Life Expectancy? House Size? Which breed for me?

have fun with your search.if you need any info on cresteds or paps just ask and keep us updated

Thank you

The first training club I joined with my dog when I was 19 and in Uni, one of the trainers worked Shiba Inu's at very high levels in obedience and agility. They loved to work. They more she challenged them, the happier they were. We had another trainer who bred Chi's and showed them in conformation, obedience and agility, and several were therapy dogs, so training a chi goes a long way in making it a confident dog, and therefore and secure dog that won't need to snap and bite to "defend" itself.

I'll go ahead and recommend a sheltie. They are my favorite breed and good all around dogs. They have a long life span, mine all lived well into their teen years. They are wonderful companions, very trainable, energetic, and good with kids (should they be in your future).

Thank you very much for the information! I have to admit, I always wanted a sheltie when I was little but was never allowed one due to our cats. My only worry with shelties is their coat as both me and my mother have a tendancy to get sniffly with lots of fur. It's a shame because they sound perfect in all other respects but I don't know if I could cope with the fur

^understandable. It is a LOT of fur, and a lot of grooming to keep the coat up. My next choice would be a papillon. Great dogs, fab temperaments and love to work! Lots of dog in a little package!

I definitely like papillons, they're adorable and they sound like the perfect breed for me I think at the minute I'm leaning towards a pap or a chi if/when I get a dog.

if your looking for a toy breed look into Miniature Pinschers

to me they are the best, fearless,loyal,strongwilled,affectionate, they love to please their owner, they are just a joy to be around! minimum coat care if your not wanting to deal with grooming daily..ect i could go on about min pins

^ They're adorable! I'm not sure how I managed to miss them when I was researching the toy breeds, they'd be ideal for me I'll definitely look into them, thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm not sure if anyone will read this (I get updated by email when I get a reply to the thread but I'm not sure if it works like that for everyone else? :? ) but I thought I would update and ask a few quick questions

I had a chat with my mum tonight about possibly getting a dog or a puppy and she has agreed that as long as I will pay for it and look after it myself, she will be okay with me keeping a dog in the house.

However, because If I do get a puppy or dog (Which is still a big if at the minute because of the university issue) I will be keeping it at home, I asked what breed she would prefer. She read through this thread and has ruled out Min Pins (Refused to even allow me to have one in the house, very much confused me!) Paps (Because of the fur) and Yorkies (Not sure why!) but liked Chihuahuas so it seems that that will be the breed I get if I do go ahead with getting a puppy

So my questions about Chihuahuas are:
1. If I do go ahead and get a chi, when should I put myself down on a waiting list? I've heard that the rule is generally the sooner the better but what happens if I decide against getting the puppy in the end? Can I just pull out?
2. Should I put myself down on a couple of waiting lists or is this considered bad etiquette?
3. How much should I be looking to pay for a chi? I understand dogs are expensive (Especially chis at the minute) but what is 'extortionate' and what is 'reasonable' when it comes to buying Chis?
4. Any other information I should know?

Also I'd like to say thank you again to everyone who has given me information because It has really really helped me

Hi all, Not sure if anyone will read this but an update and more questions

I've had a proper talk with my mum today (again) about university, puppies and whether I could take my future dog with me to uni etc. etc. and she has agreed that if I do go ahead and get a chihuahua next summer, she would be willing to look after him/her during the week while I am at uni (Hopefully this would only be necessary for the first year but she has said she will do this for the full 3 years of my degree if necessary) as long as I come home during holidays and weekends to look after the pup (which was my plan anyway as it is just me and my mum and I don't like leaving her on her own for a very long time)

I was wondering what people's opinions are on this? Just to give some more info, my mum is retired so would be able to spend all day with the pup (minus the odd hour and a half when she goes to the shops or the odd lunch date with her friends every now and again) and has a couple of friends in the area with small dogs (One with a crossbreed and one with a Westie) who she could walk the dog with (provided of course we introduce them properly first over a period of time). She would also attend training classes with me and the pup and come on walks with us before I go to uni.

Do you think it's fair for me to do this? I feel other than the uni aspect, I would be a really good dog owner however, if to be a good dog owner I have to wait another 10 years to get my puppy, that is the road I will take.

When we were in rented accommodation before we bought our house we couldn't have our own dog but used to have my parents' dog at weekends. They were elderly and he was an older dog and he got the best of both worlds as they were with him all week so he had company and we had him weekends to take him to different places and for longer walks. He had the best of both worlds and was always pleased to go off with me on a Friday afternoon and pleased to see my parents when we dropped him off on a Sunday night.

The trainer at our heelwork to music classes had a Shiba but he had to work a lot harder with that than his other dog which was a border collie! I wouldn't call it a small dog either-a lot bigger than a Chi! Mary Ray now has a Chi called Chico that she uses in heelwork to music and obedience!

Thank you for your reply!

Hmm maybe keeping her with my mum during the week and with me at the weekends would be such a bad idea then! It certainly sounds like it worked out well for you

Yeah, Shibas do look quite a lot bigger than chis! And if they're more difficult to train then I think I might have to give that breed a miss until I'm older. Doing dancing with a chi sounds like a fun way to exercise though!

I think it is quite a good time to get a dog especially as you are going to be at home alot and have alot of time for training & long walks.

I got my dog in my 3rd year of a vet degree. You have to have an idea of your plans after uni because they are a life long responsibilty.

The housing is a little harder to get but I got a beautiful flat when I was at uni in Edinburgh.

I have never regretted getting Nina and we have loads of fun, so go ahead & enjoy.

I'm glad to hear that your experience was so positive! And it's really cool that you're a vet, I'd have loved to have gone down that route! I'm pretty sure I can manage a dog while being at uni although my mum has said she will look after it if I can't find a suitable flat (Although I've already had a look on Petfriendlyrentals.co.uk and there are a few flats in the area) and the area of work I want to go into shouldn't involve stupid hours or lots of moving about

I have actually just got back from an animal shelter this afternoon and have been approved to adopt a little Min Pin x