Family pooch suggestions
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Wow I didn't see the entire second page of replies.
As for age, I've trained a dog before but it was from a pup. I wasn't looking too closely at adopting an older dog because I didn't want to have to worry about all the previous owner's bad habits. Is this a valid concern?
I liked the idea of the sighthound (whippet) and I've spent some time around greyhounds and loved how affectionate they are. These are still on the list even though I'd have to be careful about letting it off leash (but like you say, you can't have everything...).
As for age, I've trained a dog before but it was from a pup. I wasn't looking too closely at adopting an older dog because I didn't want to have to worry about all the previous owner's bad habits. Is this a valid concern?
I liked the idea of the sighthound (whippet) and I've spent some time around greyhounds and loved how affectionate they are. These are still on the list even though I'd have to be careful about letting it off leash (but like you say, you can't have everything...).
Greyhounds are pretty snazzy dogs and if you go through the local retired racer group, they can tell you which dogs are good with cats as well.
If you are looking for the Lab/poodle mixes, be forewarned that many of them do actually shed...and it's very hard to find a reputable breeder. There are plenty in shelters that shed a bit but are otherwise pretty sweet dogs; many are given up because people don't realize that FluffBall was going to have the energy of a sporting dog.
Same reason many people give up their Labs...
If you are looking for the Lab/poodle mixes, be forewarned that many of them do actually shed...and it's very hard to find a reputable breeder. There are plenty in shelters that shed a bit but are otherwise pretty sweet dogs; many are given up because people don't realize that FluffBall was going to have the energy of a sporting dog.
Same reason many people give up their Labs...
Quite a bit, as will feeding a good diet. While Purina, Iams, Eukanuba and Science Diet have slick ad campaigns, they are actually full of crap. It'd be like feeding Twinkies and Lucky Charms to your dog every day. There are many good food suggestions scattered around The Dog Food forum, or you can go to The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare? to learn how to read and compare dog food labels so you can make an educated choice.
Many, many people have had great success feeding a raw diet to their dogs, which drastically reduces shedding, improves the health of the dogs teeth and makes waste-clean up a snap. You do need to do a fair amount of research before switching to a raw diet, there are some ratios and things to adjust over time. It's not hard once you get into it.
Many, many people have had great success feeding a raw diet to their dogs, which drastically reduces shedding, improves the health of the dogs teeth and makes waste-clean up a snap. You do need to do a fair amount of research before switching to a raw diet, there are some ratios and things to adjust over time. It's not hard once you get into it.
Some great breed suggestions by folks on here. Just to add:
This is all stuff you will have to train. Some breeds are more prone to fetching, and training a retrieve command can take some time. Being safe offleash relies entirely on a 100% solid recall (dog comes back to whenever called) which is also trained, and can also take time.
The cat stuff is not so much a trained thing, as long as you have a breed with low prey drive, but even then, if a dog never sees a cat until adult life, sometimes they just don't get along with them. If you get the dog used to the cat slowly, then it will be less of a problem (take it from someone who's currently training her obsessive border collie to leave the cat alone).
Hope that helps!
This is all stuff you will have to train. Some breeds are more prone to fetching, and training a retrieve command can take some time. Being safe offleash relies entirely on a 100% solid recall (dog comes back to whenever called) which is also trained, and can also take time.
The cat stuff is not so much a trained thing, as long as you have a breed with low prey drive, but even then, if a dog never sees a cat until adult life, sometimes they just don't get along with them. If you get the dog used to the cat slowly, then it will be less of a problem (take it from someone who's currently training her obsessive border collie to leave the cat alone).
Hope that helps!
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How would those fit ANY of his requirements, outside of a jogging partner?
They shed trashbags full of hair near round, tend to be very vocal dogs, aren't the greatest off-leash and tend to be pretty high energy.
They shed trashbags full of hair near round, tend to be very vocal dogs, aren't the greatest off-leash and tend to be pretty high energy.
I'm going to continue backing a poodle or a rescued poodle mix, but there is a valid point from dobes . . . if you look at rescue/shelter dogs its quite possible that you will find the perfect dog for you, and of a breed type no one would have thought of suiting you. Breed traits exist, but they are "average" for that breed, and of most use if you are buying a puppy from a good breeder. When you get into "second-hand" dogs, you may find all sorts of dogs that don't match the "typical" for their breed, but are exactly what you are looking for.
My suggestion is to decide what is MOST important to you on your list and tier them accordingly. IMHO, you have too many specific things you are looking for.
First, almost every dog will shed. Some are just very low shedders.
Secondly, every dog will bark at something at one point in time or another. Separation anxiety is something that you may want to consider if you're going to leave the dog alone alot. IMHO, leaving a dog alone for 5 hours is fine. Leaving a puppy alone for five hours is not fine.
You did say your wife would be at work for only 5 hours a day, right?
