'High Energy' dog breeds for first time owners

We've had a couple of threads recently about first-time dog owners looking for (or having already bought) a 'high energy' breed of dog...

There has been a lot of to-and-fro about the fact that these kind of breeds of dog shouldn't (or should?) be owned by a first time owner, as they don't have the experience etc necessary to deal with them.

So, my questions are:

1) Do you think 1st timers should 'settle' for a different breed of dog than a possible high energy one?
2) If so, why?
3) If 'yes' for Q1, what other dog breeds would you recommend?

How can a 1st time dog owner gain breed experience if they don't own one?

Surely, by owning one of these dogs, the experience is gained first hand?

I'm confident (being a first-timer) that no other breed of dog would have prepared me for getting a Boxer! We had a Yorkie at home, before I moved out and got my own dog, and (bless him!) he taught me everything about looking after A dog, but nothing about high energy breeds of dog!

I think they are very good points..


Personally I dont think any breed is "of the list" for a first time dog owner.... as long as they have done the research and have 1) met dog of their chosen breed 2) be in a position to devote the time their chosen breed will need.


There are many owners who have owned one breed from many yrs, and can be as equally bad owners..

Same with some one buying a breed because they think it will suit or because they like the look, without taking the time to understand what each breed is going to need in terms of exersice / time spent with them.

Hmmm when I say FCRs aren't great for first time owners, I mean first time owners who have never lived with a dog and never experienced the breed full on...not at a show or at a shoot, but around the house for a couple of days and on free runs. If they have done that and still want one and go to a supportive breeder....fantastic...if not then ...welll.....you have to live with them to really realise what they are like.Or at least spend a great deal of time around them...

Granted I've never owned a lab, but we have had them all my life, as well as mutts and beagles (also mutts ;o). None of them have or ever would have prepared me for Woody.

I also think that the experience of owning such a high energy dog (she says as he lies snoring beside her on the couch) forms/makes and prepares you for dog ownership for life. The lessons we have learnt have been invaluable and I feel so confident and proud of myself for where we are now with such a ''high energy'' breed of dog.

I'll be interested to see how many users with the opinion against will come in and put their point across and answer your questions. Good post Iso.

Well.....I ALWAYS said I wouldn't have a collie.............and when Steve moved in, he brought his collie cross

You know what.....she's not half as bad as people said she would be!

She loves to run when we go out for a walk, and she does the laying down thing trying to herd dogs occasionally. She is highly strung around Teagan......but.....considering i'm ill, and she's only getting about 1 walk a week for around an hour - she's an absolute star!
She doesn't destroy anything, or mess inside, or bark etc!
We have a few sessions of playing with her toys in the day, and lots of cuddles, and the rest of the time she sleeps!

Saying that......i'm not a first time dog owner, and i've worked with dogs, and own a dog with problems......but I would still not 'choose' a collie! lol

I think so much depends on the owners and the dog that its impossible to generalise.
Our first BC was the easiest dog in the world to train and live with. He'd have been fine with a first time owner who was willing to spend a bit of time with him, take him to classes and include him in family activities.
Dale is much more of a challenge. Though I love him to bits its taken a lot of effort to get him where he is now. He's so sensitive and intelligent that I'm very glad he wasn't my first dog.
I think the important thing is that people realise taking on a dog changes your life. New owners, like new parents, aren't always aware of how demanding their new friend can be.

Good post , I agree 100%

I definetly think the only way to get experience is to live it and learn from it.

I dont think a Stafford is a first time owners dog for everybody - but then the first dog I got was a stafford and a rescue at that so therefore everyone has to start somewhere !!

I actually think its more about matching a dog to your lifestyle, so if you arent that fussed about big long walks in the country etc then a higher energy breed perhaps wont suit you where a greyhound would etc.

I definetly think its matching dog to owner.

We always had lap dogs when I lived at home. When I got a place of my own at 19, I got a BC - what a nightmare! He ate my house, skirting boards, banisters, walls. I was working full time and my partner was on shifts, dog wasnt alone more than 2 hours a day. I very quickly learned that my dog wasnt suited to my life. He was rehomed through BC rescue.
A few years later, I was too ill to work - we got a blue merle collie bitch. Me and her were inseperable and she was a dream dog to own. I had learned valuable lessons after my first experience with BCs. My Sophie was with me for over 10 yrs until she was pts after finding massive cancerous growth. She was my last ever BC.
I think you need to be a very special and commited person to get high energy dogs, they need stimulation and exercise and a lot of commitment to ensure their well being.
IMHO they are not the right type of dog for a first time owner.
Im sure Ive said things that will get me a right royal rollicking from some of you. But opinions were asked for and Im offering my experience of ownership as mine.

Mese, you were suggesting earlier that a springer is not suitable for a first time owner (correct me if I'm wrong though, I do have the memory of a fish ;o)

What are your answers to the OP then? I'd honestly be interested to hear form a different side.