Best breed for a first time dog owner?

In all honesty, your best option is a mixed breed from the shelter. Get an adult dog so you can easily and quickly figure out what the personality is like, and that way you avoid the terrors of puppy-hood. The staff at most shelters can help you pick out an animal that suits your circumstances. Plus, you’ll be saving a life.

I’d recommend paying a visit to a local dog rescue and letting them know what you’re looking for. Adult, already-housebroken dogs past that chewing stage are usually much better for a first-time owner!

If you currently have a cat or might get one while you have the dog, mention it to the people at the shelter. They will help you pick a dog that is used to living with cats.

I agree with the others get a shelter dog. But so you can have an idea of a dog breed you might want here’s a link.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

Be advised that owning a cat is more like owning a plant than owning a dog, and owning a dog is more like having a toddler than owning a cat.

If you’re sure you want a dog, I agree with the previous comments.

Here is a breed selector. It allows you to put in the exercise level, energy level, grooming, etc. that you want.

I would use it as a guideline before getting a shelter (or dog rescue group) dog.

@daytonamisticrip Did you try the site on your link? I answered the questions as if I had never owned a dog, and I found the answers to be incredibly unhelpful (and misleading).

@marinelife Oh, man, I totally disagreed with the answers that I got on your link, too! (Saluki, Glen of Imaal terrier, Shiba Inu, Harrier, Finnish Spitz…..no way!)

@syz There was whippet and some spaniels too when I did it. I thought the asker had to do the test because there were some aspects he or she did not mention.

Even a mixed breed tends to have characteristics of whatever breeds it is made up of. While dog personalities can vary, knowing a breed’s general characteristics is always a good idea. On top of that, getting a dog that has been properly socialized makes a big difference. You don’t want a puppy from a puppy mill or from a breeder that churns out pups to make money.

Visiting a shelter is a great idea. The staff can give you an idea of the dog’s personality and hopefully some background information on the dog’s personal history. They can usually tell you what kind of dog it is, even if it is a mixed breed. If the dog is not a young puppy, it may even be housebroken!

When I was a kid, we had a cockapoo. This was long before the trend of mixing everything with a poodle and giving it a cute name. He was the best dog ever. Smart and well behaved, great with our other pets and kids, not very big, happy to just hang out or play in the yard. We also had a collie that had an incredible personality. He looked just like Lassie. Pretty big dog and lots of shedding, but very sweet and even-tempered. We had a lot of other dogs too, but they were super energetic and probably not what you’re looking for.

If you’ve never had a dog before, do some research on how to choose a submissive, non-aggressive dog. You don’t want something strong-willed and naturally dominant or known to be aggressive to other dogs or small animals if you don’t have experience training dogs.

@marinelife I love the results of that, except for a dalmation, way too high energy for me! It gave me the result of a beagle, which we just got!
Go for a shelter dog, hang out with ones you like the most so you get to know their personality.

Get a standard mutt from the shelter. Mutts are awesome and they’re not typically high-strung.

Black and Tan coonhound is about the most laid back dog I have ever seen . . . (but I think a shelter rescue is the best idea as well).

Keep in mind that many hounds have a very strong doggy smell. And long hair dogs require a lot of maintenance.

A cat!

You have basically described our dog! I have always been a cat person, but we decided to get a dog this year. She is the perfect dog for this cat-lover. She likes to sleep in and lay on the couch. One or two 30-minute romps outside in our back yard plus 10 minutes or so of tug, fetch, wrestling or whatever inside and she is set for the day. She is just over a year old, so this is still pretty much the puppy phase.

She always wants to be where we are – which was one of the biggest adjustments from a cat.

She is a rescue dog. ½ Cairn Terrior (one of the most chill Terrior breeds), ¼ King Charles Spaniel and ¼ Cocker Spaniel. I researched each breed involved before even visiting her. I see the Cairn and King Charles in her the most. She weighs 14 pounds. I don’t know if this matters to you or not, but she has a very easy going personality and is great with kids.

