brittany13 Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Hi all In the preliminary stages of researching the next breed for us. We have recently lost our beloved 11yr old Stafford 4 weeks ago to cancer (and sadly his beloved 8yr old spouse 1 year ago also to cancer) and wish to look to the future for a new soulmate. Hubby and I are both semi retired so someone is at home 90% of the time and have plenty of time to devote to a new pup.Our kids are in early 20's and living away for university, but visit often. We also have a friendly 2yr old rescue cat. We like to go on regular family holidays with our dogs and rent a pet friendly beach holiday house where possible or employ a friendly house sitter. Our dogs have always lived inside with us, going outside - mostly when we are outside (of course :D ) on our 3/4 acre block and enjoy daily walks, car rides, outings to the lake for a walk/swim and even occasional boat and kayak outings. With both breeds we also loved quiet snuggles on the couch and bed. We have over the years owned and loved 3 Rottweilers and 2 Staffords - both fantastic breeds. We enjoyed sharing our lives with these breeds and competing in Obedience trials, endurance and showing. We are now looking for a new breed for us. As much as we love both breeds we would now prefer one that the general public is not so bias with opinions of. We are researching what new breed would best suit us. Ideally a breed that won't shed too much or is easy to maintain perhaps with a clip. We are quite open to learning how to use clippers ourselves. Also something not too big or too tiny. At the moment we are very interested in Miniature Schnauzers, Standard Schnauzers and the Lagotto Romagnolo. Any suggestions/feedback welcome on these breeds or others. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 (edited) So sorry to hear you so recently lost another Stafford. Such a difficult time. Sounds as though all your dogs have led amazingly fulfilled lives :) And although I know where you are coming from, it seems a shame you aren't considering getting a Rottweiler again. It sounds as though you are a great Rotti owner and we do need more of these :) I never have trouble with public perception, in fact quite the opposite and my dogs go to leash free parks everyday and are very dog and people social. Being a bit cheeky here (grins) but I think you should reconsider this wonderful, versatile, magnificent, loyal and noble breed :D Just be very careful what breeder you choose :) Edited August 29, 2016 by Starkehre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Depends what personality you want with your down size,Std Schnauzers are like owning a Rotti training & commitment wise,i would actually even say there more work with training & keeping mentatlly healthy,they are very loyal to there family .there intelligence level makes them often out smart there owners but given you have had Rotts you would also be aware of the time to put in. Minis are a companion animal,Minis love to learn but are more social butterflies ,excel at obedience & agility.Grooming wise Minis are often more work than Stds ,Stds generally have a better traditional coat which is easy to learn to strip/roll & easier to do than clip all over just leaves the bum,throat ears to clip & some scissoring .Minis are more work. Lagottos all i can say is i have seen more with temp issues than not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 There are at least 2 awesome Rotti breeders right here on these forums... can't go wrong applying for a pup from either's next litter IMHO... Obviously Starkehre... check out this thread about the last litter... http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/266081-puppies-have-arrived-photos-galore/page__p__6795297#entry6795297 ... and Allerzeit... who I've decided to get my next Rotti from... *grin* Either's pups would be well worth the wait for their next litters... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackiemad Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Standards are a really different kettle of fish to the mini schnauzers. I have a mini and have been involved with training a standard and the standards are a much more difficult dog in that you need to be on top of things and they are smart so pick up the bad behaviours as quickly as the good ones. They can be sharp with other dogs (read impatient or not at all acceptable of rude other doggy behaviour). I have a mini and I've got to say I love how adaptable they are. Mine comes to work with me sometimes, he is great off lead or on (having been trained obviously), loves a cafe, easy to take on local holidays at rented houses, totally owned by my cats but has quite high prey drive for rabbits. I find his coat easy, brush through twice a week, clipped every 6 weeks - just make sure you keep the ears super hair free as mine is prone to ear infections if his ears aren't plucked. My boy can't cope with no walk, but is as happy with a 20min wander around the local streets as a 9km power walk. So in my experience the mini schnauzer would be a pretty good fit in many homes. They're bright, intelligent and adaptable. I've met a couple of lagotti and they seem to vary enormously in temperament so if you go with them choosing the right breeder is important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittany13 Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Thanks Starkehre :) We still have a real spot for Rottweilers, but not sure if we want to go down that path again. One of the reasons we shifted to Staffords when our last Rottweiler died 11 years ago, was size .... we could fit 2 kids and 2 Staffords plus the luggage in the car for a trip...with 2 Rottweilers we needed a trailer. :laugh: Totally 100% agree with you re choosing your breeder carefully - there are alot of dodgy breeders (of many breeds) out there sadly selling poor quality pups to unsuspecting buyers I must say I was very impressed when I viewed the link to your puppy post tdierikx put on here. That brought back fond memories of our Rottweiler days. What a beautiful well bred litter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittany13 Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Thanks for the info showdog its much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittany13 Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Thanks tdierikx for sharing the link with me and the breeder info. Wow what a great post - a lovely well bred and beautifully raised litter. Best of luck with your future puppy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittany13 Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Thanks for your info mackiemad Of the 3 breeds we are looking in to so far - the Mini's seem to tick more boxes :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Thanks Starkehre :) We still have a real spot for Rottweilers, but not sure if we want to go down that path again. One of the reasons we shifted to Staffords when our last Rottweiler died 11 years ago, was size .... we could fit 2 kids and 2 Staffords plus the luggage in the car for a trip...with 2 Rottweilers we needed a trailer. :laugh: Totally 100% agree with you re choosing your breeder carefully - there are alot of dodgy breeders (of many breeds) out there sadly selling poor quality pups to unsuspecting buyers I must say I was very impressed when I viewed the link to your puppy post tdierikx put on here. That brought back fond memories of our Rottweiler days. What a beautiful well bred litter. You are very welcome S13 and thank you :) I wish you all the very best with your next dog. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittany13 Posted September 1, 2016 Author Share Posted September 1, 2016 What about Soft Coated Wheatens? What are they like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackiemad Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Sheridan has had a few scwt, hopefully she'll look in here. If not maybe send her a pm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 SCWTs are quite a big/solid dog so depends if that size would be suitable. I know you aren't really looking for small but how about either an Aussie or Norwich Terrier? They are both very sturdy and hardy breeds and tough as nails. It does depend on whether you can handle the terrier temperament though -- they need a firm person but really are loveable dogs. They're tough as nails and I feel hold up well against larger breeds. Aussies once worked with cattle so they certainly have attitude and personality in abundance! Of the two breeds though I have found my Norwich to be far snugglier and more of a cuddlebum than my Aussie girl. My Norwich can be feisty when needed but mostly he'd just a mellow little dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittany13 Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 Sheridan has had a few scwt, hopefully she'll look in here. If not maybe send her a pm? Thanks mackiemad. Started reading a bit on them last night and they sound really like a possible option for us too :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal House Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 What about a Lab? Golden Retriever? Or on the smaller side, Whippet? Italian Greyhound? Boston Terrier, French Bulldog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittany13 Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 SCWTs are quite a big/solid dog so depends if that size would be suitable. I know you aren't really looking for small but how about either an Aussie or Norwich Terrier? They are both very sturdy and hardy breeds and tough as nails. It does depend on whether you can handle the terrier temperament though -- they need a firm person but really are loveable dogs. They're tough as nails and I feel hold up well against larger breeds. Aussies once worked with cattle so they certainly have attitude and personality in abundance! Of the two breeds though I have found my Norwich to be far snugglier and more of a cuddlebum than my Aussie girl. My Norwich can be feisty when needed but mostly he'd just a mellow little dude! Hi RiverStar-Aura, :) thanks for the great info on the Aussie and the Norwich, they sound nice but I think they might be just that bit too small for us. We are really looking for a bit bigger than 10 inches. The terrier temperament - we are used to having had 2 Staffords (terriers), so that wouldn't worry us greatly. Having had the 2 Staffords for years, we are used to something around the 16 inch height and a similar weight. The SCWT comes in at around the 18-19 inch height so not too much bigger. We wouldn't want to go much bigger than that though. Thanks again for your input though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 So many choices! Wish I was looking. I love getting a new dog. I like getting different breeds, like there r so many I want to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brittany13 Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 So many choices! Wish I was looking. I love getting a new dog. I like getting different breeds, like there r so many I want to try. Haha its enjoyable researching but also scary. :) We have only ever owned 2 breeds - Rottweilers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers - both lovely breeds that we will always have soft spots for. Its really hard trying to settle on a new breed ...one we do the right thing by and can fit to our current lifestyle. Not too big, not too small. One we can do some obedience and endurance with, maybe some showing, take away on holidays, something the public isn't generally wary. Also one that has an easy care coat or one that we can learn to properly clip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 If you don't mind the public oohing and aahing over your dog all the time there's always the Dalmatian. Zig just makes heads turn. The cost is very easy care....just sheds all over your house :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karen15 Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 After my staffy I got a westie. They may be a bit small (up to 10kg, 10") for what you are after. I found a young cocker spaniel to be his buddy. Cockers are around 15", 15kg. To be honest, side by side there isn't a huge difference between them height wise. The cocker seems to be a similar size to other cockers I see, so she isn't a midget :) We get a lot of "aren't they gorgeous" on our walks :D I groom them myself and it isn't too hard. Hair grows back if you make a boo boo LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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