Vet reveals the dog breeds he would not recommend

A UK-based veterinarian has revealed four breeds he wouldn't recommend for first time dog owners.

On top of his veterinary work, Ben the Vet makes videos on TikTok, where he has around 210,000 followers.

In a recent clip, he shared the four breeds he said he wouldn't recommend as a first dog, explaining that his opinions were based on his nine-years working in his practice. During this time, he has met thousands of people and their dogs.

Ben, who often shares videos about animal welfare practices, specifically pointed out in the clip that the information he was sharing was his opinion, and that he was 'talking about breeds that are not the best option, necessarily'.

Speaking in the clip, Ben said the first dog on his list was the border collie. He explained: 'Now these dogs thrive in a working environment, but put them in an ordinary home, and they can get really bored. 

'That boredom can manifest itself in a lot of different problem behaviours, destructive behaviours.'

These, he continued, included things like 'digging, barking, excessively compulsive behaviours like chasing their tail, [and] signs of aggression'

Ben concluded: 'If you've never had a dog before, and don't really know what to expect, they are a lot to handle.'

The second breed on his list was the beagle. According to the vet: 'This might surprise a lot of people, but the reason I've included them is they are quite a difficult dog breed to train. 

'They have a tendency to be quite stubborn, and as hunting dogs, they follow their nose. So they're into everything.'

In addition to this, he added, they have 'a bit of a reputation as an escape artist breed'. 

Ben concluded: 'So you definitely hav to have a secure garden if you have a beagle, and it can be quite hard to teach them recall. So [if you have a ] beagle, you may not be able to walk them off lead.' 

Moving onto the third breed on his list, he revealed it was the Dalmatian. The vet explained: 'Now in the 90s, after a re-release of the 101 Dalmatians Disney cartoon, they boomed in popularity.

'Over the following 10 years, their popularity reduced by 97 per cent, and that's because those people who got Dalmatians because they looked really cute, and were so well-trained in the movies... then realised actually this dog is a handful, and then those people didn't get Dalmatians again. And a lot of those people would have been first time dog owners.'

The fourth and final breed on Ben's list was the husky. 'Now, getting any dog is a big commitment and will change your life, but getting a Husky is on a whole new level, and they need a lot of exercise,' explained Ben.

He added that these dogs are bred to pull sleds 'for long distances in cold weather'.

This means that if you 'put them in a home where they're going to be left on their own for long periods of time, and they only get a half hour walk once a day, they're going to get overweight, they're going to get bored, they're going to become a handful'.