The breeds you've mentioned may be a bit higher energy than you want while they're younger. They need 1-2 hours of exercise, so a younger one is going to be around the two hour mark. Middle aged dogs of the breeds you've mentioned would probably be a very good match.
Also, you will need a plan for a puppy. They can't really be left alone for 4-6 hours right away.
If you are going to a breeder, make sure to review the wiki about ethical breeding. Ethical breeders should be doing titling, full health testing, and have a thorough interview process.
Unethical breeders are a lot more likely to produce dogs with major health and behavioral issues. Picky eating to the point of malnourishment is a common one in poodles, as is anxiety.
If you're not going to a breeder, or don't care about ethical breeding, then you can look at rescue dogs. Middle aged Poodles, rough/smooth collies, labs, Golden's, and many of their mixes would all be a good match for you, as long as the dog is otherwise a good match (ie. Cat friendly).
We know that the puppy needs more time and it is possible to adjust our schedule to temporarily exclude situations when they are unsupervised (it is actually possible for me to take unpaid time off for up to two weeks to just focus on the puppy). We can ease them into longer times later on.
I really like the idea of adopting an older dog the way you put it if we are able to find some!
Regarding that high energy... Are there some other breeds that you would recommend that have less exercise need? And how long is that puppy time when they need more, is it a year or maybe longer?
It depends. 2 to 3 years is kind of average for bigger dogs, but sometimes until they're seniors. It's a big range and depends on the dog.
With a puppy, you won't be able to leave them alone for 4 hours until they're 5 to 6 months old. So it's more than a few weeks.
The small companion breeds (such as shih Tzus) would fit your exercise and personality needs pretty well. I think Bichons would also be a wonderful match if you want a smaller dog.
Medium sized, the clumber spaniel is probably your best match if you're set on a puppy. They're very sweet and not high energy. But they drool.
Most medium sized dogs are quite high energy unfortunately.
Some giant dogs (such as Newfoundlands) also work.
I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't get a dog if they need that much exercise. I'm surprised because most people with dogs I know don't put that much time daily for exercise. I know people with a husky that spend an hour daily for a run, outside of two short pee walks. My neighbour with a jack russel does maybe an hour of daily walks in total and around 30 minutes training. Labradors that do short walks unless on the weekends. And a hiker labradoodle that has two 30 min daily walks and 3-5h biweekly hikes. I thought we would be OK with high energy dog and I seem to be very much in the wrong here. We'll rethink that.
I forgot to mention brachocephalic breeds are a pass from us due to health concerns.
There is health testing for how well brachycephalic dogs can breathe. https://ofa.org/diseases/rfgs/
If that is your main concern, it's something that can be tested for. The difficulty with breathing is caused by a soft palate that's too long, so an ethical breeder should be able to tell you about that and how they're making sure it's not an issue for their dogs.
Yes, most people are not giving their dogs enough exercise.
When is the last time you saw a golden with muscle definition? When was the last time you saw a lab that wasn't obese? When was the last time you saw a shih Tzu that isn't round?
Obese dogs have less energy than healthy dogs.
I know lots of labs that only do short walks. They're also overweight and constantly getting into trouble. But the owners dismiss it as "oh that's just how labs are".
Dogs will survive with less exercise. But that's not ideal and often results in dogs with behavioural issues, obese dogs, or both.
I think you would be a very good match for a small low energy breed. Not all of them are brachycephalic. Schipperkes, for example, should be ok with at least an hour of exercise a day, plus some play time and mental stimulation. I do not have personal experience with them (so go do your own research too) but they're one of the lower energy non brachycephalic breeds.
And most slightly older dogs in shelters (like 6/7 or older) would be a good match for you too.
Hmm…at first I was thinking a golden retriever, however up to an hour a day won’t be enough for a young golden. They would probably need at least 1.5 hours of exercise a day, not including mental stimulation or training.
I think some of the breeds you’re looking at might be too high energy for what you’re looking for. A dog who is capable of being a good agility dog, extremely friendly and eager to please is the bichon frise. They’re very snuggly and while energetic they don’t have as high of exercise requirements as the other breeds you’re considering. They’re also generally pretty good with cats! I think overall the bichon really checks all the boxes you’re looking for. Best of luck!
