‘I’m a vet – 3 breeds I would never recommend as a first dog’

If you’re considering adding a new pet to your family, then it’s important to do your research. Choosing a dog isn’t just about how cute the puppies are – it’s important to think about your lifestyle, your experience and your limitations as well as the limitations of the breed you want.

Dr Aimee Warner has been a veterinary surgeon for more than a decade, and spoke exclusively with Express.co.uk about which breeds she would own – and which she wouldn’t. Dr Warner said that when it comes to choosing a dog, it’s important to think about location. If you’re in the city, there are some dogs which won’t fit into the lifestyle as well. She said: “I love spaniels, but if I lived in a city, I would not recommend getting a spaniel because they’re really high-energy dogs. They need a lot of energy, a lot of training.

“I think people often get them thinking ‘a cocker spaniel, like that’s a nice-sized dog’, but they’re not suitable for a city. You just can’t exercise them enough in a city.

“Whereas if you lived in the countryside, maybe you’re also a little bit more experienced in terms of dog training, then I think they make fantastic pets.”

If you’re a first-time dog owner, Dr Warner advised against some popular dog breeds.

She said: “You can get breeds that are just hard to train. Like a Jack Russell, they’re quite hard to train because they’re very intelligent and they’re quite stubborn. So I wouldn’t necessarily get one of those, particularly not as a first dog.

“I think sometimes once you’ve had some experience training a dog, you learn quite a lot, and then you can get more skilled at it and can maybe take on a slightly trickier breed.”

One of these trickier breeds is a Weimaraner.

Dr Warner said: “People often think, ‘oh, wow, they’re really beautiful’, but they are quite hard to train because they’re very stubborn and determined. They’re not naturally that biddable.”

Instead, she recommends dogs with a more pliable nature.

She said: “A Golden Retriever or a Labrador, there’s a reason why they’re very popular family pets, because actually they’re relatively easy to train. Because they do want to please you on the whole, and they’re great with children.

“They need a fair amount of exercise, but with a good couple of walks a day, that’s fine for them.”

The final breed that Dr Warner advised against was any brachycephalic breed. Brachycephalic dogs are bred to have short, flat snouts – like French bulldogs or pugs.

DrWarner said these kinds of dogs are very prone to breathing issues and will be expensive to insure as a result.

She said: “It’s sad really, they’ve been bred to have these short faces, but as a result, a lot of them have breathing problems and they need a surgery to correct that, which in my opinion, seems quite wrong to breed these things.”

Instead of these breeds, Dr Warner recommended something like a Border Terrier – especially for people who want a smaller dog.

She said: “They’ve kind of got the personality and sort of sprightliness of a terrier, but they tend to be a little bit easier to train. So, I think they make good pets. And again, because they’re a bit smaller, that suits some people who want a smaller dog.”

If you have the space, then a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a great idea too.

Dr Warner said: “They generally have the sweetest personalities. The only downside is they are prone to heart problems.

“But if you can try and make sure that the parents have been screened for heart disease, and hopefully that there’s not too much heart disease prevalent in that line of dogs, then I’d say they do make really great dogs.

“They tend to be quite biddable.”