Need Advice, a great running companion Which breed for me?

Hi all
I am becoming quite overwhelmed in my search for the right fit for our family, so I would love some help from the pros

We have three children (10,7,3) and are searching for a dog that would also be a great running companion. My husband is an avid runner (long distance and pretty fast as well)

So are there options out there that would match everything we are looking for? Here are all the specs I'm hoping to find..

good with kids (my kids are great with dogs and know boundaries)
Running companion
Low shedding
Not hard to house train

Breeds I have looked into and narrowed down so far are
Vizsla
Boxer
Whippet
Goldador
American water spaniel

Random, I know...lol ...

Oh let me also say it would be an indoor pet, with a fenced back yard. And I stay at home so would not be left alone for long periods.

Hi.

Most short coated breeds shed alot, some of them even shed more than long coated ones.

Whether a dog loves children or is easy to housetrain depends a lot on the owners and the individual dog.



Has he considered a standard poodle? If you shave them 3 or 4 times a year their fur is pretty low maintenance the rest of the time + no shedding. Also, they're versatile and smart dogs who love to run (and work).

I have a working line border collie, she's got a very sweet and gentle temperament and doesn't moult hugely. Although I groom and bath her everyday so maybe I just don't notice it....
I'm pretty sure they come in a short coat version as well as the long coat I have.

She's only 5 months old and we were warned not to over exercise her when young so she doesn't need too much exercise yet but I believe they are bred to cover large distances each day and be able to run pretty much all day.

You can often get them pretty cheap as well, Penelope was only £150

Mmm I would rule whippet out as they I wouldn't have thought they would like to run long distance. Most sighthounds like to sprint for short bursts of time....and then sleep. They make great pets but not running companions really. I wouldn't choose a boxer for running long distances, especially in warm to hot weather as they can struggle with warmer temperatures.

Why a goldador? Presumably that's a golden cross lab retriever?

I don't know enough about water spaniels.

Vizsla's, Dalmatians, pointers, Weimaraners (but they can be tricky to train and entertain)

I found this link http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/breed-apart

Personally I think Staffies are the best with children and they love to run, but don't always cope with warm weather.

Oh and Staffies barely shed at all, and their coat is so short you don't really notice what comes off. House training, as with all training, depends on the person who is doing the trainer really! You have to devote a lot of time to socializing and training any dog when they are small puppies and continuous training is good for your relationship and their brain.

Have you had a puppy before?

I have not had a puppy before, always gotten a dog at the "young" stage. I will definitely look more into the options you guys have suggested. I have been leaning more towards Whippets after everything I've read, but understand they wouldn't be great for distance. However as much as I absolutely love vizslas, I am concerned about the level of exercise they consistently need and what would happen on days my husband couldn't run, etc.

Yes that is a consideration. Whippets can be very easy as adult dogs but are usually described as Naughty as puppies!

Ok this has resparked my research efforts, and after talking with my husband... He mainly wants a great family dog that he could take on SOME runs with him, nothing major. So that definitely helped! I stumbled upon the Silken Windhound today and COMPLETLY fell in love, as did my husband and kids! I think this is the perfect fit for us! it will be tricky to find, but well worth the wait, in my opinion. Does anyone on here own them?

They look lovely and less aloof than Borzoi.

Can see why you fell in love!

http://www.silkenwindhound.com/availablesilkens/w-pups.html

Beautiful puppies!

See! even my husband melted when I showed him! They are everything I was looking for in a dog. I am too excited

What about an Irish Terrier? They don't shed much and if you hand strip them properly, the coat is weatherproof, doesn't carry mud, twigs etc., and more or les waterproof.

They are very tall, athletic terriers and if you choose the breeder carfeully, most are very tolerant and good natured family dogs.

They enjoy running and agility and like to be involved in everything the family does. I grew up with one and she really was a family dog!

They are also very trainable (again, if done consitently and fairly:Jean Donaldson's The Culture Clash wasn't written for Irish Terriers, but it could have been!) and real social animals.

They can be prickly with other dogs, but again, much is down to socialisation and picking a line with the temperament you want.

Do you know of any breeder with near you? They are absolutely gorgeous!

Oh, and I got our first sighthound three months ago, rescued him when he was 4 months old, and he is has been an easy and generally lazy puppy.

Precious! There is a breeder in NC which is the closest to me compared to all the others. But we are more than willing to take road trips for the right family addition we live in the Atlanta area.

I had looked at the Irish terriers! But the red flag for me was reading they can be quite difficult to house train! They are adorable though

Who told you that? I've never heard that one before and I've been involved with the breed since 1978!

I definitely wouldn't class it as a breed trait. In all breeds there are individuals who don't mater the art of going outside to answer the call of nature - but it's often as much down to training as anything else.

In general, regardless of breed, I find the more laid back, sociable dogs are the hardest to house train, because they have no concept of personal space and will just drop one anywhere! (I found this when I puppy walked a foxhound) wheras the more reactive and switched on characters are the easiest because they seem much more aware of their surroundings.

Irish are generally very smart dogs and very quick to learn.

I think house training has more to do with how possitivley you deal with it, how watchful and consistent you are and how they are kept in their very early days rather than there breed.

The person who fostered Remus before he came to us has just rehomed another puppy that must have had a terrible first few weeks of life because it had no concept that it should move from its bed/living area to poo and would quite happily sit in it. That is not normal puppy behaviour.

Tonks was very easy to train. Remus had a difficult start in life and has been slower to catch on....and a bit lazy about it too really.

As silkens are not yet an established breed, I imagine they would be few and far between. They are very beautiful though

I run with my whippets but not long distances (max 6-8km ish) and not when it's hot. One of my boys would happily jog with me for miles in cool weather without even panting; the other is lazy and would rather potter at a much slower pace! They are sprint animals but human jogging pace (or at least my pace!) is hardly more than a brisk walk for them. They don't break out of their walking gait so they can actually cover quite a distance without feeling too tired.

If that's the sort of pace/distance you'd cover, I actually think a whippet would be will suited to you. But they certainly wouldn't be suited to jogging when the weather is hot as they really do feel the heart badly. They are certainly low maintenance in other areas e.g. not much shedding, no doggy smell, no grooming requirements.

We are on the waiting list for the next litter of silkens! I am so excited