Which dog should I get? How to choose the best pet for families, city living or people with allergies

The Guardian

27-04-2025

At the risk of pleasing a handful of the dog owning population and annoying the vast majority, we asked Graeme Hall, AKA The Dogfather, a dog trainer, presenter of TV's Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly and author of Does My Dog Love Me? to suggest the best breeds for different contexts. 'It would be really funny if for every category I said labrador,' laughs Hall. However, his recommendations do come with a caveat: 'Dogs are individuals. All Yorkshiremen are smashing, but every now and again you might meet one who's not. Dogs are a bit like that.'
FamiliesA labrador is a good bet for a first family dog. They are pretty calm around children. But also, and this might raise a few eyebrows, Staffordshire bull terriers have always been known as the 'nanny dog'. Normally they are very good with families.
Urban livingSmaller dogs are best, so: companion breeds (a dog whose purpose is to provide companionship for humans, unlike a working dog). If you've got time to groom, pomeranians are quite cute. Or pugs, but you've got to be thinking about health issues, because some of the dogs with very short noses can struggle to breathe.
Country livingWorking breeds, generally speaking – if you've got a lot of room to let them run and time to exercise them, go for spaniels and border collies.
Older peopleSmaller dogs, typically, because you don't want a lot of weight on the lead, and not too energetic. So one of the terriers. We often think of a yorkshire terrier as an old person's dog. Or the right kind of jack russell can be a really sweet dog.
People with allergiesThere is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog, despite what some breeders have been saying for years. But some breeds shed less, such as curly coated breeds. As much as I love boxers and rottweilers, they are more slobbery, and some people are affected by the saliva.
The officeIf you work in an office in the city and you are travelling by public transport, something smaller is better. I have seen big dogs on the London Underground, but they take up a lot of space. You also want a dog who is happy to sit around for long periods while you are sat in meetings, and is not too barky. A poodle cross or a cockapoo is a safe bet.
Emotional supportYou want a really calm, steady dog, so that tends to be a bigger dog. Labradors are a good option in general and of course they've been used around the world as assistance dogs. Or try a St Bernard.
SecurityThe obvious choice is a German shepherd, as used by police and the military. If you don't like the barking and hair shedding that comes with those, a rottweiler can be a much calmer companion. But I think there needs to be a bit of a caveat, which is if you want to train a dog to be a guard dog, have a word with yourself.
A swimming companionPoodles, which were bred to retrieve game across water, or a Spanish or Portuguese water dog.
A running buddyBorder collies – they will run for ever.