need help finding a dog

[yoko]

one of my friends lost a dog a while back. anyway i wanted to get her one, i talked with her parents and her and they were all ok with it and told me to go ahead. her parents even said they'd help pay. but i am having a hard time finding a dog for her. we've tried the shelters and rescues but haven't found any that match up. so i was wondering if anyone could give some input as to any breeds that might work out. what ever breed you reccomend could you please put in a link or tell about it?

some points to consider

*her old dog was a rat terrier
*she wants a smaller dog medium or large MIGHT be ok but would depends dog
*she is really active and would need a dog that could go out on walks and go with her when she rides her bike and keep up *she goes pretty slow*
*she has a young neice and nephew, they are good with animals but she doesn't want a toy dog that could get hurt easily with them
*she would prefer a breed that likes to swim
*she needs doesn't want another rat terrier, she likes them a lot but wants a different type of dog
*needs a dog without a high prey drive
*she has a few mental problems and because of this the dog can't be to big for her to control on a leash or to stubborn *no aruguing on if a dog can be or not just couldn't think of the right word for it* so that she would have problems training it.
*she would be willing to brush it out daily if need be

she does have some problems keeping her from having a large rambunctious dog. but she is a good dog owner. she keeps her dog with her at all times *gets paid by the state since she can't work so is home all day* dog would be home by itself MAYBE 7 hours a week. she keeps up on shots, she feeds, waters, exercises her dog all the time. i couldn't find any in the shelter that she likes so i was thinking of maybe findnig a purebreed that would fit her needs. she likes pomeranians... but i don't really think it'd fit her life that well

any help would be appreciated

 

[SummerRiot]

Perhaps a Sheltie would be good for her!

 

[Brattina88]

Shelties are awesome...
Cockers seem to match, and they love to swim its a lot of grooming though.

 

[poodlesmom]

How about a poodle - either a mini or a standard. This breed is very easy to train, they love to be with people, love to swim (they are a water retriever), they're great with other dogs. I know my standards would really enjoy to accompany me on a bike ride if I was a rider. Although they do need to be clipped about every 8 weeks, the grooming in between clips, especially if they are kept short like my 2, is very easy.

 

[MyIrishWolfie]

What about a schnauzer? I know I probably spelt that wrong but a family member has 2 of them and they seem pretty low key.

 

[stevinski]

i was thinking sheltie, too!

especially for an active living!
easily trained!
great wid kids if raised around them!
and love a daily brushing

 

[cowgurl6254]

Definitely go for a Sheltie! They are active enough to keep up with her, but very intelligent and obedient. They are great with kids and have no prey drive. They will herd ya, but that's about it. I guess I am kind of partial though...lol

 

[Melissa_W]

lol, I will also vote for Shelties. There might be other breeds that fit the criteria as well, but Shelties definitely do.

 

[mjb]

Sheltie does sound like a good match, but I agree with the poodle poster, too. Poodles would probably work very well within her criteria.

 

[Sprout]

Brussels Griffons can be quite rare and hard to find, but if you could, I would say look into them!

Sprout is kinda medium size, not tiny tiny, but not big either. He is 15" and 21 lbs. He LOVES to swim! He can jump in our pool, swimm across, and hop out by himself. He is also very smart and loving towards everyone, but him and I have an extra special bond together, I think most Griffons will form to one person (but still be friendly to others). He also protects me. Heh, at night when I sleepwalk I'll go downstairs sometimes and when the doors are unlocked, its not the best combination.. so he'll go in my parents room and lick and pounce on them until they wake up and come get me.
Sprout will sit down and sleep when we're watching a movie or doing something lazy like that, but he'll jump right up when you're ready to go, and is easy to handle on the leash (although he stays with me well enough that I dont really have a use for the leash anymore). Oh and he's VERY smart.. he knows many tricks and we do agility together
Griffons come in smooth or rough coat.

I only know of a couple other Griffons, but they seem to have a similar personality to Sprout's. I know dr2little (on this forum) has two, I believe.
The only thing I worry about is small-pet friendly. Griffons were bred to be vermin hunters in stables.. so it is kinda natural for them to chase after smaller things. Sprout is fine with our cats, but when he see's lizards scurrying around or mice, he'll try and catch them. But once I call him he comes right back.

http://www.brusselsgriffon.org/ That website has Griffons for adoption I think.. Im not sure how expensive they are nowdays

Ohh.. and my friend has a border terrier who seems to be quite a love. I dont know much about the breed, but I know Sally is a really sweet dog Good luck!

 

[pup-man]

Sounds like she needs a large dog in a small body = Mini Pin

 

[yoko]

i think i am about to ask a question that will make all sheltie owners cringe and i apologize ahead of time... are shelties the little lassie dogs? -.-;;; anyway if they are could you tell me about their temperment, activity level andd such

 

[Cassiepeia]

Yes Shelties (Shetland Sheepdogs) are the "mini collie" like dogs.

I was thinking English Springer Spaniel or Cocker Spaniel (English or American). I don't know if the ESS is too big though. You should check out all the Spaniels, there may be another one she likes, or suits her, more. All love exercise and swimming and are great with people and as far as I'm aware they're fairly easy to train.

Poodle could be a good fit too though.

Cass.

 

[yoko]

she doesn't really like the look of poodles so trying to avoid that but it is still an option. she really likes spaniels but i don't know much about them. would they be up for going out with her and camping *no hard hiking* and such?