Deciding on a breed...

Southpaw

Southpaw

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#1
I'm trying to figure out what breed of dog I want to get in a year or two, but it's proving to be a difficult task. Okay, so maybe I'm doing this a bit early but I flip-flop a LOT with things like this. ;)

There are so many breeds I love and totally want but my mom thinks differently. Her criteria:
"Small" breed
Short-medium length hair
"Cute"
Typically good with children

She wants a small breed because she doesn't feel our house is "big" enough for 2 "large" dogs (a boxer + whatever other breed we choose). Personally I don't think boxers are really very large dogs anyway and I definitely do not see how our house isn't large enough. Our neighbors have a lab and border collie and they're just fine...but whatever. Small to my mom I guess is no more than 30 pounds, I have showed her dogs that typically don't get bigger than that but she claims it's too big.

Hair length is obviously because of shedding. I guess I am not sure on what she considers too long, but she has made comments that she wouldn't want a golden retriever because of their hair. So, for whatever that's worth...

"Cute"....*sigh* The deal is this is going to be MY dog because I can't have any more rodents once the rats are gone, and that depresses me greatly because I LOOOOOVE my ratties. But she'll say no to a certain breed because she doesn't like it's looks. An example being Shiba Inu...I think they are gorgeous, she says no because of looks. :rolleyes:

Good with children because my mom does daycare so little kids are here pretty much all day. Our dog now sometimes gets crawled on by babies and they sometimes play with her ears...if she starts to get annoyed by it she just gets up and walks away.

So if you've read through this all and have found a breed that beats my mom's "standards" please share. ;)
 
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Dakotah_2009

OOO YEA SHHHAKE IT!!
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I really don't kow what breed to tell you. A Mini somthing breed. Australian Shepehrd, Schanzuar (sp?), Poodle, ? Look at Miniature breeds and see what u can find. Hope this helps.
 
Southpaw

Southpaw

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Thank you :)

I was actually thinking of the mini Australian Shepherd...I've always thought Aussies seemed like great dogs so a mini variety might be perfect. :p My sister actually puppysat an Aussie for a few days and she looooved her, so maybe that can help in persuading my mom...

One breed I was thinking of is Cairn Terrier...we could easily get one, we know someone who breeds them. But I don't think my mom likes them very much. :rolleyes:

Thank you again!
 
M

Melissa_W

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The only thing wrong with the mini aussie, based on your mom's criteria, is their beautiful long coat and shedding. But that's a silly reason not to get a dog, if you ask me. Maybe you can convince her of that! Good luck!
 
S

stirder

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Most terriers are high energy, and in my experience quite a few short haired breeds shed as much or more than many long haired breeds. Growing up my family had a Golden Retriever, a German Shepherd and a Jack Russel Terrier at the same time for many years. The JRT shed the most, the Golden actually shed the least of the three. Im not saying Goldens dont shed a lot, they do. Also, dont Mini Aussie Sheps have the same long coat of the regular Aussie Sheps? Not a whole lot less, maybe even more, than the typical Golden.
Also, how old are the kids in question? A lot of smaller breeds aren't always suited to smaller/younger kids. They may not like being picked up, they have high prey drive (depending on breed) and may chase little kids the same as they would a bigger kid but a younger child may react differently than an older child, and because of their small size they may not enjoy ears and tails being pulled.
 
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Dakotah_2009

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I don't think a Carin would be good. My grandma raised them a few years and then she sold them all, b/c she didn't really like them, they are pretty hyper for a small dog. But amini Aussie sounds GREAT!!! Or a Beagle is good too, those r cute little dogs I think.
 
S

stirder

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every Beagle I have met is a barker, stubborn, and brain is all in the nose. but I havnt met that many so I can't say for sure.
 
Ash47

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Bassett Hound? Great with kids.
Mini Poodle
Shih Tzu is a great choice. Wonderful with all people young and old. There are several in rescue too.
 
Southpaw

Southpaw

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I like beagles too but my mom doesn't want one, because of the baying and the "houndy" odor.

Yeah our boxer sheds quite a bit...I think it just doesn't bug her because the hair is shorter and not as...noticeable? Maybe if we got a dog with longer fur and kept it trimmed she wouldn't mind so much, the person who breeds cairns is also a groomer.

The age range of the kids varies. Right now it's 1 1/2 years old to 5 years old. We do watch them around the animals and if they start pulling on things we get them away from the dog. They're all usually down in the basement or outside all day anyway so if it did become a problem we could just put up a baby gate to block the stairs. We don't worry about it now because Molly never goes downstairs unless she is with one of us, but if it ever became a problem we could take care of it.

Thanks a LOT guys. Picking the right dog is so hard...it took us forever to find Molly, who we thought was just perfect, and we did make a pretty good decision! :p
 
S

stirder

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#14
well, in my opinion (after being a kid with one) I think there is nothing better for kids than a golden retriever. (back me up on that grammy). they do shed, and the hair shows up more since its longer, but atleast with our golden it wasnt all over the house. we brushed her I think once a day, maybe 10 minutes and she barely seemed to shed at all.
 
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beagle_lovergirl

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Southpaw said:
I like beagles too but my mom doesn't want one, because of the baying and the "houndy" odor.

Yeah our boxer sheds quite a bit...I think it just doesn't bug her because the hair is shorter and not as...noticeable? Maybe if we got a dog with longer fur and kept it trimmed she wouldn't mind so much, the person who breeds cairns is also a groomer.

The age range of the kids varies. Right now it's 1 1/2 years old to 5 years old. We do watch them around the animals and if they start pulling on things we get them away from the dog. They're all usually down in the basement or outside all day anyway so if it did become a problem we could just put up a baby gate to block the stairs. We don't worry about it now because Molly never goes downstairs unless she is with one of us, but if it ever became a problem we could take care of it.

Thanks a LOT guys. Picking the right dog is so hard...it took us forever to find Molly, who we thought was just perfect, and we did make a pretty good decision! :p
Click to expand...
*sigh* Yes you probaly read everywhere about baying and houndy odor. That's not especifically true. Beagles bayed to warn a hunter how far the prey was. They'll only bay if they are irretated, disturbed or smell prey. It doesn't happen often. Belly's been with us for 3 weeks, she's only bayed once, when she was chasing a plastic bag blown in the wind. The houndy odor comes from the ears. Clean then 3 times a week and you won't have a problem. But if you really don't want a beagle, thats ok :)
 
S

stirder

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#17
I dont know enough about beagles to sya one way or the other, meant that comment way above this one as a question more than a comment. bigdog, I for one am glad you got a gsd. can be a challenge but OH SO WORTH IT.
 
Southpaw

Southpaw

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stirder said:
well, in my opinion (after being a kid with one) I think there is nothing better for kids than a golden retriever. (back me up on that grammy). they do shed, and the hair shows up more since its longer, but atleast with our golden it wasnt all over the house. we brushed her I think once a day, maybe 10 minutes and she barely seemed to shed at all.
Click to expand...
I love goldens...my neighbor has one, such a sweet and goofy dog. But it has to be a small dog and goldens are a bit bigger than boxers. :(

I would also love a Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever...but they aren't really on the small end of the scale.

I really want a mini Aus. Shep. though...I've even found a breeder that looks pretty good! http://www.birchviewkennel.com/index.html

But it alllll boils down to what my mom wants...eh.
 
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Melissa_W

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If you brush a long haired dog frequently enough, you never have a problem with hair. That's something you can point out to your mom as well.
 
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