Suggest me a breed!

I'll be looking to get my first dog of my own in about a years time probably. I'm starting to think about what I'll be looking for.

I'm pretty dog experienced, my favourite breeds are labradors and tollers (grown up with labs), however I don't think either of those will fit into my current lifestyle.....young professional couple, will have a small/medium garden by the time I get this dog, dog might have to be left alone for 4-5 hrs in a day (occasionally - OH will probably be working from home most days) but might be able to come to work with me although would have to behave whilst there! Will have daily exercise but not 3 hrs worth for example, but I'd like a breed that I can take for a decent walk - toy breeds are out, it has to be a 'doggy' dog! Grooming wise I'd like low maintence but a bit of work would be ok. Size wise - small to medium really. I'd like to do a spot of agility or obedience training if it was suitable - I'd like to spend a fair amount of time training this dog. Would have to have a personality that was good with other dogs & other animals -I keep small pets although of course the dog would never be unsupervised around them.

I'm thinking perhaps some small terrier type, I like westies, cairns and skyes for example. If anyone has any suggestions of breeds or puppy vs adult rescue I'd love to have some doggys people input. I'm not averse to the idea of an adult crossbreed rescue either if it was the right dog.

Of course this is all incredibly early days and any breed would be thoroughly researched etc.

A terrier does sound as if it may be suitable, maybe a border or a parsons russel? or even a longer legged jack russell
The only thing with terriers is they ARE strong willed, and despite how much i love them all, they really CAN be stubborn little toads! And of course that prey drive is high...as one would expect.

Westies, cairns and skyes are not low maintenance on the grooming front! In fact most wire haired breeds need to be groomed regularly and you will have a nice layer of hair al around the house.
Terriers can be quite destructive if left alone for too long and require a decent amount of exercise. They have a brain and will use it. Keeping terriers and small animals is a no-no, you'd need to keep the cages well out of the way. My terriers learnt how to climb onto my top bookshelves and open the cages to help themselves to the contents!
If you are looking for a low maintenance breed on the grooming front then you need a dog with a short coat. If you like a terrier temperament what about one the the pinschers, the mini or german? I believe they can be quite vocal though. A schipperke would fit into your categories but again can be quite vocal.
Becky

Got to recommend my breed. JSI's are easy to train, can be left alone, enjoy a decent walk, but don't need hours and hours, and I'm sure would enjoy agility. Look them up!

Sorry..i disagree, my deceased Russell Bitch and my Florrie, Westie x Dandie Dinmont, have both lived harmoniously with coparious rabbits & guinea-pigs, both these dogs were used for vermin control also, yet they still never touched any of of our rabbits n pigs. I trusted them both 100% and thought nothing of leaving them unattended with animals in their graving run thingys..we even had a little handreared bun who used to roam around the house with the dogs n cats.
I think socialising them with small furries is a big thing if you want them to live happily together, as i say both mine had been used in vermin control but lived with rabbits n guinea-pigs, i know Borderdawn has allways had working terriers & rabbits too
Nurture, not allways Nature.

I was reading an article about shiba inus today actually - never met one in real life though. Will have to go have a read about them and schipperkes (have heard of them but can't place it at the moment.....). I do love Borders, all the Borders I've met were such lovely little obliging dogs with their own strong personalities.

A cairn breeder told me that they were fairly low maintence grooming wise - a brush maybe twice a week and six monthly trips to the groomers for stripping? I consider that low maintence but maybe other people don't.

My small animals will (ideally, if we find the right house) have a room to themselves anyway as they do currently - a room that would be out of bounds to any dog.

Good to hear a nice case of dogs getting on with small furries Luke it's always a worry. Our family labrador is trustworthy with guineapigs and rats, but he is a very very daft dog. He loves the guineapigs as they provide tasty treats in the form of little pellets on the lawn.....

I'd always had larger dogs (afghan, great dane, labrador) and did wonder if the "SHEEB" would be a bit small, but they are definitely a large dog in a small body. They have such character. I have three at the moment, and can't see myself ever being without one.

Hi Harry - welcome to the forum and can I say on a different note how immensely refreshing it is to hear someone who is going to Research thoroughly about breeds which interest them and ask lots of questions before buying! If only they were all like you! :smt023

If I were you I would go to something like Discover Dogs or perhaps visit Crufts. Both of these events you will get the opportunity to meet lots of different breeds, breeders and owners and it would give you a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the breeds which interest you.

That's the problem with dogs, there are just soooo many different breeds to choose from it can be a nightmare!

As an ex-groomer I can tell you that Cairns need grooming on a more regular basis than every 6 months, they can mat quite easily. As to stripping you;d be hard pressed to find a groomer that actually does hand strip. It's more economical for groomers to do the bath and shave thing!
Becky