In that case, you may want to hire a dog walker or find some way to come home from lunch if you are bent on getting a puppy.
Not saying you can't get a puppy, just saying that getting a puppy is much harder in some cases then an adult dog. When my pup comes, I'm going to have to invest in doggy daycare and a dog walker.
IMHO, a retriever mix will be your best bet if you don't want a pure bred. I'd not suggest labradoodles- I know people who have them and they all say they're ridiculously hyper.
I do not know any personally, so you can take that with a grain of salt. However, if you rescued and adult labradoodle, you'd be saving a life.
As for having to train the kinks out of a rescue dog- yep, if you get an adult, you may very well have to do that. BUT if you get a dog that is being fostered, you can get a better idea of what the dog is like as opposed to you getting one from a shelter.
Many rescue groups send their dogs to foster homes, so maybe a rescue group is going to be up your ally. I'm sure someone here will provide you with groups in your area.
Good luck!
First, almost every dog will shed. Some are just very low shedders.
Secondly, every dog will bark at something at one point in time or another. Separation anxiety is something that you may want to consider if you're going to leave the dog alone alot. IMHO, leaving a dog alone for 5 hours is fine. Leaving a puppy alone for five hours is not fine.
You did say your wife would be at work for only 5 hours a day, right?
In that case, you may want to hire a dog walker or find some way to come home from lunch if you are bent on getting a puppy.
Not saying you can't get a puppy, just saying that getting a puppy is much harder in some cases then an adult dog. When my pup comes, I'm going to have to invest in doggy daycare and a dog walker.
IMHO, a retriever mix will be your best bet if you don't want a pure bred. I'd not suggest labradoodles- I know people who have them and they all say they're ridiculously hyper.
I do not know any personally, so you can take that with a grain of salt. However, if you rescued and adult labradoodle, you'd be saving a life.
As for having to train the kinks out of a rescue dog- yep, if you get an adult, you may very well have to do that. BUT if you get a dog that is being fostered, you can get a better idea of what the dog is like as opposed to you getting one from a shelter.
Many rescue groups send their dogs to foster homes, so maybe a rescue group is going to be up your ally. I'm sure someone here will provide you with groups in your area.
Good luck!
If you are willing to give up on letting the dog off leash, you might find your ideal dog in a greyhound rescue. They do get dogs periodically who are pulled from the track because they have zero prey drive and totally will not run. When we looked into getting one, there was an entire litter who was washed from racing at 1 year old because they didn't have the drive. They were all safe with small dogs and cats.
My friends say they could never have a sight hound because of the off leash issue, but it's something we've adjusted to and a small sacrifice for their other good traits. It's a lot easier too, if you have access to fenced acreage for them to play on. We've got a 5 acre pasture and my aunt has a 20 acre pasture.
Standard poodles are good dogs too, and can be trained to be trusted off leash. You can alsomake them look like this:
Or you can have someone make your dog into a mini buffalo: :rofl1:
In general, you can cut down on shedding significantly by feeding a high quality food, plus regular bathing and blowdrying with one of those industrial dog grooming blow dryers. They will literally blow all the dead hair out of your dog's coat. It's great.
My friends say they could never have a sight hound because of the off leash issue, but it's something we've adjusted to and a small sacrifice for their other good traits. It's a lot easier too, if you have access to fenced acreage for them to play on. We've got a 5 acre pasture and my aunt has a 20 acre pasture.
Standard poodles are good dogs too, and can be trained to be trusted off leash. You can alsomake them look like this:
Or you can have someone make your dog into a mini buffalo: :rofl1:
In general, you can cut down on shedding significantly by feeding a high quality food, plus regular bathing and blowdrying with one of those industrial dog grooming blow dryers. They will literally blow all the dead hair out of your dog's coat. It's great.
I will fully champion a shelter mutt.
Do a little background research and find a shelter or rescue in your area with a good reputation. Then go to their adoptions coordinator with what you're looking for. A good place will help you find a couple dogs that meet your criteria. Many even do "trial adoptions" so you can take the dog for a week or two and see if the prey drive is too high. (My rescue actually requires this for homes with other animals or small children)
I got nearly everything I could have ever wanted in a dog. Minimal shedding (I only see it when I vacuum), energy/drive, lover of people, snuggler, good with other dogs, under 35 lbs, smart/easy to train, etc, etc. Yes, she has a few quirks (she's afraid of big trucks/buses), but that could have happened with a puppy too. Getting an adult dog, I knew what I was getting. We worked with a great shelter who was honest and up front with us, and had done very good temperament testing.
I think it's a good idea to have some dog breeds in mind when you go in (though we didn't), but I wouldn't limit yourself to them. The individual dog's temperament isn't necessarily going to be the breed standard.