I am all for rescue, but it is possible to rescue a pure bred dog as well if that strikes your fancy. And you are still saving a life.

I think the description of the dog you want fits the profile of an English Cocker Spaniel, just make sure it is a blue roan not a solid. They do have to be brushed and trimmed however. You can see available dogs here. I had them for years and love them, can be couch potatoes or go for a run with you, great little swimmers, ball chasers and love most everyone but will bark when someone comes to your door.

If that does not suit your fancy, I suggest going to a dog show and look at all the dogs. When you see one you like, approach the handler, after the dog has been shown and ask about the breed. You will get the straight dope from owners. They will tell you the good and bad points of their breed. They do not want to sell you a dog, they are not in it for the money.

The choice is yours, I have both pure bred and mutts, all 3 of my current dogs are rescues. I love pure breds because you have a pretty good idea of what you are getting, size, temperment, coat etc. With a mixed breed it is more of a crap shoot, but can still be a winner.

@rooeytoo

English Cockers are lovely, but very hard to come by in the US. American Cockers dominate here, and most of them are ill-bred behavioral and health nightmares. Because the gene pool is so small here, ECs tend to have some pretty severe health issues, like temperament problems, deafness and seizures, so you have to be really careful.

@crisw – I had English Cockers for years in the USA and the only really serious problem we ever worried about was PRA and you didn’t even mention that. I still have friends on the east coast who have them and no one has any deafness or seizures in their lines. Temperament problems only in the solids, particularly blonds, the blue roans are as sweet as they could possibly be. And really if you look at the ECSCA site which I linked above you will find quite a few reputable breeders and if you pick up a copy of Dog World, you can find many more. They are not as common as American Cockers but they are available. Also well bred AmCockers usually have excellent temperaments, it is the pet shop and back yard breeders who are ruining that breed as is the case with __most__ breeds.

Get a boxer. I too am a cat person. If you want a dog that will be loyal and constantly at your side, I can’t think of a better breed. If you want something smaller….try a pug.

Shelters are a good place to start or even craigslist. There you will see dogs who are actually living with their owners who will have information about the dog’s traits. Often it will be “free to a good home” deal. Shelters sometimes seem they are in it for the money and there are good and not so good ones. Labrador retrievers are fun and they like having fun with people and other animals. They handle being in the house well and will usually claim the couch. They can easily become your best buddy and they are pretty smart to boot.

@woodcutter

I love Labs, but the OP said small to medium sized and inactive 90% of the day. That doesn’t describe a Lab, especially a young one!

@woodcutter don’t ever get an animal from craiglist! You don’t know the animal’s history, for all you know the animal could be sick and the owners are just trying to get rid of him/her. My mom got our last cat from craiglist and something is wrong with him, he is extremely vicious.

@daytonamisticrip

Craiglist can work, if you have some knowledge. We have a golden retriever from CL; his owner was placing him because she was a single mom with a very ill small child who was undergoing open-heart surgery and she had just acquired the dog from her parents who could no longer care for him. The combination of a rambunctious 1 year old Golden and a medically-fragile child was not a good one.

That said, I wouldn’t recommend it for a first-time dog owner unless you have a really knowledgeable friend helping you out.

Everyone will have an opinion on what the best breed of dog would be.
Personally, unless you have small children, I would recommend an Italian Greyhound (think Santa’s Little Helper from “The Simpsons”).
I have one and he is by far my favorite breed of dog. They are awesome!
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dogs-101-italian-greyhound.html

For a first dog you will probably want something with short hair. They don’t pick up nearly as many cockleburrs and sandburrs as a long hair dog will.

My golden seems to pick up burrs every time I open the kennel to take her for a walk. The lab almost never picks up burrs by comparison.

Shorthairs are also easier to bathe and brush.