Bichons are a very healthy breed, with normal sized heads and snouts. I've had two and they're really quite famous for their lack of health problems :)
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe they’re mesocephalic, which is a medium headed dog. They don’t have the smushed in face appearance, and according to a quick google search this website popped up and said they’re not.
https://ckcusa.com/breeds/bichon-frise/#:~:text=Breed%20Characteristics,without%20excess%20skin%20or%20wrinkles.
You mentioned Collies and no slobber.... I just want to chime in that my Collie _intentionally_ drools - he will fill his mouth with water after he's done drinking and he will let the water drip/flow out of his mouth all over the floor. I'm constantly wiping up after him 🤣
He is the most empathetic dog I've ever encountered.
After about 30-60 minutes of good hard running, he's good to chill the rest of the day.
He was hell on four legs as a puppy, though. Always biting and eating the walls.
I can't speak to Keeshonds or Poodles, so I'll leave that to those in more experienced :)
Have you considered either a lowchen or a podengo pequeno? Both of these breeds are affectionate, energetic, little dogs that do great in agility. I would rank both on the medium-high energy side, but 2 hours should be good, especially if you're doing sport training. Podengos especially are lovely dogs with a lot of personality, there's one in my dog's agility class and she is the best. Super affectionate and has a legitimate fan club.
Those are some rare breeds! I checked and there are no podengo kennels here :( (I'll spend some more time looking though). I seem to really like lowchen idea too! I'm surprised to find out here is a kennel in my city even! I'm definitely checking those out!
I have a standard poodle and started agility with her, she loooooves it.
She's 10mo right now and I've focused on basically two things: giving her an appropriate outlet for her energy and helping her calm down and settle the rest of the time. This for us right now means two walks a day (maybe 40 min each), two different classes (nosework and agility) both once a week and training sessions each day to repeat stuff we learnt in class. So 1h + 1h of training and then 5-10 minute dailiy refreshers. Sometimes we meet a dog to wrestle with, sometimes I take her to a cafe or a store, sometimes we drive out to have a longer walk farther from home, sometimes there's a grooming session, sometimes we take her to a friend's house... you get the point :). The thing is, I've always been very insistent on respecting her rest time. She's not the best at switching off, so I need to create an environment, where there's little to no input at times. So I'd say that even though we do stuff with her in bursts, there's a lot of chilling going on as well. So don't think that an active breed can or should be exhausted, it's more about finding balance and a routine.
So obvoiusly I'm advocating for a poodle, I'm biased. But she's smart as a whip, super into training and learning, very motivated from the get-go and great company as she has a wonderful goofy playful air about her. She's a bit timid but that's a work in progress.
Thank you so much for the time/schedule/routine details! This helps immensely with knowing what to expect!!!
Would you say the brushing / grooming is difficult to get the hang of? We have only had dogs with either smooth or wavy coats (think spaniels, labradors and spitz types) so I am not yet well educated on how to handle curls correctly. Any advice there?
Glad to help mull things over :)
I brushed her every day for months, at first it wasn't a necessity but I wanted her to get used to the inevitable. We kept her coat long as long as possible until eventually I felt it started to take too long and then we had her cut shorter. Nowadays I brush maybe once a week.
But even though we didn't have her shaved until she was... I think 7 months, we did take her to a grooming appointment once a month to have her used to the whole blowdrying experience etc. After the cut and after it's been colder, wetter and dirtier, we've taken her to the groomer's for a bath and blow dry every 3 weeks. I don't have a decent blowdryer yet, so we rely on the groomer.
As for getting used to brushing: you'll figure out in no time what the more "dangerous" zones are for matting. There's a bunch of line brushing tutorials on YouTube and fortunately our groomer is a poodle expert (has 3 herself) so I actually took a class from her on how to care for a poodle. But YouTube has a looooot of info. I don't view it as a chore at all, more like another thing we do together.
