What Type Of Breed Would Be Good?

[Millie12]

Hi, just wondering if any of you could help, me and my partner are looking at getting a dog, we have a 1 bedroom townhouse with a small- medium backyard, and we want one that enjoys both indoors and outdoors but will most likely sleep inside. Any suggestions would be good!! We are looking at medium dogs, that don't require much grooming attention, but we're also quite active so we would take the dog for heaps of excercise.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Millie12

[Kirty]

Cavalier might suit, maybe two Cavaliers if you work a lot. They do need grooming, but not too much. But they need company.

[ashka1]

Chinese crested! Active Fun loving, little or no grooming

[Pointees]

I second a Cavy

Maybe a JRT?

[poodlefan]

Hi, just wondering if any of you could help, me and my partner are looking at getting a dog, we have a 1 bedroom townhouse with a small - medium backyard, and we want one that enjoys both indoors and outdoors but will most likely sleep inside. Any suggestions would be good!! We are looking at small - medium dogs, that don't require much grooming attention, but we're also quite active so we would take the dog for heaps of excercise.

I suggest you decide about this now. Some breeds are not suited for a life outside. In higher density living arrangements, I'd suggest few are.

Will your puppy attend obedience training? How many hours a day will the dog be without company?

How much grooming are you willing to do? Are you happy to have a dog professionally groomed?

[pmiller]

Hi, just wondering if any of you could help, me and my partner are looking at getting a dog, we have a 1 bedroom townhouse with a small - medium backyard, and we want one that enjoys both indoors and outdoors but will most likely sleep inside. Any suggestions would be good!! We are looking at small - medium dogs, that don't require much grooming attention, but we're also quite active so we would take the dog for heaps of excercise.

I've got a two bedroom townhouse with a smallish backyard. We got our first Cav and had him for about a year. Then added a second a year later. However, they are virtually indoors 24-7, except for a trip outside to take care of business and a walk (twice a day, about 30 mins in the morning, 20 mins at night). With this amount of exercise, I find they sleep pretty much all day. We've never taken ours to the groomers once, but will give them a scrub once a month, brush every 5 days or so. It was a great decision to get a Cav...haven't regretted it once!

[Millie12]

hey guys thanks for the replys. The situation is i live in a remote area 4 hours drive from closest town. There are about 20 dogs where i live of all different ages and different breeds. Size of dog doesnt really bother me as long as it loves running around at the local oval as i play a lot of sport. At worst it would be home 20 hours a week by itself as my partner works mornings and nights on a rotating roster. I would prefer it to be inside during the day as it can very hot here. Willing to groom once a week. Hope i dont offend anyone but king charles is out and so is JRT. I have to like the dog as much as it has to suit my situation.

[Sandra777]

What type of look in a dog do you prefer? A breed like a Whippet sounds like it could be OK - except they need to be very well trained to be able to "run around at the oval" without fences - but if you hate the look of the Whippet but love the look of a Bulldog for example then it wouldn't help much to suggest one

[SpikesPuppy]

What kind of dog do you like?? Fluffy, cute, face-only-a-mother-could-love, common or rare etc? Do you want a dog that is going to keep you on it's toes with a huge personality or do you want something that's happier just to go with the flow of life?

[ellz]

Another approach would be for you to tell us the breeds that you like and then information can be given as to whether or not people consider they are suitable for your needs.

[Rozzie]

Shih tzu, geat little dogs and you can keep them clipped.

[addy001]

sounds like an SBT (staffordshire bull terrier/staffy) might suit..

[Millie12]

Will keep the whippet in mind and do some more research on it,but my OH, she doesnt like them might need more info from you guys to why they are suitable and a great pet!!Myself likes amstaff,eng staff,ridgebacks,boxers,or possible gun dogs but dont know much about them as yet.

[MissMolly]

Just wanted to say that a King Charles Spaniel and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are two different breeds..

[cassie]

Most of those are large breeds, didn't you say in your original post you wanted a small-medium dog?

[cannibalgoldfish]

I would say Shiba except for the letting them run around an oval bit. Apart from that they are small and active, happy to live indoors or out and really only need brushing when they blow coat. But off lead....... I wouldnt.

[Gayle.]

Kelpie, Smooth Fox Terrier, Flat coated retriever (bit bigger than small-medium), Beagle (not offlead though), Border Terrier, Dalmatian (bigger than small-medium), Manchester terrier (might be hard to come by), German Pinscher (another one that might be hard to get), Australian Shepherd (could be a bit hairier than you'd like but easy to groom).

That's just a selection of very different dogs that might suit your criteria, but they are all very different, all require very different types of handling and it comes down to what you, as the potential owner, like.

[addy001]

possibly also a Hungarian Viszla, my in-law has one as his hunting/family dog, she's a great dog

[Millie12]

sorry meant Cavalier King Charles, my OH started this thread this morning and thinks that because we have a small yard we have to have a small dog, which i dont htink is entirely true,correct me if im wrong. Have edited original post.

[persephone]

Living in the NT- you may want to avoid the short-nosed breeds, as they can have problems with breathing/staying cool in hot weather.

Also - letting a dog run around the oval means that you will have to put in a lot of obedience training beforehand , and it is also a bit of a concern , with regard to other non- friendly dogs