My aunt is looking for a small dog. She is an older lady but would love walks with a gentle friend that is easy to train. Which breed would you recommend.

My friend has a lovely little cocker spaniel and is not hard work at all.

Does a cocker require clipping? Just thinking of the on going costs. How about an older rescue. Do they take to new homes in general?

Cockers are ideally handstripped but many pet owners struggle to master this (although many more do :)) and finding groomers who will handstrip is difficult and often expensive, clipping is therefore a reasonable alternative and it just entails finding a good groomer who will clip leaving a good amount of feathering to achieve a more "authentic" cocker look.  All owners, though, should maintain a regular grooming routine of a thorough comb through at least once a week and ideally learn to trim around the feet and under ears in between groomer visits this will mean the groomer will never had to clip off the ears or the feathering due to matting.  The coat colour of the Cocker roughly determines how much coat is likely to be needed to be dealt with, I would say it falls in the order of (heaviest first) solid black, black and tan, dark blue roan, red and liver roan, mid blue roan, light blue and orange roan but this is a very rough guide, my orange roan has always had a very full coat (perhaps because she emerged from 4 generations of blue :)) and every other colour is likely to have anomalies too.
Older cockers do seem to adapt well to new homes, I have several friends who look for homes for their breeding bitches after a litter or two or ones that have not taken to the show ring for various reasons and it always seems to work very well so as well as the rescue society, if that interests you, you could contact breeders and let them know you are interested in older stock.  Having said that I believe the dogs are generally of a similar price to a puppy so no savings there :)

i have cavalier king charles spaniels they are very friendly and easy to train.

Cavaliers look lovely but I should imagine a lot of grooming and the long hair getting very muddy on country walks.

Cavaliers definitely require much less grooming than Cockers. :)

Definately, and I think they may be more likely to fit the exercise requirements here :) 

How much grooming is she prepared to do? How 'outdoorsy' is she?

Very outdoorsy during spring summer and autumn going camping regularly but fireside person in the winter. She needs a friend that is happy to stay home in bad weather. Brushing every day not a problem.

I'm afraid Cockers need daily exercise whatever the weather :)

Don't all dogs need daily exercise whatever the weather? But some need to go out longer than others, I seem to chose the dogs that need more exercise and really don't care about getting themselves or me muddy :)

I am sure that a cocker won't need as much as some other dogs, but could be wrong....

Cockers thrive on plenty of exercise, at least as much as any other breed of a similar size that I can think of and probably quite a bit more than a lot of them, although I fear many of them do not get it :(.  They would be happy to be out and about all day really and certainly will be restless, attention seeking and generally a bit of a pain not to mention inclined to put on weight if daily exercise of at least an hour was denied.  Weather does not bother them in the least :)  My advise to any Cocker owner, indeed any dog owner, is having spent hundreds of pounds on a puppy do not skimp on spending a bit more on a decent weatherproof outfit :)

By stay at home, I mean short city walks as opposed to long country walks, she does realise that all dogs need some daily walks, but more likely around the shops and visiting friends in winter.

If you want to know all the options - without being recommended everyones favourite breed, which may or may not be suitable in your aunt's situation, try here

http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/

Click on breed standards and you will be able to browse all the different breeds in the different categories.  Most of the breed standards have contact addresses for breed clubs at the bottom of the page :D :D

Remember many breeds with lots of hair can be quite a challenge for some people to care for, even if they don't need to be clipped.

How about a whippet - smooth coat, love to cuddle up, very gentle, like walks?????  I love them myself and they are a nice gentle easy to handle breed IMO - Border terriers can be rather lively and boisterous, my neighbour has 2 very very active BT, I love them personally but don't think are for everyone.  There may also be many lovely small perhaps older dogs in rescues that she could consider, many dogs end up in rescues because their owner has passed away or has taken ill etc therefore need a loving warm home!

What about a Whippet?  Fit active smaller dog, easy care coat, but happier to stay indoors in bad weather, gentle by nature.

A retired Greyhound everytime probably ideal for your aunt :)

A Pug or Chihuahua would be ideal for your aunt

Would agree with Mollmoo about the retired greyhound..........though larger than what your looking for they are kind, gentle, docile require little excercise though will take more if given and are definatley a fair weather dog........mine gets walked in all weathers but would prefer to stay indoors if raining, his face is quite comical when walking in the rain his expression says "really if you dont want to go out its fine with me"........if your aunt were to get in touch with the rescue she could just stipulate a smaller one as they do vary a lot in size.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Forgot to say that greyhounds are the best lead trained dogs I have ever come across.:) As you can probably tell I love these dogs very much.:)

Cavaliers don't need as much grooming as you would think - mine has a full show coat and I only brush him once every day or two for 5 minutes, and people always tell me he looks ready to show all the time! They are happy to do a long walk or no walk at all, just cuddle up on the sofa. And they are so affectionate and loving! Bit selectively deaf when it comes to recall training though I must admit! :-)

Cavaliers defiantely.  Gorgeous dogs and lovely temperments.  If my husband wasnt allergic to them I would have one.

A sheltie might suit the bill. Active, attentive, clever little dogs that no one could fail to train. They will take as much exercise as you can give them but are equally happy to be cuddled and petted at home. They need daily grooming but it isn't a big job as long as you don't let it get away from you and no clipping or professional grooming required. Inquisitive and keen to be involved in everything their owner does. They can be vocal but can be trained out of it easily enough.

