What Dog?

[Spottydog0]

Hi

Newbie here, I'm hoping you can point me in the direction of a good breed of dog for us. Neither of us have owned a dog before and initially were thinking about a sharpei but are unsure if it would be correct for us given what we have read about their style.

Our Situation is:

- Live in Sydney (fairly central)

- both in our late 30's, no kids and no plans for kids

- both working Monday to Friday 9 to 5, unfortunately no chance of taking the dog with us to work

- house has a reasonable back yard (big for inner city), secure and with suitable space for a kennel/shelter & water for the dog to be outside whilst we are at work

- want a puppy where we can at least meet the mother before buying, don't want a rescue dog (seen to many friends with bad experiences)

- need a dog that is happy on its own during the day (or otherwise 2 dogs that will keep each other company, although I expect 2 puppies may be a bit much of a handful initially as we don't have any experience)

- We are planning on a week off work each (separately) to look after the dog on its arrival with us

- must be friendly natured and happy to sit with us outside cafe's and bars enjoying being stroked by passers by.

- dog no bigger than knee height (body) at adulthood, but at the same time not a dog you can trip over by accident because it is so little

- prefer not too hairy and needing lots of grooming

Any suggestions?

[pixie_meg]

- must be friendly natured and happy to sit with us outside cafe's and bars enjoying being stroked by passers by.

I think you'll find that this will be mostly dependent on how well socialised your dog is. We made sure our pup was people dog and cafe socialised from a young age as we really wanted him to come eat out with us. He's 6 months old but is a polite pup especially at the cafe.

What kind of dogs do you like the look of?

How much exercise can you give?

I found the following selector helpful when i went to choose the breed i want.

http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/...electorindex.do

so far i can think of perhaps a cocker spaniel, beagle, Brittany, not sure what else. Most smallish dogs like terriers need a bit of grooming but i'm no expert on the small dogs.

Edited March 5, 2010 by pixie_meg

[Gayle.]

Shar Peis seem to feature quite regularly in the rescue section here. Not sure why as there are a couple of Shar Pei fans here who will recommend them as being the perfect dog for just about any situation, but obviosly they aren't or there wouldn't be so many in rescue.

But if you like them, they might be right for you. I don't really know much about them.

Do you like Cavalier King Charles spaniels? They are friendly, happy little dogs that are easy to live with and not a huge amount of grooming. Although there is some, but I reckon you could knock it over in 10 minutes 2-3 times a week.

Do you plan on giving the dog daily exercise, if so, for how long and what type? And what about dog hobbies.....any thoughts on joining an obedience club or maybe agility when the dog is older?

Another breed that comes to mind is a whippet. They are attractive dogs, but not everyones cup of tea and they are quite calm once past the puppy stage. And all the ones I have met have been friendly and sociable. They might not be too good outdoors in winter though, unless they had a warm shelteed area and a jacket, as they don't have a lot of fur or fat for warmth.

My dogs keep each other company but I got one as a puppy then when he was almost a year old we got another puppy and that was about perfect as they are great mates and are never lonely. Neither of them are destructive, but I doubt it's because there's two of them, I think it's just because that's the way they are.

[Guest Ams]

If you have not owned a dog before then a Shar Pei is definitely NOT for you. They are cute wrinkly puppies that have huge amounts of attitude and need a strong firm and experienced handler to bring out the best in them. They require socialisation for life and an owner with an endless bank balance for the medical issues they WILL have. Visit this website if you doubt me (and yes they can have ALL of these issues, just one after another, after another).

http://www.drjwv.com/

Shar Pei are not supposed to have an undercoat but they do and they shed A LOT. When they drop coat I swear I have crop circles of pei fur in my yard and permanent tumble weeds in my house.

Pleas also visit this thread and check out the sites on the first page. There is a lot of valuable and honest information there regarding Shar Pei.

