UR responses to right breed 4 me, made me more honest.

[Guest Anonymous]

wow. The overwhelming response from you fine folk has been a very positive influence on me because now I want to rethink everything more honestly. I understand that it is a tall order to find a relatively inactive pooch who is quiet indoors, not impossibly hard for a novice to train, medium sized, short coated, light shedder, genetically strong (long term vet bills), obedient and can be left alone in my small apartment for a few hours daily without me having to come back to a destroyed apartment.
The primary reason seems to be activity level. I work from home and am energetic and can

[DogPaddle]

As you are not ruling out smaller dogs now - I vote for Border Terrier or Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Maybe you could go to some dog shows or events in these areas and see different breeds on your shortlist and/or talk to some breeders or better yet adoption groups?

[flypegasus]

Well ,I would advise you to take Chihuahua(Shorthair).
But PLEASE never buy this dog from the place were they saying about teacup or toy size!

[Guest Anonymous]

If you dont want a whirling ball of energy to keep up with, eliminate all terriers. Boston Terriers and Border Terriers are very active. It is part of what makes a terrier a terrier. Stubborn, independent, tazmanian devils. I dont think from your description of your desires that any terrier will be the right dog for you. (BTW - I own 3 JRT's and have owned nothing but terriers of some kind my whole life. I am lazy and need their energy to get me moving. They certainly keep life interesting, but they are not for everyone!!)

I think you need to rescue a greyhound. Contrary to popular belief they are very inactive. Especially retired racers. Also the older rescues are mostly already trained to some degree. There are thousands of racers put down every year. They make wonderful dogs and would really fit all of the requirements you have described. Take a look at greyhound rescue and see what you think.

[Sanvean]

Marys Mama, none of the Bostons I've met are typical hyper terriers... but I don't know a ton of them, so I may be off base here.

Poochster, I would advise you to stay away from "chi-poos" and other "poo" and "oodle" breeds. Sadly, about 99 percent of them are bred by people who don't give a flying fig about reputable breeding -- no health checks, no concern for temperament, etc. These folks are only concerned about making a quick buck on a "fad" dog.

If you are not averse to a small dog, how about a Maltese or Bichon? They are lovely, nonshedding dogs that are fairly bright and easygoing and not excessively hyper or yippy. My Macy, who is a Maltese, gets pretty much all the exercise she needs by playing indoors. Small dogs also travel easily, which may be a concern for you.

If you're interested, I have a Maltese page here: http://www.alexiscoxon.com/html/maltese.html

[ferky1]

I think that Shih Tzus should still be in the running and given your revised requirements, I think they should be at the top of the list:

inactive pooch who is quiet indoors - absolutely

not impossibly hard for a novice to train - Miles is my first dog ever and he was housetrained and had a slew of tricks by 4 months

medium sized, short coated - no, no :-? but. . . .

light shedder - absolutly

genetically strong (long term vet bills) - every dog is predisposed to different ailments. Shih Tzus have an average lifespan of 12-15 years

obedient and can be left alone in my small apartment for a few hours daily without me having to come back to a destroyed apartment - one of their greatest attributes is how calm and laid back they are. But they are NOT pushovers. If you are alpha and command respect, you will have a strong, obedient dog who hangs on your every command. If you are weak and don't display your dominance, you will get walked all over. This is true of many breeds.

Keep up the searching and good luck. 6 hours a day for a month?! I think it's time to pull the trigger!

[Peng1zrule]

