I am looking to buy a dog, not too big, to be a family pet, and I was wondering if anyone could help me. I have three children ranging from 8 down to one year old, so obviously I need a dog that is very kind-natured and tolerant. Also, my sister is allergic so preferably I would like a breed that doesn't shed too much.
I was thinking about either an english cocker spaniel, a cairn terrier, a lakeland terrier or a soft-coated wheaten terrier. Does anyone have any experience with these breeds? If so I would greatly appreciate any advice you can offer with regards to their temperament, etc.

Thank you in advance,

Emma.

Hi Emma, if you type in Gwen Bailey on your search engine, she has loads of booklets on how to find the right dog for your family.  You can also find her books on amazon.uk.  There at a cheap prize aswell and deffintly worth looking at.

Warm regards Susan.

Hello Emma. I have Soft Coated Wheatens. They are a very high maintenance breed, grooming wise. With the ages of your children will you be able to put the time in to groom every day? They are a very good family dog, but I personally would have reservations about getting this breed until the children are a little older.

I am allergic to a whole list of things including fur and feathers (apparently) I have 3 Border Collies although I do get a little sniffly at this time of year as they are moulting and I am also allergic to tree pollen, all that lovely blossom! I could not live with a German Shepherd as I react much worse to them and also Dalmations are a problem as are Labradors and Golden Retrievers. Your sister may react more to some breeds than others regardless of how much or how little they moult. Terriers are a real dog bred to work, they can be quite a handfull, you have a one year old child whose behaviour could be classed as angelic compared to some of the terriers that I have seen and lived with LOL. You say that you want a dog that is "tolerant" How tolerant would you expect it to be? Dogs, like children,  need to be tought how to behave in an acceptable manner, it doesn't come with the breed standard. I think that you need to look into this a lot. You already have your hands full with a young child, imagine if it were twins with teeth ;-)

Emma, are you the same Emma that rehomed her FCR recently?