Breed Recommendations for a Friend

[Bailey08]

I have a good who is interested in getting a dog for her family. Family includes two little ones and their parents. Dad stays at home and was raised on a farm and always had dogs.

Their wants:
-- Good temperament, good with kids
-- Medium to large size
-- Nonshedding (ideally) (friend's strong preference)
-- She also said something about not being prone to being smelly or "bad ears." (I'd guess the ear issues would show up in dogs prone to allergies?)

Given the "nonshedding" request, she and I suspect she's looking at a standard poodle. Her DH isn't all that excited about a poodle, but I was thinking maybe one from a breeder that hunts his/her dogs might sway him? (And maybe with a shorter cut?) If so, any suggestions for finding such a breeder?

I also suggested a collie, which of course doesn't come close to meeting the nonshedding requirement. I thought about labs, but that misses request 3 (by a mile, lol) and probably 4.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[Kat09Tails]

How about a Portie?

 

[Aleron]

How much is she looking to spend on buying a puppy?

Poodles can be quite prone to bad ears. There are also American and Irish Water Spaniels but I'm not sure what their ear health tendencies are. Doodles that have been bred back to Poodles also tend to have very Poodle-y coats but a more rugged look. The thing with the non-shedding dogs is that they will have curly or wirey coats or be bald

 

[Giny]

I have a couple that comes in with their standard poodle for grooming. They sound a lot like this family. Husband did not want a poodle, doesn't like the look or persona that comes with them. They keep him in a short cut, nothing long, including ears and tail. He's so in love with this dog and breed now, he never knew they were such doggie dogs. lol

As for ear infections, some are pron to it but not due to allergies but because they have long heavy ears that can stop air from naturally flowing in the ear, and they have hair that grow inside the ears canal that needs to be removed or else moisture accumulates and again air can't flow. I find keeping the ears clipped short and cleaning them out regularly helps for those pron to it.

 

[milos_mommy]

I think if the hubby meets some standard poodles, that might sway him.

A wheaten terrier might be a good choice, too. They're really great with kids, and not as "hard" as many other terriers, but still spunky.

If your friend does start to look at poodle mixes, tell her 80% of them shed a million times worse than labs. And their ears are full of hair that has to be pulled out and cleaned (so do poodles and I think ALL non-shedding dogs, but since people tend to get them groomed more often (I guess) it never seems as dirty/smelly to me).

That might be something she needs to consider. A non-shedding dog is going to have dirty/smelly ears unless she cleans them regularly or gets it professionally done.

 

[Bailey08]

I have a couple that comes in with their standard poodle for grooming. They sound a lot like this family. Husband did not want a poodle, doesn't like the look or persona that comes with them. They keep him in a short cut, nothing long, including ears and tail. He's so in love with this dog and breed now, he never knew they were such doggie dogs. lol

As for ear infections, some are pron to it but not due to allergies but because they have long heavy ears that can stop air from naturally flowing in the ear, and they have hair that grow inside the ears canal that needs to be removed or else moisture accumulates and again air can't flow. I find keeping the ears clipped short and cleaning them out regularly helps for those pron to it.

Thanks so much for chiming in, Giny -- I was hoping you would.

I think she's okay with the grooming requirements (i.e., understands that that's the tradeoff for poodle hair). Her mom has a miniature poodle, who her kiddos adore.

She did want a poodle mix (I hesitate to say which one -- though I don't know why because I wanted a cockapoo before I knew better!), but I dissuaded her. And thus I became involved in the process of finding a different dog.

I'll also suggest she look into Porties, Water Spaniels and Wheaten Terriers -- thanks all.

 

[Aleron]

I'll also suggest she look into Porties, Water Spaniels and Wheaten Terriers -- thanks all.

I have been around PWDs for years, they can be very fun dogs for the right people. I hesitate to recommend them to many people for a few reasons. One is they are very expensive, expect to pay $1800-2000+ for a puppy. It is sort of a closed group of people who breed them in US and for some people, getting approved to get a puppy can be a task in itself. The breed has a very limited gene pool and can be prone to quite a few genetic diseases. Their parent club has been extremely proactive about health testing, so most of the issues have tests but some, like early cancer do not. You really need to do your homework and research lines because there are dogs out there which are linebred on dogs who died very young of cancer. Hip dysplasia is also a concern and one should ask not only about the parent's hip status but their littermates. They are certainly not an "easy" breed for the average family. They are a very active dog who is prone to destructive behavior if they are under-stimulated. They need daily interaction with their people. They need daily exercise and they need to be able to really run full out at least a few times a week, especially when they are young. They can be very loud and some are quite vocal while playing. Some can be quite guardy when people come in the house but what I see more now is fear related issues - namely shyness, softness and sound/sight sensitivity. Definitely a breed who needs lots of early socialization and training. They can be great family dogs and are very devoted to their people. It just depends on how involved with the dog the family wants to be. PWDs aren't necessarily the best breed to get if the family wants an easy house dog. Now, if the family is active and wants the dog to be a hiking/biking/camping/swimming/take everywhere companion, the breed might be a good match. If your friend is interested in them, I can probably give you names of some breeders to check out (and some to avoid).

 

[Bailey08]

I have been around PWDs for years, they can be very fun dogs for the right people. I hesitate to recommend them to many people for a few reasons. One is they are very expensive, expect to pay $1800-2000+ for a puppy. It is sort of a closed group of people who breed them in US and for some people, getting approved to get a puppy can be a task in itself. The breed has a very limited gene pool and can be prone to quite a few genetic diseases. Their parent club has been extremely proactive about health testing, so most of the issues have tests but some, like early cancer do not. You really need to do your homework and research lines because there are dogs out there which are linebred on dogs who died very young of cancer. Hip dysplasia is also a concern and one should ask not only about the parent's hip status but their littermates. They are certainly not an "easy" breed for the average family. They are a very active dog who is prone to destructive behavior if they are under-stimulated. They need daily interaction with their people. They need daily exercise and they need to be able to really run full out at least a few times a week, especially when they are young. They can be very loud and some are quite vocal while playing. Some can be quite guardy when people come in the house but what I see more now is fear related issues - namely shyness, softness and sound/sight sensitivity. Definitely a breed who needs lots of early socialization and training. They can be great family dogs and are very devoted to their people. It just depends on how involved with the dog the family wants to be. PWDs aren't necessarily the best breed to get if the family wants an easy house dog. Now, if the family is active and wants the dog to be a hiking/biking/camping/swimming/take everywhere companion, the breed might be a good match. If your friend is interested in them, I can probably give you names of some breeders to check out (and some to avoid).

Thanks so much for such a thorough answer -- I really appreciate it.

I suspect, based on what you said, that they probably will not be the perfect match for this family. The kids are still quite young, so, while there is a lot of activity (!), it's probably not super outdoorsy/physically rigorous kind.

I may pm you, though, if they want to proceed with looking for breeders -- thanks so much for the offer. I don't think that cost is really an issue for them.