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Dog breed choice? we love the coonhound and saluki

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Lilydaisy22

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We are finding it very hard to find the right dog breed choice for our family. We are a family of four. Two daughters age 7 and 8 and a siamese cross cat age 15 yrs.

we are looking for a puppy or young dog that we can take for walks and runs off a lead. We live next to a big village green but near a busy road.

We tried a rescue coonhound. We loved him very much. He was a lovely character. We just found him to strong on walks for our girls and a little too big for our small cottage and read he would run off if not on a lead. We were also worried for our cat. We didn't ever leave them alone together as worried what might happen to the cat. Maybe we should have persisted past the two week trial as we miss the dog very much. We love elegant looking dogs like the Saluki too. We liked the markings of the tan coonhound. Any advice be so much appreciated.

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Salukis are not known for having reliable recall so running off lead could be a problem. Or to rephrase, running offlead isn't so much a problem, rather it's coming back to you that is the challenge. May I ask, do you have experience of dog ownership? These wouldn't be the sort of dog that a first time owner would find particularly easy.
 
Is it the look of these dogs that appeals? The size? If you list the 'must have' and the 'nice to have' criteria perhaps we can help suggest some breeds for you?
 
Thank you Joanne.

Yes it is the look of these dogs that appeals. We like the look of the Saluki as an elegant dog. We liked the markings of the coonhound. We like the Pointer too

We need the dog to be a small but medium size . So good for running with. We need it to be very cat friendly and ok off a lead.

Thank you for your help .
 
Take a look at the Miniature Pinscher.

If not then go to the Kennel Club website and fill in their search for a breed page. It will come up with suggestions of breeds that meet your criteria.

Be aware that all breeders love their breed so will tell you that they are easy to train and good with children etc. Also make sure the breeder is a specialist in your breed and not breeding lots of puppies (Puppy Farm). Puppy Farmers are very clever at hiding their poor practices. Always see the puppy with its mother and check that the mother's temperament is good.

Keep us posted.
 
I have lived with many different breeds over my lifetime and for me the ideal family pet is the whippet- although to be honest I am loathe to recommend one to people I don't know. I would highly recommended you finding out about the breed and meeting some yourself. They truly are the ideal companion.

I currently share my home with a number of saluki who belong to a family member. They a specialist breed, by which I mean they can be difficult to live with. I would not recommend them as a family pet. Recall is non existant, if a cat gets into your garden they will kill it. They can be very protective of the homestead,resenting the presence of strangers and they will howl for literally hours if their preferred person leaves the building.
 
Have you thought of a standard poodle? Elegant, clever, loyal dogs with plenty of energy. Seriously underrated in my opinion. They don't have to be clipped into frou frou shapes.
 
Thank you gypsysmum2 I will look up the Miniature Pinscher.

Very helpful advice Thank you

Thank you dogmatize I will look up the whippet and thank you for the information on Salukis . Very helpful Thank you

Thank you again Joanne. We will look into the possibility of a poodle too. Very good advice thank you again
 
There is of course a condition - you have to tell us what you choose and post pictures!
 
Lovely though the Beagle and Whippet are, they are both hounds have strong hunting instincts. The op wanted a dog that they could let off lead.

Lancashire Heeler is another biddable breed but might not be considered "elegant". I, however, would put looks to one side for now and choose for temperament first.
 
When my children were little we had a Shetland Sheepdog. He was a very loyal, gentle soul. Very trainable and obedient. Loved his walks but not overly adventurous and never any fear of him running off or not coming back. He was gentle with the children. We also had a cat, rabbit and Guinea pigs at the time. The cat was most definitely in charge of the lot of them and I was never worried about the safety of any of the animals with the dog. He was also a lovely looking dog. We now have a 10mnth old Cocker/poodle cross (allergies in family and chose a breed that hopefully doesn't shed - so far she doesn't!) - a very lively, bouncy bundle of fluff. Again, very trainable, excellent recall, loves being off lead but never out of sight for more than a couple of minutes. Loves playing with the grandchildren. Loves everyone she meets including dogs, even if the feeling isn't mutual! Would recommend either of these dogs as a good all round family dog.
 
