Pick my (small) breed!

[*blackrose]

With the current situation the way it is, the only way I'll be getting my own dog in the next few years is if it is a small(ish) breed of dog. Easier to transport, takes up less space, and I like the idea of having dogs of similar size (you can swap crates/collars/dishes/beds/toys/leashes/what have you). That, and I just cannot picture another large dog in addition to four other dogs. I can a small(ish) dog, but not a large dog. This might change in the future, but at the moment...no.

In short, what I would love to have (based off my earlier thread about Chloe):
- Around 30 pounds. No bigger than 35, preferably not as small as 10. However, I'm also going off of height, not just weight. Cocker Spaniel size, or a bit bigger.
- Athletic, physical in play
- Adaptable energy level (aka, good off switch)
- Intelligent, eager to learn
- Expressive
- stable temperament (I am tired of dealing with reactive, sound sensitive, anxious dogs with no tolerance level for anything - I realize breeding/socialization plays a large role in this)
- Family pet friendly, be they dog, cat, or rat. Considering we'll likely only have the dogs this isn't a huge issue, but if we ever wanted to get a pocket pet or foster a kitten or something...
- wash and wear, or a coat I can shave down to be wash and wear
- can be trained to be off leash reliable
- good with children; I will be having kids in the next five to ten years

What would be icing on the cake:
- "Watch dog" instincts: protective of its property/humans/other pets, but still social to accepted people and great out in public. Aka, can put on a very good show, but in the end, I don't have to worry about the dog seriously hurting someone
- only barking when necessary. I absolutely hate demand barking.
- polite with strange dogs
- eager to please on top of having brains

The other preferences:
- boyfriend says no poodles, and he thinks "unnatural" looking dogs are, well...unnatural (aka, not attractive)
- I don't like curly or wiry hair. Greatly prefer a thick, short coat (like a Lab/Rottie/GSD).
- I'm open to adopting a mutt from the shelter, or a rescue. Boyfriend would actually prefer a rescue over a breeder bought dog.
- I'd like to be able to dabble in rally/agility/therapy work. Nothing serious, just for fun and the experience.

Current breeds of interest: Swedish Vallhund (there is a breeder about three hours away from me), French Brittany, English Cocker Spaniel (field bred), Miniature Aussie

I'm having a hard time really just feeling a "click" with a certain breed, because most of the breeds I'm looking at I've either never interacted with at all, or if I have interacted with them, they have all been very poor specimens. So I'm hoping people with actual breed experience can chime in.

[Emily]

Fiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeld Cocker, all the way... I'll return your PM shortly.

[Michiyo-Fir]

I'm thinking spaniel too. Maybe even a Cav if you want something war little more low key or English cocker could be a consideration too.

[*blackrose]

Fiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeld Cocker, all the way... I'll return your PM shortly.

Yey, I had hoped to hear from you about that. ^^ Cynder is a spaniel/lab cross and she is awesome. So a perk for a spaniel is that Mike really likes them and swears they are the best because of Cynder.

Originally Posted by Michiyo-Fir

I'm thinking spaniel too. Maybe even a Cav if you want something war little more low key or English cocker could be a consideration too.

If I were to get this dog, one of the reasons (besides what I want) would be as a playmate for Chloe. Poor girl doesn't have anybody to really play with and it makes me feel bad, so a "higher key" dog actually isn't that bad of an idea.

[HayleyMarie]

How about a German pincher. The ones I have met have been great little confident, spirited dogs. All though I've heard there is some crazy messes of the breed.

Tylers aunt has a few Swedish vulhunds. Awesome dogs, friendly, playful, and outgoing, but OMG the shedding. I looked like a carpet at the end of a play session with that dog.

[FG167]

Since you said you're not clicking withe spaniels yet...I vote for Cardigan Corgi!

