1st dog-which breed?,i have 3 cats

hi everyone im going to get a dog next summer and i am having a lot of trouble trying to find a breed that is right for me ive found a bunch of breeds that i thought were good for me but then i find out something bad about that breed that is saomething that will stop me from being able to get one of the dogs of that breed.could you help me find a breed that is good for me?here is some stuff about me that matters when deciding on a dog breed-my family and i have 3 cats and a beagle and a doberman pinscher,i will be able to provide 1 hour (maybe more maybe less)of exersize in the summertime and on weekends during the school year including walks and running around and playing in the backyard and agility and or flyball.on schol days i will be able to provide 45 minutes (maybe more maybe less) of exersize including walks, running in the backyard,and agility and or flyball.i would like to do junior showmanship,agility and obedience with my dog.i will be able to provide 30-45 minutes of grooming weekly (maybe more or less).the amount of shedding doesnt matter.i am almost 11 years old so i dont want a dog that is huge but it would be ok to possibly have a large dog( like to size of a lab) i would prefer to have a medium sized dog (welsh springer spaniel size dog) or i would be fine with getting a smaller dog so any size dog exept for a huge dog (mastiff sized dog)
thank you so much!!!!!!!!
If I forgot anything please tell me!
oh yeah and my new dog will be kept seperate from the cats
now i'm finking about this dog & pics , looks nice
Thanks!

get another cat like all dogs need more exersize than that.

if this is your very first dog..i think you need to visit some local shelters and spend time with some dogs as a volunteer..and some local training classes to talk with people...learn more about what the dog is all about..go to some dog parks and talk with owners.Expecially in the hunting classes..they are breed to be able to run a long time, hunt hard..their energy is boundless, especially the first two years. There are many breeds that do make good dogs for a firsttime owner...but before i go further i want to write that going by the guidelines of a breed..doens't necessarily mean that if you get a dog of that class..it is going to behave that way..for example..a labrador/pointer family
TAte..loved porches..was a low impact kind of lady..when the other dogs ran around..she walked with the people..she was the dog on Chevy chase movie that just dropped down and slept.
Sally..needed reassurance..loved to play reasonably..had a sense of humour smallish..the runt
Garg her big brother..big time dog..1oo lbs..tons of muscled energy..could knock you off your feet..hard headed...hard to train
Mary..ohh my Mary..sensitive, wall flower, easy easy easy to train, still high energy
all so different they could be four different breeds..all the same litter (except taty and she was mom) so only put so much weight in what is written
try petsavers.com..look at rescue sites..attend adoptafests until you find the dog that sings to your heart...then you will have the right one for you.
you are very young..i would think your parents would like to go with you to these places and help you learn..i hope that you get a fine dog that makes you very very happy. forgot to add that most dogs do just fine with cats..just introduce them slowly and let everyone get to know each other...

When I was reading your post, a breed of dog just popped into my head. Have you looked at the Spaniels yet? They could get by with that much exercise, they are good with animals, they'd do wonderful in agility, obedience, or flyball, and they don't need a whole whole bunch of gromming. (Maybe 10min each day to brush their coat.) I was thinking particuarlly a Feild Spaniel, since English Cockers and Am.Cocker Spaniels require monthly trimming. But I think a type of a Spaniel would be a good fit.

Here are some links:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/fieldspaniel.htm
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/englishcocker.htm
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americancocker.htm
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/sussex.htm

You could also check out www.dogfancy.com and www.yourpurebredpuppy.com

I agree with smkie on volunteering at a local shelter. Not only will you get some good experience with different breeds, but you'll really see how much work is involved in taking care of dogs .

I don't think a Lab would work. I have a Lab and she requires AT LEAST a 1/2 hour of VIGOROUS exercise, though we go for an hour or more every day. I don't think any herding breeds would work either...high energy, and many require more grooming than you could provide right now.

What about a Miniature Pinscher? They don't require a ton of grooming or exercise. I think your best bet is just to find one or two breeds that do suit you, and research them like crazy, lol.

BTW, welcome to chazhound.

For agility realisticly you need a border collie, Pyrnean sheepdog or sheltie but all 3 of these need more exersise than you can provide

Why would you only need those breeds of dogs for agility? My local agility center offers classes for all breeds and sizes, as well as competition for these dogs.

Sooner or later I'm going to lose my mind and have a Fila agility dog! Although Bimmer, I'm sure, could leave most agility dogs behind as far as speed and maneuverability and definitely jumping ability.

Seriously, Ozoro, as I posted on your other thread, you don't have the time available it takes to devote to a puppy or to training for the kinds of things you're talking about. Adopting a young adult from a shelter or rescue would be your best bet. And you really should read BigDog's posts about his new pup, Rocky, and the work and time it's taking to do right by Rocky.

my mix loves the agility course and im going to put him in classes and everything why would only those dogs work for agility?

redbones take plenty of exercise when they are growing up and they like to run. they are beutiful dogs and great with other animals but they energy level is to high

renee you should put kharma in agility id love to see pic of that

I don't think a Redbone Coonhound would be a good match for you. They need TONS of exercise since they are a hunting breed. (They'd also might try to eat your cats. lol )
I have a mutt (Rose) that would probably be around the activity level of a Coonhound. She needs at least 30min of running (not walking, but running-like-crazy-chasing-rabbits-non-stop running) in the evening and then she needs about 30min-1hr of walking/jogging, plus a little bit of digging in our feild in the morning. She couldn't get by with just a 30min walk.
It would also probably be best to adopt an older dog (2-4years) because they are normally not as hyper. (Depending on what breed you get.)

I've really thought about setting up a course out here, Breeze. She'd do very well as far as being able to negotiate the course. When you figure these dogs were bred to herd wild cattle - wild cattle with horns - and hunt jaguar and wild boar, you know how quick and agile they have to be. Shiva's fast and quick, but by 9 months old Kharma was able to outrun her and out maneuver her. It might give her something to do that would keep her from wanting to herd the poor cowsies all the time, lol!

Neither one of them can keep up with Bimmer though!

The trick will be to convince her to do it . . .

ill come help just to see her do it once would be worth it i got scirracco one of the laziest dogs in the world to go throught the tunnel you should have seen that a greyhound going throught the tunnel it was soooooooooooooo funny i dont have a pictured of this we can make one up there and train kharma and walker together lol that would be fun to see

Victor walked the course at adoptafest..did everything slowly but more than agreeably..except the teeter toter..tht would not be something i would expect to walk him thru.would want to teach that one in a few lessons so we went around it.if we had a place to practice..i bet he would be tough to keep up with. We were playing with the flashlight last night and he jumped his hind legs as high as my shoulders..boiiiiiiing!

i love you stories about vic i want g/sh pointer so bad. lol and he sounds like he acts like one. they love laser pointers too ill post pics of akira and morgan playing with one shes almost as fast as him even with her legs

we all offer classes for all breeds but if you wanted a dog for the purpose of agility or fly ball realistically your looking for either a border collie Pyrenean sheepdog or sheltie

I like borders and smooth faced Pyreneans but shelties are just plane ugly

Any breed can do agility but the best breeds are

Standard height - Border collie
Mini/Midi - shelties or Pyrenean sheepdog

Agility is all about speed.

the best dog i saw at the akc agility comp. was a irish setter

Statistics show those breeds are the best check out any results from world champs you wont see any Irish setters.