We've owned Brussels Griffons for 10+ years and have thoroughly enjoyed this breed. Recently we lost a 3 year old to Lymphoma which leaves us with our elderly female. We know time is short and I've begun my search on the next breed that I think will be a great pet and worker (obedience training).

I do not train my dogs for competition but I do work with them firmly and fairly. There's no question that I'm the pack leader and they are my pack. I train and work with my dogs because this stimulates their minds, improves their health and makes them an overall better pet.

I've been to multiple dog shows after doing extensive research on what I think will be a wonderful breed that fits our active (NON couch potato) lifestyle. I want a little larger breed that has a great track record of good temperament, good health and of good intelligence.

The breeds that are at the forefront are the Standard Manchester Terrier, Whippet and the Pharaoh.

Each responsible and reputable breeder that I've spoken with about the possibility of purchasing a puppy will absolutely not allow their breed to go home to an owner without a 4' minimum fence. Due to two of these breeds being a sighthound and the other a strong terrier, I'm advised that even the best recall will be trumped by a stray cat or wild rabbit/squirrel. I'm told that these dogs will be in the next zip code before I know it and that they have very little sense of what's going on around them (cars/traffic) when on the trail.

I understand their concern, but my difficulty is believing that each one of these breeds live in a fenced environment. Surely there are some Manchester Terrier or Whippet owners that have had no problem with their well-mannered dog live a safe life with them, without the mandate of a 4' fence.

What options do I have or would you recommend looking for another breed? This hasn't been a problem with our Brussels, but they're not of the breed I'm looking at either.

Thank you

The sight hounds aren't noted for being easy to train. Fact is they are near the bottom of the charts.

Even though I showed terriers in the breed ring for 10+ yrs I saw very few Manchesters. A rare breed leaves little choice in what's out there with no health issues.

For a small breed the Papillon is the only toy in the top ten for being trainable.

I've never had a recall or control problem with any dog regardless of breed and I've owned half a dozen different terrier breeds.
That's all about you and your training abilities not the breed. Without excellent control what you've heard will happen.

When I got my English Pointers as pups, both the breeders told me without a solid recall nothing gets between a Pointer and a scent, and where I run my lot off lead, there are deer and rabbits everywhere, so that was a given.

My son has a Whippet, who was a rehomer at a year old who had had zero training, and at their previous address they were surrounded by fields, and she would, given the opportunity, jump the fence and leg it like her arse was on fire.

The HPT breeds do need a ton of reinforced recall and heel training, but I often have my son’s dogs with my pack for a few days, and I can walk the six of them off lead and to heel, but I am constantly ‘en guard’ because of all the natural distractions.

They are a lovely 'soft' breed, but active till late and hard work in the early years.

Either of the Corgi breeds fit your criteria of intelligence, temperament and being a little larger than a Brussels. They are sturdy, active, and very human-focused. And a herder will be more likely to stay home. The Cardigan is sometimes described as a German Shepherd on (very) short legs. Which isn't far from true.

Would you consider a basenji? I've known a few people with them, and Id consider them middle of the pack as far as training, but for a hunting breed the ones I've known have been able to be off leash in areas with tons of distractions.

Personally, I'd probably stay away from sighthounds if you want an active, trainable pet. I'm a fan of herding breeds. Or what about looking into some of the other terrier breeds? Welsh? Fox? Airedale? Or a maybe even something like a springer spaniel.

Thanks for the suggestions of the other breeds, this is very helpful! And yes, I'm very much open to looking at other breeds. I'll do some research on breeders in my area on the Basenji, other terriers (welsh/fox/Airedale), cardigan and the springer spaniel.

Many thanks again!

You've gotten some nice suggestions for other breeds to look at, but it might be helpful if you included a bit more of your criteria. For example, it seems the breeds you mentioned in your OP all have very short hair. So are you trying to limit yourself to a particular coat, size, etc.?

I believe, though, that the requirement for a fence is not breed-specific and you are likely to find that across the board among breeders. You didn't say so in your OP; is putting up a fence impossible? For example, you live in a subdivision where they are prohibited?

BTW, the one Basenji I have known well was a very independent guy and often went wandering out of his owner's unfenced yard. He paid the ultimate price for that tendency.

Ha, any Manchester Terrier or Whippet I have known could scale a 4 ft. Fence with ease. If they don"t jump it, they weasel their way out thru the smallest of space. Do they mandate the type of fencing too?

Cheri, thanks for asking, I didn't want my OP to be too much fluff, but indeed I did leave some pertinent information out for the simplicity and shortness of the post.

We do not live in a subdivision, we live on one acre along with 12 other homes and our neighbors have similarly sized yards. There is woods behind us and to one side. The front yard is approximately 1/3 of an acre and the back yard is about the same. The house, side yard and woods take up the rest. So, traffic is not an issue nor is installing the fence. To sum up the yard area, there is plenty of open space and the occasional squirrel or rabbit is not uncommon.

As far as the fence, we've had 3 contractors give estimates that are very close in price that range from $9500 to $10,200. This is an ornamental/aluminum fence. The other homes in our area have this type of fence, so I wouldn't feel comfortable with a chain link or a wooden fence for consistency and professional looking sake. With that expense, my wife and I have decided to forego the fence option and get our son thru his Junior and Senior years of college.

Good observation Cheri on the coat/hair of my next breed. I spend quite a bit of time with my Brussels on maintenance with her coat. That kind of time, in my opinion robs her from potential training time. With a shorter haired dog that requires much less maintenance on grooming, I'd definitely be channeling that time in training.