Breed suggestions (not for me)

[Toller_08]

Can anybody out there think of a breed with these traits:

- Minimal grooming (smooth or short coat much preferred. Hairless is ok too.)
- Minimal exercise requirements
- Not known for DA or SSA
- Friendly and happy with people and other dogs
- Eager to learn and willing to please
- Large (50lbs and over)
- Relatively healthy and known to live generally at least 10 years
- Not too noisy (doesn't want a dog that will bark at every little thing)
- Ability to be off leash reliably (no hounds)

This person wants a dog basically as a nice, easy to live with companion. She enjoys going to dog parks occassionally, but mostly this dog will recieve leashed walks and play time in the back yard. This dog will be taken to obedience classes, and while the person enjoys training, she has no desire to ever trial or compete in any venue in any way. This person is used to dogs that can be a bit head strong (Rottweilers, Dobermans) and can handle that, but mostly she'd be better with a dog who enjoys working with it's owner and is eager and willing to please. This person does not do well with dogs that are intense or high energy, and does not want to deal with aggression or reactivity if she can help it (will not get rid of the dog if it develops an issue, though). This person is a fantastic dog owner but is looking for an easy to live with dog in comparison to the dogs she has now, who are not a good match for her, but she makes do and loves them anyway.

Does anybody know of a breed out there that fits this description? I thought maybe a (show bred) Lab would be good, but she finds them very unappealing to look at. Not that that means they're automatically ruled out, but we all know that appearance does play a role in what we like to live with. I thought maybe a Smooth Collie would be good too, but I don't know much about their energy levels... and the barking might be an issue. Not sure how trainable they are to not bark at everything. The ones I've been in dog classes with seemed really easy going and nice to be around, though. Any suggestions or experiences you can share about any breed you feel fit the above description would be greatly appreciated! This person had a Rottweiler in the past that fit all of her requirements perfectly, but the Rottweilers I know now don't seem quite as laid back as she was.

[Sit Stay]

I thought Swissy but I don't know how healthy or long lived they are. I did know one quite well though and he fit the bill perfectly - just an all around easy dog! Not high energy at all, very dog and people friendly, just very sweet and easy.

[OutlineACDs]

Whippet--- maybe not within her size requirements, but meets everything else

Labs shed like whoa, so if her reason for wanting a short coat was shedding she may want to rethink that.

[~Tucker&Me~]

To be honest her best bet may be to check out shelters. Puppies can be a huge PITA and that way she can be sure that dog dog she's getting will be exactly the kind she wants Puppies can always be a gamble.

[Whisper]

I'm thinking a shelter dog, too. All the breeds I think of that match a couple of requirements definitely don't fit the rest. If she got a young adult from the shelter I'm sure she could find all of that (except reliability off leash for certain- I've never known a shelter that checks for that).

[Toller_08]

Originally Posted by Sit Stay

I thought Swissy but I don't know how healthy or long lived they are. I did know one quite well though and he fit the bill perfectly - just an all around easy dog! Not high energy at all, very dog and people friendly, just very sweet and easy.

She really, really likes them. Might have to look into them a bit more. I've heard rumors that they have a tendency to be dog aggressive, but I don't know if that's true or not.

Originally Posted by OutlineACDs

Whippet--- maybe not within her size requirements, but meets everything else

Labs shed like whoa, so if her reason for wanting a short coat was shedding she may want to rethink that.

She used to like Whippets, but after getting to know a couple, she's not as big a fan as she once was. They seem pretty fragile. All of the ones I know tend to be very prone to severe cuts and scrapes and injuries (thin skin?). And a visual deterrent would be nice too (though not a requirement), being a smaller woman on her own, which a Whippet isn't much of. But other than that, they do seem like a good fit other than size.

No, shedding isn't a huge problem. She would prefer minimal shedding, but has lived with heavy shedders. She just doesn't want to have to trim anything (not even feet or ears, like I have to do with Dance).

Originally Posted by ~Tucker&Me~

To be honest her best bet may be to check out shelters. Puppies can be a huge PITA and that way she can be sure that dog dog she's getting will be exactly the kind she wants Puppies can always be a gamble.

Originally Posted by Whisper

I'm thinking a shelter dog, too. All the breeds I think of that match a couple of requirements definitely don't fit the rest. If she got a young adult from the shelter I'm sure she could find all of that (except reliability off leash for certain- I've never known a shelter that checks for that).

Adopting an adult dog is definitely not being ruled out. I've told her in the past that based on what she wants, it'd probably be easier to find those traits in a shelter dog than a purebred.

She does like raising puppies though, and by the time she's ready for a dog, it'll have been years since she's had a puppy so in that respect she might really want a puppy. At this point though, she just has no idea what breed to even begin looking at. Her favourite breed is riddled with health problems, which is why she's not seriously looking into them. And they're not quite as laid back as she thought they were (well, there is conflicting information - I still think she should go meet with a breeder and their dogs), which she could still deal with and live with, but she's really ready for an easier dog.

[CharlieDog]

Chessies might work if she goes with a good breeder who's honest about those lines particular tendencies towards DA and SSA. Or look into Curly Coated Retrievers! I've always loved Curlies.

[BostonBanker]

I thought Swissy but I don't know how healthy or long lived they are.

Pretty much not, at least around here. I've known five or six, some from the same (bad) breeder, some imported. I've yet to know a healthy one. Seizures, allergies, joint issues, eye issues. Granted, it isn't a wide range of dogs I've known, but every one of them had issues that affected their quality of life pretty early on.

Having said that, they were all nice tempered dogs, both with people and other dogs. Very "slow" for lack of a better term.

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by OutlineACDs

Whippet--- maybe not within her size requirements, but meets everything else

Labs shed like whoa, so if her reason for wanting a short coat was shedding she may want to rethink that.

She needs to meet some racebred whippets they tend to be sturdy dogs. Well most wellbred whippets I have met I wouldn't say are delicate. A black one would likely be a deterrent.

But if not a whippet what about a nice grey? Not a rescue but a pet/show bred one?

[Aleron]

The right Lab could be perfect. I know several Labs who would be perfect - not even heavy shedders because they don't have a lot of undercoat. One of them came from the local pound and she is a perfect pet dog really - very low energy, easy going, totally non-aggressive (even when a Cane Corso latched onto her face), super mild mannered. and narurally good off leash. Other "Mellow Labs" I have known were rehomes/rescues, show or pet bred or from service dog breeding programs.

Sighthounds don't so much seem to fit some of the requirements. Swissies are definitely not known to be really healthy, long lived breeds And the other two short haired dogs in that "family" are much more intense herding breeds. Smooth Collies could certainly be a possibility I would think. Collies are generally very easy to get along with and it isn't hard at all to find a low drive, low energy one.