As you can tell I do not breed but I do rescue (breed specific for Shar Pei). Please don't get me wrong, Shar Pei can be WONDERFUL pets and a superb addition to your life BUT you need to have doggy experience and definitely have had some contact or experience with other dominant breeds first. They are smart so they learn quickly but also independent and arrogant so they won't necessarily do what you have trained them. Firstly because, they've already done it for you once, why should the go to the effort of doing it again. Secondly, they know what you want them to do, they just don't care that you want them to do it right then.

[Spottydog0]

We certainly plan on exercise morning and night daily but being inner city will be mainly be limited to park so ball games rathe than runs for miles at a time, I was certainly thinking about puppy training classes as a starting point. We will want to socialise the dog as soon as possible so he gets used to being around people and strange things, bars & cafe's in our area seem to have pups there from a pretty young age.

Some grooming is fine and expected, I just don't want to be spending half of every Saturday grooming or having to make sure the dog avoids getting dirty on a work day.

CKC Spaniels I quite like but the OH would prefer something that could be a bit of a guard dog rather than one who would lick a burglar to death :D

[W Sibs]

Actually Cavs are good alarm dogs!!! Charlie (my cav x) will let everyone know if someone comes to the door. Nobody uses the doorbell anymore or even knock!

I was actually thinking CKCS too.

They are the most easiest, friendliest and most placid breed, I know!!

[dancinbcs]

If you would be happy with half an hours grooming a week, either a Shetland Sheepdog or Japanese Spitz might suit. Both very hairy but not difficult to groom. Both bark an alarm warning at strangers but are usually pretty good around people and dogs is socialised as puppies.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers might also suit but I have no idea if they will act as guard dogs.

A Whippet, Beagle or Cocker Spaniel are all good suggestions for the size. Cavaliers are actually classed as a "Toy" breed so are probably smaller than you had in mind.

[Gayle.]

This suggestion is a bit left field, but I came up with it when browsing the puppy listings here on DOL.

Manchester Terrier. The size is right, they are very short coated, they look to be fairly sturdy dogs....not sure on the temperament but being a terrier, you can be sure they'd sound the alarm. Not saying they're the breed for you but might be worth looking into.

[Red Fox]

We certainly plan on exercise morning and night daily but being inner city will be mainly be limited to park so ball games rathe than runs for miles at a time, I was certainly thinking about puppy training classes as a starting point. We will want to socialise the dog as soon as possible so he gets used to being around people and strange things, bars & cafe's in our area seem to have pups there from a pretty young age.

Some grooming is fine and expected, I just don't want to be spending half of every Saturday grooming or having to make sure the dog avoids getting dirty on a work day.

CKC Spaniels I quite like but the OH would prefer something that could be a bit of a guard dog rather than one who would lick a burglar to death :D

Staffordshire Bull Terrier? Thought they probably would lick a burglar to death :D

[Nevafollo]

is the dog going to be outside when you are at work? What about at night? Am going to say whippet but i think a whippy would be happiest inside of a night. Beagles could fit too. Border terrier but I dont know much about them.

Some suggestions slighty out of the ideal, flat coat retreiver, bit bigger and hairy but not too hairy, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen really nice dogs can be abit barky apparenlty, smooth collie but they are probably abit bigger than what you are after, basset hound but they are a big dog in a squished body LOL!

Some of these breeds might be totally not suitable (they are just the first ones i thought of) and im sure people that own them can/will clear that up!

[Spottydog0]

Thanks for all the suggestion, my biggest concern is would these breeds be happy on their own all day as we both have to work all day Monday to Friday?

[Gayle.]

I believe that the happiness of a dog left alone when it's owners are at work is hugely dependent on what the owners do with the dog when they are home. If your dog is inside and part of the family when you are home, doing stuff with you, going places with you etc. etc. then on workdays, they will come to know that THEIR job is being in the backyard.

My dogs tend to sleep most of the day, I know because they get turfed out when I have a day off so I can clean up and they barely make a sound. If I go out to see them, they are invariably curled up snoozing in the sun or the shade or in their shelter.

They prefer being outside during the day because that's where they've always been.

[dee lee]

Thanks for all the suggestion, my biggest concern is would these breeds be happy on their own all day as we both have to work all day Monday to Friday?

