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Boston Terrier! We have two. Brilliant temperament, non shedding, playful but lap dogs. Downside ... they snore and fart! But research carefully. There’s a Boston Terrier fb page which gives lots of advice etc

I met someone the other day who had a jackapoo - cross between a jack Russel and a poodle - she’d done s lot of research and this one is friendly playful non moulting and small - my daughter and several of my neighbours have cockapoos - cockaspaniel / poodle mix - they are lovely dopey characters- friendly and good with children and don’t moult but slightly bigger

Many Tears Rescue have lots of pups that need homing.

Thanks for posting! We are researching small dogs at the moment so I’ll be interested in the feedback. We are drawn towards a cockerpoo at the moment but could be swayed. Partner is concerned about impact on our cat, but in my experience the cat will continue to rule our home, dog or no dog.

We have a cat who came to live with us when my neighbours got a new dog - they already had one so didn’t think it would be a problem but pup wanted to play and needed to assert herself. We tried to get him to move back but he was having none of it! My daughters 2 cats took a long time to adjust and lived upstairs for a while with stair gate keeping the dog downstairs but now they all get on ok

Answer 1 - a breed that YOU will enjoy feeding, walking and clearing up after , because nobody else will !!!! Answer 2 - see the " Claire in the Community" cartoon in today's Guardian.

Haha love the Claire in the Community - had never seen that before! Cats are funny creatures - when we got our big bouncy Doodle 10 years ago, just like Safia's daughter's - our cat also moved upstairs. She took years to chill out around him and even now he isn't allowed to sniff her or get too close. But she definitely knows there is no threat. I'm hoping that by getting a small puppy, she won't be so intimidated as last time ..... but we'll see. Upstairs is always dog free so she has lots of safe spaces plus outdoors. It's interesting to hear about the Boston terrier not shedding - I didn't know that - I'll definitely do some more reading. Having a Doodle already, I don't really want another poodle cross due to the cost of frequent professional grooming. However I do love their intelligence. Avoiding Jack Russells as my daughter was bitten by one. I love the look of Yorkie's but am worried about their temperament. It's such a big decision!! I will look at Many Tears Rescue - thanks. I have already looked at Dogs Blog and a couple of local rescue centres - find myself starting to consider all sorts of dogs that don't meet my criteria at all! But being a young puppy is essential as I've promised it now :-)

I have a friend who has a schnozzle (schnauzer/poodle cross) and it seems like a cute little thing. I guess the main thing is to get a breed you are attracted to. I like long haired dogs myself and don't like the feel of a short coat. I would get an eight week old puppy, which you might find at a rescue centre, but more likely from a breeder. If your child is in any way tricky, it's easier I think to get them involved right from the start, so the dog accepts their behaviour (there is a window up to about week 12 where dogs accept new behaviours more easily) and isn't upset. And you are less likely to be parenting a traumatised dog as well as child. I have no capacity for a traumatised dog as well as my two girls!

I agree - my daughter would be too loud for a traumatised dog. It's useful to know about the 8-12 week window for introducing new things. Our Doodle came to us at 6 months but luckily he'd been in a busy home with children and animals so I didn't need to think about socialising him (or house training him either!). I've had a little look at Boston terriers - I quite like everything I've read but ....gulp....they are expensive!! I've now come across a Pug Boston terrier mix called a Bugg and they are roughly half the price. Looks very promising - lots more reading to do.

We got a puppy last year for our then 9 year old AD who is dog crazy. I spent ages researching before eventually opted for a Shih Tzu based on their loving nature and the fact that they don’t need a huge amount of excercise. She has been a fantastic addition to our family. She is very easy going and can handle the sometimes fairly robust attention of AD. Her coat doesn’t moult and just needs to be shaved every couple of months to stop it getting too long but it otherwise doesn’t need any maintenance. The only downside is that Shih Tzus likes company and so are not really suitable if you have to leave them for long periods of time on their own.

Cross breeds are cheaper insurance wise btw. I have a pedigree large breed and you wouldn't believe what he costs to insure!

