Need Help Suggesting A Breed

[cassie]

Bernese seems like a good match.

[Swizzlestick]

Greyhound was my first thought too. :)

[ellz]

Not all greyhounds are bad offlead. Come to that, not all OTHER breeds are necessarily GOOD offlead either . Depends upon the dog, the situation, the training and how worth its while you make it to come back! :laugh:

Seriously though, I'm not a big believer in offlead anything much these days and whenever I took my Greyhound out anywhere he COULD be offlead, he was on a very long lunging lead for my peace of mind more than anything.

There are a few good rescues about, but if in doubt, head to GAP first.

[Scarlet]

I think dogs depend a bit on the children

I had a rough collie for 16 years and although he was great with my niece and nephew I think he was happy to see them go home - he was such a gentle soul but then he grew up without children so preferred adults and older children.

He would NOT have coped when I had 4 young boys. They were great with dogs but very "rough and tumble" kids. I had a curly coat then and she was wonderful. Curly coated retrievers have lots of energy and wouldn't cope locked in a yard without lots of interaction. Ours wasn't walked every day BUT she was part of the family so something was always going on. We lived near a large lake and she lived for swimming! So they would have to get the opportunity to swim. But a great kids dog.

[Rozzie]

Golden.

[Alyosha]

Have they considered a Borzoi?

Ticks all their boxes, similar to a Grey in temperament, and surprisingly devoted to their people (most people think big hounds are pretty casual and can take or leave people, very far from the truth!!) usually couldn't care less whether they get a walk each day, gorgeous lounge ornaments...

They usually quite enjoy some obedience, especially these days when it's more of a positive interaction rather than correction based. They aren't big on doing what they're told all the time, but working as a team with their human they love doing things - more a "lets do it together" rather than "tell me what to do" attitude.

[mita]

Greyhound ticks all those boxes. :)

Having lived next door, for years, to well-cared for and beautifully raised greyhounds, I'm a fan of these dogs. They tick every box.....they don't make any problems at all. Lovely calm dogs. Their hobbies are watching TV, having a snooze & getting patted. :) These greys walk perfectly on a lead as their owner takes them walking every day.

So affectionate, too. The puppies go out to other racing lives after 4 months of age. It may be 2 or 3 years before they come back....and they remember all their friends here. They run to the fence, tails wagging, knowing they'll get lots of pats.

One of the girls who's still only a few years of age.....& has won many races....is getting rehomed as a pet. Why? Her owner says she adores children. At the race track, parents will ask if their children can pat her....& this girl is in heaven when that happens. He says he knows she'd rather stay with the children than do anything else in the world. :)

[jr_inoz]

Collie Rough. Why does no one ever think of these lovely family dogs anymore? They used to be so popular and are now almost a rare breed. They tick all the boxes and are easy to train.

for this one too

Bernese seems like a good match.

:thumbsup: two thumbs up for this. My friends have one. Gorgeous dog and such a couch potato. Great with everyone (little ones included) and copes with a walk or not.

[dancinbcs]

I think dogs depend a bit on the children

I had a rough collie for 16 years and although he was great with my niece and nephew I think he was happy to see them go home - he was such a gentle soul but then he grew up without children so preferred adults and older children.

He would NOT have coped when I had 4 young boys. They were great with dogs but very "rough and tumble" kids. I had a curly coat then and she was wonderful. Curly coated retrievers have lots of energy and wouldn't cope locked in a yard without lots of interaction. Ours wasn't walked every day BUT she was part of the family so something was always going on. We lived near a large lake and she lived for swimming! So they would have to get the opportunity to swim. But a great kids dog.

You can't base your opinion on a breed on just one dog and most dogs not raised with young kids are not fussed on living with them. In any given litter of many breeds the temperaments will vary a lot from ones that are going to be great kids dogs, to ones that just wouldn't cope. This is why I am always astonished when breeders definitely allocate a puppy to a young family before they are at least 6 weeks old.

[aussielover]

A few breeds come to mind:

Golden Retriever- great family pets, make sure to go to a good breeder and ask for a more laid back one especially if you aren't intending on walking it everyday.

Cavalier King Charles- also lovely family pets and don't need as much exercise as gundogs such as goldies or labs

Greyhound- also can make great family pets but I don't see many "out and about" or at dog parks if that's the sort of thing you want to do with your dog. Make sure to go to a reputable rescue

Mutt- there are plenty of crossbred dogs looking fro homes that would make good family pets. Preferably go to a rescue that has foster carers who know the dogs temperament really well.

I think one of the main things is to get the dog from a reputable source be it breeder or rescue group.

[MadWoofter]

I haven't read all the rsponses yet, but Greyhound ticks all those boxes.

MW heads off to read the rest

[~Lisa~]

Another vote for Greyhound. My girl seems fairly typical for the breed and she is fantastic off lead (I usually have her on lead but that's just because I prefer it), she will happily hike with me for hours one week and then spend the next on the lounge. She gets on with everyone and is extremely adaptable :)

[Lhok]

Well I made a list of the breeds suggested here and gave it to them. I have also included looking at Rescue but they were a little funny about that. I'll update it when they get back to me. Thanks for all the suggestions :)

--Lhok