I have 2 children 10 & 13 and would like to extend our family. We would like a small dog. It would come away with us at weekends and school holidays. We were thinking of Shih Tzu or Yorkies can anyone recomend a small family dog other than the 2 that i have mentioned that are quite happy around children and that likes to be taken for rides in the car.

have you tried using a breed selector theres 1 on dogbreedinfo.com and one on petplanet

Thank you i have just looked on there. I found the address by just going through some of the message boards. I did not realise there were some many different breeds of small dog. I shall have a fun time looking through all of them. I now need to know where i can get a dog from. I have a Battersea Dogs home not far from me, but thats the only place i have found so far. There must be rescue centres out there where we can go to find one. Any names you can pass on to me.

try some breed rescues rpca centres and ncdl also type in rescue centres in google

I would definatly recommend the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, although i have bull breeds now i had them as a child and they truly are fantastic family dogs, small, gentle, kind, everything you would want from a dog. Ther also are willing to walk for miles even though they dont need it, there just as happy curling up under the fire. However they have some in-bred health problems so check the breeders properly. Other dogs i would recommend would be a Pug, Japenese Chin or a Pekingese- all good small family pets.

good luck

Well I live very near you too in London there are a lot of breeds that you could go for as a first time dog owner be wise to stich to the easy ones best know for there temperment.
CKCS are good all round dogs and then you would have to think do you want a coated breed or smooth?
But dont buy from the pet stores here .

I would definately recomend the Japanese Chin. This minature dog makes a fantastic family pet, great with babies and children, a good little guard (their voices are much deeper than their little bodies let on) and most of all very affectionate.
A good friend of mine had a little man called Chaz and he was a little love! I wouldn't mind one myself but hubby doesn't like the toy breeds, cest la vie!

Thanks for all your replies. I will have a look later when my boys have got to bed, as it will be a surprise for them.

Regards

Don't forget a Dachsund, they come in lots of varieties, mini - long coat/smooth coat and wire and then standard long/smooth and wire.
I grew up with mini longs and I love them, they are big dogs in a little dogs body and full of character. We sadly lost our last mini long a few years ago, and even though I have spaniels now, I will end up with a Dachsie at some point later in my life. Funnily enough whenever I go to a dog show I always end up in the Dachsund section, it makes me feel right at home.
Our dogs where great with kids and I have lots of family photos of me pushing a dolls pram around the garden full of Dachsie's, they also love journeys in the car and we took our last one everywhere. They have lots of energy and are happy spending the day in bed(under the covers of course) or racing about the park winding up big dogs on leads. Holly used to follow my springer to the ends of the earth, she would tear after her barking her head off - I can picture it now, people were always picking her up thinking she was lost because they couldn't believe their eyes when this tiny Dachsund used to tear past them in the woods.
You have brought back happy memories even if I haven't convinced you.

Just a thought, but if your children are boys, at that age and in years to come, do bear in mind that they may think a yorkie or a long coated breed may be a bit "girlie". You have to preserve their street cred if they are expected to do their share of the dog walks!

hi

how about a pug? i don't own one but if i were to get a small dog it would deffo be a pug there right little charactors!

For small manly type dogs I would recommend Boston terriers (I have 4), French bulldogs and even Pugs. They are short coats and don't require a lot of brushing and very easy to keep clean. My hubby doesn't care for the toy breeds but loves the Boston terriers. They are very willing to please and love car rides and walks. I know a lady who is a semi driver and she takes her Boston and a chiuahua (sp) with her all the time, they are her traveling companions. They are very good with children and well mannered little dogs, but like any dog they do need socialization and obedience training.

Good luck :)

ttfn :)

Check out Cairn Terrier... super temprement - mischievous - comical - bright as a button - heart of a lion - a very BIG dog in a small body.

Regards Dave

well i have to go with pomeranian sweetest dog ever but i am biased

there's only one dog for you...... A Border Terrier :)

Geoff

As long as you know that borders have loud barks (bred to be heard barking underground) and do bark quite a bit (so depends on where you live). ALso their coat needs professional grooming (stripping not clipping, which ruins the coat) at least twice a year unless you are prepared to learn how to roll the coat - ie strip out the dead coat weekly. Its not a major chore (I do it) but it is a commitment. Also my border does not do well in the heat, so he cannot be taken for long hikes at the height of summer, though he will go all day if the weather is cool. I am not sure if this is a breed thing. They do sometimes have a tendency to hate other dogs (terrier thing) - theres a discussion going on about this right now. Also not recommended to let this breed off the lead especially in wide open spaces as the hunting instinct is VERY strong and they will run off. Mine is a very obedient dog but is "deaf" when it suits him. More BTs are killed on the road than die of old age. They are not to be trusted with other small furry animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs . They are great dogs though, but not necessarily an "easy" breed.
Julie

have to disagree with you on the barking Julie, have had up to 7 borders in my house, they don't make a noise, unless there's a good reason....

