help me choose a breed of dog...

Chris Brown · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:51 pm

so my family and i are toying with the idea of getting a new dog. we currently have a 10 year old black lab mix and has recently become an indoor dog after being an outdoor dog for it's entire life. basically, i went to england for two weeks and my soft-hearted wife let him live in the house. now that he's had the taste of carpet and a/c he won't have anything else.

i've wanted a smaller indoor dog for a while but haven't been able to convince the wife...now that the lab is indoors, she's warming up to the idea.

i need help chooseing a breed. We have two boys (5 and 7 yrs old). We live in a small development with about .5 acre of land for roaming. We have a garage equiped with doggie door and a wireless fence.

here's an idea of what we wanted:

- nothing with long hair
- good with kids
- good with other dogs
- medium to small size (no toys, nothing bigger than a collie)
- no poodles, chows or cockers
- no full breds...a pound puppy/rescue is fine with us.

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:02 pm

I hear there is good variety at the local animal shelters. Probably cheaper than picking a breed too.

I've got a few dog-sized cats I'd like to get rid of

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:06 pm

What is your price range? Scott is correct about the shelter or another option is a rescue group. A full-breed dog will run you a minimum of $600 before all of the other costs associated with ownership.

There is a Sheltie rescue group in Raleigh (www.triangleshelties.com). Shelties are pretty good dogs. Two of my three Corgis are rescues. You know I will always recommend a Corgi :-)

Scott Johnson · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:12 pm

Small dog?

Durham SPCA..

Chris Brown · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:19 pm

yeah, sorry i should have said that i'd prefer a pound puppy/rescue/etc. i don't need or want a full bred.

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:20 pm

Petfinder.com

Great resource for local shelters.

We bought our puggle from a breeder for $400, never again.

Chris Brown · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:21 pm

Ryan Holton wrote:

Petfinder.com

Great resource for local shelters.

We bought our puggle from a breeder for $400, never again.

yep, i've been on there today...there's just so many frigg'n breeds...i'm really looking for advice on what others have seen work well.

BriceJohnson · **Joined:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:33 am **Posts:** 2230

http://www.tribeagles.org/

Beagles rule, just get them a bark collar at a very young age. People always ask us "oh, you got a beagle, bet he howls a lot huh?", and the answer is no, b/c we got him a bark collar very early on.

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:54 pm

BriceJohnson wrote:

http://www.tribeagles.org/

Beagles rule, just get them a bark collar at a very young age. People always ask us "oh, you got a beagle, bet he howls a lot huh?", and the answer is no, b/c we got him a bark collar very early on.

X 2

We love our beagle, she barks a little but its mostly cute. Very good with kids

Keith Quistorff · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:23 pm

Ryan Holton wrote:

BriceJohnson wrote:

http://www.tribeagles.org/

Beagles rule, just get them a bark collar at a very young age. People always ask us "oh, you got a beagle, bet he howls a lot huh?", and the answer is no, b/c we got him a bark collar very early on.

X 2

We love our beagle, she barks a little but its mostly cute. Very good with kids

Interesting. My family adopted a beagle puppy when I was a kid, and it was, hands-down, the worst pet of all time. He had no interest in being with people, only in running off into the woods to roll in as many piles of poop as he could find, and destroying every household object in his path - many a toy, footwear, clothing, etc. was ripped apart by that dog. The last straw was when my mom let him in the house to watch him run straight to my parents' bedroom, jump on their bed, and pee all over their white comforter.

I've had three dogs since then with the following basic results:

1. A female Cockapoo (cocker spaniel / miniature poodle mix, ~20-25 lbs) - excellent dog, great personality, great family pet, no or little shedding (but requires haircuts). Lived 13+ years.

2. A female Keeshond (~30 lbs) - other than the long hair and mild shedding, the perfect family pet IMO - zero aggressive tendencies, smart, very well behaved, wonderful with children. Lived 13+ years. I'd have another one, except I wanted a larger dog.

3. A female goldendoodle (golden retriever / standard poodle mix, ~50-55 lbs) - my current dog, another non-shedding breed (requiring haircuts). On paper she appeared to be an ideal family pet, but has turned out to demand a lot more attention than expected - she's 2-1/2 years old and still acts like a puppy in many ways. Also, the retriever in her overrules any/all human commands - she'll chase another animal for miles, requiring a fenced yard and on-leash when walking. The breed is supposedly very smart, but she has a couple annoying habits that I can't seem to train out of her (after three different training classes w/different approaches).

Good luck, Chris.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:00 pm

Dachshund is my favorite of course. Our miniature black & tan smooth hair is very good with kids and other animals. She even gets along with cats! She doesn't shed and minds very well. We got her from a breeder 6 years ago and paid $250. She is full-blooded, but paying the extra ca$h for an AKC registry for the same dog didn't make any sense since we weren't planning to breed her.

Chris Brown · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:13 pm

Vincent Keene wrote:

Dachshund is my favorite of course. Our miniature black & tan smooth hair is very good with kids and other animals. She even gets along with cats! She doesn't shed and minds very well. We got her from a breeder 6 years ago and paid $250. She is full-blooded, but paying the extra ca$h for an AKC registry for the same dog didn't make any sense since we weren't planning to breed her.

hmmm....dachshund...maybe...it would help if i could see a picture of you with your dog :wink:

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:28 pm

I too grew up with a beagle. She was a one person dog and was happiest out in the fields. We also had west highland white terriers. I never really liked their personalities.

I have stuck with herding dogs, a Sheltie and Corgis.

Having three of them is quite a handful though. Especially, the shock of bringing in a puppy into the mix with two that are 10+ years old. Sara and Rudy were regular fixtures on the autocross and time trail scene. They have even made three round trips to Topeka.

Smart dogs, easily trained, very personable, rough and tumble enough for kids. The only draw back is that they shed.

Kevin Butler · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:30 pm

I'll second weiner dogs. They're as low maintenance as you can get. They're really smart, loyal and very trainable.

The first one I had (a life time ago when I was married) was one of the smartest dogs I have ever seen. They can have health issues with their backs though, so I'd go easy on the sit-up and begging tricks.

Honestly, I am not a dog person, but really loved the 2 I had.

KB

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:06 pm

Not really a dog person these days, but I grew up with beagles.

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