What Breed?

My Border Collie died a few weeks ago at the pre-mature age of 8.

We are now considering getting another dog, but would not like to try and replace him with another border collie [although we may go for a brown one instead of the black and white we had before]. The dog would probably get about 30 - 60 min walk each day, except sat and sun where it should be able to walk for atleast 5 - 6 miles each day. We are looking for a friendly dog.

Does anyone have any suggestions on breed?

Hi

Are you looking for a puppy or older dog?

Do you have any work commitments, or anything that means leaving the house for long periods?

Any breeds that particularly take your fancy but you are not sure about? do you prefer dogs with a particular coat length, trainability factor, etc?

How old is your Cocker & what is her temperament like? two dogs that are compatible obviously work best.

Is the amount of exercise you are willing to give flexible or is it set in stone? (some breeds may require more that what you have written).

Ideally I would like a puppy as I have a cat and would want it to get used to it from young. I had fancied a huskey, but I believe that they are not good to have if you have other small animals.

The dog would probably be on it's own 3 out of 5 days Monday to Friday from about 8.30 to 15.30, but would be with us at all other times and would probably go just about everywhere we go [we do a lot of walking, particularly hill walking].

My cocker spaniel is also dead now, but I would not be too keen on another as it was a bit highly strung.

I am not bothered about coat size, but would prefer one that does not require an awfull lot of maintainance [although happy to put some work into its coat].

I also thought about a Samoyed.

As for exercise, I would be happy to give the dog more exercise but it is uinlikely to be much more than 1 hour on the 3 days a week noted above.

Ideally, I would like a good natured dog that is intelligent and easily trained.

I have 2 kids, but they are both in their teens and will help with looking after the dog for a few years until they leave school.

I think you need to think what dogs you like and speak to people in the breed - talking to the breed clubs.

Many of the gundogs are very biddable and good with kids - love exercise and training.

I have no experience of Samoyeds but a friend in Bernese ruled them out for her but can't remember the reason - sorry! Plus you said you would prefer not a lot of coat maintenance not sure a Samoyed is low maintenance!

Most older rescue dogs will be tested on cats, so it is definitely a myth that you have to get a dog from a puppy for it to live safely with a feline friend. Most rescues are there through no fault of their own and many could have even been raised with cats in their previous home(s).

With a puppy, do bear in mind that you won't be able to leave a puppy for 7 hours without company and regular (meaning every hour) toilet breaks. So unless you can find someone to have the puppy during the days you are gone for 7 hours this might be a problem.

As for coat type, I would presume from looking at them that a Samoyed coat would be anything but low maintenance.

Exercise wise, 30-60 minutes of walking daily won't be enough exercise for a young mature dog of many gundog & working breeds. However, that amount may be enough for some of the terrier and toy breeds, and indeed many older rescues.

A puppy could not be left alone for this length of time.

And to be honest, I would not want to leave any dog, at any age, alone for that many hours - will someone be popping in to let the dog out into the garden etc?

In terms of breed:

Ever considered a Rough Collie? Very intelligent, gentle, friendly, placid dogs if you go to a good breeder.

Alternatively, an older Rescue dog is a good option but again, a lot of rescues will simply not rehome if the dog is going to be left alone for hours at a time.

If you are quite open about breed could you consider a cat-checked rescue or a puppy from rescue?

On dogsblog you can even do a search for only dogs that are fine with cats...
http://www.dogsblog.com/tag/suitable-to-live-with-cats/

All though some rescues won't rehome if you are going to leave the dog for more than 4 hours, others are more flexible and will try to match you to a dog that is used to it.

Most dogs are friendly if brought up well, but I would be looking to avoid the breeds that might not settle well being left for that long.

Good luck in your search and keep us posted!

J.

LOL 7 hours isn't that much for an older dog. Not getting into the "dogs shouldn't be left alone" argument as I've stated my peace on that before, but my girl has not gone to the bathroom for 14 hours before! Not because we weren't home (it was the weekend!) but because it was pouring rain and she refused to set foot outside until she was desperate.

OP, have you considered talking to some rescues/shelters and seeing if an adult dog would fit what you're looking for? It's a lot easier to leave an adult dog home for a portion of the day (bigger bladders and generally more relaxed) than it is a puppy and many rescue dogs have been cat tested.

As far as coats are concerned, if you don't want high maintenance I would recommend against a Samoyed. Those coats are some serious high maintenance coats. Beautiful dogs but they require a lot of work to keep them looking good!

And remember that every single dog is going to have its own personality. If you love Border collies, then maybe honor your previous dog and get another one. You aren't replacing your dog (and I'm so sorry for your loss of him at such a young age!), but instead adding a new family member with his/her own unique personality. And like you said, you don't have to get one that looks just like him. There are dogs with all sorts of markings in blacks and red and merles, even brindles and sables and other colors!

I think it would be too long for a puppy to be left, is there no one who could be there for more of the day? Neither of the teenagers?
That amount of exercise sounds about right for most ex-racing Greyhounds, and there are lots who live happily with cats. A lot of charities will cat test before they get rehomed.
Why not go to some rescue centres and see what they have that's suitable?

My answer totally - a fresh off the track grey would be very good with the exercise amounts.