Have a look at breeds that you like in the Breeds 101 forum- there is a question about whether the breed is suitable to be left alone for extended periods.

I live in the inner-city and have owned a Staffy x and now own a Golden Retriever. Both have been fine on their own while we have been at work.

However, the Staffy x did tend (as many bullbreeds do) towards being destructive and was very aggressive towards other dogs which did make it difficult to walk her (she was never allowed offlead).

Both dogs were/are good WATCHdogs but not guard dogs. Really thats the best you can hope for- a good bark .

[huski]

Beags could possibly fit but they don't always do well on their own for long periods of time. If you were after a beagle, I would strongly consider getting another dog down the track.

They can be stubborn and naughty and do require a fair bit of training. Most cannot be let off leash unless in secure areas. They are short coated, but shed a lot of hair for a dog that has so little of it! Most also need a fair bit of mental and physical stimulation especially if he will be an only dog.

I know a few beags who are quite good watch dogs (Daisy has a fairly decent "scary" bark!)

[skip]

I thought of a whippet too but when you mention your partners wishes? guard dog etc? 2 whippets would be easy, calm, loving and still playful. But it depends on your personal opinion.

Any chance you could get to a show and see what dogs appeal to you?

I would look at more energy levels rather than size in choosing the dog. Some small dogs can be a handful and require more work/exercise than a much larger dog. I was looking at a manchester terrier and a brittany for my next agility dog and I find my kelpie x fairly laid back.

Lots of research and hope you find a good breeder if you choose not to go down the rescue path. Thou both mine are rescue and I liked that as I could see what I was getting and if I liked it.

Remember with rescue you can go to the pound and pick a dog OR you can go to a rescue group where the dog has been in a foster home. In the later case the foster family will tell you what the dog is like and what type of enviroment would suit the dog. For eg: if the dog is good with kids or cats, is he really energetic? And if you get the dog and find straight away that he doesn't suit you can return him to the foster home. I never knew of foster carers and rescue before so thought I would point this out in case like me you didn't know about it. I would be happy myself to go to the pound or a rescue group but picking a dog at the pound could be harder if it is your first dog.

I hope you get lots of advice and find the dog that suits perfectly. Good luck.

[persephone]

ANY dog has the capacity to be a watch dog

Dogs need walks on leash - not just parks/ball games. It's the walks on leash which help with communication and bonding, plus gives the dog a chance to 'work' .. they must walk WITH you, they must control their urge to run/sniff/bounce... and this in turn gives them mental exercise- a VERY important thing

A CKCC was my suggestion as well

[Gayle.]

For quite a while I was taking my dogs to the local school and giving them an off-leash run with the frisbee and wearing them out. Dusty loved it, Benson would chase the frisbee a few times then go and sit under a tree.

I decided I needed more exercise myself so went back to walking them daily and discovered a 45 minute walk wears them out just as much as a 45 minute off leash run, and Benson LOVES it! He just adores walking with me, he gives my hand a lick every now and then as if he can't keep his happiness in and it is so much nicer having a pleasant walk with the two of them than standing there throwing a frisbee.

So I would say do both. Regular walks and occasional ball games in the park.

[Spottydog0]

Thanks for all you help and suggestions, definitely food for thought

I think I'm tending towards some sort of spaniel, the dog would be with us and inside the house when we are in (including at night) just in the garden when we go to work since there would be a lot more space for the dog there than in the house.

Whippets, I don't like the body shape of as they always look starved to me and I don't particularly like the butchness of the bulldog shape either. We don't really need a guard dog, just really something that barks when someone comes to the door (just to put off chancers really) but is otherwise sociable as we are planning on taking it wherever we go except work.

[Spottydog0]

Regular walks on a leash definitely won't be a problem as we tend to do half an hour every night just enjoying the neighbourhood, I was planning on twice daily exercise for the dog on top of this

[maxbox]

I would suggest a Cav. Great little dogs, not too much coat, alert enough to let you know if anyone's around, but an all round good guy!