Oh, I just noticed that you said you’re in Australia. Note that some areas there have laws that all greyhounds must be muzzled when out in public, even on leash. Generally there’s nothing wrong with that - get a nice kennel basket muzzle. But if muzzles upset you then check your local laws first to see if you’re in that jurisdiction.
I’ve had a full Pit, a Pit/GSD cross, and a Heinz 57, who appears mostly Pointer, but clearly has some Pit.
Female Pits aren’t very big-- usually range from 40-65 lbs.-- and they are not aggressive unless they have been trained to be. That’s the rub: Pits, especially males, are very muscular, and the males can be up to 80 lbs., so if you train them to be mean, you have a dangerous dog. No matter how much you encourage aggressive behavior in a Chihuahua, you still don’t have a dog who can tear an adult apart (don’t EVER leave a baby alone with a jealous Chihuahua, though).
Most shelters check the personalities of all dogs pretty carefully before adopting them out, an the bigger the dog, the more carefully they check it.
You generally can return a dog who doesn’t work out, but shelters want dogs to work out, so they have policies of not lying to you about a dog’s attitude toward children or cats.
I am a huge fan of Pits-- I’d say they’re my favorite breed. They are “people” dogs. You can’t leave them in the yard, because they need to be with their people. They are extremely affectionate, but they NEED lots of affectionate. They also need to be walked EVERY day. You have to be prepared for this.
I would get a Pit again in a heartbeat, but if someone else hears the word, and thinks “No way!” Pits may not be the dog for them.
I’ve never picked out a dog based on the breed. Dogs are individuals, find one with a personality that fits. I know a guy with a vicious Golden Retriever. My daughter has a Jack Russel that is very laid back.
Yep, this. Puppies and breeds are a crapshoot. Training is hard and takes a lot of time and effort. A fostered dog, even a puppy, is going to come pre-packaged with some manners, socialization and a personality profile!
I’m fond of Labs (we’ve had two), as they are enthusiastic and affectionate goofballs. They’re more likely to be high-energy than slothful, and at the least will require daily walks of a decent duration and play/fetch.
Cavalier King Charles spaniels are small dogs that are happy to be couch potatoes and one of the most affectionate breeds. You do have to be diligent about finding a breeder who documents a lack of health issues in their particular lineage.
D’awwwwwwwwww:)
Double Dawwwww! Happy, well-loved, gray-muzzled faces!
Kambuckta, what do you want the dog to do? Realistically, how much exercise is your family willing to give the dog? That’s going to change the answer quite a bit.
I’m surprised that racing greyhounds do that well with cats. Thought they had a prey drive like my old Weim, and she tried to kill cats. Or at least point them, so I could kill them. Not that I ever would.
My sister is currently having no end of fun with what is probably a field-line Lab. As distinct from her other two, decidedly lower-drive and anyway, much older, other Labs. As I told her, “He wants to fetch all the ducks. Everywhere. Right. Now.” A la Ron Swanson with bacon and eggs. My friend, when showed a picture of him, said, “He looks like he’s vibrating through the picture.” So, yah, they vary a bit in drive.
IME, pits are usually not people-aggressive. Rather the opposite. They are though dog-aggressive as hell. Not as bad as a Fila’s ‘Ojeriza’, though in that case, they just hate everybody, but something to definitely watch out for. No idea how they interact with cats. And all bets are off, as they are with most breeds, when there’s a pack involved. Perhaps your experience varies.
But, see what you want the dog for, kambuckta, see how much exercise and training you want to devote to it, and go from there. How’s Western Australia?
Handsome bunch you got there, Kayaker!
Upthread someone mentioned Australian Terrier…I fostered a previously abused one. He was so sweet. Tho’, It took months for him to trust I wouldn’t take his food away from him. He never did trust men. We found him a forever home with a woman who devoted herself to him. Happy ending. They are great little wash and wear dogs.
Thanks, they have been helping us get through these crazy times. 
-
Our direct sample, all shelter dogs of actually unknown heritage; apparent Dogo Argentino/APBT mix, used to breed fighting dogs in a previous life, fearsome looking, but the best temperament of any dog I’ve known, always serene and reassuring with strangers. Daughter’s apparently close to pure breed APBT obviously has no recent fighting heritage, non-stop laugh riot, sweet, makes up for not being all that well behaved. Son’s big pittish mix is a sweet wimp though he doesn’t always know his own strength. I know other dogs only casually but in an area with loads of ‘pit bull’ type seems the vast majority are sweet, not some.
