My family and I are thinking about getting a puppy next year. Been thinking about it for years. Does anyone have any suggestions on a great dog breed? One good with kids, not too much energy. Thinking of a smallish breed. Thankyou
My family and I are thinking about getting a puppy next year. Been thinking about it for years. Does anyone have any suggestions on a great dog breed? One good with kids, not too much energy. Thinking of a smallish breed. Thankyou
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22 Replies
Cavoodle :)
I suggest small/toy breeds be avoided. Doodles are unethically bred with high price tags. (No genetic testing, family history and so forth) your looking at health issues there.
Grey hounds make the best family pets hands down. They have a bad rep due to the race industry, but Surprisingly they require very little exercise, like a simple walk. They are intelligent but quite lazy, Loyal, Gentle. Plenty of grey hound rescues where you will find an ethically bred dog, and have been properly trained.
Honestly, I'd avoid a pup. Huge work, alot of training. But that's just me.
The genuine breeders all do genetic testing, have you looked into it?
Very true, but alot come across as genuine but aren't. So many inbreeding, undisclosed genetic issues.
So many friends of mine have rescued/"foster failed" greys and they are so lovely! Great advice.
They are expensive though...cavoodles.
Yes, I've heard this about greyhounds, it's a cheaper option.
I might look into it, I'm looking for a dog also.
All puppies are HARD work. Doesn't matter what breed or energy level an adult dog would have, the puppy stage is brutal. They go through the toilet training and teething stages and they need constant correction and focused training. It's frustrating at times and they can take 12-24 months to really settle.
We have a 2yo dachshund and we got him when he was 8 weeks old. He's very, very sweet, we absolutely adore him, and they're a pretty chill breed once they mature. But he's only just starting to grow out of the puppy stage NOW and settle down at bit. We have an 11yo child and I WFH full-time so he has company all day.
If I was getting another, I'd be inclined to try to rescue an adult or slightly older pup. I don't think there's really any breed that are more perfect than another for a family, because all dogs are different and a lot of rescues will give you a personality profile and you can work out if the dog would fit your family.
This!!! Puppies are hard work!!! Teething, toilet training and obedience training to name just a few!!
Definitely! And the hypervigilance required to make sure nothing dangerous to/for puppy is left out for them to take, chew, eat etc - OH MY WORD! It was exhausting!
Have you ever owned a dog? There are a few things to consider:
- work: are you home or away during the day.
- people: who is in your household? Little kids or older teens?
- cost: will you be ok to fork out a fair bit for vet bills?
- time: this is the critical one. How much time will you have for this animal? Be realistic.
I ask because we've had dogs before and it's a huge commitment. Puppies are in a league of their own. I'm very reluctant to get a puppy now because I'm worried as to how they are bred, so as cute as any of the "doodles" are, I worry about dog welfare. If you want a low maintenance dog, may be have a look at a local rescue/rehoming organisation?
Yes the teething , omg, yes. Years ago we got a Samoyed, he was returned to the breeder due to the owner passing. He was 6mo, and he ate our back deck.... nothing we did stopped him. We had to replace it as we were renting.
Our dashie chewed through the legs of our wooden dining chairs!! They were very old and on the way out and it was certainly better than him chewing walls or skirtings in our rental but DAMN that boy could chew
We have a Bernadoodle who is 2.
She is the sweetest, most loyal member of our family.
She is non shedding and hypoallergenic.
Would highly recommend
We have a black Labrador she is 3 and she is the best dog, so sweet, gentle, calm and barely barks she is just the best girl š„°. We got her at 7 weeks old and she only ever dug a few holes but nothing to bad.
We have 2 Dalmatians, honestly I wish I knew what I know now.
Our male is nearly 4, he requires so much attention.
Our female is a beautiful soul, sweet girl.
Sheddingā¦..take this into consideration, how much or often you are willing vacuum.
This is my one regret is the amount of fur we are covered in constantly.
We work from home, are on 2 acre property and still have to do a beach walk once a week and/or obedience training.
We got a second thinking they could play together. While they do spend all their time together, he doesnāt play per say, he looks to us for attention.
A recent doggy holiday for them the people said typical male Dally behaviour
I do love they a not aggressive at all, he runās from any conflict.
I had a female Dalmation, she was the goofiest, sweetest dog - but OMG wilful!!! She absolutely would not do ANYTHING she didn't want to (and yes, she was highly trained).
She'd literally climb a tree to jump over our 6ft tall fence.
She'd be trotting down the street, you'd be running after her yelling her name, she would actually stop, turn around and look at you, shake her head & keep going. You could actually see her brain say "nope. Not going to" and off she'd go.
She'd go get her leash and bring it to you when she wanted a walk, and if you took too long (ie. go to bathroom) off she'd go over the fence without you, leash still in mouth. Then she'd come back & bang on the front door to be let in. She had full access to the large backyard, but that wasn't good enough šš
And she would hear Dad's car pull up after work, and she'd immedately go and sit on "his" chair, just to piss him off. Even if she was asleep somewhere else at the time š
Omg I can relate!
When we lived in the burbs a really hilly street, we were half way, he got out often 6ft fence. I was chasing him, he was having the time of his life prancing around, a really busy main road down the hill. This car stops and says to meā¦.you better catch him before he goes down the hillā¦ā¦ šš¼āāļø
Super star at training, drags hubby on a walkā¦.walks amazing for kids. So smart, so much energy.
Love him to bits but gosh he is hard. My girl not so amazing at training but over all so sweet, never does anything out rages
Have you considered visiting your local dogs home/RSPCA?
Everyone I know who has chosen to adopt has been extremely happy with that decision because they ended up with a beloved family pet.
Also, don't just go with small dog = easy.
My brother and sister each have a dashie and a malteese shitzu, my God they are high maintenance lol
Agree, small dogs are rarely easy going they're like spawns of Satan. I had 2 Chihuahuas when I was younger they both hated other dogs and every one except for us, no recall at all no matter how much you train them. I've also had a Jack Russell and she was more work than my kelpies with so much energy, barking all the time, getting out all the time, hating other dogs and people. I have Kelpies and I know they are not suited to OP but they are 10 x better than my small dogs which says alot lol.
My pick is an English Staffordshire Terrier. Treat them with love and they are sweet, goofy, loyal dogs. Not necessarily the greatest guard dogs but very protective of their people.
When young they are chewers.
I have had the best success with the two small dogs Ive owned, especially with children. People love to hate them - but speak to the people who have them, theyāre the best. Agree with the others that a dog is high maintenance no matter the size, they all need daily walkies and runs and baths and attention, lots of mental stimulation, and companionship. I find for my lifestyle itās much easier to clean a small dog and keep it inside so that then I can keep it with me more and then when theyāre mentally healthy and happy then things generally go well and they chill.
If you donāt want too much energy, DONT get a working breed- kelpie, cattle dog etc.
kelpieās have so much endless energy and can go and go and goā¦. and if not trained consistently & repetively 24/7 from a pup can become very loud & relentless (when it comes to barking & boredom) and becomes destructive easily when not kept occupied & busy. I speak from experience- my sister got a kelpie because āit looks nice & is a beautiful dogā warned her countless times that the training & work it will be a 24/7 job. Sheās now still got it but gave up because training it was too hardā¦& she wasnāt willing to keep up the repetive training until it learntā¦..so I did it all so the poor thing wasnāt an untrained, bored dog. Though because I was the only one who consistently trained herā¦she seems to only listen to me & no one else š¤¦āāļø