🏻♂️ 🤣🤣
5 mins of mental exercise a few times a day is way more important to keep them content enough to be calm when you’re not around (and actually treating it like a dog not a surrogate child).
As long as it’s physically large enough to walk the distance you intend, at the speed you wish to travel- then just get what you like.
We have had up to 14 dogs (got 8 at the minute) of various breeds and at certain times of the year, I don’t even walk them. They just get yard time and a few mins of one on one fuss.
“Needing” long walks is a myth. Dogs bred to herd or hunt 8 hours a day (and well, any dogs really) will just get fitter and fitter with exercise. Once they stop getting tired on a two hour walk- what then? Give up work to walk them 3hrs twice a day 🤷🏻♂️ 🤣🤣
5 mins of mental exercise a few times a day is way more important to keep them content enough to be calm when you’re not around (and actually treating it like a dog not a surrogate child).
This.
Every dog should have at least 2 decent walks a day though.
My Cocker Spaniel says otherwise, sometimes he doesn't want to walk past the end of the drive. I used to try and entice him out but now just go with what he wants, which is often a game indoors or the garden instead of a walk.
Annoyingly he never lets us know that he doesn't want to go until we've gone and stood outside for 2 minutes, I'd much rather he just didn't leave the house!
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Thanks all, I apologise, I forget to mention the 2 cats we have! Not sure if that counts a terrier out, Cockapoos are a lovely dog!
I think our existing cats are gorgeous but reject my wife/child completely so I don't feel too bad about getting a dog. That is partly what's driving that we'd like a puppy so that the cats can assert dominance from the off. The other part of it is we've shown great restraint for the last 20yrs not getting a dog until it's the right time so feel we've earnt the right to choose the age of dog we'd like.
Oh, and we also plan to get a norweigen forest cat/kitten while we're throwing the house into turmoil! Doubling my chances of one of our pets showing some love to the rest of the family.
We always had goldens retrievers when I was growing up. Amazing family dogs but they are waay bigger than most people realise. They shed hair everywhere, love being wet and smelly and I wouldn't get one now.
Spaniels are the best dogs in world. Fact.
Jack Russells are pretty biddable. If you want them to be cat safe just train them to be cat safe 🤷🏻♂️
Spy and Smally 🐶
second edit – I’d have preferred a pre-used one, but the main rehoming charities can be incredibly picky about the circumstances of the new owners, and at the end of the day it wasn’t up to me.
Same here - wouldn't even put us on the lists.
We both work and dog comes to work with me everyday - but this coming to work thing didn't compute with the rescue centres. They just saw both working on the form and rejected straight away. This was during Covid period though. I bet they're not as picky now.
…you need to factor furniture/carpet damage into your costings though! 🙂
And this...
the main rehoming charities can be incredibly picky about the circumstances of the new owners,
Again, this is where local charities can be better, as they know the individual dogs better and have the time to chat to the prospective owners to understand their situation better
On the walks front - our Jack Russell gets...
• 20 mins in a morning
• 20 mins at lunch
• 30 to 45 mins in an evening - with a lot of ball throwing involved.
• Weekends - usually a couple of hours each day. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
He bloody loves a walk though!
And walking a dog is for me one of the best reasons for owning one. Just traipsing off into the countryside for hours on end with no one around is a pleasure.
not a brachycephalic breed as its just cruel. they are banned in some countries.
not a terrier, as i have heard of well behaved ones but i've yet to witness one. you might get lucky though. im not convinced this just isnt poor ownership though.
not a breed that will make old ladies cross the road
not a show version, when there is a working version (ie gsd rear legs are awful) as they can have more medical issues.
not a border collie if you dont have a farm
a rescue mutt is probably the best bet.
My spaniel (see above) will happily climb munros, run with the bike for 25km or sprint full speed on a beach for 5 hours. She is also perfectly happy getting 15min in the morning round local woods, 20mins in the evening and sleeping all day long.
I'd always recommend a mutt...
Please go to your local dog rehoming charity, they are full of dogs dumped after lockdown ended, looking for great homes. Please do not put more money in to the hands of breeders, who just exacerbate the issues with non breeds like "cockapoos" or dogs being bred purely for bloodline regardless of the health issues (ala British bulldogs and many others).
not a terrier, as i have heard of well behaved ones but i’ve yet to witness one. you might get lucky though. im not convinced this just isnt poor ownership though.
How very dare you!!! Terriers are bloody great!