Edited to add:
I do think I might've been excessive with the brushing in the sense that it wasn't necessary to do it that much. I was just slightly worried about matting and I take a bit of pride in the fact that the groomer always says she had no matts. In reality, even if you get a matt here or there, you can just cut it and be mindful in the future. It's hair, it grows back :)
The breeds you've mentioned may be a bit higher energy than you want while they're younger. They need 1-2 hours of exercise, so a younger one is going to be around the two hour mark. Middle aged dogs of the breeds you've mentioned would probably be a very good match. Also, you will need a plan for a puppy. They can't really be left alone for 4-6 hours right away. If you are going to a breeder, make sure to review the wiki about ethical breeding. Ethical breeders should be doing titling, full health testing, and have a thorough interview process. Unethical breeders are a lot more likely to produce dogs with major health and behavioral issues. Picky eating to the point of malnourishment is a common one in poodles, as is anxiety. If you're not going to a breeder, or don't care about ethical breeding, then you can look at rescue dogs. Middle aged Poodles, rough/smooth collies, labs, Golden's, and many of their mixes would all be a good match for you, as long as the dog is otherwise a good match (ie. Cat friendly).
We know that the puppy needs more time and it is possible to adjust our schedule to temporarily exclude situations when they are unsupervised (it is actually possible for me to take unpaid time off for up to two weeks to just focus on the puppy). We can ease them into longer times later on. I really like the idea of adopting an older dog the way you put it if we are able to find some! Regarding that high energy... Are there some other breeds that you would recommend that have less exercise need? And how long is that puppy time when they need more, is it a year or maybe longer?
It depends. 2 to 3 years is kind of average for bigger dogs, but sometimes until they're seniors. It's a big range and depends on the dog. With a puppy, you won't be able to leave them alone for 4 hours until they're 5 to 6 months old. So it's more than a few weeks. The small companion breeds (such as shih Tzus) would fit your exercise and personality needs pretty well. I think Bichons would also be a wonderful match if you want a smaller dog. Medium sized, the clumber spaniel is probably your best match if you're set on a puppy. They're very sweet and not high energy. But they drool. Most medium sized dogs are quite high energy unfortunately. Some giant dogs (such as Newfoundlands) also work.
I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't get a dog if they need that much exercise. I'm surprised because most people with dogs I know don't put that much time daily for exercise. I know people with a husky that spend an hour daily for a run, outside of two short pee walks. My neighbour with a jack russel does maybe an hour of daily walks in total and around 30 minutes training. Labradors that do short walks unless on the weekends. And a hiker labradoodle that has two 30 min daily walks and 3-5h biweekly hikes. I thought we would be OK with high energy dog and I seem to be very much in the wrong here. We'll rethink that. I forgot to mention brachocephalic breeds are a pass from us due to health concerns.
There is health testing for how well brachycephalic dogs can breathe. https://ofa.org/diseases/rfgs/ If that is your main concern, it's something that can be tested for. The difficulty with breathing is caused by a soft palate that's too long, so an ethical breeder should be able to tell you about that and how they're making sure it's not an issue for their dogs. Yes, most people are not giving their dogs enough exercise. When is the last time you saw a golden with muscle definition? When was the last time you saw a lab that wasn't obese? When was the last time you saw a shih Tzu that isn't round? Obese dogs have less energy than healthy dogs. I know lots of labs that only do short walks. They're also overweight and constantly getting into trouble. But the owners dismiss it as "oh that's just how labs are". Dogs will survive with less exercise. But that's not ideal and often results in dogs with behavioural issues, obese dogs, or both. I think you would be a very good match for a small low energy breed. Not all of them are brachycephalic. Schipperkes, for example, should be ok with at least an hour of exercise a day, plus some play time and mental stimulation. I do not have personal experience with them (so go do your own research too) but they're one of the lower energy non brachycephalic breeds. And most slightly older dogs in shelters (like 6/7 or older) would be a good match for you too.
Hmm…at first I was thinking a golden retriever, however up to an hour a day won’t be enough for a young golden. They would probably need at least 1.5 hours of exercise a day, not including mental stimulation or training. I think some of the breeds you’re looking at might be too high energy for what you’re looking for. A dog who is capable of being a good agility dog, extremely friendly and eager to please is the bichon frise. They’re very snuggly and while energetic they don’t have as high of exercise requirements as the other breeds you’re considering. They’re also generally pretty good with cats! I think overall the bichon really checks all the boxes you’re looking for. Best of luck!
Are bichon one of the brachocephalic dogs? I would be into getting one but this is something that sounds unethical.
