Breeds for the first-time owner.

Maxy24

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#41
Growing up we had shih tzus. If you keep their coat trimmed they are as active if not more active in the summer than most breeds. There is a trainer around here (quite an aversive one strangely) that does quite well in obed with them. There are also a few doing agility.
I just figured with the squished face summer could be rough. Most of my Shih Tzu experience is from my uncle's dog but she's not exactly well bred and she's pudgy. She also has a collapsing trachea. I took her for a 20 minute walk around the block on a hot day over the summer and started to get worried she was going to heat stroke, she barely made it around the block. But she's probably a bad example of the breed. She is awesome at obedience though, a breeze to train, really smart. But really boring.
 

Dekka

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#42
Their faces are squished, but not as squished as some others. Ours didn't have huge issues with heat as long as her coat wasn't really long.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#43
I have shih tzu clients here in vegas and they do just fine. They tire easily, easier than my labs, but a large number of pet owners want a nice even pace walking buddy that is ready to sack out and cuddle when they get home.
 

Catsi

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#44
I adore Cavs. I wish they weren't so unhealthy. They are just... nice little dogs. Happy and sweet and cute and just... NICE.
Oh, they are, aren't they? I've fallen for a few Cavs. Lovely dogs. I agree about the health issues though... I personally just couldn't go there.
 

Laurelin

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#45
Chis and poms are different for sure but I just thought they had a similar look to them, only chis come in short coated varieties. And they're easily the most overpopulated toy breed. You can find all sorts of chis in rescue and on CL needing homes.

As far as cavs go, my friends with them have all had heart problems in their dogs. That doesn't mean that they died young though. Most I know lived quite a while (the oldest was 14) but they still had heart problems for at least the second half of their lives.
 

yoko

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#46
I have really liked all the Poms I've met :)

One little note since you seem to be super against it. If you friend falls for a 'designer' dog at a shelter none of the money is going to the breeder, in fact they probably had to pay to drop off there and it needs a home just as much as the other mutts. If that's the dog she falls for it shouldn't matter if it was a byb designer dog or not once it's in the shelter it's not helping any of those breeders out any more. So if she clicks she shouldn't be turned off by 'designer dog' labels
 

ravennr

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#47
I have really liked all the Poms I've met :)

One little note since you seem to be super against it. If you friend falls for a 'designer' dog at a shelter none of the money is going to the breeder, in fact they probably had to pay to drop off there and it needs a home just as much as the other mutts. If that's the dog she falls for it shouldn't matter if it was a byb designer dog or not once it's in the shelter it's not helping any of those breeders out any more. So if she clicks she shouldn't be turned off by 'designer dog' labels
Oh no no! Not against her adopting a designer breed at all! :) I actually told her she might find a great one specifically, instead of buying one from the paper or from one of these online shops that is essentially a pet store on the web.
I have seen so many Puggles and Cockpoos and Yorkteses it's ridiculous. I told her that most likely, many of the poo mixes she might find were surrendered because they didn't meet allergy standards with whoever bought them. She's considering that too.

I've seen quite a few Labradoodles in our shelters that I would LOVE to have. I feel much better adopting one than buying one, but let's face it, they're freaking adorable and I've actually never met one that I didn't love.
Mostly I just wanted to keep her away from trying to seek out someone breeding mixes on purpose for money, and telling lies about being hypo-allergenic, or easy to train, when around here you can find those mixes for adoption so easily (or any other breeds for that matter!).

She seems pretty set on a Pom, though. I think that small spitz look really appeals to her, or maybe it's the teddy bear look of a cut-down Pom. She said she wouldn't shave it to the skin though, just cut it down. :)
We have a few small-breed rescues here that have lots of Poms and Chis and such. No doubt she'll be able to find what she's looking for regardless of when she starts looking!
 

yoko

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#48
Oh ok. I may have just read some of them wrong. I'm half reading have trying to pay attention to American Idol for the bad people. XD

I disagree with designer dogs but once a dogs in a shelter it's not a designer dog it's a mutt looking for a home.

And our guess is Yoshi is a lab/poodle mix XD She doesn't always look like it until she gets wet and her fur is down and you can see how she is really shaped
 

ravennr

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#49
I saw a Dane/Poodle mix in a photo yesterday. Weird, but for some reason I could totally see myself bringing that dog home.

I really like some of the Goldendoodles I've met, too. I see mostly Labradoodles here. I love Yoshi's colouring, so neat looking. And she looks so silky!
 

BostonBanker

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#51
As far as cavs go, my friends with them have all had heart problems in their dogs. That doesn't mean that they died young though. Most I know lived quite a while (the oldest was 14) but they still had heart problems for at least the second half of their lives.
I just watched a friend put an ADCH (agility dog champion) on a Cavalier today. Health issues and all, if I wanted a small dog, it's the first breed I'd go to. I have never met one that didn't have a phenomenal temperament, and while the health issues are certainly huge, going with the right breeder is going to stack the deck in your favor for that. If I remember correctly, the breeder I know said their dogs were averaging 11 years at this point, and they continue to work to improve it.
 

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