I would want to get a shelter dog. As @crisw said, they are usually older, not newborn, so you don’t have the newborn problems such as toilet training, and you also get to see them around other dogs. They are often not at their best in a shelter (after all, it’s a new experience and probably frightening for them), but you can see whether or not they interact well with other animals. You also can avoid much of the problems that purebreds are often blessed with, and you save a life.

I just have to say it again, it is a myth that pure bred dogs are dogged (pardon the pun) with health problems. If you buy from a reputable breeder, the sire and damn will have had at least 4 expensive health checks done before they are bred. It is supposedly “pure bred” dogs from amish puppy mills and back yard breeders who produce the sickly dogs.

And let’s not forget mutts are often the result of 2 pure bred dogs hooking up so if you believe that pure breds are more illness prone, mutts coming from them are just as prone.

Also keep in mind that if 2 mutts breed in some back lot and the parents have not been wormed or have heart worm or mange, etc. etc. etc., you are not going to have healthy pups regardless of how “mixed breed” they are.

Lastly there are rescue groups for all pure breeds. You can get in touch with them, save a life and still have a dog whose temperament has been tested, you know if it is safe with kids and cats, you will know its health and you are still saving a life!!!

Don’t mean to preach, but I like to see the entire story told, pure bred dogs are not the problem, ignorant, profit motivated breeders are.

@rooeytoo, you have made an extremely good point- purebred dogs that come from a reputable breeder usually do
not have medical problems. I have worked in two different
pets stores, and in both the
animals that came from
breeders were ONLY accepted
after the breeders were
checked out by the owners-
local owners, not chains. Two
friends of mine have purebred
dogs. One of one friend’s
standard poodles is a rescue
dog, and one of my other
friend’s shelties needed to be
specially watched due to
emotional problems. My
childhood Black Lab had Hip
Dysplasia- probably spelled
incorrectly, even though she
was not purebred. I still stand
behind my origional answer,
though, because often for first
time owners an older dog is
better due to the lack of puppy issues such as housetraining and socialization problems. An older dog is often a better choice.

@GracieT

I do have to make a very strong point here.

No reputable breeders sell their puppies to pet stores.

None.

A truly reputable breeder insists on knowing where his or her puppies go and on choosing the very best possible owner for each puppy. Such a breeder also will take back any puppy he or she bred, for the lifetime of the dog. Such breeders want to know the lifelong fates of all their puppies. This is impossible when puppies are sold through pet stores.

Most, if not all, Breed Club Codes of Ethics specifically prohibit their members from selling puppies to pet stores.

Responsible breeders don’t breed their dogs until they have potential homes lined up for all their puppies. They don’t have any need to sell puppies to a pet store.

@crisw – omg, we actually agree on something!

@crisw- but with BOTH of the stores that I worked for the OWNERS went to the breeders homes to see the conditions before they would accept the dogs. NONE is a very strong word to use when you do not have all of the info first.

@GracieT – I have been in the show dog biz for a few years and I have never met a breeder who had anything but contempt for pet shops. So I guess it depends on your definition of a “reputable” breeder.

Pet shops would be better off interviewing prospective buyers of pups and offering a policy to taking the dog back (regardless of age) if it doesn’t work out or if the owners decide they don’t want it anymore. That is what reputable breeders do. Reputable breeders will also guarantee health and temperament of their pups, did your pet shops do that?

Some pet shops are not as bad as others, but they are all interested in their bottom line whereas a reputable breeder has the welfare of the pup as their primary concern, not the bottom line.

@rooeytoo

Other than Cesar Milan, we probably agree on quite a lot.

@GracieT
I will be blunt. The owners checked out where the puppies came from? Big deal.
Did they check the parents OFA scores? Responsible breeders do.
Did they check the parents CERF scores? Responsible breeders do.
Did they make buyers sign a contract stating they would give the pup back if they couldn’t keep it? Responsible breeders do.
Did they require neutering of non-show puppies? Responsible breeders do.
Did they temperament-test the puppies? Responsible breeders do.
Did they match the right pup to the right owner? Responsible breeders do.
Did they make a profit? Responsible breeders don’t.