-
There’s actually no scientific evidence tying even real breed (let alone appearance of mixed breed shelter dogs) to potential aggression to humans correcting for how humans manage the dog. Goes also for proving my impression that ‘pit bulls’ are more human friendly than average. Hard to demonstrate. ABPT’s pass the ATTS temperament test at a higher rate than dogs on average but that may be selection bias (the Dogo/pit was given the ATTS test at the shelter: her scary back story and looks were keeping her there, and it’s obvious from 2 minutes with her that she’d pass easily: she was given it to help market her. A nice looking dog wouldn’t need that). Size and strength OTOH matter, but lots of dog types are big and strong.
-
The shelter that all three of those dogs came from is good about that, most are.
-
Me too.
-
But when my daughter originally showed me the Dogo/pit’s picture as a candidate, that was my first reaction: ‘what, are you kidding?’ I’m glad I overcame it.
Roughly 30% of racing greyhounds have little or no prey drive. I’ve heard people in the racing industry say (and I trust that they would know) that prey drive actually has no correlation with winning races, even though is it the basis of the sport. So yeah, lots of greyhounds are fine with cats. I’ve even seen pictures and videos of greyhounds being sweet with ferrets, rabbits and chickens.
Greyhounds with a high prey drive are bad news around ALL small animals, though. Even small dogs!
Pretty sure the lineage of that one on the right includes some meerkat. 
Wow. I had no idea, given as you say, the whole ‘basis of the sport’ thing. Do the ones without prey drive still enjoy lure coursing?
I did know that they act like their God-given purpose for 22 hours a day is to keep your couch from floating away. Cat-like level of laziness and sleeping. Very loving pet all the same.
Their speed is something to behold. Way back in the day, I’d take the Weim and Lab to a dog park, where there were sometimes a Greyhound or two. The Weim ignored them mostly—we were there to fetch a ball, damnit, and we’ll do it regardless of what other distractions my idiot human or these ill-behaved dogs get up to. But the Lab would try to chase the Greyhounds when the hounds got bored, and started doing laps of the spacious park. Along with a vapor trail of other dogs joining in the fun. Not even close to catching them. Even when the Lab started running across the diameter of the circle, while the 'hounds went around the circumference. All involved had a great time.
Not surprising about the small animals. I’ve seen videos where people will run coyotes with sight hounds. It rarely ends well for the 'yote.
I would not get a puppy. I got a puppy and I regretted it, though he’s a good dog now. Puppies need a lot of training, and that’s hard with kids, because they are not consistent–especially if you are figuring out puppy training yourself.
As far as breeds go, we’ve had a lot of luck 8n my family with bischon poodle mixes. Small, no shedding, intelligent enough. They like to play but also to snuggle.
Holy cow! Hardly anybody knows what a BMC is and now I’ve seen two posts in a row. Our BMC is about 70 pounds and is absolutely one of the sweetest dogs ever. He’s a rescue and his tail was docked before we got him. Overall it’s a good thing, though I don’t generally agree with docking tails or ears.
He gets along fine with a much smaller female Vizsla mix. BMCs also tend to crate well, which is a good thing because he’s about six feet long when he spreads out on our bed. They are relatively long-lived.
OTOH…BMC’s slobber and shed like nobody’s business. He makes a puddle on the floor as he waits for me to get him a treat from his jar. Our BMC is an extremely industrious digger and can excavate a hole about 18" deep in minutes. They have huge paws and the dirt really flies.
I volunteered for a while with our local animal shelter helping to adopt out dogs.
The best advice I can give is to try and match your lifestyle to a breed. Different breeds of dogs thrive better in different environments. There is no better or worse, just what is better or worse for you.
Border Collies, for example, are wonderful dogs but they have loads of energy and are quite smart. They need an outlet for that or else they will take it out on your shoes and walls. So, if you have lots of land for them to zoom endlessly they are a fantastic choice. If you live in an apartment, not so much.
That is just an example to illustrate the point.
Having people around 99% of the time is great but will the dog be around after the kids leave for college or whatever? Something to consider (although it will be an older dog then too so hopefully a bit more chill).
