Dog To Coax Me Out Which breed for me?

Aahahahahahaha! Better overload than nothing I guess? I figure the more I give the more help I can get!

I was eyeing the German Pinschers but I hear they can be even more troublesome than Dobermans despite their size! I'm not sure how true that is though, do you have any experience with them? (Aside from the whole 'depends on the dog' thing.)

Basenjis have high prey drive I thought and are incredibly energetic with a need for agility classes and such? Although the fact that they clean themselves like cat and have such an odd bark is fascinating! And I have to admit they look positively gorgeous and regal.

Ooh, I need to look into the Wheaten terrier some more! I admittedly tend to dismiss most long haired dogs cause I worry about the heat.

Also while 10k is a lot its not every day that I'd be running it! (I wish...)

Although now I am eyeing EBTs and MEBTs...freaking adorable, I just worry about stubbornness since they'll be my first dog when it comes to training.

I personally would never introduce a dog unless everyone in the house was 100% behind the decision.

I also think you being unrealistic in your expectations. I don't know of any dog that has no or little grooming requirements, doesn't shed, requires limited exercise, tolerates very high temperatures, doesn't bark, has no prey drive and is "tough" looking. All your other requirements (good with cats, children, easy to train, etc.) will depend on the individual dog.

A cat would suit your requirements well, minus the 'looking tough' part.

Scrap the wheaten not great in warm climates!
What about a shar-pei.. too big?

I think Labradork is right.. I said it before, I think most your criterea cancel out 99% of dogs!

Dogs bark, they shed, they need exercise. Good training will stop a dog from barking too much, give it good recall etc. It's harder to work against a dogs breed traits so you do need to look at them but maybe be a bit more open minded.

It looks like you like the EBT, so I think maybe it would be a good idea to meet some of these in rescues, or chat to a breeder over the phone, or again a dog show?

Read loads of books and you will know what to do from the start and train the dog. Most dogs can be trained well if you have the motivation, patience and knowledge

I had three cats before I was definitely a cat person, think of it as a transition?

Limited exercise isn't as bad as I thought as people are claiming my exercise regimen is fine - when I see 'moderate exercise' I kept thinking they're asking for at least 2-3 hours of nonstop action. I just meant I don't think I can handle that level of intensity (Noooo Border Collies for example.)

Prey drive can be trained I figured? Although much more difficult with hounds bred for it (mentioned it so that sight hounds won't be on the top of the list.)

No-barking=Usually trainable for the most part too so not as important. A few barks are fine, especially in warning or excitement, I'm not asking for a silent dog.

I made a better list of qualities I am looking for in the second page excluding what I figure are more of my family's fears due to our previous dog. Should I alter my OP to reflect it? I should have listed it in order of importance though, like so:

*Moderate energy.
*About small-to-medium
*Tolerates heat. (Though indoor and airconditioned I'm worried about the heat if I go for walks/runs.)
*Not overly protective/guard dog - meaning it can socialize with other humans comfortably (though they don't have to love'em forever on first meeting either...)
*Tolerates other animals with proper socialization (dogs, horses, cats and rabbits. Horses aren't a must but bringing him to the stables would be wonderful...)
*Trainability/Obedience (though this shouldn't be the least important I realize this is highly dependent on the individual dog /and/ trainer too.)

I /prefer/ tough looking, but thats just cause I'm such a girly girl; aesthetics should mean very little if it is the ideal dog.


But yea, you're right about family. My mother's reluctance is probably my main concern; hell her reluctance is the reason there are so many expectations in the first post. If in the end she is still unsettled then I have no choice but to concede, even though I'll be living in a separate apartment it is still within her house and I worry the dog may still feel uncomfortable.

Well it is shame you have ruled out toy breeds as 'bug eyed snarly yappers', because many toy breeds would fit this set of requirements very well. I assure you that when purchased from a reputable breeder and well trained and socialized, toy breeds are not snarly or yappy.

Our second dog tainted me. I don't know why but I still get tense and wary around what I consider 'yappers' that remind me of him (Pekingese being the main of course, Shih-tzu, some Bichon Frise, long-haired Chihuahuas, etc.)

Huge monstrous dogs? Not even a blink from me. Hell I was lunged at by a massive golden lab when I was 9 (I took his food bowl away, wooops) and it didn't phase me. But that little pekingese mix? Gave me a freaking phobia. (yea, its an exaggeration but still! )

Which of the toy breeds do you recommend? I'll check them out anyways.