All I can tell you is that you described my ten pound Gypsy to a "T". She is half maltese and half shih tzu. (and either one of those dogs are good dogs) Along with basic obediance, (well....we compromised on "down" because she WOULD NOT DO IT) she can shake hands, sit up on her haunches, back straight, and display her front paw pads--either to beg or stick 'em up, and one hilarious time she kept trying to eat my bowl of soup right from under me and I went to shaking my finger and she "surrendered"-----she can spin in a circle as if she's chasing her tail, stand up on her back feet and spin. She can, if I clap my hands and then hold out my palms, place both paws, one on each palm. She will also "kiss" me by bumping what I assume to be her lips against my lips. This is not lick or nibble-it's a KISS. She can come and go as I point her. She will help me in all aspects--one time she rushed to my defense, teeth snarling, voice a growling scream. If I have a grudge against someone, she won't let them near me. One time my shepherd mix and my siberian husky got in this monster fight. I was trying to drag the two apart and I was making sure everyone was out of the way. Labs? livingroom. doxie? hall. gypsy? hanging onto the sibe's foot, trying to drag him backwards, off of buddy, whom I had ahold of. she was trying to help me break the fight. She has personality and when she feels she knows better, she will move heaven and earth to make it happen. Now, she needs attention but not in that pushy way--she only wants to lay on my lap or curl up beside the keyboard while I work. I can leave her for looooooooong periods of time and she will amuse herself and not wreck anything. ANYthing! she can figure out almost any problem--she is not allowed to put her feet on the cockatiel cage, so she figured that a) if she's behind the cage I can't reach her b) if she touches the wall, she's not actually touching the cage and she can't be in trouble. I've even seen the mutt put one foot on the wall and one foot on the cage, just so that she's not actually in trouble. She is trained to be quiet and to hush on command. She also will not bark at inconsequential things--stray dogs, rabbits, cats--but will sound the alarm if any person comes up to the door. She even knows how certain people's feet sounds on the steps. As for excercise--we play fetch inside for a half hour every day, and walk for about twenty minutes or so. she is a small dog, and a full blooded maltese is expected to be half her size--but i think your uneasiness with small dogs is that they are so breakable. I know this is why I disliked small dogs for so many years. However, Gypsy feels very solid when I hold her, and I know she is more fragile then my husky or shepherd or lab, but she can also hold her own in most dog situations. One thing is that she IS a "baby" If she is hurt, or scared, or intimidated, she comes to 'mama' (me) and wants to be held--I could NEVER give her to someone or allow someone else to become her primary caregiver--she needs ME too much!

[imported_Kat]

You sound like you want this "

[atghylin]

Poochster, you say you want a dog that will accomidate a work before play rutine. Okay, a Shih Tzu or a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are probably the closest you'll come to that. My CKCS is perfectly happy to sleep at my feet while I'm busy doing something else, but if I get up he'll follow... he has a natural curiosity. He's always ready to play when I am and if I'm not... well lets just say I keep my feet out the way and enjoy the show. These once a day shows last about 10-15 minutes as Felix runs circles through every room in the house. That's his daily excersize. What he gets out of it I have no idea. I can also tell you that my mom's Shih Tzu does the same thing. We loving call this rutine the scooters. :wink: If this holds true for most or all dogs of these breeds I have no idea, but it is interesting to watch. :D

[Guest Anonymous]

I think the best option would be to probably eliminate the notion of the ideal breed and focus on the ideal dog. Perhaps a trip to a shelter (or several) and just spend some time there. I believe an older dog is probably more suited to your needs. Most of the dogs I've adopted have been at least a few years old and, to me, they are usually easier to train and handle than puppies. You don't have to go through that rebellious, adolescent stage, the teething stage (read chewed up shoes, furniture, magazines, whatever), the intense housetraining (I've found older dogs actually easier to housetrain), or any of that. You can find dogs that have already been spayed/neutered and that's one less thing you'll have to deal with (aftercare). Many times, these dogs are left by families moving, abandoned when the owner died, or >insert endless scenarios here<. Many of these dogs are already socialized, housebroken, have a few years behind them and are more easy going and less energetic and probably just what you are looking for. Seriously, I don't think ANY puppy is right for you and I don't think any particular breed is what you're after. Even within breeds, dogs are individuals with individual needs. Sure, you may be able to expect more of a certain type of temperament or disposition, but there are still no guarantees that any dog will be the perfect representative of its breed. You need to find the right dog. Check the shelters and if you don't find what you're looking for, just keep checking. You'll eventually find the perfect dog for you and you'll also be saving a life.

[Sanvean]

I don't think Poochster is selfish so much as realistic. A LOT of people have very busy lives and have to get a pet that fits into that. It's good that he realizes he can't accommodate a very active dog. (Though I do think a puppy would be a BAD choice; an adult would be much better.)

My list of demands would've sounded unreasonable, too:

1. Hypoallergenic (DH has allergies)
2. Good with cats (we have three)
3. Good with kids (we plan to have some in a few years)
4. Candidate for pet therapy (I have always wanted to do this) -- so the dog had to have a very easygoing temperament
5. Doesn't need a lot of exercise (we're pretty lazy!)
6. Is OK being alone for 8-9 hours (we both work full time)
7. Isn't overly bark (barking drives DH nuts)

We did a TON of research and finally decided on a Maltese, a decision confirmed when we babysat a friend's Maltese and she fit into our household perfectly. We then searched awhile longer and found Macy (who was 4 at the time), who was a retired breeder's bitch.

[Malamum]

Poochster has given a list a mile long of what he doesn't want and if you were to meet every point on the list then I don't think such a dog exists.

Dogs are kind of like kids - messy, noisy and destructive but the flip side of that is a whole lot of fun and love.

