Breed suggestions - advice on certain breeds

Hi everyone,

I am a while away from another dog, but I believe it is never too early to research. I'd love to get opinions and advice about owning the following breeds.

Papillon - I have really been looking into this breed. They seem to be a great choice for agility/training and I am really drawn to their personalities.
Pointer - I have a soft spot for Gundogs, Pointers are beautiful and I like the typical 'calm' temperament, but I wonder how their activity levels would go with my lifestyle?
Jack Russell - Ok, I like a bit of spunk, I do like terriers. As far as I can see they are quite active and would make good agility dogs.
Rottweiler - A long-time admirer of this breed, but I have no real experience with them. To be honest, I was totally besotted with this dog I saw at an obedience trial, he was so calm and self-assured, yet so playful with his owner.
Finnish Lapphund - I love this working dog. Another great potential for training, but again I have little experience with them. Activity level? Grooming levels as well?

A bit about me and my lifestyle and what I look for in a dog...

I have a Chi x currently. We do trick training, basic obedience and agility, which I enjoy and would like to do the same with any future dog.

Exercise - most of my exercise is done with training and games in the yard or out and about in different places. We also go for a daily walk, being a small breed though we don't go on huge 'hikes.' I save that for my nan's dog (GSDxKelpie).

Grooming - I manage to brush at least every second day, daily most of the time. I check for ticks daily (we don't seem to have a problem here, but because we are so often out and about, I'd rather not risk it... err, plus I like giving doggy massages hehe)

I am not a terribly experienced dog owner, I grew up with dogs, but my Chi x is my first dog owned as an adult.

The dogs I am considering are all very different, I know. I am wanting to be realistic about my the suitability of any breed that I own. Any other breed suggestions based on my info. Feel free to ask other questions too. Thanks.

Edit - I am not ruling out ethical rescue or breeder at this stage. Oh and I should add that all my dogs are inside dogs, which access to the outside if they choose.

paps make WONDERFULL agility dogs, great personalities, lots of spunk but would fit in with your chi x and current lifetyle well without much change/upset to your current schedual.

the other breeds would take some change to your daily ritual.

Papillions sound like they would blend in to your house and routine the easiest. Plus, they're just awesome dogs. They're on my list and I never fancied myself a small dog type of person. We've got quite a few Pap owners on the board here...they seem to be a "contagious" breed. Can be quite the little barkers from what I hear though.

Pointers require a TON of work and even more exercise to get them to seem "calm". They are neat dogs though; my Aussie's best friend is an English Pointer.

JRT's--probably more spunk than you're banking on, though there are some calmer ones out there. Other members could advise you a little better on these guys. Typically, LOTS of exercise and the knowledge that they have very high prey drives and, being terriers, have a tendency towards dog-aggression. Would you be willing to deal with that possibility?

Rottweiler--awesome, awesome dogs but require very diligent work in terms of training and socialization due to all the bad press/imagery that surrounds them. They are also a working/guarding breed with higher drives and potentially aggressive tendencies (both in terms of dog-aggression and towards strangers). With work though, they are just cool dogs.

Laphund--I'll have to admit that I know next to nothing about this breed, other than they look cool.

Good luck in your search and welcome to Chaz!

JRTs rock lol!!!

Depends on what your goals are. I love working with the JRTs their minds are so quick. They are great dogs as long as you either rescue an adult you know you can work with, or go with a great breeder that will help you along the way. Some a crazy some are not. Dekka for example is one of the easiest dogs to live with. She has all the speed you could ever want in a small dog on the agility course, all the focus you could want in obedience... but she doesn't have high exercise requirements.

What I love with the JRTs is that they will work hard. They don't give up and decide 'training' time is over. (my whippets do that and some paps I know are like that) I do like dogs that are a bit stand offish with others.. helps keep them focused on me in dog sports. All my JRTs are very friendly.. but with the exception of Kaiden-they are not really 'into' other people.

What do you mean, contagious, Zoom?

Papillons are fantastic little dogs. I can't imagine being without one (or more!) ever. They're an easy breed to keep, especially if you have another toy dog. They tend to have a nice high energy level, but that coupled with their small size means the exercise requirements aren't that strenuous. (As puppies they can be messes though!) Though, if you work them up to it, they can keep up doing just about anything.

