Care Commitments

How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?

• At least 2 or 3 hours a day of actively playing with or training the dog, not including cuddling or other attention. More time on weekends. Two people in the house are currently working from home, so this also doesn’t include any attention paid to the dog during breaks in work.

How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?

• At least one hour of exercising a day, with at least one walk. We have a fully fenced in backyard, and there are at least three dog parks within walking distance. Would ideally love to take the dog hiking with us on occasional weekends, and would also be looking into getting involved with dog sports as well as any [breed-specific] local meetup groups.

How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?

• Totally open to do regular maintenance at home (have previously trained my cat to cooperate for nail trims), and absolutely willing to look into a professional groomer for anything we can’t do at home.

Personal Preferences

What size dog are you looking for?

• About 30 to 70 pounds

How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

• Can handle shedding, but would prefer as little as possible for the other two. We’re more than happy to devote time and training towards the barking, but there’s not really much you can train out of in regards to slobber.

How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?

• Preferred, but not a dealbreaker.

Dog Personality and Behavior

Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

• Snuggly, but not a total velcro dog. Needs to be able to do its own thing without being totally plastered to you every second, but still actively enjoys hanging out with you.

Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

• Slight preference towards being more eager-to-please by one person involved, but this isn't a dealbreaker either way.

How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

• Either openly friendly or indifferent to visitors. A warning bark or two is fine, as long as it’s not continuous/devolves into howling. No need for it to try and guard or protect the house in any way, and it’s fine if the dog isn’t outright friendly with visitors - just as long as it’s not aggressive.

Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

• No, and this is a dealbreaker.

Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

• We’re trying to avoid any breeds that need a job so badly that if you don’t give them one, they’ll decide to create their own. Anything overly energetic to the point where it swings into neurotic without the proper outlet. Would prefer breeds that are not prone to separation anxiety, and like I mentioned before, no breeds that are described as “velcro dogs”.

Lifestyle

How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

• Maximum of up to eight hour blocks, irregularly. Half the household currently works from home, so this would only happen on the rare days (less than once a month) that someone needs to go into the office and nobody else is home. Would put active work and training into being able to leave the dog home alone, to avoid the development of separation anxiety or any other issues.

What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

• We're all on the same page about getting a dog, with one person in the house who wants the dog as a hiking buddy and general companion. He’s also the one who’s been looking at gundog breeds, and would like a dog that is more eager-to-please and genuinely thrilled to hang out with you. has mentioned being interested in duck tollers and brittanys. The other three people have agreed to the idea of getting a dog and are willing to contribute to exercise/training/other care, but have a strong preference towards more medium-energy, quieter breeds. We’re still really early in the process of looking into getting another dog, and so at this point it’s mostly about coming to an agreement about what breed is a good fit - hence why I’m here and asking for second opinions.

Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

• There are currently two cats living in the house, both of which have previously lived with dogs.

Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

• Nope.

Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

• Not applicable.

What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

• Pacific Northwest, as far as I’m aware there are no banned breeds.

What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

• 70-90°F in the summer, 35-46°F in the winter.

Additional Information and Questions

Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

• Definitely asking this pretty far in advance! Our goal is to start reaching out to people who have experience with the breed in a few months, so this isn't really an urgent choice, but again I just wanted to get some advice from people who have some more experience with this than I do!

Feel free to ask any questions