Discussion
At some Stage, hopefully sooner rather than later, we'd like a dog. It will be our first so something easier to look after would be best.
We both run, so something capable of running a few miles would be good. Mid to large sized.
Recommendations welcome
Eta capable of occasional long hill walks also desirable
We both run, so something capable of running a few miles would be good. Mid to large sized.
Recommendations welcome
Eta capable of occasional long hill walks also desirable
It depends very much on your lifestyle as to what breed fits. Will the dog be left for periods during the day? Will there be someone there to stimulate the dog mentally or do you just want a breed to go out on walks and then sleep?
Remember if you're getting a puppy that you need to wait for joints to develop and it's recommended that you wait until they're around a year old before they start running with you so as not to cause joint issue in later life
I have a Working Cocker. He'll run all day if you let him and his personality is great, but he's a clever little sod and you have to keep him entertained or he gets up to mischief
Remember if you're getting a puppy that you need to wait for joints to develop and it's recommended that you wait until they're around a year old before they start running with you so as not to cause joint issue in later life
I have a Working Cocker. He'll run all day if you let him and his personality is great, but he's a clever little sod and you have to keep him entertained or he gets up to mischief
Pieman68 said:
It depends very much on your lifestyle as to what breed fits. Will the dog be left for periods during the day? Will there be someone there to stimulate the dog mentally or do you just want a breed to go out on walks and then sleep?
Remember if you're getting a puppy that you need to wait for joints to develop and it's recommended that you wait until they're around a year old before they start running with you so as not to cause joint issue in later life
I have a Working Cocker. He'll run all day if you let him and his personality is great, but he's a clever little sod and you have to keep him entertained or he gets up to mischief
^ This - as well as what you want from a dog, you have to think about what you can offer in terms of lifestyle to get the best fit.Remember if you're getting a puppy that you need to wait for joints to develop and it's recommended that you wait until they're around a year old before they start running with you so as not to cause joint issue in later life
I have a Working Cocker. He'll run all day if you let him and his personality is great, but he's a clever little sod and you have to keep him entertained or he gets up to mischief
One breed which doesn't get many mentions/much publicity (although at least one poster on here has a gorgeous example called Sam
) is the Trailhound. They are bred for trail running, so can certainly cope with exercise. They are generally also available as adults, through rescue, which would resolve the 'puppy' issue. https://www.trailhoundwelfare.org.uk/
Stella Tortoise said:
Mixed breed.
Take your favourite 2 or 3 breeds and look for a mix of them.
In my experience they are cheaper and suffer less from hereditary problems.
Not sure about the cheaper bit. They add the designer name like cavapoo, and charge £1.5k. Take your favourite 2 or 3 breeds and look for a mix of them.
In my experience they are cheaper and suffer less from hereditary problems.
I'm coming up to a year with my first dog. It's a massive change. You can't just nip to costco on a Sunday and come back 8 hours later after a nandos and a cinema. You can't decide to pop to the shops for the day since it's raining. Well not a proper shop.
Would I change him? Nope. However I can see why people say its like a kid. Luckily we have a dog sitter (her retired parents) but without them it'd certainly very tying.
As for bread, a colly is very easy to train and can run.
I have a show type cocker that will tick many of the boxes you have listed...
A reliable breed, mine is happy to run miles or just lie around and chill... Very similar to the working strain but it doesn't have that constant desire to have a job to be doing.
If he only gets two very short walks a day he's fine with that and won't start tearing the house apart.
And admittedly he had a lot of the spaniel smarts bred out of him too, so he's an uncomplicated fellow that just enjoys the company of his people so sticks close and has never exhibited any negative traits whatsoever...
The workers can be hard work especially when young and will demand and expect some considerable attention and stimulation, I wouldn't say don't get one but they are high energy dogs for the majority of their lifetime so you need consider the impact on your lifestyle..
A reliable breed, mine is happy to run miles or just lie around and chill... Very similar to the working strain but it doesn't have that constant desire to have a job to be doing.
If he only gets two very short walks a day he's fine with that and won't start tearing the house apart.
And admittedly he had a lot of the spaniel smarts bred out of him too, so he's an uncomplicated fellow that just enjoys the company of his people so sticks close and has never exhibited any negative traits whatsoever...
The workers can be hard work especially when young and will demand and expect some considerable attention and stimulation, I wouldn't say don't get one but they are high energy dogs for the majority of their lifetime so you need consider the impact on your lifestyle..
Olivera said:
hotchy said:
As for bread, a colly is very easy to train and can run.
