We are looking for a family dog,  we used to have a Giant Schnauzer and he was excellent and will never be forgotten,  but unfortunatly 4 years ago he  fell ill and died at the age of 14.  We still miss him a lot, its just to quiet and i still miss his cheekyness !!!

We are now going to look for another dog.  Our new Dog will be a companion to a small dog and also a cat.  It will be rare that he will be in the house without human company.    We have plenty of room for a larger dog.  He will be part of the family which includes two adults and one child of 5.

We have come down to selecting a few breeds and have agreed the final three - Golden retriever / Dalmation / Old English Sheepdog.  But on reading up I just cannot seem to decide which comes out tops to suit us as a family.

Can anyone tell me who knows these breeds well if you think they are well suited,  I do like a dog with Character !!

The 3 breeds, which you have mentioned are all very different.  I have no experience of them myself, apart from working with goldens, who can be VERY stubborn! :D  I'm sure someone will be along shortly who can offer more info on their breed though.
Remember, everyone is going to be biased towards their particular breed though! :)  Why don't you go along to Discover Dogs at Earls Court on 13th and 14th November, where you can chat to breeders and people involved with the breeds, which you think are suitable for your family.
You will also get to look at lots of other breeds to help you come to the right decision.  Good luck :)

Get a Dane - they are the BEST!

including Willis ALL the time??? :D :D :D

Margot

Willis is NOT a Dane - he is a collie in a Dane suit :D

Thats one helluva big suit babes :D :D

:D I know, its got a zip and everything

My Daisy is a Dobermann in a Collie suit :D

M.

If you are looking for a cheeky dog - the dalmatian fits the bill exactly. Ours will try anything if he thinks he stands a remote chance of getting away with it. He's also a very good thief. He has an incredible sense of humour - If you laugh at something he does he'll keep doing it and smiling at you.

There are downsides to dalmatians though:

1) They are a lot heavier and stonger than they look - could easily send a 5 yr old flying.
2) Can be a bit hyper without lots of exercise.
3) THE FUR!! They shed more hair than any other breed (arguably). If you've been researching dalmatians you will have heard this but probably think, "oh, they can't be that bad" - they are!!. Everything you own or go near (whether your dog does or not) will be covered in fur. I'ts even in my office and he's never been within five miles of the place. I just like to think he does it because he doesn't want me to forget about him. This can also be a serious problem for athsmatics.
4) They often think they are a lap dog. Mine is always trying to sit on me - especially when the footy is on the telly.

That said - they are still the best breed if you like a laugh and like walking.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

I wouldn't recommend an OES unless you really like spending LOTS of time grooming. Buying a coated breed & then having it all cut off seems pointless, but keeping the coats in reasonable condition takes much more time than most people imagine.

Bullphi - Glazby my boxer likes to think he's a lap dog too, I couldn't get out of bed this morning as he'd decided to sit on my shoulder for some reason and I was pinned to the bed!!  :D

I had 2 dallys - but the hairs drove me mad. A high point was finding one in my M&S ready meal that I had only just opened!!

:-D

Try a Dogue De Bordeaux. Ultimate perfection.

Yep if you don't mind loose jowls and slobber :D ....now elkhounds....theres PERFECTION!!..
Archer

Apart from those sticky-uppy ears, Archer! ;) ;) :)

And what's wrong with sticky-uppy ears ???? You can check them much more easily than turny-downy ears :D :D

Daisy

get 2 danes and they clean each others :D they're smart like that lol

My Dogue De Bordeaux chops are delisious, there all squashy and the slaver, well you get better wet kisses. yum yum yum.

As much as I like DDB's...they are just trying to be danes! :D

Have you made a list of what you want in a dog and what you don't want? :) ie, grooming, probable health problems, excercise, food intake?

I have a nearly 8 yr old daughter and I always have had GSDs, wonderful family dogs, not too high on grooming, health is average and excercise is medium. Then I got a Briard along with my GSD, very much like their OES cousins in terms of grooming and with a fantastic personality, protection of their flock (family) and the best SOH that you could ever imagine. Believe me, it took a lot for me to change breed, but I am soo glad that I tried it, (nothing against OES or GSDs :) )

Claudia

I have Dogue De Bordeaux's, but for smallish children. I would not recommend, they are very powerfull and can be a handfull,  apart from the Slopper on the child head ( makes good gell for hair styleing) If you like Old English, how about a mini version in The Tibetan Terrier, not to small excellent family dog, very playfull and do not loose very much coat.

I would recomend them for small children. I have a three year old little boy, and my Bordeaux worships the ground he walks on. Even though they are powerful there has never been any accidents in my home. My son is the boss and she knows it.

The breeds i have found perfect for families are Staffordshire Bull Terriers ( "the nanny dog" as they are sometimes refered to because of their brilliant natures with children )

Bulldogs are good with kids, Greyhounds are normally excellent family dogs.  But its really up to you.  Although i love Dalmations i find that males can be very headstrong, although that can go for Bulldogs too.

I would suggest you arrange a visit to a breeder of the breeds that you are interested in. You can see what they are like as adults and how your child gets on with them.
I have had dalmatians and retrievers- usually one of each at the same time and love both breeds for their particular qualities. Dalmatians do shed hair all the time but their are different types of coat some soft , some coarser and wiry.
My last dalmatian only had to look at you and you had hairs on you but my current one doesn't shed nearly so much and his hair doesn't weave into fabric as the last one's did. H w also loves to be 'dysoned'  which takes care of a lot of hairs!
Golden retrievers also shed a lot of hair and it is longer.
The only time I had problems with young children being knocked over was when my own and my sisters bitch met. They raced to towards each other and bounced off each other as only dalmatians can. My nephew who was three used to put his arms up in the air and for someone to lift him up out of the way.