Completely depends on commitment, lifestyle, compatability and such.
My first pup was a springerXpointer from working stock given to me when I was a young teenager with no real experience of dogs at all. She was trained by me alone. Very obedient, rarely had a lead on, perfect recall etc. You wouldn't look at that particular cross and think it would necessarily be a suitable first dog, especially for a child but she was.

Very first dog I looked after was a cocker. He ended up being pts by his owner aged 1yrs old after he bit several people. Very temperamental and guarded everything, even the post! Lovely dog at times though, such as shame

Unfortunatly it is never 100% that you will get a dog with a nice temperment!
They key is to meet the mum and dad if you are getting a pup and see what their temperment is like.
When breeding we would never breed a hyperactive bitch with a hyperactive dog as you would get hyperactive pups.
It is all about removing the bad traits and prolonging the good. (the same with faults in colour, e.g white toes on a weimaraner and a hairless nose)
Also if getting a pup you must socialise it well and train it, dogs have big brains and unless guided they will drift to their natural behaviour (which is sometimes very bad, like guarding and hunting)
We need to control our dogs and seek help if they are becoming difficult to manage before it goes as far as putting them to sleep. poor things! x

My first dog was a wonderfully smart border collie mix who was also extremely independent. Most young puppies stick close to their owners, Shadow was off on his own explorations and couldn't care less where we were. He also had issues with adult humans, he simply didn't like them until he'd known them aaaages. He learned things super fast, got bored super fast and would happily give you the doggie version of the middle finger if he didn't want to do something.

Rupert, my rescue dog, is even more difficult and had serious issues when I got him. He's still hard work now.

The easy dog I had would have in no way prepared me for a dog with more energy, higher intelligence or behavioural problems had he been my first dog. In fact he'd probably have made me think that HE was normal and that the other dog was hyperactive or aggressive or stubborn. I doubt it's possible to get an easier dog than Wolf. Well, not unless you get a stuffed one anyway

Depends on what the potential owners are like etc but in general I'd say a Cavalier would be a good start for someone not wanting heavy exercise, a companion breed and dosnt mind a little grooming.

I agree, I dont think there is a single breed that can be 'fantastic' for everyone/'beginners'

It mostly comes down to what the owners want, what they can provide, what will fit into their lifestyle and how much they are willing to put in - not just when its going smoothly either.

I know a couple of CS's and they can be very sweet at times and they are suited to their owners so that great for them, they are very loyal to their owners and they like fussing them and seeing them all bathed... but I find them a little intolerant, not enough stamina for my liking and far too much grooming, ones too grumpy and ones too woosy and a bit grumpy, they guard food often despite always 'sharing' and often bury bones/dig etc grump at dogs, they will guard food but not necessarily their owners, growl a bit too easily if they dont want something...ones bitten the bin man. So it just depends on what suits the person/family and whether or not they have made the effort to 'research' the breed and what they are getting into etc and how they shape things from there with that individual dog...

I grew up around spaniels and as much as I loved our own, I wouldnt have another, not because there is anything wrong with spaniels, they just arent for me, thats all.


As an example; I found them soft although a bit fluffy for my liking, the coats get muddy/soaked etc which dosnt suit me or the type of walks I like, instead of easy to train they are a little slow on the uptake (although this can make them easier to train from a 'novice' POV I suppose) and a bit on the small side.

So two peoples views on the same breed are very different - thats not saying the breed is rubbish - but whether I'm a novice or not, if thats what I think of them it wouldnt be doing one justice for me to buy one and it wouldnt make for a very smooth ride....

I think energy levels are an important consideration as wel as coat care.

When we got our Kerries I didn't appreciate the amount of time and money to be spent in grooming. I hadn't groomed them properly the first time I went to the grooming parlour and got a lecture from the groomer (fair enough-then I knew how to brush them properly after she had explained).

I was not a first-time owner and had bought books about the breed but still nothing prepares you for actual experience of the dogs themselves if you see what I mean. I had been brushing them but not down to the skin and they were quite knotty as a result.


Energy levels are so important too although I know you could say these are variable even within the same breed but you should be able to get a rough idea of the breed's need for mental and physical exercise.

One of the worst dog and owner combinations I knew was a man who was so laidback he was almost horizontal and he bought an Irish red and white Setter!

Everyone thinks differently of every breed depending on the experiences you may have had or heard!
I agree with the coat problems, they can get very long and thick and collect mud. We use to have all the cockers clipped as they had heating in the winter but obviously if they live outside then clipping them would just be mean.

Also there are two types of cocker spaniel, working and show, both are completely different temperment and working cockers are far more intelligent and easy to please. There is something lazy looking about a show cocker that im not too keen on.

To get the most out of a cocker spaniel it needs to do some sort of work, even if its just hide a seek with a dummy, they just love it! They are also fab at agilty, it is suprising how high they can jump and how quick they can move.

Another problem with alot of breeders is that somewhere along the line they have breed springer spaniel into the blood line, which we all know springers live up to there name!

I am a fan of cockers however i dont have one as i personally feel they should be worked.

I have a labby and a weimaraner who slot into life very nicely! love my baby dogs x

Well our first dog is an ESS, we, especially in the first few weeks as we met lots of people with our puppy saying 'OOh blimey, you've got your work cut out there, you are gonna find keeping up with the exercise hard, they are mad you know!'

Well yes we did know, I really believe that there is no right type of dog for first time owners, just that a first time owner needs to really look at their life, how they spend their time now and more importantly how they are prepared to change their life!

How they will walk their dog, trawling the pavements or out in the fields etc, how long for and how much they want there dog to occupy their time etc.

We knew we wanted field/woods walking have the time to take the dog out during the day and didnt want a dog to plod the streets, we like the way they behave outside, jumping and sniffing around, we knew they required time and patience.

What i will say is that if you really have taken the fully prepared decision that you want a puppy and realise that in some ways it is as hard and some ways harder than a baby, you have to give up part of your life, but are prepared and willing to research and take advice/training then you will get out what you put in, this applies I think whatever breed you get as long as you do it with your eyes open.

maybe that is naive, but I do not like to fail and from being a bit dog aversive really to making up my mind that yes i was in the right place/frame of mind, I am giving it my all, and i think this is what is needed for a dog owner, first, second or last.

Sometimes the right frame of mind is more important, because you are starting from scratch so be prepared to deal with anything and everything no matter what, no preconceived ideas of puppy perfection and you will just get on with it! This i think makes first time ownership that bit easier, you have no comparison, iyswim.

I think when we consider this we often look at the dog's energy levels and temprament and then try to match it to our own.

My belief is that it should be the other way round - what is our own energy levels like, what is our own temprament like and be brutally honest with ourselves.

I'll give you a couple of examples for the sake of argument.

1.You might to say to someone working full time that a husky is not a good idea, for example. However, consider that they are an avid marathon runner (therefore lots of running as training) and that perhaps a there are suitable arrangements during the day - this person has very high energy levels with lots of stamina.

2. You might say to someone who has a busy lifestyle not to get a breed such as Malinois, but perhaps if they are cool and calm with their demeanour and have enough time for training it would be OK?

My point is this - look at your own personal energy levels and temprament first. There's a good chance dog onwership will change you (it did me!!!), however this is not necessarily a cause and effect relationship. Just because you buy a Collie doesn't suddenly create 2 hours per day for you....