Hi all
Im new to this site so a very big hello to everyone. We are looking for a small dog for July/August of this year. We are stuck trying to choose a breed! The breed needs to be good with children ( we do not currently have children of our own but family members do have children - so a patient and loving dog is a must). Grooming is not too much of an issue - we have a great dog groomer a few roads down from us. I work in a school generally leaving for work at 8.30 and returning just after 3.30. I live 5 minutes away from the school so will be home at lunch time for 45minutes. Im also lucky enough to have all school holidays off hence the looking for a puppy in July so I have 6 dedicated weeks for puppy training, vet check ups etc. I understand it will take longer than this to train the dog but we have family members close by who will help out once September comes until the dog is old enough to be left alone for a few hours.

We have been looking at a cavalier king Charles spaniel - a very loving sociable family dog. Happy to go for long walks but equally happy with a 20minute stroll and a cuddle of an evening. However we are struggling to find a breeder, and quite concerned with all the health problems they come with (poor things). Does anyone have any other small breeds they recommend? We looked at other spaniel breeds, also looked at a bichon although some websites say they can be snappy. I say small breed as im not overly comfortable around larger dogs. I also don't think we have the space for a boxer or dalmation!

Thankyou to all in advance :)

Hi, and welcome!

The best advice I can give is that you visit Crufts (held at the NEC in 6 - 9 March) and visit the Discover Dogs section. Here there will be examples of every breed for you to meet and talk to the owners who will be more than willing to talk to you about their breed and what they're like to live with. Meeting in the flesh is the very best way to find out whether a dog is right for you. :-)

and quite concerned with all the health problems they come with (poor things).

I think they are one of 'the' most cute & loveable little dogs on the planet, but, there are serious problems with their health & a high risk dog in the health area & extremely distressing for any family which ended up with a diseased dog - if you click the link below it takes you to the part of the BBC program covering CKC's, maybe watch the program and see if you still want to carry on with that option
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsHyeMhk0XM
.

But then you lessen your chances of problems if you go to a breeder that seriously considers health in tehri breeding program.  this means heart testing, not breeding from their dogs until over 2 1/2 with clear hearts and all four parents at over 5 years with clear hearts, and have had their dogs MRI scanned for the tendency to the narrowing that causes Syringiomyelia.

Despite all the scares I know many Cavaliers, many who are not bred with care, are overweight (which is bad for hearts) yet are still healthy and living to 13+, so I do think the health concerns as a proportion of dogs affected is probably exaggerated, and lest likely to be found with health tested breeding.

My sister had a CKCS,  she was the loveliest natured dog going and would quite happily do the walks my Munsters did when she was young but she didn't live to see the age of 10.   Her heart.  I don't know a CKCS out there that doesn't have a heart problem and its a shame as they are fantastic dogs.

Miniature Schnauzers popular round here. My sister has one too, and I have to say he is the most amenable little dog, despite a total lack of discipline LOL. Not a breed that I'd necessarily want, but can very much see the appeal of now, having known one better.

I've always been very fond of Lowchens and Pugs, despite not being a small dog person, I think Lowchens especially make great family dogs, easy to train , friendly and out going, but not too small, although they are still a toy breed. They do require a lot of grooming, but can be given a short trim.
I've met a few now, and they've all been smashing wee dogs.

I can totally recommend a Cavalier, I have 3 at the moment! What area are you in? If you look on the Cavalier Club website they have a puppy register for each area and they should be able to let you know of breeders with puppies in your area. As others have said, make sure they have tested their stock for hearts, eyes, MRI scanned for SM, and preferably DNA tested for curly coat / dry eye and episodic falling. It doesn't guarantee health, but it gives you the best chance. My lot are wonderful dogs - happy to go for a 3 or 4 hour walk with hubby at the weekend, but satisfied with short walks before work (or nothing if the weather is filthy!) during the week! Coat care is easy particularly if not spayed / neutered too early, the natural flat silky coat just needs a good brush and for a pet, trimming the feathering coat is sufficient without needing to clip the coat off on the body. I'm not an expert like some on here, but feel free to pm any questions and I can point you in the right direction if you like. :-)

>I don't know a CKCS out there that doesn't have a heart problem

ps Christine I have a 9 year old Cavalier with a clear heart, and 2 youngsters (2 and 3 years) also with clear hearts so far. Many of my friends also have Cavaliers including oldies with clear hearts. Yes they can develop MVD even from the best breeders who test, but it's not a given.

