laid back small breed? General Chat

At the moment The Rescue Home I work for have several "designer" dogs in, however they have lost their designer names & are classed as Labrador cross, Boxer cross, Cocker cross, JRT cross, Yorkie cross, Poodle cross, Corgi Cross, Collie cross, Pug cross & Heinz 57.
When one of these breeds are adopted the Microchip & paperwork will simply said crossbreed or Heinz if there are no recognize breeds.
I said earlier I hate designer breeds, but there are lots of Puggles (Pug cross will be name on paperwork) in rescue homes across the UK

That's fair. You don't own a breed, you just own two dogs that are that breed. I'm sure those with Puggles want them the way they are, too. "Your" breed took a while to find its "pure" state (whatever that means). The difference is the length of time the breeds have existed. Same with all "newer" breeds or "hybrids". That is why I used the Utonagan as an example. They were also established in the 1980s and are really just hybrid dogs same as Puggles. Funny how nobody from the UK has anything bad to say about them. In addition, her definition isn't correct according to the definition presented in the American dictionary, which is why I posted the link.

Something to bear in mind is that many of the toy breeds are actually usually super active and energetic. My sister has a Toy Poodle/Maltese mix that is always on the go and has only just started calming down a bit now at 8 years old. He wasn't/isn't a lapdog type dog and is always wanting to be doing something. So whilst you may downsize you may find the energy levels in some toy breeds still very hard to manage. The exceptions to that would be the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel which is more level in it's energy needs and generally has a calm demeanour about it.

Terriers are a bit of a mixed bag, but generally pretty full on and full of themselves, especially as youngsters.

P.S ( and off topic ) but I think I recognize you from another forum elsewhere @katilea Your Collie is JJ, yes?

It's a pity about the grooming side of things because a Bichon fits most of your criteria

To me, pure means that this breed has existed since at least the 1600's, and has been maintained by selection on the grounds of their working ability by various hunt packs. As a show dog, the Beagle Club is one of the oldest, having celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2015. To my mind it is a waste of these generations of selective breeding, to then devise a cross with a breed that adds nothing to the breed's heritage.
I can quite see that a Beagle is not for everyone. It is a stubborn, scent-fixated breed which can be a real challenge to train, but if you do love it, why want to add new colours and a pushed in nose? There are other are over 200 other breeds to choose from, or if you prefer a cross, there are lots of cross Staffies, (or APBT's), in rescue.

I'm sorry Myra, but Webster's dictionary is wrong. Try looking at Hybrid (biology) on Wikipedia.

Right. So your definition of pure is a breed from the 1600s. That's purely an opinion of what a "pure" bred dog is. Certainly isn't realistic if you ask me. The AKC accepts MANY breeds not nearly as old as that as papered "pure" bred dogs.

That's because to be frank, all modern dog breeds came from crossing breeds. Gotta love people who try and step on that. As if they were back in the 1600s to start breeds. As long as dogs are healthy, I don't see a problem with one breeder over another. I can't find myself to be that hypocritical/biased because I love Labrador mixes, not actual "pure" Labradors.

If I got another dog, I'd want a Labrador/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. If someone had a litter of them and I could afford it and the dogs were healthy, I'd get one and I'd be proud I got the dog I wanted. I'd never opt for a "pure" Labrador instead. And Puggle breeders/owners don't love the Beagle OR the Pug, they love the Puggle. I'd suspect THAT'S why they add pushed in noses to Beagles and big hangy ears to Pugs. They have no interest in adding to the breeds heritage, they merely want the kind of dog they like. That's why "hybrid" dogs are on the rise. People want what they want. Snobby attitudes towards these breeds won't stop them.

As for the dictionary being wrong, I'm not even going to argue that. We're taught to believe it is correct and there is almost always more than one definition of a word.

If you are correct, which I think you are, JJ was being trained to be Kate's service dog.

Yes, I haven't been around since Inca died earlier this year, it triggered a bad episode of clinical depression so at the minute just trying to get through one day at a time.

He can do everything I need him to do now but as I wasn't feeling I could go out when other people were about (in case they triggered a panic attack asking where my other dog was) he hasn't been seeing any of his doggy friends. A Mental Health nurse suggested getting another dog so he didn't miss out on another dogs company and to give me something extra to motivate me and get back my interest in life and planning for future etc.

Sorry Kate, didn't mean to wander off topic.

I hope you are feeling better now Kate - I know how you must have felt when you lost your beloved Inca, having lost my Pereg just over a year ago, then a month later my new puppy "vanished" while being supposedly looked after when I had an emergency hospital admission.

It was horrible being without a dog which is why I ended up with another puppy who is now just over a year old. She is teaching herself to be a hearing assistance dog, just as Pereg was [also self taught] warning me if anyone was coming down the path with different barks for "friend" or "foe".

I hope you find the perfect dog for you and that JJ and he/she get on well together.

Yes, apologies for getting into the history of dogs on this thread. I can't wait to see what you choose.

Nobody has any problems with crossbreeds being bred, it's the way in which they're bred that is the issue. Whilst it's all well and good wanting a Lab/Ridgeback mix finding one from reputable breeders with health tested adults would be near on impossible. And buying from anything less perpetrates the whole big issue of BYB's and puppy farms that as responsible dog owners none of us want to support!

And yes of course people love the mixed breed they choose to buy, but I find it's usually because they believe they own a rare 'breed' and can often times be just as snobby as purebred owners.

Yes, that's right.

So sorry to hear dear old Inca passed away. She was a lovely girl and I loved seeing pics of her. Hope you're feeling a bit brighter now.

So the Cavalier is the ONLY small breed that people would consider 'laid back' with a calmer nature?

French Bulldog?

There are others, but with many come with grooming requirements.

Moat smaller breeds are kinda hyperactive. The ones that aren't tend to be prone to health problems or need grooming. You've really got a small group to pick from based on your needs.

what would the others be?

I do like the black frenchies and pugs. I've been looking at Italian Greyhound which looks like a small whippet and googling whippet crossbreeds to see if them crossed with a smaller dog would make them a little smaller in height/weight than a pedigree whippet. Might also make them less prey driven if it was crossed with some kind of companion dog.

Bichon (white and needs grooming).
Tibetan Spaniel (too energetic probably)
Toy Poodle (grooming requirements again)
Pomeranian (grooming again)
Yorkshire Terrier (but can be yappy and does need trimming)
Papillon (again the dreaded grooming)

The Pom and Pap have straight hair though not curly like poodle surely it be easy to trim it myself without needing to pay for a professional groomer for the dogs entire life? You don't need to use those clippers to shave them?

I'm not totally against grooming! JJ needs his fluffy trousers thinning out every now and again and I trim the feathering off when its really wet and muddy weather to make it easier to get his legs clean, and use one of those Mikki rakes to get his undercoat out, it's just those clipper things I'm not confident with when you see them shaving the dogs coat off.

The Pom does come in black!

I don't know about the rest but Tibetan Spaniels aren't particularly energetic. Although they have long coats they don't need clipping.or trimming, just a regular brushing. They're funny quirky and hardy little dogs who love nothing better than sitting on the back of sofa looking out of the window. The downside of owning one is that they tend to be escape artists and houdini's and given half the chance could find their way out of a maximum security prison!

My tiny Chloe bless her!


Should also add that Tibbies come in either white and sable or black and tan!

I really do love Tibbies. Fantastic little breed