I would not allow my kids over homes with Pit Bulls, Rottweiler. etc. Many are great but many are not and I would consider this because people may not allow kids over if you have a certain breed. I think Goldens are great first time dog because they are almost always friendly. If you want older, check with a breeder and ask if they have any older dogs to adopt. If you want a large low energy dog then I would go with a Newfoundland. They are big teddy bears. Bill dogs also sweet but can have breathing issues. Yellow labs also friendly -watch for black labs from rescues as many are actually Pitt bull.

I didn’t find the puppy stage that hard/bad and I was completely inexperienced. It was much easier than my human infant twins! We loved having our little fluffy guy in his most adorable precious stage. My advice to you (as someone who over-prioritized cuteness) is really drill down and find a breeder who focuses on good temperament. My pup is a bit anxious/fearful and is not as affectionate with my kids as I’d like.

Anonymous wrote:We have the most gloriously lazy Bernese mountain dog. Naps almost all day, super good natured. The puppy phase is always tough - it’s a lot easier with a smart lazy dog. He’s 1 now, house trained quickly and easily, sleeps about 9pm-8am if he’s not woken up for school and can go many, many hours between walks. It made the puppy phase a ton easier to have a dog that was housebroken really quickly, but you need to be pretty strong and very diligent about training with a dog that size. You don’t want an out of control 100+ pouhnd dog …

What breeder?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to add- no rescues ever approve us- cause we have no fence and no experience. Time is ticking. the breeds we have considered are:

Golden Retriever
Bernese Mountain Dog
Mini golden doodle or mini bernese
mini bernese
mini golden
Cavalier (but DH and DS aren't into that small)
Cavapoo (also too small for them)

I want low to medium energy and no aggression, and friendly... no pit mixes or anything of the sort.

My neighbor's Goldendoodle bit my daughter. The dog is a complete asshole

Our rescue, who is 1/8 pit bull, is the sweetest, friendliest dog in the neighborhood.

Our friends have a doodle and it is insanely babdly behaved, they are scared to take it out where kids are. And keep aksing how my pitt bull is so well behaved.

Our rescue pitt is lazy, friendly, and sweet. Get one from a foster home if you can so the foster parent can give you insights as to its behaviour.

I generally recommend adult and even senior dogs to newbies. I have fostered dozens of puppies, and they are A LOT of work. My puppy foster from two years ago broke me (and I have decades of dog experience), and I have fostered exactly one puppy since (who was amazing and neatly made up for the other little monster).

My personal dogs are always adults. They’re so easy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I brought puppy home over weekend and yes it’s a lot of work. I don’t think I showered or brushed teeth Sunday..and that’s that I have 3 teenage sons who helping out. You will be up every two hours for potty training. Major sleep deprivation so it’s a good thing I took the week off from work to just worry about the dog. I still think it’s worth it to go with a breeder. I feel like my boy came potty trained and is very calm so far for a puppy. Good luck!

What breed?

Lab

As first time dog owners, we adopted a retired racing greyhound. He was about to turn 3 when we adopted him. He’s low energy, doesn’t need a ton of exercise, needs very little grooming, doesn’t shed much, doesn’t bark much, is very docile and friendly to humans and other dogs, came to us with nice leash manners, and was completely housebroken within two weeks. He’s very calm and a real sweetheart. Some greyhounds can be high strung, but we specified that as first time dog owners, we really needed an easygoing dog. Our dog is very confident loves new experiences. He has a low prey drive.

We adopted through Greyhound Welfare. They’re very thorough because they want placements to be successful. They do a great job of matching their dogs to potential adopters. The fosters really get to know the dogs and can give good insight into their personalities. Greyhound Welfare provides lots of support and resources to adopters, even well after the adoption. They don’t require fences or even backyards. Greyhounds can happily live in small urban apartments.

The cons:

Greyhounds are large, so all of their supplies cost more, you can’t pick them up and carry them around, and they can easily steal food off of tables and counters.

They’re sprinters, not marathoners, so they can’t jog with you.

Most of them would make terrible guard dogs. My dog doesn’t bark at anyone, even if they come right up to the door, ring the doorbell, and deliver a package. If someone broke into my house, my dog would greet them with a tail wag and an expectation of getting petted.

I don’t know that you’re going to have much of a choice with these breeds, OP. I’ve never ever seen any of those breeds purebreds and older than a puppy at a rescue or shelter. You are looking for something very specific - I guess maybe reaching out to breeders and getting a dog that was bred and is done?

But anyway, you’ll probably end up with a breeder puppy then I’m thinking. And yes, having a puppy is incredibly difficult. We have a 16 month puppy and the first year of having him nearly killed me, it was so stressful. He’s a rescue so I don’t know what breed he is. He’s a wonderful sweet dog and he’s much more enjoyable now, but the energy and the training and ugh, it was hard. I would not do it again.

Anonymous wrote:My puppy is laying here next to me now looking so cute and cuddly and dorable, but whewww she has been a LOT of work.

Same!

We have the most gloriously lazy Bernese mountain dog. Naps almost all day, super good natured. The puppy phase is always tough - it’s a lot easier with a smart lazy dog. He’s 1 now, house trained quickly and easily, sleeps about 9pm-8am if he’s not woken up for school and can go many, many hours between walks. It made the puppy phase a ton easier to have a dog that was housebroken really quickly, but you need to be pretty strong and very diligent about training with a dog that size. You don’t want an out of control 100+ pouhnd dog …

Anonymous wrote:There are cons to each, but I'd rather the cons of a puppy that keeps me up for half a year at night, and I train myself and can be sure has no trauma.

This. Was a first time dog owner a few years ago. Went this route and have never regretted it. Labradoodle.

My puppy is laying here next to me now looking so cute and cuddly and dorable, but whewww she has been a LOT of work.

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to add- no rescues ever approve us- cause we have no fence and no experience. Time is ticking. the breeds we have considered are:

Golden Retriever
Bernese Mountain Dog
Mini golden doodle or mini bernese
mini bernese
mini golden
Cavalier (but DH and DS aren't into that small)
Cavapoo (also too small for them)

I want low to medium energy and no aggression, and friendly... no pit mixes or anything of the sort.

The only way to ensure that is to adopt an older dog at least 2 or 3 years old. A rescue will approve you, but your breed list includes very popular dogs. I agree that it’s not fair, but the popular breeds often go to families or people with fences in yards. I was in the same boat—no fence and WOH, and found it incredibly frustrating to apply for a dog, go to the adoption event to pick him up, and have a family selected the day of the event instead.

I finally applied for a dog that no one else wanted and he is amazing. Very handsome, low energy, cuddly, and a bladder of steel. Only two accidents in 12 years.

I wouldn’t buy a golden if you’re looking for low energy.

Anonymous wrote:I brought puppy home over weekend and yes it’s a lot of work. I don’t think I showered or brushed teeth Sunday..and that’s that I have 3 teenage sons who helping out. You will be up every two hours for potty training. Major sleep deprivation so it’s a good thing I took the week off from work to just worry about the dog. I still think it’s worth it to go with a breeder. I feel like my boy came potty trained and is very calm so far for a puppy. Good luck!

What breed?

I brought puppy home over weekend and yes it’s a lot of work. I don’t think I showered or brushed teeth Sunday..and that’s that I have 3 teenage sons who helping out. You will be up every two hours for potty training. Major sleep deprivation so it’s a good thing I took the week off from work to just worry about the dog. I still think it’s worth it to go with a breeder. I feel like my boy came potty trained and is very calm so far for a puppy. Good luck!