If you're interested in agility and obedience there probably aren't many better breeds. Paps are light and agile and are very intelligent and biddable. They do tend to be very soft personalities so really respond best to positive training. Their only goal in life is to be with you and please you and they try their best to do so. They are one of the top agility breeds out there, running sometimes as fast or faster than border collie times, they're very good at obedience or rally, and tracking is another hidden talent. And they're very good at learning parlor tricks too. They're really unlike most toy dogs.

The thing that is so addicting about this breed for me is their personalities. A well bred, well socialized papillon is a joy. They're everyone's best friend and they're clowns. It is even in their breed standard that they are to be 'happy' dogs, and they really are. All of ours have been different, but yet they're all the same in that they are ridiculously affectionate, lively little dogs. Particularly with Beau or Bernard around, you're always laughing.

Some things to consider- they're small, but with a chi mix you're probably used to that. They want nothing more than to be with you 24/7 and they want to be involved in everything possible. They don't require much grooming at all. They're generally good with people and other dogs. They're SMART and thus need some guidance and training. If you don't give them good ways to use their mind, they will come up with their own ideas. They can bark some, but not all do. Rose never ever barks. She's barked only a few times since I've had her.

If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them!

About the Finnish lapphund, absolutely amazing dogs. Friendly, good with people and pets, intelligent and very trainable. I love the breed, it's most likely the breed I will get as my second dog. But I wouldn't suggest one if you live in say Florida or any other warm place. It's one of two breeds legally allowed to stay outside here in Finland during our winters, simply because their coats are weather tolerant enough to be comfortable in our winters. That said, I think such a breed would be miserable in warmer climates.

As for activity levels, they're not as demanding as say a border collie but being a herding breed they do require daily exercise and mental stimulation. A long walk a day or two should be okay along with some agility, flyball or obedience. They're an average shedder but shed heavily once a year, the coat needs to be brushed a couple of times a week but is generally easy to care for. They're also prone to barking, I know that's a training issue but one that you should be aware of if you live in an apartment or have neighbors nearby.

Just out of curiousity, what is the other one?

Thank you everyone!

I have crossed out Finnish Lapphund off the list completely (for now), I honestly didn't consider the heat factor, which was a huge oversight on my part (I live in a warm area of Australia). It's all well and good to say that I could keep a dog with access to water and aircon, but it is still warm at night, we would hardly have a chance to do any activity and that wouldn't be fair. Maybe oneday when I move to a cooler state! It really sounds like an awesome dog though. I did hear somewhere that their coat is quite wash and wear, but I am still surprised by how little grooming is needed.

I have to agree with you guys about how well a small dog would blend into the current routine. I have become quite used to the convenience of travelling with a small dog. Back seat, harness on, crate in the back if needed and you are off.

I would be willing to change routines and up the exercise levels for a larger and/or more active breed, but I do think that right now I am happy with our routine. The papillon keeps sounding more like my type of dog all the time. It seems to have all the qualities I look for in a dog in that convenient small package. Also, the grooming is similar to what I would need to do now. JRTs - I am still curious about and I will have to do some more research on them (well both breeds really).

Could I handle a DA dog? Truth is - I already have one. Well, she is fear aggressive, based on our behaviourist's diagnosis, but we are working on it and quite enjoying our progress! It has certainly bonded us together. As you can imagine, I do not think we will ever compete in dog sports, but, I go along to lessons (with her in the background, safely restrained and out of the way) because I want to learn agility for home practice, just for our own enjoyment. Ocassionally when I feel she is settled enough, we will do some on-lead work at training in a class setting. Sorry, I have gone completely off-topic, but yes - I wouldn't specifically go out looking for a DA dog, because I would love to compete in obedience/agility, but if my dog was DA or became DA, well... my dogs always have a home with me and I will always seek out a behavourist for help.

Oh and I should add that I am not even sure if I will ever be ready for a second dog with my current girl. I have successfully introduced her to my parent's dog and they do get along well, albeit with supervision. It takes a long time and I'm not sure I am willing to introduce a pup into such an environment. One step at a time though, I have no need to make a decision right now. If I could confidently introduce another dog, I would probably lean toward a young adult rescue or young adult from a breeder given the current circumstances.

I would love to own a Pointer or a Rottie one day, but I think I will stick with what I know best for now and what until I have more general and training experience under my belt. Thanks for all your help, I will keep researching and I'll will most likely be back with more questions.

Glad to hear you are finding something that will work. I don't know if you have looked into them, and it sounds like not might not be the time in your life for a bigger gun dog, but spinone italianos are really nice. They are much more laid back in comparison to the pointers. We will likely end up with one at some point.

The second is the Lapponian Herder.