The breed needs to be good with children ( we do not currently have children of our own but family members do have children - so a patient and loving dog is a must). Grooming is not too much of an issue - we have a great dog groomer a few roads down from us.

I have to pick up on these two points. It's not so much a case of a breed that is good with children, it is a case of the children being good around dogs. NO dog of any breed is totally reliable and will be able to tolerate everything, even though some (like Cavaliers!) are more tolerant than others. And the other point is that having a good groomer doesn't change the fact you need to groom a long coated dog daily. If you do end up with a Cavalier, they are NOT a breed that should be clipped or trimmed in any way and they should never need to see a groomer, and in fact if clipping is done (which many pet groomers do), it does eventually ruin their coat and makes it a lot harder to manage. They just need regular brushing/combing and bathing. I have kept Cavaliers as pets for the past 19 years now and they definitely do need grooming on a daily basis, but when you keep up with it, it only takes 5 minutes. Much the same goes for all long coated breeds -even if clipped every 6 weeks like Poodles, they do still need daily grooming.

You can find wellbred Cavaliers from fully health tested parents, there are certainly good breeders out there, but you may have to be on a waiting list and not be able to get one as soon as you hope.

I wonder in your circumstances whether an older dog might be a better option.  I know you say you have family members that would be willing to help but a puppy is a long term commitment and blooming' hard work for the first 12 months!  Added to which, smaller dogs can be notoriously difficult to housetrain.

Even an adult dog might find your hours difficult to adjust to.  You'll need to be able to give your dog proper exercise before you leave for school, but you can't exercise immediately after feeding so will need to probably walk first, then feed, then make sure you are around to let your dog toilet when he/she needs to (waiting til lunchtime will be too long).  When you get home at lunchtime you'll need to get yourself some lunch as well as exercise the dog who will be very excited to see you then difficult to calm down enough to settle before you have to leave again...

I don't mean to be so negative but I truly wonder if you've really thought through what sort of home the dog needs.  I appreciate that the need for a dog can be at least as strong for some people as the desire for a child but is it entirely fair for a dog to be spending so much time on its own?

There are Lots of Cavaliers "out there" murmur free...I have some of them.

http://www.verheyen.co.uk/

Cavaliers are incredibly easy to housetrain, I live in a lovely, non smelly house with all housetrained dogs.

However......I wouldn't sell to someone who is going to leave a little puppy for long periods of time.
The loneliness and boredom would be intense if sourced from an ethical breeder who has showered love and attention on the puppy.
The whole point of housetraining...is to BE THERE..... When the pup asks to go out.

An older dog which can hold itself longer and can cope with being alone may be advisable.

is it entirely fair for a dog to be spending so much time on its own?

You made a very good point & its relevant to the original poster - I had dogs as a kid, I have had this breed since 1976, I have never bred a litter to get a pup for myself because how on earth can I ensure the rest go to appropriate homes and live a full quality of life 'relevant to their needs', I'd never rest easy so I have never bred.
.

Hi. I have two Miniature Schnauzers and they are great fun. They were easy to train and have good temperaments.  If you aim to get your pup at beginning of summer holidays you will have plenty of time to housetrain and your working hours seem ideal too, especially as you live near to your school.  After an early feed then walk I'm sure a pup would happily snore till lunchtime. 

Yes, the hours would be fine for an adult or older almost adult pup, just while he/she is still very young that the family would need to be there to play and take out for wees etc. :-)