Agree on everything else though! 🙂
I'd also add - I'd never get a dog I couldn't control in an emergency situation (physically pull away). Dogs are dogs after all and even the best trained can snap - be that at another dog or person.
Beautiful seeing everyones mutts and some really valuable points/breeds that I'd not considered so thank you
If you must get a dog, get a 2nd hand one rather than a new one.
not a border collie if you dont have a farm
Agree with these, terriers can be good I think and they are small enough to get away with not being perfect.
I would say get a stupid dog if you can, we had a very intelligent dog for sixteen years and currently over ten years in with a stupid rescue dog (she is 14 now). Stupid is so much easier to live with 🙂
Our 8 year old Collie cross Lurcher never wants to go for a walk, but enjoys it once he's out. He gets an hour every morning, and then sometimes a 30min in the evening but more often than not he's just out in the garden for the rest of the day.
Collie mixes can be unpredictable. We got lucky when we rehomed ours (Alvin) a few years ago. He spends most of the time asleep on the sofas, is wonderful with all children, and we're lucky enough that he is super reliable off-lead. He does moult something chronic though, and is a BIG fella (35kgs+) so takes up quite a bit of space!
In the STW tradition of recommending what you have then you want either a Spanish mastin (not a Spanish mastiff, although it is a breed of mastiff, from Spain, which is a bit confusing), or a doberman, our's fit your requirements perfectly.
Apart from the size thing.
Look for a dog sitter first, it's a bloody nightmare finding someone who can look after a dog while you are away.
Got a rescue, she should have been ideal as young ish mutt. Turns out she's physically and emotionally imperfect. She's stable now, but a lead only dog and has reactivity with certain dogs not not others. She's spent a lot of time and money at the vets. She's amazing round the house, aside from the one time she decided to rip open the end of the sofa, seems to have been linked to an ear infection.
5 figures of vets bills, lots of trauma later, my main advice is don't get a dog. But I know people still will. I love her loads, I'm still not sure I'd ever have one again.
When it comes to breeds, there's a good reason Labs and retrievers were #1 for decades. You can pretty much teach them to do anything.
Do go and speak to breeders though. Find out what litters they're planning. The idea of a "working line" dog might sound very appealing and a great boast at a middle class dinner party that you didn't get a show dog. It might also mean the dog is an arsehole and only suitable for sleeping in kennels with other dogs, whilst needing constant engagement and exercise otherwise it starts making decisions for itself, and they probably won't be good ones from your perspective. Conversely I've heard breeders talking more about "hobby" dogs recently. Working line dogs, but breeding from the other end of the litter in terms of drive so you get dogs that have the health benefits of the working lines, but without the high maintenance.
Reputable breeders will happily talk for hours about their dogs. Get talking to them, make friends, and that way when you find someone planning a litter that sounds like what you're after you can get on their list. You'll get a far better outcome than some cut-and-shut mongrel Cava-chi-beegle on pets4homes that was bread for no reason other than the owner thought the abbreviation sounded good and they fancied making a quick buck.
And +1 for a rescue, but ......
second edit – I’d have preferred a pre-used one, but the main rehoming charities can be incredibly picky about the circumstances of the new owners, and at the end of the day it wasn’t up to me.
It's a two way street.
The one I worked at was over subscribed even after lockdown, about 10,000 applications for <100 dogs. Reputable centers don't allow public access anymore, you can't just walk down the pens at Battersea and pick one to take home. The vast majority of the dogs go to homes before they even appear on the website (remember there's that database of 10,000 people to pick from). So they don't need to just tick some boxes, they can find really good matches. If you see a dog on facebook, instagram their website etc. There's a good reason it's still not re-homed. Be very honest with yourself when considering getting in touch about those dogs and read between the lines of any descriptions, the center may well only be happy to re-home them with someone who really understands what a project they're taking on.
This is especially true post pandemic. A lot of dogs were sold on gumtree, passed on and on and were sometimes on their 3rd, 4th, 5th home in a hear by the time they ended up in the center. Those dogs really were basket cases and hated everyone and everything. In some cases the criteria was as limiting as "must be a lady, that lives alone, with a huge garden, and has no visitors".
By all means register with a few charities, but be honest with the Q&A's.
Not so sure a terrier is best with cats, unless from a pup - might rule out rescues. (Having had to put my thumbs into a terriers throat a few weeks ago to get it to let go of a friends cat - didn't end well for the poor cat).
If rescue centre, then check the dog is OK with cats.
Another recommend what you have- lakeland trail hound, ideally rehomed:
Because she’s the smallest, my terrier (Spy) comes everywhere with me so I’ve probably never been as in tune with a dog as I am with her.