Oh, I understand. The memories of my grandmothers Toy Poodles, who were not the nicest of characters (understatement of the century -- they were horrible ), come flooding back whenever I see one. BUT, dogs are a product of their breeding and how they are raised, and you can't generalize whole groups or breeds of dog based on experiences with a few individual dogs.

Papillons, Cavaliers and Yorkies may be worth looking at.

I think its good you're really looking into this before going ahead and getting a dog. I personally would wait and see what your circumstances are for definite once you make the move - it may not be exactly as you thought, and plus there may be breeds around that just arent really "available" like they are here, or more native dogs that are better suited to the lifestyle and environment.

What you could do is have a look through the Kennel Club "dog finder" website. They ask you a series of questions and suggest more suitable breeds to those answers you gave them and they give you the full info on the breed.

There are negatives and positives to each breed....and all dogs in a breed whilst they have shared characteristics, some are very individualistic and dont always go with the norm so its hard to pinpoint characteristics and wants and dislikes to a certain breed and say "yes, here is your perfect dog". Some breeds are more prone to behaviours than others - i.e terriers generally have a higher prey drive, etc.

I love EBTs and MEBTs. If you put the time and effort into their training, then any EBT owner will tell you that they are a fab breed to own. Like many of the bull terriers they are very eager to please, and thats generally what makes them a trainable dog - because they have this natural "want" to do it for you...to make you happy, lol. As with any bully, they do need a relatively firm owner, which anyone is capable of being, because they are strong dogs and if they arent well mannered they can be difficult because they are fairly clumsy and often they think they are the size of a puppy and will end up in someones lap for attention not realising their size! But for any dog, training is massively important.

I personally have a staffy and completely adore the breed. They are pretty common in places like Aus, South Africa, etc and generally do pretty well in warm weather because they have a thin coat, they're a medium sized dog, dont need massive amounts of exercise, but they are quite human dependent dogs and separation anxiety can be quite common because of that. So there are definitely ups and downs of all breeds no matter how much you love 'em.

Good luck on your dog hunt, check out the KC website.

Oh yes and by the way it is totally impossible to resist sad Staffy eyes.

I can 100% vouch for that.

I do think one would suit your lifestyle quite well, and I have to say I have never had a problem in training my staffy. I often think that "stubborness" is an excuse for improper training, or just not understanding the dog. I'm a first time dog owner with my staffy and as a breed they are very forgiving of mistakes lol.

So glad you have decided to at least think about Toys as I think they could be a good choice.

Many toy dogs are badly behaved (nervous, aggressive, snappy, barky etc) becasue being so small, owners let them get away with it! Too many times you see a small dog bark or growl at something and the owner rewards them by comforting them or picking them up, which only increases the behavior.

Some breeds maybe: King Charles, Dachshund, Minuature Pinscher, Papillon, Toy manchester terrier, Yorkie.

But I still think you should meet some Staffs and EBTs.. they are such sweet dogs, just often fall in to the wrong hands and end up with a bad rep.

WELL SAID.

Man, you guys are awesome! Thank you so much for being so patient with me and my hectic inquiries and childlike insistence! (There must be a dog for me! Even if I can't get it now!)

I found this book on EBT training called 'When Pigs Fly' (goodness the title is so fitting!) which looks rather interesting; anyone read it?

I've going through the KC website quite a bit for the past week or two Although I am rather curious about what breeds they would suggest now in comparison to the first time I went through it...

Aaah! Dachsund and MinPin are on the top of the list! You're good WhichPets...

Woop! Well so glad you at least have some breeds to look in to. My bfs family have a daschund and she is everything you are after - small, not too active, not vocal and very sweet but not tough looking!

When I was looking I had a similar set of requirements and got a buhund but I think the climate would be too warm.

Hey again, no I have not had either of these dogs or any experience with them... I completely forgot about basenjis prey drive, I just thought they would suit the heat....

just did a brief search for you, on the KC website, it was very vague and already tonnes of breeds are ruled out... Never mind, Ill mention them anyway....
basenji, bull terrier, smooth collie, Cirneco Dell'etna, dachund, german pinscher, manchester terrier, mexican hairless, parson russell, staffy, corgi (cardigan), whippet, smooth fox terrier, shiba inu, buhund, shar pei, swedish vallhund, corgi (pembroke), miniature pinscher
As i said, not my personal preferences, and I can already rule out most for you.... but have a wee look anyway ;-)

Excellent book, for ANY breed - and a good book if you're new to training. It assumes your dog is going to be difficult, so it goes into great detail with every step..... so it also works for dogs that do enjoy training and learn more quickly. I love it.