My Eden fits every thing you mentioned, minus being tall. She is athletic and runs with GSDs at my house (and is the ruler of the pack - petite but *very* hardy!), she plays flyball, agility, lure coursing, tracking, obedience, rally etc etc etc She's 100% reliable *anywhere* I go - with kids, older people, wheelchairs, dogs, you name it and she's good with it - my friend even has a pet pig she's excellent with, and a deer! She guard barks at our house, but is super friendly when people are welcomed in. She's 21-23 lbs, small for a female, her sister, which we also have, is 25-27 lbs. She learns new stuff at the same speed as my fiance's Border Collie pup and is very, very willing and happy and in general lovely to be around.

If you want to see Eden in action in pics/videos, click on her name in my siggy, it goes to her blog and you can see all the things I've done with her - I got her from a breeder at 13 months old, I've only had her for a year and she already has a flyball title, two trick dog titles, two agility titles, two legs towards her lure coursing title, and her CGC. She came with absolutely no performance knowledge what-so-ever (she was a conformation dog).

[Aleron]

I don't think Valhunds would be a good choice for you because IME they can be dog reactive/dog aggressive. Honestly, I don't think any herding breed would be right for you for that reason - there is a tendency in herders to be a bit quirky, hyper-alert, reactive, etc. Not that all are or will be but the tendency is definitely there more so than in say most sporting breeds.

I'm not sure how different a French Brittany would be but I know off leash reliability is iffy in Brittanys. Not because they don't care about you or want to run away but because they have been bred to work far away from you. I think Cockers tend to work closer, so might be a better bet.

I think Danish Swedish Farmdogs would fit your list pretty well but they are probably a bit too rare.

[Renee750il]

Ordinarily I wouldn't recommend this, but my friend, Dina's Rat Terriers would fit nicely. They are an even tempered, beautifully social line and many are accomplished sport dogs, from weight pull to obedience, flyball, agility . . .



http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159449

[*blackrose]

Originally Posted by HayleyMarie

How about a German pincher. The ones I have met have been great little confident, spirited dogs. All though I've heard there is some crazy messes of the breed.

Tylers aunt has a few Swedish vulhunds. Awesome dogs, friendly, playful, and outgoing, but OMG the shedding. I looked like a carpet at the end of a play session with that dog.

I don't really know much about German Pinchers. I'll have to look in to them.

And shedding doesn't bother me - I've grown up around Labs, after all. LOL I don't think I've ever owned a dog that wasn't a heavy shedder.

Originally Posted by Aleron

Honestly, I don't think any herding breed would be right for you for that reason - there is a tendency in herders to be a bit quirky, hyper-alert, reactive, etc. Not that all are or will be but the tendency is definitely there more so than in say most sporting breeds.

I'm not sure how different a French Brittany would be but I know off leash reliability is iffy in Brittanys. Not because they don't care about you or want to run away but because they have been bred to work far away from you. I think Cockers tend to work closer, so might be a better bet.

I think Danish Swedish Farmdogs would fit your list pretty well but they are probably a bit too rare.

That is one of the reasons I'm leery about any of the herding breeds...the predisposition towards reactiveness. I didn't know if the dog's line would influence that or not.

From my understanding about French Brittanys is that they are a bit closer working. But yes, I think I would prefer a field line English Cocker to a French Brittany.

I'll also look in to Danish Swedish Farmdogs, but I think you're right that there probably aren't any around. lol However, Vallhunds aren't very common either and there is a breeder right by me, so who knows.

Originally Posted by Renee750il

Ordinarily I wouldn't recommend this, but my friend, Dina's Rat Terriers would fit nicely. They are an even tempered, beautifully social line and many are accomplished sport dogs, from weight pull to obedience, flyball, agility . . .

I think her dogs are absolutely gorgeous. Does she have a website that you could PM me?

[crazedACD]

Originally Posted by HayleyMarie

How about a German pincher. The ones I have met have been great little confident, spirited dogs. All though I've heard there is some crazy messes of the breed.

Ooh..agreed..I've also met some Manchester Terriers that were dreamy. There is one that comes into my work that I probably annoy the owners crooning over their dog. I LOVE him.