I totally agree that you need to think it's your dog, so get what you want - they will love it anyway. My kids wanted a live version of a fluffy cuddly toy, and now we have a sleek medium-sized foreign rescue - I wanted a rescue dog that would cope with our kids (and exercise me!) and I wasn't up for sleepless night and puppy training. Her breed fitted the criteria, plus I just fell in love with her when I saw her photo! It's not what the kids would have chosen at all, but she's mine, in both our eyes. She's incredibly playful, even as an adult and the kids both love her to bits. She's been incredibly therapeutic for them both - and for me - the compulsory long walks every morning have saved my life this past six months, as things have been incredibly difficult within the larger family. As a rescue with a traumatic past and therefore her own issues, she feels like one of us, but I know that wouldn't work for everyone! I'm not stating her breed publicly as she's a bit unusual and it might make me identifiable, but they come in many varieties, and you can message me for more info if you want :-) . I also agree about the insurance - and I was going to say about barking is that it's not just specific to breeds - although some can be more barky than others - it can be down to the individual dog. xx

Thanks everyone. I think I've narrowed it down to Pug, Bugg or Frug - probably a Frug. As much as I'm tempted by gorgeous Shih Tzu's or similar, another 15 years of paying for grooming is definitely against my criteria. Crossbreeds seem to be healthier, cheaper and best insurance wise. Time to start looking :-)

If you don’t mind me asking - what is a frug ?

my advice would be to look at how much exercise a dog needs - I have a jack Russell who is the loveliest dog - but JRTs need a lot of exercise and get snippy if they don't get that - look at what you can offer compared to the breeds needs - some bigger dogs are more laid back and need less -

We are on our second Whippet now having had a string of sight hounds over the years. Whippets are the cuddliest pups we ever had. They will literally hound you for affection and will want patting for hours. They don’t shed and don’t really bark at all. The cat finds them a manageable size and once she let him know who was boss they get on fine often sleeping togethet in the dog bed. One walk a day is enough and they are not particularly bothered about being left. He is a whole male, our last one was a male neuter but they both have exactly the same personality. He plays nicely with the children and sometimes sleeps in my daughters bed. They tend to bond to a family rather than an individual and are very laid back about everything. He doesn’t react to the doorbell, fireworks, lightning, burglars etc. Sits nicely in the car and aeroplane and is still small enough to pick up with one hand if you need to.

:-) sounds almost like the perfect dog - I always thought they needed tonnes of exercise?? I'll have a look, thanks.

I am clearly totally mad, but the only sort of dog I have ever wanted is a border collie. I have told my daughter we can get a puppy when/if she finishes at residential school in a year's time. We had dogs when I was a child, but I've only ever owned cats. I know this isn't the breed to start with, but any other sort of dog would just be second choice to me, and I've managed to persuade my daughter (who initially wanted a staffie because that of course is what her birth family had).

Not mad at all! I am drawn to cockers, springers and setters. I see them in the street and think "awww". I see other dogs and am not particularly drawn to them at all - it isn't that I don't like them but I just don't feel quite the same about them. So when we decided to get a dog we looked at what was manageable in this range for our household. Setters - too big for us, long haired and totally dippy Springers - too much energy and probably too smart for the children! Cockers - Yes! Show Cockers, probably but again lots of hair (but probably less energy). Working Cockers - yes! yes! yes! We have a Working Cocker and she is just right for us. Small and compact with a short, very glossy coat. More energy than I anticipated but we have adapted our routine to her needs. Does my heart melt just a little bit every time I see her or she sees me and is so pleased to be with me - yes! Will I throw a ball for her for hours on end just because she brings it to me and looks longingly at me and the ball - yes! Is she stupidly intelligent and does what she is told only when she sees a benefit - yes (sort of). Does she understand that I don't like her barking so now she rarely barks except when the doorbell rings - yes. Would I have it any other way - No!! Go with your instinct - if you are drawn to a particular breed then work out how to make your household work for that breed. You want a border collie then you will be invested in it when he/she arrives. You want a small dog but don't mind the breed then your options are wider and you will probably fall totally in love with your dog, whatever breed it is.