What breed is my dog?

Hi, Sorry if this thread is in the wrong place, but I'm trying to find out what breed my dog is. Nobody seems to be able to tell me for sure. The shelter said, "our best guess is shar pei retriever mix, but we don't know for sure". I told that to the vet, and she said, "that sounds good to me, I don't really know. Sorry". Neither of those are reassuring answers. I just want to be able to answer the question correctly when people ask me.

I am also thinking about getting a male dog to keep her company. Would like to find the same breed. It would help me search for one if I knew what I was actually looking for. Thanks for your help. Three pictures in my profile. Sorry, none of them are great pictures, I'm an accountant....not photographer =P

How old is she? How big? How much does she weigh? What are the more prevalent breeds in the area she came from?

Also, it's not going to matter to her whether another dog is close to the same breed as she is or not; it's a matter of personality and compatibility. My three are as different as you can get, breed-wise, but their differences complement each other and they enjoy each other thoroughly . . . well, most of the time, lol.

Vet said she is just under two years old, shelter said about a year...so I'm not sure. She is about 40 pounds, and standing up just above my knees.

Sorry I'm not all that helpful, I don't know much about dogs and nobody I have talked to seems to have definite answers for me. I understand that there is no 100% definite answers when it comes to age/breed.

I'm sure this isn't a very good reason, but the reason I want another dog of the same breed is because I want them to look alike. I fell in love with my dog when I saw her at the shelter. She is the perfect size for the place I live in, she is the cutest thing ever. She gets along great with my son. One of the reasons I'm looking for another dog is to keep her company. I'm told it is because she is a female shelter dog, but she is very dependant on me. She follows me around on my heels all day long. When I sit down, she lays down within a couple feet from me. The minute, I get up...she is up following me again. I just want her to be a little more independant. Hoping another dog will help. Any suggestions on how to achieve that without another dog I'm all ears.

I smoke outside, the minute I go out the door to smoke, she is running upstairs to look out the window to see if I'm going to my car to leave, or just smoking. Then she runs full speed up and down the steps going back and forth from the window upstairs, and the front door trying to figure it out. This is my first dog I have ever had so I'm still learning. Thanks for your help.

Hard to tell from that pic, a front and side shot (standing) would likely help. I do see Shar-Pei (ears are a give away).

Just saw your new post. If you plan to go to a shelter you probably can find another dog with a similar look that has a temperament you want. However I would not leave them alone together, which kind of goes against why you want another in the first place. Shar Peis can have issues with other dogs, so that is why I suggest only having them together when you are around to make sure they don't get on each other's nerves. Make sure you look for a dog who is good with other dogs and kids and who has an independent temperament, if you can find one who was fostered it would help. The last thing you want is two clingy dogs when it's not something you like.

The clingyness just sounds like her temperament. I don't think it's because she's female, they tend to be more independent, being from a shelter may or may not have to do with it. She could have been like that before or it could have developed from being abandoned, who knows. Just be prepared that another dog may not help with clingyness.
She could have some separation anxiety as well, there's not enough info for that in your post.

Also make sure you bring your dog to meet any new dog before taking him home, make sure your dog sees you give the new dog attention so you can see how she reacts. Check and make sure she is comfortable sharing you with another dog.

I guess my major point is get a dog if you want a dog for YOU. Because there is a decent chance it won't help your dog with her clinyness at all. As far as other ways to help with independence, I'm sure there are some, I just don't know them.

My brother lives in my basement, and he is always talking about her seperation anxiety. She wants to be with me all of the time. I have trouble getting her to eat most of the time because I leave. I put her food in the bowl, and walk into the other room and she follows me without touching the food. If I go sit down next to the bowl. She will come eat. If I walk off to another room, or go sit down elsewhere in the room, she will just come to me. I know she likes the food because she eats it when I leave it in the kennel for her. Or when I'm sitting next to it. I'm assuming it is like you said, she was abandoned by her first owner. The shelter said she was brought in and dropped off and no info was left for her. So they just had to guess everything. She was "trained" when I got her and was already fixed. That somewhat explains her freaking out every time I leave the house. She thinks I'm never coming back. Hopefully that will fix itself over time.

Separation anxiety is not uncommon in shelter dogs, but you can find some tips and training exercises that will help her feel better when you leave.

As for breed, it's very hard to tell just from that one pictures. She does like she might have some shar-pei in her, but she could be a mix of 10 different breeds. If you want to get another dog, I'd just start looking through shelter dogs. You can search for shar-pei mixes on petfinder, but the personality might be drastically different than hers. Shar-peis are not known to be good with children or other dogs, so if you decide to adopt a shar-pei mix, make sure you know the dog's personality will fit your family.

There are probably plenty of shepherd/boxer/lab mixes in the shelters who have a very similar look, and possibly similar temperament, to your dog.