I think if you have done a lot of research, know fully what to expect and (preferably) have some first hand experience with the breed, the world is your oyster when it comes to picking 'your' breed. That includes first time dog owners.

BUT, I do think that there are breeds that are more suitable for your average first time owner for one reason or another. All puppies are hard, but some of the breeds that are recommended for first time owners overall are generally easier dogs in one way or another.

As a wise old welsh woman, who incidentally is my great-grandmother, once said to me on the subjects of dogs "You've got to start somewhere, or how else is our canid knowledge learnt?"
and it's quite true, every breed has its drawbacks and could be unsuitable to hundreds of people, yet to you could be 100% perfect and could be your ideal first dog where it may be another's nightmare, it's down to personal circumstances I think

As with everything in life, owning dogs is a learning curve and you make mistakes with one dog that you wont repeat with another.

Some dogs, as stated earlier, are naturally more dominant and willfull and you as an owner have to be equipped to deal with such a dog so it doesnt become a danger within society. Those who have never owned a dog before perhaps wont have the necessary years behind them to know how to deal with it.

Flynn is a menace. He likes to be the centre of attention and will misbehave and act up just to get it. I pretty much have him under control but if I didnt know how to handle his OTT ways, he could potentially be a dangerous dog, simply because he'd run amok.

As also stated, training and sufficient exercise is the key really because even the most placid of dogs can cause trouble if they become bored.

I am in two minds about this

I think mainly if the breed you love is a 'difficult' breed but it is the only breed you really connect with and you spend a lot of time learning about that breed then go for it.

Sure having some experience is good - but having an 'easy' dog will not help you the day you get a dog with problems.
The problems Mia has are really helped because I researched Border Collies and looked at the worst problems I could have expected with that breed. Having Ben has not really helped lots for having Mia - except giving me the confidence and knowing what I want to aim for.

If you really love a breed, find out all you can about it including as much hands on experience of the breed as you can- look into the worst bits of the breed. Honestly see if your lifestyle is right for the dog - and then go for it

i think as long as you are committed to whatever breed you get than its the right dog for you. I do however think that you must be prepared to change your whole lifestyle if necessary and use your own common sense about whether you will be able to provide correct care.
for instance i have a rescue husky/mal and a registered husky wolf hybrid and personally i wouldnt recommend either for a first time owner due to their crazy personality traits and the specialist care they need. saying that id rather they were with someone who actually is well informed than someone who has had a string of dogs and treats them the same as a labrador for instance.

err sorry about the waffle

I never quite know what people mean by a 'difficult breed'.

My dogs are rescue dogs and both have/had behavioural issues. They are my first dogs. As long as you are open to learning, prepared to have a few failures and make a few mistakes, I think it should be ok.

I also fostered a few dogs and although some were the same breed, they were all quite different in behaviour and temperament.

I don't believe that breed is a total indicator of how a dog is going to be.

I do think some breeds are better 1st dogs then others and are good to get the basics under your belt with out having putting the dog at risk. For example a lucher or greyhound is a very easygoing breed that are not over bright (bless!) on the whole. I think they make a fantasic first dog and a good all round family dog.

Other breeds i think can be a handful if you have never delt with the doggie world before. Once the cute puppy stage has passed and you have a unruley teenager they get dumped as people dont know what to do. Sibes suffer from this to name one breed.

Yes there are exceptions with people willing to put in the work and who have done the research but these seem to be in the minority. Personaly there are breeds (if i was a breeder of them) i would not give to a 1st timer (unless they had been in contact with me for a while and met the dogs a number of times. or been able to prove they were part of this exception). This of course is a personal thing like some breeders saying they wouldnt sell a pup to people that worked full time.

Can you explain how certain breeds are a handful? I can't get my head round this - I can't understand how some are more difficult than others?

Greyhounds for example - aren't they supposed to chase things so are difficult to let off lead? So maybe they wouldn't be a good first dog.

Springers are high energy and need good training so they wouldn't be a good first dog.

Staffies can be not very good with other dogs so need very good socialisation from an early age, so they might not be a good first dog.

TBH I can think of reasons why any dog might not be a good first dog. I think I've just answered my own question lol

I think some dogs are easier for first time buyers but NOT some breeds since 6 I've had GSDs only & in that time I've had dogs who with the same genes (mother & daughter) & same upbringing have been as different as chalk from cheese. From hyper & needing lots of mental & physical stimulation to couch potatoes who didn't enjoy a walk except in the car.
While I agree that some breeds have more of the easier type, the problem with these as a first breed is that if you get the wrong dog of the right breed you are worse off. If you take on a GSD or a collie most people are prepared for energy though many are not prepared for the fact that a lot of the breed are not as easy to train as police dogs make it look, indeed I#ve had one who took several months to learn which was his house when returning from a walk & nearly two years to grasp the very basicsof obedience, However take on a lab or a peke & people expect them to be easy & I've had friends who have been driven to tears by dogs of these breeds who are not what they expect. Must say I know of several people round here who have rescue greyhounds who were totally unprepared for them, expected dogs who took a lot of excersise which they don't but did not expect the problems with neighbours cats that they do get.

difficult question, i must admit that springers were the first dog i had owned away from home, the first one was manic and i think if we hadn't been as determined as we were to make it work then it could have gone horribly wrong, but after the first one the rest have been easy.

I have noticed however a massive difference in breeds since i have been fostering Josh. I have had a run of young srpingers through recently (all under a year) with no training who have been fed crap and under exercised they have been very hyped and needed a lot of attention, Josh however at 6 months and a goldie is totally easy, yes he jumps llike a Kangaroo and always has to have something in his mouth, but his mad moments only last for around 10 minutes before he takes himself off to the big bed in the corner of the room that he has made his own, i would think that a goldie would make a great first dog.

On the springer front when we people ring up about taking a springer on we have what i call my springer talk, ie are you ready to have your life turned upside down, are you prepared for the mud and mess etc etc, and to be honest i put off as many people as i rehoome to, but at the end of the day thats fine, because at least i know the home that does get one is commited