Also, please do not disregard big dogs out of hand unless you live in a place with rules against dogs over a certain size. A Jack Russell is small but full of energy while a Great Dane is a total loafer. Great Dane may be as big as a coffee table but they don’t go tearing ass all over the place either (rarely).
Big dogs can also be better with kids. Their size means little kids can’t do much harm and if they are annoyed they can walk away where a little dog that is trapped may snap and the child. Note, these are all broad strokes. Plenty of little dogs love kids and big dogs can snap too. Most of that will be in the socialization you provide the dog.
Finally, I will say with the cats, if you get a dog be sure to give the cats a high place they can run to that can survey what is going on below and the dog cannot follow (and enough for both cats to have their own spot). Having a high, safe perch, seems to be step #1 in making your cats happy. I am no expert but watching the cat whisperer guy on TV this seemed a really common go-to for him. Hopefully they all get along but even if they do the cats will want that retreat.
If you match a breed well to your lifestyle, whatever it may be, chances are good you will all fall in love with it and have a great time.
You need to answer the following questions honestly before you narrow down to some breeds.
- How much are you willing to train (learn how, take your puppy to classes etc.). Remember that training is ongoing for the lifetime of the dog, it isn’t like setting up a computer.
- How much are you willing to groom (or pay a groomer).
- How much are you willing to exercise?
If you aren’t going to run your dog for several miles a day, get a dog under 20 lbs. All dogs do a lot better mentally and physically if they get enough exercise, and big dogs need a lot more than you think.
If you don’t like grooming get a short haired dog.
If you aren’t going to be a Firm Fair Consistent Leader who likes to teach dogs new things, get a calm, friendly, unaggressive dog.
Also if you are in a hot humid area do NOT get a dog with a pushed-in face (lots of toy breeds, pugs, boxers, etc.). They have difficulty breathing in that kind of environment.
My Best Small Dog List:
smartest, most trainable: Papillon. This is a superb apartment dog
sturdiest, and most tractable terrier: Border Terrier
most like a big dog in personality: Mini Aussie aka North American Shepherd (internal dog politics dictated the second name, which is the AKC name). They do need exercise.
All terriers are predatory, and many are dog-aggressive. Jacks are notorious. They can kill cats. Cheerful about it, but they are bred to kill rats and extend that to anything small enough to shake to death.
The best online resource on breeds is called Your Purebred Puppy. I have found her write ups match my experience and don’t elide the downsides.
About pit bulls: many are very sweet lovable dogs. Some are fine until they get triggered by something. They are all very strong for their size, and unusually determined. They cause many people to cross the street when they see you coming, or not visit you anymore. There are real reasons for this. No matter what anyone says, they are a poor first breed for anyone.
Where does this come from?
I can think of large dogs that need nothing like that amount of exercise and some small dogs that would be happy to tear around all day.
Unlike others, I won’t recommend a specific breed. As you can see, everybody that owns a dog considers it to be the best breed ever.
My advice, from our family’s experience, is for whatever breed you pick is find a great breeder with references. You can maybe find them through pet shows or friends.
When we got our [Breed Undisclosed], our breeder came highly recommended. We met her and she interviewed us for 45 minutes. Lots of questions about our lifestyle, activity level, hobbies, house, yard, why we wanted a dog and why we wanted that specific breed etc… She then reviewed all the pros and cons of the breed.
When the litter was ready, she told our daughter she could pick “any” of the puppies. But when my daughter picked a puppy she’d explain why that specific puppy wasn’t a good choice: “his paw is a little sore”, “she’ll miss her mommy” etc. She subtely guided my daughter to select a puppy who was a submissive male. She knew her puppie’s personalities by then and she knew we had two young kids and a hectic lifestyle so we needed a submissive and obedient dog. He was a perfect dog for us. It was an incredibly positive experience for our family very much thanks to her.
Our neighbours had a similarly very good breeder for their rare [Breed undisclosed]. The first dog cost them about $4,000. They loved it and wanted a second dog. The breeder came to their house, saw their actual lifestyle and how they were raising the dog and refused to sell them a second dog. He didn’t like the way they took care of the first one and felt they’d deceived him in their interview. They didn’t deliberately deceive him, but their original answers were aspirational not reality. They were stunned (why would he turn away $4,000??), but I privately agreed with the breeder. A great caring breeder.