I got Dylan a whippet at 8wks old. He is loverly. He is now 6mths old. He has a loverly nature and a couch potatoe. That said he is very active at other times. I let him off the the lead in a large enclosed park. As expected.... he is loves being off the lead and unbelievably fast. A pleasure to watch. Once he is in run /chase mode his recall is non existant..

I love the greyound /whippet / lurcher breeds. They are what they are though. Built for speed. Gentle. Beautifully elegant. Big eye catchers and a buggar to catch. Lol
 
Lilydaisy22 said:
We are finding it very hard to find the right dog breed choice for our family. We are a family of four. Two daughters age 7 and 8 and a siamese cross cat age 15 yrs.

we are looking for a puppy or young dog that we can take for walks and runs off a lead. We live next to a big village green but near a busy road.

We tried a rescue coonhound. We loved him very much. He was a lovely character. We just found him to strong on walks for our girls and a little too big for our small cottage and read he would run off if not on a lead. We were also worried for our cat. We didn't ever leave them alone together as worried what might happen to the cat. Maybe we should have persisted past the two week trial as we miss the dog very much. We love elegant looking dogs like the Saluki too. We liked the markings of the tan coonhound. Any advice be so much appreciated.

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Any breed of dog will be aggressive to unfamiliar species. Unless bred with the cats you must look for a dog that by another owner was raised or bred atlund cats by itd0 previous owner(s). That has nothing to do with breed but how they're raised. Y'all don't appear to be hunters but a dog that is BEST for walking, faster than a Black and tan controllable is the Basenji!
 
Sidewinder said:
Any breed of dog will be aggressive to unfamiliar species. Unless bred with the cats you must look for a dog that by another owner was raised or bred atlund cats by itd0 previous owner(s). That has nothing to do with breed but how they're raised. Y'all don't appear to be hunters but a dog that is BEST for walking, faster than a Black and tan controllable is the Basenji!
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Also not known as a breed that is either good with cats or reliable for recall - the two behavioural criteria the OP is trying to find.
 
Whippets are generally considered to be the easiest sight hound to train, and if brought into a family with a cat as a puppy can easily get along with them. When my Whippet girl joined the family I had two cats, ok they never got very friendly but they got along fine. The dog respected the cats and the cats kept away from the dog. Yes they have a strong chase instinct but normally this is for rabbits or squirrels which tend to be short chases, Rabbits go under ground and Squirrels go up a tree. For a family dog with children, in general they are wonderful. Obviously their will be exceptions. The other breed I have had that fits the op's request would be a Shetland Sheepdog. Very trainable easy to live with and gentle. The only draw back would be the grooming they need. If you have the time its a nice time with your dog, but unless your that way inclined you could consider it a chore
 
JoanneF said:
Also not known as a breed that is either good with cats or reliable for recall - the two behavioural criteria the OP is trying to find.[/QUOTE)
Basenjis are VERY reliable. I know the dog, owners and breeders. No dog with natural instincts are good with new species unless socialized as explained. But Basenjis are the best option by far.
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Another plus one for a poodle, they have a very elegant shape, really clever and want to please. Beagles only have a recall when they feel like listening, and they arent exactly the most elegant of creatures.
 
dogmatize said:
I have lived with many different breeds over my lifetime and for me the ideal family pet is the whippet- although to be honest I am loathe to recommend one to people I don't know. I would highly recommended you finding out about the breed and meeting some yourself. They truly are the ideal companion.

I currently share my home with a number of saluki who belong to a family member. They a specialist breed, by which I mean they can be difficult to live with. I would not recommend them as a family pet. Recall is non existant, if a cat gets into your garden they will kill it. They can be very protective of the homestead,resenting the presence of strangers and they will howl for literally hours if their preferred person leaves the building.
Click to expand...

I too adore whippets and have had four in total until the day they died.
 
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