A whippet or retired greyhound might suit too, but neither is likely to be as easy to train. A greyhound can be something of a couch potato who lets the world and his owner get on with their own thing while they doze so it depends if your aunt wants her dog to be constantly interacting with her or if she'd prefer a more independent companion.

think my next dog may be a greyhoud, so we can be couch potatoes together....

Sarah - Surely you would miss the 'gentle' smack of a rottie paw on your lap when they 'need' attention or the rolling the ball under the sofa and then whinge at it obsession?

I love greyhounds however and honestly do think I will rescue them one day, they are fantastic dogs and so many in need of homes - then again I may just rescue rotties :D

> Surely you would miss the 'gentle' smack of a rottie paw on your lap when they 'need' attention or the rolling the ball under the sofa and then whinge at it obsession?

OMG! Think you may have just solved my mystery, Enfielrotts!! (See Identity Crisis thread for details)

Sorry for the minor diversion from the topic, everyone :)

We haven't quite got to the gentle smack of the paw, we are still in training, currently, its more the bouncing onto our shoulder. She is more interested in the cats than a ball but hope for their sake she gets bored of them soon.

My hubby came home last night and said that Sam was not allowed upstairs anymore and he had to stay with Breeze. I said thats fair enough, but when she gets too lively, he needs/wants some time out and needs somewhere to go and the only place is up. Well I won as he came up with me last night and we both fell asleep in the spare room. :)

But saying that, I do like the idea of a lazy dog.

Na I never get the 'gentle' smack, Bali's paws are huge so its more of a thump but Thai is more of a lady so you may be ok with Breeze - she will outgrow chasing the cats soo, Bali did although if they ran he would sometimes chase but if they stopped he stopped staring at them as if to say, well go on then, run!

Sam needs his mummy for cuddles as he has not been a well lad - plus if sam is like Bali he is a better kisser than the OH LOL!  :D

who needs a bath with a staffie around, they lick you to death.

I think I may have a tom boy, but she is still a baby, maybe she will develop into a lady when she is a little older, all I hope is that she doesn't turnout like hubby. The saying that dogs and their owners are so alike, my OH and his staffie are on the same level, stinky, whinny and both lazy.

Barnie was like me, calm, relaxed, laid back and sensible. Lets hope that Breeze takes on my traits otherwise she is doomed.

Breeze's tounge is so long, she could resemble a lizzard, never seen anything like it before

Everybody needs a greyhound go on you know you want one.:) All the greyhounds I have ever met and since having my boy and getting involved in all the rescue events I have met loads are very people orientated. I cannot move without having him follow me including going to the loo, having a bath ect. They are couch potatoes but only if there is someone on the couch with them.:)

With a greyhound all the training has been done for you apart from maybe toilet training but this takes about a day......basically as long as it takes for them to realise that they go outside and not just in another room as they would in a kennel with a run. He comes when called particularly if you have food and lays in his bed when told, he is fantastic on a lead and to be honest this is all the training he needs for me. One thing I dont do though is let him off a lead (on the rescues advice) as they will just run and run but this is because the only time they are ever off of a lead when racing is to race or train to race. I also have a cat and he is better at not chasing her than my other dog who has grown up with her. Typical.:)

My old boss had a greyhoud and let him off the lead and he did just that, ran and ran and he ended up having a heart attack :(

the dog that is...

How sad but that is one of the reasons my rescue recommend never letting them off of a lead, the thing is when you think about it when they are racing the cue for them to stop is when the rabbit thing is put on the track otherwise the odds are they would just keep racing.

My very first dog was a Retired Racer she was the sweetest little girl I have laid eyes on, she was beautiful why I made such a drastic switch I will never know :D  I love eveything about Greyhounds they are sweet, gentle, docile dogs and I know I will own one again one day, they are just fabulous dogs :)  I sure do miss my girl :(

A girl after my own heart.:) (Assuming you are a girl.:)) We have had our boy for nearly a year but it feels like forever and he is everything you have just mentioned and more. They are fab its just a shame there are so many needing homes.

Im an old-ish woman......LOL

So many Greyhounds get overlooked in rescue which is a great shame they are such great companions I love them to bits, I just love everything about this breed and more, such an understated breed :(

If it had to be a small dog i was going to say whippet or italian greyhound as they have very little grooming to worry about, are small and don't need incredibly long walks. Or a smooth haired daxie they're quite low maintenence.

But don't Whippets need a good run every day? I love the breed (seriously considering getting one in the future), but still a but too much for an older person, isn't it? I might be wrong.......
I myself would suggest a Papillon. It's a lovely small breed, funny, trainable and loyal. And the coat pracically cleans itself.

I agree completely with Jas.  A Sheltie or a retired greyhound.  My family has had a few of each.  They're both very different, but both very good choices.  Shelties are smaller, and do well with or without lots of exercise.  Greyhounds (much to popular belief) do not need a lot of exercise, and are happy as couch potatoes.  Either one would be an excellent choice.

Tibetan Spaniels are gentle easy going little dogs that don't need too much excercise. Long haired Dachshunds may be a good bet too ( more laid back in general that the other coat types ). Japanese Chins have delightful charming temperaments and their coat care is not too demanding either . Affenpinschers, Petit Griffon Bruxellois/Brabacon, are funny loveable little companions Papillons are lovely but VErY lively. Japanese Spitz or both sizes of German Spitz may fit the bill although the coat will come out in handfuls when they moult and they do YAP French Bulldogs are low maintenance as far as Excercise and grooming is concerned and are deeply affectionate and not noisy. - Hope this has widened your choices a little - good luck with the search !

Yvonne