Poochster, I think you need to focus on why you want a dog and the aspects that you do want. Start from there, however you will need to compromise on some of your points.

[Guest Mutts4Me]

I, too, support poochster's attempt to really research this adventure before jumping into it.

I very strongly support what Guest said, and what myself and several others said in the first thread.

Go to a (Or several) animal shelter! Guest said it perfectly. Stop looking for the ideal breed, and find the right dog. Unless of course you absolutely want a purebred dog, and even then, you may find that in a shelter.

I think it's great that you're being so honest about what you want and need in a dog. So take that honesty and share it with counselors at your local shelters/rescues. If they have a dog who they honestly think suits you, they'll let you meet it, and you can decide what you think about it. These people are trained and dedicated to knowing their dogs and placing them in proper homes. I'd at least give it a shot.

[courtnek]

I agree that a shelter may be your best bet. As a novice dog owner, you may not want to deal with a young puppy, that needs constant attention
and constant trips outdoors to be housebroken properly....

Like I said earlier, you may walk into a shelter and fall in love with the perfect dog....

[Guest Anonymous]

i do second the recommendation for a grown up dog vs. a puppy. if you want to raise a puppy properly, he or she is going to come first for quite some time before anything else.

delay that potty trip because some urgent work needs to be done and housetraining will take you so much longer. neglect proper socialization (with other dogs AND people) and you will have to deal with the consequences for the rest of the life of the dog. this isn't only limited to "playing nice" with kids, even if they aren't your own, or not barking up a storm when home alone and the neighbor makes the slightest noise.

even at a purebred puppy you only have a guess at what it will develop into, and chances are slim if you happen to get a dog from a bad breeder (i use the term breeder in the loosest sense here).

if you adopt (or buy) an adult dog, what you see is pretty much what you get. not to say that the animal won't adjust to your routine or can't be trained - which is far from the truth - but you, the inexperienced dog owner, has less of a chance to make mistakes. there are just about as many possibilities to get an adult dog, purebred or mix, as there are to buy a puppy. some breeders retire animals and look for good homes for them. there are rescues, breed specific as well as all breed. in both cases you will be talking to people who can tell you a lot about a specific animals' disposition and condition.

i commend you for doing all the research "homework" and hope you will soon find the "right" dog for you. :)

[Aroura]

Poochter, you've just described a Papillon to a T again :wink:

inactive pooch who is quiet indoors - Yes, they will sit by your side and dote on you all day, but are one of the most adaptable breeds around and will walk for km's if asked to, so long as it is with you :D

not impossibly hard for a novice to train - They win obedience and agility trials all around the world, they are great for obedience training.

medium sized, short coated - well, they are small.... but their coat isn't too long and doesn't have to be clipped ever

light shedder - They don't have an under coat so aren't big shedders at all.

genetically strong (long term vet bills) - Papillons are very genetically stable dogs, and if you find a good breeder it is highly unlikely anything will pop up.

obedient and can be left alone in my small apartment for a few hours daily without me having to come back to a destroyed apartment - They wont rip every thing up, I doubt their little mouths are capable of chewing through anything of any significance!! Still, with any breed if they are going to be left indoors while you are away it is safest for them if they are crated. I'm not sure what your asking for when you say you don't want a dog that is a push over, but they are intellegent enough to keep you guessing.

Of course I'm biased, but if they weren't such a lovely breed I wouldn't be going so far out of my way (and budget) to get one!!! You get the added bonus of owning a dog that isn't very common, is wonderful to look at, and that is easy to take any where with you due to their size. They are very loyal and easy to keep, look at a couple of web sites and I'm sure you'll fall in love also :wink:

Good luck, just one last thing I have to say - stay away from designer breeds. Especially if you are looking for such a strict criteria you really want to stay away from cross breeds as you don't know what you're getting. A chipoo (we have one) is just as likely to pick up all the traits you don't want from each breed as they are to pick up the good ones. You may end up with a yappy, hyper active dog with long fur that sheds like mad! :o

[Guest Anonymous]

it rains all the time in florida so you can't take the dog out side?? UHHH i live in Seattle.. where it rains 10 months out of the year... i take them out all the time.. dogs aren't affraid of rain. it wont hurt them...
as for your post.. it seems as though your wanting a dog that doesnt' exisit.. maybe start out with a hampster or something.. ;) dogs are a lot of work.. they need time to get out and play and exercise... good luck i nyour search

[flypegasus]

Have a look at this shelters,they all located in Florida

www.crar.org/crar/Adoptables.htm
www.chi-rescue.com
www.petfinder.org/shelters/FL83.html