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I used to drop my little Maltese x home mid-run. He could do about 5k until quite near the end of his life. He loved it, we'd run down to the off-lead beach, he'd play and sniff around while I did sand sprints, and then we'd run home. I'd either finish or keep going. Aw, I miss my boy. I considered Whippets, friends have a gorgeous pup atm, but I think I'd like something a bit guardy. It's for early mornings and sometimes winter evenings that I really would like a 'don't mess with me' looking dog. Also, good with children and unfamiliar people/dogs is equally important. I am really keen to do dog therapy work if I can get a dog with the right temperament. That's something to talk to breeders about I suppose.

Thanks again everyone. I am still leaning towards Boxers tbh, I just love their faces. And my husband is not really a dog person, but he has a big soft spot for them, so that's a consideration. I have fallen in love with Dalmations now though too, maybe I need both!

Huskies are very beautiful but I'm a bit intimidated by them - there seem to be so many in shelters/rescues. I don't think I'm experienced enough for one of those, gorgeous though they are. I have been doing some more reading about Boxers as running mates and it sounds like they do pretty well over distances of about 8-10k, more occasionally. Plus it needs to be cool weather, which is ok, as I only ever run when it's cool. I also don't go very fast, and when I am doing sprint stuff, my dog would just need to hang out and chill. I think it would be manageable, although I'd need to be careful and if I really wanted a long-distance running partner as my top priority, I think I'd make a different choice. Probably a Dalmation, the GSP just don't appeal somehow, although I can certainly appreciate their beauty. I haven't made a final decision yet and I am excited to go and see some Dalmations doing agility - I see there's an event in August in Hastings, would that be a good one to attend?

That's very kind of you Spotted Devil. I am down towards the Mornington Peninsular - I used to live in Upwey though, close to where you are in the Ranges! I would love to meet your dogs and see some agility trials, I never have before.

Thank you so mucht everyone. I hadn't considered Dalmations at all, but from the reading I've been doing today they are now definitely in my top 3, along with Boxers and Viszlas. I know all of those breeds will require a lot of work in the first 3 years and I am prepared for that. I think I will meet some breeders and dogs and take it from there. My 5 year old looooooooves Dalmations. She would be in heaven.

I did think of a Dobermann, but I thought they might be just a bit too big. I do like the slightly smaller Boxers and Vizslas. I know they are a similar size to GSD though. I am trying to be practical, but my heart does yearn for a Boxer. They just seem so sweet and funny. I think I am going to meet with a breeder on Friday who likes to meet all prospective owners even before putting them on her list, so I might get some more ideas then.

Smooth coat! Yes, that's my favourite, but I'm open to short as well. A Dalmation? I think they are beautiful, but I had the impression they were hard to train and maybe not so suitable for children. I know someone who has one actually, I might ask her what she thinks.

So much good information. I can split runs, so doing very long ones is not absolutely required. Hmmm, I think I assumed that any largish, muscular dog would easily do those distances...I have a lot to learn!

Oh I had not even considered those! I think I've only seen quite overweight ones, and hadn't really thought of one as a running companion. I'll have to do some investigating, and also GSP, which I had never thought of either.

Oh that's interesting, I didn't know that. A normal run for me would be 10/12k or so then when training I might do 3 or 4 15 or 18 k and one 20. I haven't trained for a full marathon yet, the distances would be longer, but I could always look at running half, dropping my dog home and then finishing. I used to do that with my little guy. Coat length isn't a deal breaker, I just like the silky feel of short haired dogs. I definitely don't want a long coat, or anything that mats without daily brushing. Thank you all for the wonderful and quick feedback! Very happy to have found this site. Oh I should have said, we aren't looking at getting a puppy until at least the second half of next year, and am prepared to wait for longer for the right puppy.

*UPDATE PAGE 6* Hello everyone, I have been lurking for a while and have already leant so much. I would love some thoughts on our situation regarding our next family member. Three weeks ago, our much-loved rescue Maltese x had to be pts due to worsening congestive heart failure. We got him as an 8 year old and had 3 lovely years with him. He was the first dog I had as an adult, and I leant a lot from him. He was quite nervous and never lost his fear aggression on the leash towards other dogs, although he improved a lot with training. He was also not 100% trustworthy around unfamiliar children, although was easily managed as I learnt his early discomfort signals and was always able to keep him separate when my two girls, 5 and 8, had friends over. He was very much loved and is very much missed. I definitely want to get another dog to share our lives with, but we are not in a hurry. From our last dog, I have learnt a lot about what I am looking for in my next one, and have decided I want a puppy this time so that my daughters can have that experience and so I can bring it up very carefully with good socialisation and training. I also want as many years as possible with him/her. I live with my husband and two daughters in suburban melbourne. We have a medium backyard which is securely fenced up to 1.9m. I homeschool my kids and my husband works from home 1-2 days a week, so our dog would rarely be left alone, although might have two or three stretches of 2-3 hours per week. I definitely want an indoor dog, our last dog was always by my side when I was at home. I took him places that went too busy, he didn't enjoy crowds of strangers or other dogs, so that limited us somewhat. He loved to visit my parents, my sister and her dog, and the beach though. I am a runner and train for half-marathons at the moment, full in the future. I want a dog that can accompany me on long runs, often in the early morning, it would be a bonus if it looked a bit intimidating as I'd feel safer. I know puppies can't run, but when it is 12-18 months, I'd like a dog that could run longish distances happily. We are an active family generally and really want a dog that will be part of most things we do, such as social park days with other homeschooled kids and dogs, visiting markets and festivals, going to the beach all through the year. I was looking forward to dog parks, but I've read some not-so-good things about those here... I would take our puppy to puppy school and then on to obedience classes, there is a club in my suburb. I don't know much about dog sports, but I like the idea of agility, frisbee or flyball. It's definitely something I'd like to get involved with. I am also very interested in becoming a therapy dog team volunteer, so obviously a calm, friendly temperament would be important. So that's what I can offer a dog. I am not a super experienced owner though, and this would be my first puppy. This is what I'm looking for -happy, friendly temperament -reliable with children -generally good with other dogs, at least not aggressive or too reactive -medium to large (not giant) size -prefer short hair -ok as an only dog -can be socialised to be gentle with cats and guinea pigs, possibly chickens at some stage -energetic and able to run long distances I have to say boxers are my heart breed. My husband had them growing up, and I just adored the last one he had when we met. She was so goofy and loving, but also somehow noble. I worry about their health issues though, and we may end up relocating to the U.S. at some point, so I worry about the effect of the aeroplane trip on a boxer's breathing. Other suggestions? Hungarian Viszlas? German Shepherds? Thank you!