Whatever I’m doing- she instinctively ‘gets it’.
Raccoon dog
Get a bigger chair before you get a dog.
[url= https://i.ibb.co/VT1nSPT/PXL-20211224-121631935-MP.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/VT1nSPT/PXL-20211224-121631935-MP.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
{Bert enters the chat}
Karelian Bear Dog. 9years old now, no signs of slowing down. An hour in the morning (3ish mile), goes out Canicross training two days a week and then generally at least an hour in the evenings. Lots of summer swimmimg, big mountain walks in winter.
They don't bark (unless when hunting), don't need washing (very oily fur) or smell. No health issues.
Negatives - there are only 4 in the UK.
Don't underestimate the cost of (decent) food. Insurance isn't cheap.
[url= https://i.ibb.co/8MNBnDc/IMG-4994.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/8MNBnDc/IMG-4994.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.ibb.co/VByty7B/IMG-4924.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/VByty7B/IMG-4924.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.ibb.co/4K8NKt4/IMG-4575.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/4K8NKt4/IMG-4575.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.ibb.co/jLrqWTN/IMG-4427.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/jLrqWTN/IMG-4427.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Again, this is where local charities can be better, as they know the individual dogs better and have the time to chat to the prospective owners to understand their situation better
My experience filming inside them was the opposite, they had decades of professional experience finding the right home for the dogs. They were quiet happy to have dogs adopted into houses where everyone worked, kids, babies, cars, cities, countryside, whatever. As long as they ticked the boxes for the dogs needs first. These can be as weird as the dog cant cope with decking or staircases without solid banisters because it's scared of heights. No matter how perfect you think you are, they've probably got someone equally perfect that has a patio not a deck.
Some local charities on the other hand still have open doors at the weekend and let the first person to pay the donation take the dog.
Please go to your local dog rehoming charity, they are full of dogs dumped after lockdown ended, looking for great homes. Please do not put more money in to the hands of breeders, who just exacerbate the issues with non breeds like “cockapoos” or dogs being bred purely for bloodline regardless of the health issues (ala British bulldogs and many others).
Not the whole story, as mentioned above by the time lockdown dogs made to reputable centers they'd often been bought, sold, re-homed, abandoned so many times they were broken. The one I worked at/with had a full wing of long termers that had been there upto 18 months waiting for the right owners (who do exist), but struggled to get enough suitable dogs for 'normal' people (ie. the TV show). Some weekends we finished early because there simply weren't any dogs suited to the people that had been cast into the show.
Cockerpoo - my last woman had one. Taking it for a walk reminded me of the time I had a silver Ford Focus. Every corner you turn there's another one that looks identical!!
The cat thing can be tricky. Next door had a cat and then decided to get a dog. Got a French bulldog and the thing is a bit of an arsehole. Cat now spends most of its time outside the house looking for somewhere dry to get into. Frequently jumps into my car when I open the boot etc.
Would not suggest a French bulldog on that basis - it’s a great heavy thing that seems very disobedient and has a thing for biting people’s feet.
Our pathetic excuse for a dog - daft enough to let our daughter put scarf and gloves on her.
Working line black lab
Everyone you meet will tell you labs are the best 🙂
Staffy cross is always the answer. 2nd hand, obvioulsy. Incredibly tying (of course, all dogs are) and the rules regarding company etc apply but she's worth all the effort. She's brilliant at shedding hair though so no good if you ever want to wear black .....
Labs are definitely a good shout as a ‘first dog’. I love Ivy but she is a bit earnest and a goody two-shoes ( 😴 🤣 )
I need a new lab puppy as soon as one of my mates breeds from this line (which is my old line from 20 years ago). We bred from her once- but only had black dogs sadly. (Thankfully we have a waiting list for puppies as we rarely breed.)
Working line black lab
Everyone you meet will tell you labs are the best 🙂
yeah they're the best. They're quite happy being hosed off all winter. Malt all year but dont stink too bad. Not sure size is an issue
Love our working black lab but I made a mistake thinking that they're chill and then go when you want. Not sure you can leave any dog without some exercise a day OP. They need their work. Learnt quite a lot about them and how to engage their brains such as waiting to fetch, memory retrieves etc to reduce the amount of walking needed.
It's a mistake to think they're easy though. they can be units and can be boisterous, potentially knocking people over. a cockapoo etc owner has no such worries and they can get away with all sorts of misbehaviour.
Having said that most are fine and they respond to training well.