I would consider a cavalier king charles spaniel as well, although I myself have 2 toy poodles the younger of which would make an ideal first dog as he is so friendly and not a bit snappy (he has never growled when he has been picked up ever) whereas the older one although still lovely will growl sometimes if people other than myself pick him up. They also require a lot of grooming and clipping about every 8 weeks. I have known several cavaliers and they have all had a lovely nature. If you decide to go for a cocker I understand from people I have met with them that it is far better to get a roan or similar as opposed to a single colour one (ie golden or black) as they are more reliable temperment wise because the single colour ones can suffer from cocker rage according to my vet.

Go to your local rescue centre
some wonderful dogs/pups in most good rescue centre's....
and get as much info on the dog/s that you like and take them for walks before you make up your mind...
Good luck....

I'm probably a bit late to the party on this one but what about looking into a Portuguese Podengo?  They look quite like JRT's but apparently seem to have a less tenacious and more obedient nature.  The UK club website is www.podengos.org.  Must confess I don't have first hand knowledge of them but they sound less combative than a terrier.

I had a Jack Russel as my first dog as a kid and I really loved him but he was a proper little swine, always running off to fight with other dogs in the park, bit my fingers a couple of times as well but that was more my fault as a kid not really understanding dogs at the time but kids will be kids and terriers will be terriers so no not a good first time dog.  He nearly got himself killed on a number of occasions picking fights with much bigger dogs.  I loved him to bits though. 

and I'm even later to the party!  I scanned the previous posts and may have missed something but if you've never had a dog you'd probably like one that doesn't shed much hair as it can be a bit of a shock to cope with lots of loose dog hair floating around too. I would definitely think like someone above said, a miniature schnauser (sp??), needs a bit of grooming if you are fussy but sheds no hair and my cousin has one with her 3 young kids. it has a perfect temperament, very gentle and sweet!  easy size to lift - into the car, for eg, and unlikely to be able to either jump on the kitchen table or knock it over. Manageable size to walk too. Just a few thoughts!

> just think border collie with smaller legs, then you'll get the idea
>>
> <IMG alt=confused src="/images/confused.gif">&nbsp;&nbsp; I don't understand this remark at all!
>
> While I agree that a Border Collie is for an experienced dog person, I certainly wouldn't class mine anything like a JR and find that remark difficult to understand.
>
> He is the softest mouthed, most obedient and loyal dog, and the easiest to train, totally unlike a Jack.&nbsp; (Although I have trained a Jack.)

I'm with you - can't think of two breeds more different, leg length or not having lived with both!  BC's are incredibly easy to train.