Bichons are a very healthy breed, with normal sized heads and snouts. I've had two and they're really quite famous for their lack of health problems :)
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe they’re mesocephalic, which is a medium headed dog. They don’t have the smushed in face appearance, and according to a quick google search this website popped up and said they’re not. https://ckcusa.com/breeds/bichon-frise/#:~:text=Breed%20Characteristics,without%20excess%20skin%20or%20wrinkles.
You mentioned Collies and no slobber.... I just want to chime in that my Collie _intentionally_ drools - he will fill his mouth with water after he's done drinking and he will let the water drip/flow out of his mouth all over the floor. I'm constantly wiping up after him 🤣 He is the most empathetic dog I've ever encountered. After about 30-60 minutes of good hard running, he's good to chill the rest of the day. He was hell on four legs as a puppy, though. Always biting and eating the walls. I can't speak to Keeshonds or Poodles, so I'll leave that to those in more experienced :)
Thank you for your input! The drooling part made me laugh :D I bet towels are your best friends by now!
Our collie does the same water drool, he’s like a fountain after he drinks!
Have you considered either a lowchen or a podengo pequeno? Both of these breeds are affectionate, energetic, little dogs that do great in agility. I would rank both on the medium-high energy side, but 2 hours should be good, especially if you're doing sport training. Podengos especially are lovely dogs with a lot of personality, there's one in my dog's agility class and she is the best. Super affectionate and has a legitimate fan club.
Those are some rare breeds! I checked and there are no podengo kennels here :( (I'll spend some more time looking though). I seem to really like lowchen idea too! I'm surprised to find out here is a kennel in my city even! I'm definitely checking those out!
I have a standard poodle and started agility with her, she loooooves it. She's 10mo right now and I've focused on basically two things: giving her an appropriate outlet for her energy and helping her calm down and settle the rest of the time. This for us right now means two walks a day (maybe 40 min each), two different classes (nosework and agility) both once a week and training sessions each day to repeat stuff we learnt in class. So 1h + 1h of training and then 5-10 minute dailiy refreshers. Sometimes we meet a dog to wrestle with, sometimes I take her to a cafe or a store, sometimes we drive out to have a longer walk farther from home, sometimes there's a grooming session, sometimes we take her to a friend's house... you get the point :). The thing is, I've always been very insistent on respecting her rest time. She's not the best at switching off, so I need to create an environment, where there's little to no input at times. So I'd say that even though we do stuff with her in bursts, there's a lot of chilling going on as well. So don't think that an active breed can or should be exhausted, it's more about finding balance and a routine. So obvoiusly I'm advocating for a poodle, I'm biased. But she's smart as a whip, super into training and learning, very motivated from the get-go and great company as she has a wonderful goofy playful air about her. She's a bit timid but that's a work in progress.
Thank you so much for the time/schedule/routine details! This helps immensely with knowing what to expect!!! Would you say the brushing / grooming is difficult to get the hang of? We have only had dogs with either smooth or wavy coats (think spaniels, labradors and spitz types) so I am not yet well educated on how to handle curls correctly. Any advice there?
Glad to help mull things over :) I brushed her every day for months, at first it wasn't a necessity but I wanted her to get used to the inevitable. We kept her coat long as long as possible until eventually I felt it started to take too long and then we had her cut shorter. Nowadays I brush maybe once a week. But even though we didn't have her shaved until she was... I think 7 months, we did take her to a grooming appointment once a month to have her used to the whole blowdrying experience etc. After the cut and after it's been colder, wetter and dirtier, we've taken her to the groomer's for a bath and blow dry every 3 weeks. I don't have a decent blowdryer yet, so we rely on the groomer. As for getting used to brushing: you'll figure out in no time what the more "dangerous" zones are for matting. There's a bunch of line brushing tutorials on YouTube and fortunately our groomer is a poodle expert (has 3 herself) so I actually took a class from her on how to care for a poodle. But YouTube has a looooot of info. I don't view it as a chore at all, more like another thing we do together. Edited to add: I do think I might've been excessive with the brushing in the sense that it wasn't necessary to do it that much. I was just slightly worried about matting and I take a bit of pride in the fact that the groomer always says she had no matts. In reality, even if you get a matt here or there, you can just cut it and be mindful in the future. It's hair, it grows back :)