Hi. I am going round in circles trying to decide what breed of dog to bring into my home. I have a 20 month pug x poodle, we lost our little Manchester suddenly before Xmas and I want find a companion for both myself and other dog.  He gets on with both sexes. I walk him at least an hour once a day,  then a 30 min in evening, so a dog that can keep up but also encourage him to play again as he has become very sad and quiet now he is on his own.  My thoughts are a smallish, trainable, not too yappy but steady happy dog that likes a good walk then is happy to snuggle up for cuddles. No small children at home, or cats small animals etc.  I have thought pug (worried about breathing issues), cocker spaniel (may need more exercise), whippet, poodle (adult kids not keen!), please any advice greatly appreciated.  I want to make the right decision.  Thank you in advance.

I have both a poodle and whippet. Would say they are both suitabke candidates for you. A miniature poodle would be a good size for your existing dog although they are very intelligant so you need to be thinking about mental stimulation to tire them out as well as physical. Whippets will keep up with the amount of exercise you do then crash out for cuddles when you get back although they are quite bouncy and ' all legs' so you would have to see how your current dog reacts to that kind of dog around him all the time. My friend has a cocker and theyngive him the same amount of exercise as you do with your dog. Are you looking at a pup or rescue?

I would take yourself off to Discover Dogs at Crufts in March - lots of breeds to fall in love with and more importantly - knowledgeable breeders/owners to tell you everything you need to know about your favourites.

Don't forget that a pup will be on restricted walk lengths for at least 12 months, 5 mins per month age in 24hrs, so at 12 weeks old 15 mins, 7.5 out and back unless you carry them back home.

I have cardigan corgi's, they are trainable, love to play with other dogs, love to snuggle on the sofa! An hours run about with an half hour evening walk would be fine (when adult) but they will take more if you want. There isn't many available each year so you would have to go on a waiting list but they are worth the wait, they are super little dogs with great personalities.Their coats are easy to look after although they can shed quite a bit. I have only had the breed for 4 years but I know they are my breed now and would never be without them, the only thing with them, although they are not yappy dogs they do like to alert you to things, like the postman, the neighbours going out and so on! and they do like to talk to you when they greet you. :)

Whippets or poodles both sound possible - you don't have to have the poodle trimmed like the fancy show trims, there are more sensible pet trims if the grown up kids aren't sure! How about a Cavalier, if you were thinking of a cocker but wanting something needing a little less exercise. Like all breeds, buy from a breeder who has done the relevant health tests, of which there are a fair few in Cavaliers - but you get a small attractive spaniel happy to do a good couple of hours walk (when fully grown) and then very happy to snuggle up on your lap for the rest of the day! Very trainable, mine do obedience, rally, dabble in agility, HTM, as well as breed shows, and they get on with most other dogs and all people!

Have you looked at a good dog breeds book - this might give you some different options?   Also did someone mention the KC dog breeds quiz thingy?  Always worth a look, and fun to complete, although it's never given me the dogs I'd expect!!

It's such a huge subject, and I'd guess an emotional one for you whilst you're still mourning the dog you lost, but there are some good questions to ask yourself. 

For looks: do you like soft floppy ears, prick ears or something in between; tail up or tail down; wire coats, long coats, short coats etc; long muzzles or short muzzles; black noses or don't mind?

For type: what characteristics will suit you?  A busy dog, or a hanging loose chilled version; barker or quiet; can you manage a high prey drive; slow and steady walk for miles or mad bursts of energy 4 times a day; stick to your leg type or more independant; digs the garden or sleeps in your flowerpots;  chews your shoes or retrieves your socks?

Size: above or below the knee; lightweight and foldable (sounds like an umbrella!!) or small and chunky; fit in a small hatchback or large estate car; can sleep in the space you have available or are you prepared to customise your home; can't jump over your existing fence height?