As a challenge to the Milan partisans.

The only way to validate that Milan’s methods are truly effective, especially when applied by amateurs who have only read a book or watched a TV show, is through controlled behavioral research studies, not personal anecdotes. Many such studies are done, such as those of Tufts University.

Can any of you point to any such studies that validate any of Milan’s specific methods?

OK, fine. I will stop defending the stores. I do think that people should adopt rather than buy new, but I’m leaving this question. I don’t think that we will ever change each others’ minds!

And my 2 cents worth regarding Cesar Milan. I looked at your studies but I prefer my own experience, which is substantial. I watch people come to the obedience class I attend. Which is a new age soft method, no choke chains (even if you call them check collars, hehehe) no “harsh” corrections (whatever that means), you can get expelled for that. All shaping, luring and bribed with food. They bring large out of control dogs. They come for their 8 week basic course and leave without graduating or seeing any real improvement in their dogs. So often those dogs end up in the pound or dead because the people just can’t cope with jobs families and uncontrollable dogs. Now you may argue that they should never have had dogs in the first place, but that is not what I am addressing. Most people do not want to make it their new very time consuming hobby to shape their dog. They simply want the dog to become an acceptable member of society, walk on a lead, don’t jump, don’t bite, sit and lay down when told. For years I taught and attended classes that had an over 90% graduation rate. They were based on the Kohler method which is still used by most police and military trainers because it trains dogs to obey commands without clickers or food when someone’s life depends on it. It is not cruel but it is based on reward and punishment. Todays methods are only reward and it does work, eventually….....

So give me Cesar and his methods. The dogs he meets and that I have met and trained and saved their lives are not the dogs in controlled behavioral research studies in labs, they are the ones you see running amuck in the streets and homes of ordinary people, not academics with a bunch of white coated students to do their work.

I am sorry to be addressing matters not directly related to your question, but I get sad thinking about all the dogs that could be helped by real training who instead are killed because the owners get tired of trying the new age methods. When you get your new dog, take it to obedience school for sure but before you enroll, ask how many dogs graduate from their 8 week course and find a school that produces graduates, that is the measure of success.

@rooeytoo You’re right: the way dogs are trained for police service, at least, is quite different from what you see on TV these days. My husband’s cousin is a K-9 officer, and the one time I saw the dog fail to obey a command, I was shocked at the harsh way he was reprimanded. He wasn’t beaten, but it’s been a long time since I’d seen someone handle a dog that way. Reminded me of the way my dad handled our dogs when I was a kid! But, that dog’s failure to obey a command could cost someone a life. I don’t think most people think of dog training the other way around, that the dog’s life could be in danger if training isn’t done properly. I don’t think animals should be hurt or mistreated or abused, but if you look at the way wild dogs establish pack leadership, it isn’t through food rewards and hugs. My daughter loves to watch this show on Animal Planet called “It’s Me or the Dog,” and sometimes I wonder if her methods really work that well.

Anyway, after seeing the cousin’s police dog in action many times, I decided I would love to have a dog that completely trained. He is amazing, and there’s no other word for it. When he is given a task, whether it’s to retrieve a ball thrown into the bushes an hour before or find something one of the kids lost in the yard, everything about the dog’s body language shows how happy and proud of himself he is for doing his job. If we ever get a dog, I would love to have it be trained to such an extent.

@MissAusten

I just have to point out that police dog training methods are undergoing revision. Here’s one example. Another is Steve White, who spent years training police dogs and now gives seminars all over the country. Here is some info on how he trains.

A shelter dog. I would think a golden retriever would be the best dog breed for a first time animal owner. If you were to get a cat, I would think maybe a tabby or a calico cat. :)