help me pick a dog breed

[alicia622]

We are finally thinking about a dog! DS is almost five. He totally loves all dogs- since he was about two he learned to ask owners if he can pet their dog and never fails to ask when he sees a dog. We have two older, indoor cats (10 and 15) who have never been around dogs. We live in the city (small) and have a small back yard.

My desires: small to medium sized, not a howler/excessive barking, not too much in terms of grooming, friendly and playful, we will be walking a couple times a day on leash, my city has several areas to let dogs run around, but I don't want to have to do this daily. I also would like a dog with minimal shedding but that would be low on my list of priorities.

As a kid we always had mutts and they were mostly wonderful family pets. I am not opposed to getting a mutt but one of my friends (the animal guru!) offered to help me find a dog through a rescue and so it got me looking at breeds and I am getting really confused. I found some 'breed selectors' on line and they don't seem to be all that helpful.

Anyone want to give me some ideas?

Also, I need to learn about basic dog care/training concepts. Can you suggest some reading material or really good websites to help this dog newbie better understand what we are getting ourselves into?

THANKS!!!

[Ola_]

Honestly, I like your idea of getting a mutt. Focus on temperament and the traits that are most important to you. Breed and looks are not as important IMO.

For training I would definitely plan to take at least 1 or 2 training classes. They're great at teaching you the skills to communicate with your dog and even if you already know the basics having another person watch you and point out things to try that may work better is very valuable. See if there are any places around you so you can budget for the classes in addition to the other "new pet" expenses. They should let you sit in on a class without a dog so you can see what methods they use, etc.

[FaithfulOne]

We rescued a Boxer that flew from LA to us (Canada) back in January.
I definately suggest rescue...and am also biased to the Boxer breed! they make exceptional family additions

[zebra15]

I am now the owner of a French Bulldog and well.... I love her. Shes a 'companion' dog so thats basically low mainteance. Shes content to sleep in her litle couch most of the day. They are NOT overly active dogs and they are indoor dogs. They have short hair. THey can handle short walks but not much else THEY DO NOT SWIM. max wt is 28 lbs....

THey have a tendancy for tummy issues so she is on grain free food.

[ReadingMama]

We rescued a shih tzu mix 3 weeks ago. I'm a big fan of mutts! He is 17 pounds, gets his exercise chasing balls and running around our backyard, and playing chase in the house. Since he barely sheds, he needs to be groomed every 6 weeks, but that's much better than tons of dog hair tumbleweeds floating around like with our lab/border collie mix. (She is an awesome kid dog too. We adopted her when my son was 3. She's 40 pounds, a medium size.) Our new dog has the shih tzu personality, so he loves everyone, including all my 10 yo son's friends. He rarely barks.

So I'd recommend a shih tzu or shih tzu mix! This is assuming that your son is gentle with pets. While doing my search, I met several "puggles" that were sweet and playful. Unfortunately, puggles (beagle and pug) are popular "designer breeds" (aka on-purpose mutts), and many of them end up in rescue. They can be really goofy and energetic as puppies, but once they are 2 or so, they calm down and make nice pets. They usually aren't as noisy as beagles and they don't have the breathing issues that pugs have.

Are you thinking of a puppy or an adult dog?

[alicia622]

I think we want a puppy but maybe not...LOL

I actually really like the french bulldog and the puggle a lot

[nd_deadhead]

Please don't buy a puggle! All of these "designer breeds" are nothing more than mutts, for which people for some reason are willing to pay hundreds of dollars.

A shelter pup is different - the "breeder" gets nothing if you adopt a shelter dog. But buying from someone who is intentionally producing these dogs to sell provides a market for poor breeding practices.

[ReadingMama]

Originally Posted by nd_deadhead

Please don't buy a puggle! All of these "designer breeds" are nothing more than mutts, for which people for some reason are willing to pay hundreds of dollars.

A shelter pup is different - the "breeder" gets nothing if you adopt a shelter dog. But buying from someone who is intentionally producing these dogs to sell provides a market for poor breeding practices.

I agree. I mentioned that they often end up in rescue groups to let the OP know to look there if she's interested in those mixes. I should have been clearer.

[alicia622]

No worries- our dog will either be from the shelter or from a rescue group!!! I have always had a hard time with supporting breeders of any type cause there are too many unwanted animals in the world in need of homes.

[elsie123]

Based on my experience with our dogs, I highly recommend a mini australian shepherd. Our mini is 14 months old now, and he is perfect, in every way, seriously, just what you've described you are looking for.

He is not like a standard size aussie, who need a lot of work and exercise. The mini doesn't need all that, just a run around the yard or a 20 minute walk each day. He is happy to just play fetch in the hallway for 10 minutes and then lay at my feet all day.

I have to brush him once or twice a month, and really just his ears. (He does shed, but only periodically.)

He is great with adults, kids, and our 10 year old cat. He's sweet and playful but calm, and loves being trained. I highly recommend the book called Before You Get Your Puppy, by Ian Dunbar. You can download it for free here

We did go to obedience school with him for 6 months, found a trainer from suggestions in the book. It was well worth it.

We love our mini aussie!

[ReadingMama]

The other good thing about adopting from a good rescue group is that they will know via their foster families which dogs might meet your criteria. Safety with children is a top priority of course, and a rescue group can say, "I wouldn't place these 3 dogs in a family with children, but these two over here are fostered with children and are doing wonderfully." It would narrow down your search some to start with your most important criteria. If you're open to mixed breeds, you'll find good dogs in almost any rescue group. Do you know any good rescue groups in your area? Have you checked out petfinder.com?

[alicia622]

thanks for the ideas and especially for the link to before you get your puppy. I have a lot of reading to do.

[SquishyKitty]

Originally Posted by zebra15

I am now the owner of a French Bulldog and well.... I love her. Shes a 'companion' dog so thats basically low mainteance. Shes content to sleep in her litle couch most of the day. They are NOT overly active dogs and they are indoor dogs. They have short hair. THey can handle short walks but not much else THEY DO NOT SWIM. max wt is 28 lbs....

THey have a tendancy for tummy issues so she is on grain free food.

We have a frenchie and they are, indeed, very lazy dogs. They are very content to just be wherever you are, but do require moderate exercise to maintain their weight.

Just be aware, they are prone to all kinds of health problems. Ours is dealing with both a siezure disorder and thyroid issues (might be connected, still a new development) as well as hip/knee problems. It's ridiculous. Plus, he's got a super smooshed face which causes all kinds of breathing problems for him.

On the plus side, he's got a great personality and we love him to bits, even if he is stinky and loud and farty and pukey. He's our walking garbage pail kid lol.

OP, I'd look at a black lab. If you adopt one that is older, you will have to exercise them every day, but they're great companion dogs and don't get huge.