Finally be absolutely realistic about the places you will walk and what issues you will meet along the way, livestock, joggers, busy roads, lots of dogs etc.  How important is recall, how much off lead walking can you offer?  Look at the characteristics of each of the groups of dogs Terriers, Hounds, Gundogs etc and see if anything appeals more than most.   Then perhaps you can get to Crufts to see some in the flesh...  Happy hunting! 

> cardigan corgi's, they are trainable, love to play with other dogs, love to snuggle on the sofa!

and if you prefer a bit more leg and Wolfy colouring, in similar vein you have the Swedish Vallhund (I'm biased) and also of course there is the Cardigan Corgi, with his Fox-brush tail, and more chiselled head.

You can't go wrong with a whippet, one of your first thoughts and great family pets. Essentially lazy and laid back for most of the time, they can do fun and games but have an off switch. Gentle with kids, good with other dogs, trainable and neat.

Thank you for all your helpful replies to my post.  I am hopeless at making a decision!  There is so much choice and I have spent hours on the Internet reading up about all the different breeds.  I do like small neat dogs preferably not too much of a barker. I have some lovely walks locally and I really enjoy walking my dogs. Whippets are very appealing to me and I have noticed a 7 month boy for rue homing locally.  What about recall. Am I likely to loose a whippet if I was to walk him along a canal towpath? Would a whippet want to play with my other small dog?  They are similar to my little manchester without making it too difficult emotionally. I loved the way she would snuggle up under a blanket on the sofa or my bed. 
Is a poodle likely to be yappy.  My pug x poodle is a bit noisy so two yappers might be annoying.  What about a papillon?  Small intelligent but maybe too small?  
Thanks for advice x

My whippet plays happily with my poodle. We have let him off lead expecting him to run for miles, petrified we may lose him but actually just did a few short bursts, no different to how my poodle runs just faster, a lot faster!!! In terms of trainabilty the poodle is always going to be more intelligant but if you get a lurcher that had collie in it you wont go far wrong too. My poodle will bark, at the newspaper boy mainly but definitely not excessively or a 'yapper' as some of the misconceptions will lead you to believe. Obviously with a poodle you need to be thinking about their coat maintenance which is a considerable amount more than a whippet. Cannot comment on the other breed choices as I dont know much about them.

>What about recall. Am I likely to loose a whippet if I was to walk him along a canal towpath?

I have lots of whippet friends and they all go off lead every day. They are typical sighthounds, they will have the odd mad dash around in huge loops round you then wander along at your heel the rest of the time. They are sighthounds though so you do have to think about where you let them off. Although they may appear perfectly trained you have to consider what would happen if a rabbit ran across their path, they will chase it, no self respecting whippet will hear you calling them back then so where can they run. If there is no fence between you and the road I wouldn't let them off just in case.  Canal tow paths would be pretty safe, whippets aren't great lovers of water, especially cold water, so it will simply run up and down the path every now and again. If the path passes areas near to roads I would pop them on lead, but then I would with any breed. Same with fields of sheep, keep on lead.

Sounding more and more like a whippet is going to be a near perfect match for me.  Any thoughts on a whippet x min poodle?  I have noticed a bitch puppy for sale and other than the rather scruffy appearance of an adult cross was wondering if the poodle mix would be good. 
Regarding letting a whippet off lead I have always kept a keen eye out when I had my Manchester as she was likely to have a quick sprint towards rabbits squirrels etc.  it was never easy getting her back to heel once the adrenalin had sprung. We do have a large field down the road which is safe and perfect for a safe sprint round before going on a longer walk.

To be honest you just don't know what you get with a cross breed, it takes many generation to 'fix' breed traits and have a good idea what your pup will look like and act like. I would stick with whichever parent breed you decide on as the pup may well turn out exactly like the other one you didn't want, if that makes sense :-) 1st generation cross breeds are rarely a perfect blend of their parent breeds.

> 1st generation cross breeds are rarely a perfect blend of their parent breeds

Much like human babies :) :)