Do a little background research and find a shelter or rescue in your area with a good reputation. Then go to their adoptions coordinator with what you're looking for. A good place will help you find a couple dogs that meet your criteria. Many even do "trial adoptions" so you can take the dog for a week or two and see if the prey drive is too high. (My rescue actually requires this for homes with other animals or small children)
I got nearly everything I could have ever wanted in a dog. Minimal shedding (I only see it when I vacuum), energy/drive, lover of people, snuggler, good with other dogs, under 35 lbs, smart/easy to train, etc, etc. Yes, she has a few quirks (she's afraid of big trucks/buses), but that could have happened with a puppy too. Getting an adult dog, I knew what I was getting. We worked with a great shelter who was honest and up front with us, and had done very good temperament testing.
I think it's a good idea to have some dog breeds in mind when you go in (though we didn't), but I wouldn't limit yourself to them. The individual dog's temperament isn't necessarily going to be the breed standard.
After reading your questions I was going to say Poodle too. My husband said amost the SAME thing you did when we got our first minature Poodle. That was almost 20 years ago and we have had two so far. We have had two Akitas and a Shepard Husky Mix during our 19 years of marriage. Now we have a 9 month old Akita/Doberman mix, a 10 year old Poodle and a 4 year old Chihuahua.
He now will tell anyone the only breed he would ever own, if it was only up to him, is a Minature Poodle. The only complaint I would have about a Poodle is the grooming. I used to groom but now I take him to a groomer every 6 or 8 weeks.
I was going to also suggest a Boxer but they can't be outside for long.
He now will tell anyone the only breed he would ever own, if it was only up to him, is a Minature Poodle. The only complaint I would have about a Poodle is the grooming. I used to groom but now I take him to a groomer every 6 or 8 weeks.
I was going to also suggest a Boxer but they can't be outside for long.
IF you keep up with the daily brushing it will help a lot but I know I am not so good with keeping up on it. I did not realize how nice it was to not have a shedding dog until I got the mix I have now. What a difference it is! I am constantly sweeping my kitchen, hall and vacuuming. My 16 year old are complaining about dog hair on their black work pants. AND he does not even shed "that" bad. It is just I only had a Poodle (no shedding) and a Chihuahua (sheds I'm sure but he's 4lbs how much hair could there be, we never noticed it at all) for so long I forgot what it was like to have dog hair in the house. It doesn't bother me really, I adore my Reno no matter what! He really is a GREAT dog, I got lucky he's everything I wanted and it's a fluck I got him.
I did break down and buy this expensive brush that so many swear by. It is called the Furminator and what a difference! I did not think a brush could make such a difference but I can brush him with any other type of brush (I have a LOT of brushes) and a few hairs come off, then go over the same spot and the Furminator is full of hair. His coat even looks so much nicer.
I did break down and buy this expensive brush that so many swear by. It is called the Furminator and what a difference! I did not think a brush could make such a difference but I can brush him with any other type of brush (I have a LOT of brushes) and a few hairs come off, then go over the same spot and the Furminator is full of hair. His coat even looks so much nicer.
Id sugest a poodle. I never get why people dont think youd be less manly if you owned one. they are a retricing breed, much like a lab or goldens job. the haircut is for a reason. And you dont need to keep it cut in that haircut at all.
If you are considering a doodle, you know they do look very much like poodles. lots shed like crazy as well. since they are not a breed, they dont breed true and can shed, look more like a lab, look more like a poodle, ect.
There is a very rough looking biker guy at our dog park with 3 standard poodles. he adores them and takes about them like they are the best breed ever. Whch they are a awsome breed.
If you are considering a doodle, you know they do look very much like poodles. lots shed like crazy as well. since they are not a breed, they dont breed true and can shed, look more like a lab, look more like a poodle, ect.
There is a very rough looking biker guy at our dog park with 3 standard poodles. he adores them and takes about them like they are the best breed ever. Whch they are a awsome breed.
I would suggest a labrador or lab mix. They're about the most common shelter dog and thus you can look until you find the perfect one--lots to choose from. They do shed, but otherwise fit your criteria very well.
Regarding the sighthounds . . . My understanding is that even sighthounds who are "good with cats" will often only be good with THEIR family's cats, indoors. The OP wants a dog that will not kill the neighbor's cat. I wouldn't suggest a sighthound.
A lot of "doodles" shed . . . There is no reason to get a "doodle" over a labrador or a poodle, IMO. I mean, if you see one at a shelter and fall in love with it, great. But I wouldn't buy one from a breeder.
They do shed, but otherwise fit your criteria very well.Regarding the sighthounds . . . My understanding is that even sighthounds who are "good with cats" will often only be good with THEIR family's cats, indoors. The OP wants a dog that will not kill the neighbor's cat. I wouldn't suggest a sighthound.
A lot of "doodles" shed . . . There is no reason to get a "doodle" over a labrador or a poodle, IMO. I mean, if you see one at a shelter and fall in love with it, great. But I wouldn't buy one from a breeder.