Thinking about getting a dog

Hi,

As the title says, my wife and I are thinking about getting a dog sometime during the summer of 2016. The reason for posting this now is to get some advice on what type of dog is best suited to our family and to make sure we have everything ready before we get the dog. We have had a Great Dane in the past but we wouldn't want another Dane due to the shedding, drooling and their unfortunately short lifespans.

We have also looked after other dogs for friends and family such as; a Lurcher ( for 1 month), a Cockapoo ( for 2 weeks ), and a Labrador (for 2 weeks), so we have experience with different types of dogs. Unfortunately, we can't seem to make our minds up about the right breed for us. We have looked on multiple dog sites and they all seem to come back we different answers as to which dog to get.

I am hoping that I put enough down for what I am looking for in a dog on here, that there may be some suggestions in return of which breed or type of dog as well as some good information on rescues etc that re-home that type of dog.

Things we are looking for in a dog:

• Kid friendly (we have a 2 month old baby who will probably be toddling around about the time we get the dog)
• Cat friendly (we have a cat who gets on well with dogs and is missing his doggy friend)
• Only sheds seasonally or preferably does not shed much at all
• Does not drool
• Requires between 30 minutes to an hours walk a day (not overly active, because while looking after the Lurcher we realized that 2 to 3 hour walks a day were not ideal for us)
• Not known for being aggressive and generally gets on with other dogs and people
• Between small to large size (Not a tiny or giant size)

Things we can offer a dog:

• My wife is home all day everyday and I am home 4 days a week and evenings for the other 3 days so the dog would have plenty of company
• A large back garden (fenced)
• We live near several parks and we would have even more time at the weekends for longer walks
• Have experience with dogs
• A good sized house where the dog will stay in (not looking for an outdoor dog)
• A lot of love

It's definitely a Boxer!

Check http://www.dogica.com/getadog.html

Many good advises out there, before you get a dog

I think the biggest problem with asking for suggestions is that we all like the type of dogs we have. For myself I cant see anything against a Whippet, the only potential problem from your list is the cat. A Whippet brought in as a pup and introduced to a confident cat can easily live with and get friendly with a cat though. As to your other requirements they fill the lot brilliantly.

So good to see you take such a responsible approach. Doodles, poodles, some terriers and schnauzers tick your boxes for not shedding or drooling. Can you consider a rescue? Many breeds have specific rescue groups so you can still choose the characteristics you are looking for.