The Right Breed... Which breed for me?

Looking for suggestions. We're looking at adding a dog to our home. We currently have no other dog BUT (and this is important) we board dogs within our home professionally. As you can imagine, the guest dogs come in variety of temperaments and sizes, but I do not board aggressive dogs or those that are overly vocal.

So, any chosen breed has to be sociable (Yes, I appreciate that socialisation is what you make it - but I would hope that many also appreciate some breeds are more accommodating than others).

So, any chosen breed has to be:

a. Friendly (The guest dogs come year round.)

b. Active (We walk quite a lot!)

c. Medium to large in size. (Labrador is absolute minimum size.)

d. Photogenic. (That may seem shallow but I am a photographer and so if we're looking for the perfect dog then why not go for a photogenic one too?)

Here are the breeds we have shortlisted so far:

- Spinone Italiiano

- Clumber Spaniel

- English Setter

- Bearded Collie

Anyone got other suggestions that meet the above criteria? I should add that we will be buying as a puppy, and we will travel the full length of the UK to get the right one.

We did consider the Black Lab as I board many of them and they always have perfect temperaments, but they fail on the photogenic score. They may still climb back into the rankings again, but at the moment it's a case of 'If we could have the perfect dog breed...' stage.

Exciting times

I would say the Italian Spinone certainly fulfils the requirements you have specified. Two of my three sisters have had a number over the years and all have had fantastic temperaments with people and other dogs. They are active enough to do plenty of long walks, but the ones I have known are also quite happy to relax when walkies is over.

They do however shed lots of hard, short pig-like hair all over the place, and they do have beards - ie plenty of slobber, dinner stuck in there and water drooling off!

They aren't a breed for me at all, but I can appreciate their finer points and I do think that one could happily suit your lifestyle. As you have said, you are prepared to do the legwork and travelling to get the right pup and will also do plenty of socialising and training.

I think many of the gundog breeds would fit in with your specifications.

How much time do you have for training and exercise?

A Dalmatian sprung to mind, considering you want a 'photogenic' dog, but they are not easy, they require lots of human contact, lots of consistent training and lots of exercise (my boy gets between 1 and 6 hours a day depending on what we are doing and where we are going, and he is active and running around until we get in the car, even after 6 hours walking).

I have all the time in the world for training and anyone who has seen my past videos (http://www.youtube.com/user/invisioncube) will know that it's something I really really enjoy. I work from home all day, so time is something that I have an almost limitless supply of.

We looked at Dalmations and excluded them almost immediately. We've both known a couple and they didn't leave a great impression. Same with Weimeraner. They both seemed a little too 'playful'?

That's really great to read and tells me we're on the right tracks. Thank you!

Like Moobli said, I think most of the gundog breeds would meet your requirements.

If you like black Labs but want something a bit more photogenic, what about a Flat Coated Retriever?

Most of the HPR breeds are also stunning to look at and match your criteria. If you want something more easy going then the Retriever breeds fit the bill, but if you want something a bit more demanding, challenging and very energetic, look no further than the HPR's!

Vizsla? Old English Sheepdog?

We ruled out OES almost immediately too. Daughter has one and, well, to say it is spirited would be an understatement.

Vizslas are nice, but not hugely photogenic (to me at least).

Have to say that I hadn't thought of them, but now having looked them up, they're not wholly photogenic either. Ideally, I want something with more than one colour in it. Again, I know this reads as shallow, but there are other qualities we're looking for too, as highlighted in the original post.

An English setter would fit your requirements - or what about an Irish Red and White Setter? They are flashy too.

I can certainly vouch for the English Setter, although they aren't very obedient offlead :-(

Trouble is, they are like gold dust at the moment, I have been on waiting lists for several months and the bitches either keep missing or they only have boys and I'm after a little girl this time.

If you do decide on the ES you better get your name down, I can give you some good tips re excellent breeders, fortunately we only have a couple of breeders that don' t health test and are only in it for the money, but I can steer you into the right track. Just let me know ;-)

We both discounted the Irish Setter, but the English Setter is very much on the shortlist. Have you any personal experience of them?

I read that. In fact, they were almost an extinct breed in the UK I read in one of the newspapers!

I would recommend an English Setter also, after being owned by one for almost 12 years. They are friendly, love going for long walks and very photogenic. The downsides? Well as Scorpio has said, they aren't the most obedient of breeds. My girl took two years to learn what 'here' meant and during that time my dad and I often spent an hour or two chasing her around the fields trying to get her to come back whilst she systematically went to visit every other person and dog in the field!
They tend to love mud and all that lovely silky fur attracts the mud rather well!
Saying that they are massive cuddle monsters, love trying to climb in your lap for a cuddle and are quite happy to be couch potatoes as long as they get their walk every day.

That's a bit of hype from the newspapers. For some reason, a lot of bitches are missing. I get several enquiries a week, so the demand is there, but we need to increase the gene pool so that, hopefully, more pups will be born

If Labs, Flat Coats, Vizlsas, etc., are apparently not photogenic (I'd completely disagree but each to their own), can you give an example of what is?

Can I dare to suggest you improve your photography skills? Some of the most amazing pictures of dogs that I have seen have been taken by a Flat Coat friend of mine in Canada.

Yes, choosing a dog just to take photos of sounds shallow. Sorry. I have never heard anything like it! My breeder friends wouldn't let you have a pup if that was one of your criteria.

How about a yellow Lab or a Golden Retriever? Sociable, photogenic, and just generally great fun.

I agree that a Flatcoated Retriever could be a good choice, they are full of personality and very elegant!

Flatcoats come in two colours - Black and Liver.

I have seen some stunning pictures of Flatcoats, so tad surprised that you feel they are not photogenic.....?

To be fair the impression I got was that the OP just wants a dog that she finds pleasing to look at. I don't see anything wrong with that. Maybe she just doesn't like flatcoats?