Stripping the coats is quite easy, I've shown lots of people how to do it....

A Border should be capable of following a horse all day... regardless of the weather...

Agree with you about the running off thing tho', have to be very careful & they must be brought up with small animals from very young.....

Best dogs in the world tho' :)

Julie,

Only coats on show dogs are roled, e.g., longest hairs removed weekly. I used to show a Cairn and roled her coat. Took a lot of time. Now I have a Cairn purely as a companion, I only pull out the longest dead hairs about once a month, but I could skip that entirely and strip her coat entirely about 2x a year. I expect the same would be true for borders.

Cairns cannot counted on for perfect recalls either ... especially now during the height of squirrel activity!

Plus .. although the purists will cringe, most hard coated terriers are clipped at the groomers, rather than stripped. They end up softer, but to call them "ruined" is a show dog point of view, not the view of a pet owner.

Stacey

get a whippet or a lurcher there nice really loving and loyal

My Border NEVER barks, bless her. Quiet as a mouse.
Stripping the coat is easy to learn.
She and many of the other BT's that I have come into contact with adore other dogs. My girl loves children as well.
Agree that they ARE the best breed in the world.

So much information from so many people. And to think i found this site from Jeeves. I am so confussed now as to what the best dog would be for our family. BUT i am going to go down to the Brands Hatch branch of Battersea Dogs home over the next few days and speak to them to see what they have, then i will take my children once i have seen something I LIKE. At the end of the day it will be me that has to look after it - especially in the winter months when no one else wants to take poor luv out for walkies. One thing i do know is that once the boys have go to bed the dog will be all mine to make a fuss over. One thing i would like to know is what sex is best Dog or Bitch - or does it depend on the breed.

i have found no difference between dogs and bitches a dog may wonder if theres a bitch in season but so might an in season bitch it would be best to have him/her neutered if there are no plans to breed they will already be neutered if from a rescue centre.
I have 3 bitches and 1 dog only difference being ollie the dog ismore clingly but that might just be his personality

I have 2 bitches and 3 dogs. Not much of a difference the bitch will ruin your grass where a dog will ruin your garden. Dogs tend to be more bigger. Me personally I prefer a dog to a bitch, just my preference. :)

ttfn :)

I too agree that POMERANIANS are wonderful. They are easy to train and forget the old myth that they are yappy. My dogs only do so when there's a need to i.e. someone at the door.

I have done obedience with mine and some people also do agility. They are a big dog in a small body. Good luck in your search.

Papilons are another lively breed.

Have you thought about a schipperke? Great with the family, like to think they own the car------- actually any boot that's open will do they're not that fussy, tough to cope with teenagers, a bit pig headed, need a secure garden and love walks, 2 of mine work cattle on a couple of small holdings so we know they have stamina. Coats that don't mat, don't need a lot of grooming and stay very clean and dry even in the wet - haven't bathed my show dogs since Blackpool a quick brush and steam and they're ready for showing again - next one will be for Manchester so their coats have hardened off for Crufts.

Ah well. I'm a pet Border Terrier owner and I roll his coat weekly because I like it like that, he looks nice and i don't get so much shedding! He likes it too, well he seems to enjoy the grooming anyway. I'm afraid mine does bark quite a bit - not just for the sake of it but warning barks, ie unusual noises, someone at the door, cat in the garden, dog in the street, postman's trolley and so on. And his bark is LOUD!
As to running with the horse all day - yes of course, mine would do this in "normal" waether, and in the border country where they were bred it is relatively cool most of the time! But we live on the south coast and have seen a lot of hot weather this summer. He was getting very overheated very quickly on walks and we did have to curtail our outings on some days.
Julie

Well I'm completely biased as I have two CKCS's.

They're fabulous dogs, so loving and affectionate, and very gentle (I have two tiny kittens at the moment and the dogs love to snuggle up with them and are oh so careful not to squash them!).

As someone said before they'll walk for miles and miles or just sit cuddled up on your lap or at your feet. They're easy to train and contrary to popular belief are intelligent and learn very quickly.

My brother in law is a real mans man and wouldn't have any dog that wasn't huge and fierce looking, and yet he's happy to snuggle and talk baby talk to my cavvies and take them off for walks! They can melt the hardest of hearts with their big brown eyes, and your boys wouldn't lose any street cred I'm sure!

As for whether a bitch or dog is best, I have to admit I don't know. Personally I like the boys and both of mine are boys. I think dogs bond better with girls and bitches bond better with boys in general.

Good luck with whatever you choose to have!

Monkeynuts