Labrador, and does it have to be a pure bred? We’ve always had mutts – less illnesses, characterful and less to insure (if you want to bother with insurance). Currently a rescue golden retriever / german shepherd cross and he’s brilliant. If you go for a mild, calm rescue dog you will be rewarded with a feeling of being a good human being everyday you wake up to feed it as well as the fun that having any dog gives you.

Big vote here for a German Shorthaired Pointer.
Excellent hounds, trainable, intelligent, have that rather understated smug look about them too.
Will run next to you on the bike all day at a decent gallop too. During the week ours gets a 45 min walk in the morning and kips on any avialable warm surface for 8 hours while we are out at work.
Loves kids and will regularly be pulled about, sat on and ridden by 14 month old little ‘un. However after several hours she is glad to see her bugger off home !!
I could not recommend hghly enough.

Another Westy owner here, from pup, he’s been the absolute dogs bollox! 😀 Brought up with two kids, 9 and 6 when we got him and he’s regulary left in alone. Didn’t take much house training, and has cost us next to nowt in Vet bills over his first 6 years. Will gladly do the Pentlands one weekend, or a quick trot round the block the week after. Fantastic addition to our family. 😀

Wire haired tripe-hound. It works for Dennis the Menace.

Another vote for the Westies.

I have 2 and they look after each other. A LOT tougher than most people think, due to their “old ladies” dog. Suppose the clue is in their name.

Will walk all day if you took them, they will also sleep all day if they feel like it.

Not the most trainable, they are terriers, but my 2 are smart, too smart at times.

Consider 2 smaller dogs rather than 1 large if you are concerned about leaving them.

He does HATE cats but he was a working dog before we got him so cats, squirrels, rabbits are all fair game BUT if he had been a pup the chase is very easy to train out.

you reckon, my lurcher is certainly amongst the best trained dogs I meet but anything small and furry that runs away will be chased. Having said that if we owned a cat when she was a pup I’m sure she’d accept t it.. Lurchers are the best dogs in the world by far.

Not a Chocolate Labrador….. they eat their own poo then jump up and lick your face

Well, I’d recommend my brother’s dog, Mac. Great with just about everything, stands being bullied by their other dog, Honey, a golden Lab, the cats, ferrets…
Barely got two brain cells to rub together; took six shocks before he realised that touching a cattle fence with his nose wasn’t the smart option.
Beautiful dog, when asked where he sleeps, the answer is, where he chooses:
This pic was taken about eight months ago, he’s bigger now…

Tibetan terrier, but probably crossed with something spanielly.

Benny’s fine qualities:

* Very affectionate and friendly
* 100% obedient in the home
* Learns commands very quickly
* Loves walks, but is also very lazy
* Very friendly with other dogs
* Looks a bit like Benedict Cumberbatch

Benny’s… less fine qualities

* Normally walks nicely on the lead, but goes bonkers if he sees a cat, or if it’s dark.
* Despite being beautifully obedient in the home, and generally good on walks, he acts like a dick at dog training.
* Easily distracted, and will walk into trees/wheelie bins because he’s looking up for squirrels
* Fussy eater…
*…but obsessed with roast chicken and prawn crackers, and will sit staring at the kitchen door if he knows they’re contained within
* Can launch himself four foot vertically in the air. This would be a plus point, but he once did it to steal my icecream, so… meh.

Truth be told, most of his ‘bad points’ aren’t his fault, they’re ours because we could do with being firmer with his training. Wouldn’t change him for the world, best dog ever.

On the subject of Westies, the in-laws had three – Molly, and then her two pups, Annie and Rupert. Fantastic little dogs, great with children, very laid back and affectionate in the house but also quite independent. Annie was the softest and most submissive of the three, but conversely also the most murderous when it came to small critters. Not sure how they’d be with cats. They did have a lot of health issues, however (Cushings disease, cancer, ongoing skin and ear problems).