c-natalie

Thank you everyone for your replies! Thank you for the breeder suggestion Erin, I have e-mailed them I appreciate everyone's opinions and honesty regarding the breed - the more research I do the more I am convinced it would be a good fit. We are going to contact our local dobe club and organise to meet some local ones as well as look into local obedience classes well in advance. We want to be 100000% prepared so even though we won't be "doggy parents" for months we want to make sure we know everything about the breed and that it will be 100% compatible. We intend to socialise the puppy both with other dogs and a variety of humans at a young age - which includes our horses, livestock and our feline. We have no intention of having any human babies for a loooooooooooooong time (talking ten years + if ever) so no problem with that!

Sorry for posting another breed related thread once again, I know I must be close to boring some of you half to sleep Well me and my partner were pretty convinced to go with a Brittany and then I called my Dad for a chat, who has owned dogs his whole life and trained them at one point too and he said that he doesn't think a Brittany would be a good fit for us especially considering the semi long coat + very tick prone farm land is asking for more trouble then we need. So we've reassessed and decided we need something with a short coat. He suggested we look into Dobermans - as he knows we are willing to enrol in obedience training from day one and that I personally believe in sound training from puppyhood which apparently works well with dogs like Dobermans. He said that despite their reputation they are actually very intelligent and loyal dogs - and the perception people have of them will actually be an advantage to me if I decide to walk he/she alone :p So - does anyone have any experience with Dobermans? Once again we are looking for a dog that would be happy in both a suburban and farm environment (would be walked for up to 2 hours a day during the week and then plenty of run around on country on the weekends). Ideally I would be able to take the dog riding with me - i.e have it walk alongside the horse, so it needs to be a breed with fairly high energy levels I think. Anyway, any thoughts would be appreciated. We certainly don't want to buy an "aggressive dog" but if what I've been told is true, they sound like a perfect breed for us!

Also, just an idea here, would both breeds get along if we got a springer puppy and a brittany puppy at the same time? It may be an option for us as we like both breeds a lot - but would need some thinking over of course.

Thanks everyone for the great replies. Spotted Devil - you said on the other thread you don't think a springer is the kind of dog that can be left outside alone, can you elaborate? Do you find they are more pack dogs? Also does anyone know what the energy levels are between the Brittany and the Springer - is there a big difference?

Haha that's really funny! We were reading up on them because they looked a little like the springer to us physically, and we felt really compatible with the breed after reading a few websites and forum posts about them. They seem to be really, really lovely dogs - I can't believe we've only just heard of them!

ooops title is meant to say Can Anyone Share Their Experiences With 'brittany' Dogs And English Springer Spaniels Hi me and my partner are looking at adding one of these to our family early next year. We know they are very different dogs but we feel that either of them would fit in with our lifestyle. Does anyone have any experiences with these breeds that can share a bit of insight into what they are like to own? We are mostly concerned about their suitability to being the only dog in the household and also being happy in both a suburban and farm environment. As well as getting along with felines. Would also love any tips to reputable local (QLD) breeders. Price is not too important - research has led us to believe that anywhere up to $1500 is reasonable, so we will be looking for the best breeders. Speaking of which, what things should we be looking for in the pups? Should we be looking for breeds that do hip scores and that kind of thing?

Thanks for everyones replies so far! Does anyone have any experience with Springer spaniels? That was the other breed we were considering.

Hi, me and my partner are looking at getting a dog mid next year but we are a bit stumped as to what breed to get, so we'd love some suggestions! We want to plan ahead and meet breeders, talk to people and find out as much as possible before settling on our puppy. We are looking for a dog that: * is fairly active - we go for walks everyday and the dog would accompany us on these walks (of course not so much as a puppy) * is happy to be outside - we are not looking for a 'lap dog' * is good around horses and livestock (me and my partner are both involved with these but we live in suburbia so we'd really like a dog that could appreciate the best of both worlds and that would be good to take to the farm as well as to the local shops) * ideally we'd be looking at something medium-big sized - not too fussed about coat maintenance as we are happy to brush everyday etc * something that is generally good with felines - but in saying that our cat is inside so this may not pose too much of a problem So far we have in mind border collies - but I was a little bit concerned they might not be suited to the suburban backyard lifestyle as well as the farm. Any ideas/suggestions?

hello everyone *waves* I'm new here I've joined as me and my partner are looking at getting our first puppy (together) next year and we wanted to start learning more about the different breeds we are considering - and of course dog/dog care & health in general. We both grew up with wonderful family dogs that are getting on a bit in age and subsequently live with our parents - and we are missing them dreadfully and excited about getting our own dog next year. We hope to visit a few registered breeders of the breeds we are particularly looking at this year to get a better feel for the breed and to make sure they would be suitable for us and compatible with our lifestyles, etc. Anyway hope everyone is well.