Wouldn't recommend a border collie unless you have the right environment for it, i.e. lots of space (preferably rural), and are able to keep it active.
I know know quite a few people with border collies, only one is rural and their collies live outdoor and aren't far off feral. If you want a collie just check the pups provenance and avoid direct offspring of working dogs if you're not a farmer would be my 2 cents.
shedweller said:
I have a show type cocker that will tick many of the boxes you have listed...
A reliable breed, mine is happy to run miles or just lie around and chill... Very similar to the working strain but it doesn't have that constant desire to have a job to be doing.
If he only gets two very short walks a day he's fine with that and won't start tearing the house apart.
And admittedly he had a lot of the spaniel smarts bred out of him too, so he's an uncomplicated fellow that just enjoys the company of his people so sticks close and has never exhibited any negative traits whatsoever...
The workers can be hard work especially when young and will demand and expect some considerable attention and stimulation, I wouldn't say don't get one but they are high energy dogs for the majority of their lifetime so you need consider the impact on your lifestyle..
I have a working cocker and to be honest she’s fairly laid back.A reliable breed, mine is happy to run miles or just lie around and chill... Very similar to the working strain but it doesn't have that constant desire to have a job to be doing.
If he only gets two very short walks a day he's fine with that and won't start tearing the house apart.
And admittedly he had a lot of the spaniel smarts bred out of him too, so he's an uncomplicated fellow that just enjoys the company of his people so sticks close and has never exhibited any negative traits whatsoever...
The workers can be hard work especially when young and will demand and expect some considerable attention and stimulation, I wouldn't say don't get one but they are high energy dogs for the majority of their lifetime so you need consider the impact on your lifestyle..
Good size, travels in the car well, sleeps over night with no fuss, has 2 or 3 walks a day, will go running and I tend to do a bit of hunting and retrieving training with her.
She’s a bit clingy, reasonable on the lead and with recall, I would say her main drawback is she gets a bit excitable around people, usually for about 30 seconds then calms down. The exception is odd balls who ‘provoke’ her excitement, usually attention seeking types who don’t get attention off others regularly, I tend to move her on!
Llew said:
I'd recommend a whippet if you want something easy, fun and healthy.... We've even trained ours to ring a bell when he wants to toilet!
Pah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txf2uYVgtHQdave123456 said:
I have a working cocker and to be honest she’s fairly laid back.
Good size, travels in the car well, sleeps over night with no fuss, has 2 or 3 walks a day, will go running and I tend to do a bit of hunting and retrieving training with her.
She’s a bit clingy, reasonable on the lead and with recall, I would say her main drawback is she gets a bit excitable around people, usually for about 30 seconds then calms down. The exception is odd balls who ‘provoke’ her excitement, usually attention seeking types who don’t get attention off others regularly, I tend to move her on!
I thinks it is sometimes the luck of the draw with working Spaniels, Some can be pretty laid back and chill and some can be Bananas and at times destructive... I know lots with working springers and cockers and the variation in energy levels between some can be huge!Good size, travels in the car well, sleeps over night with no fuss, has 2 or 3 walks a day, will go running and I tend to do a bit of hunting and retrieving training with her.
She’s a bit clingy, reasonable on the lead and with recall, I would say her main drawback is she gets a bit excitable around people, usually for about 30 seconds then calms down. The exception is odd balls who ‘provoke’ her excitement, usually attention seeking types who don’t get attention off others regularly, I tend to move her on!
All that aside - I think spaniels are a solid choice when it comes to nature, reliability and obedience... especially if new to Dogs and are active outdoors types.
Not really an answer to your question but.....
Are you thinking of going to a rescue or a breeder?
If the former, then the dog's temperament and health trump everything else in my view. A lot of dogs will enjoy running and long walks.
If the latter, do a shed load of research. Puppy breeding is lucrative and therefore attracts some real lowlifes.
Apologies if you've already thought of this.
Are you thinking of going to a rescue or a breeder?
If the former, then the dog's temperament and health trump everything else in my view. A lot of dogs will enjoy running and long walks.
If the latter, do a shed load of research. Puppy breeding is lucrative and therefore attracts some real lowlifes.
Apologies if you've already thought of this.
It's not mid to large but my Westie can hike, goes up the Old man of Coniston, Rivington pike/Winter Hill. Can walk for about 6 hours, and he is 11. On the flat he can do 11 mile walks around the city. Very easy to look after, low maintenance apart from hair shedding. Not yappy either, Westies's generally don't seem to unlike many small dogs.
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