What is the best way for my family to choose which is the best dog breed for us???

Question

We are ready to add another puppy to our family. What are the best resources for figuring out which breed is best for us? I want to try and do everything we can to pick a breed that is:

--minimal shedding
--stable personality
--good with children
--small to very small (under 15lb)
--not agressive or territorial by instinct
--friendly
--typically good with other dogs
--trainability, intelligence, and excercise needs are not as big a concern

I would appreciate suggestions of breeds and resources.

THANKS!

Answer 1

toy pomeranian, miniture schnautser, yorshire terrier, australian shepard, minature shetland sheepdog, scottish terrier, westhighland terrier, springer spaniel.
i work at a boarding kennels, and have found the above to be the most easy to handle, they adapt easy to strangers, handling, arent fussy about food, dont shed too profusely, get along well with other dogs. spaniels can be a bit noisy is they are not discouraged. scotties and westies are fantastic dogs, theyr hair is coarse, but they are sturdy and very intelligent. they dont mind being roughed and tumbled in playing.
yorkies and toy poms are very dainty, have a tiny bark, and might be a bit fussy with food.my favourite is the mini schnautzer. they have great personalities, but can be a bit noise sometimes. they are great with kids.

Answer 2

In order to find what breed will fit in with your family, you should start by going to AKC.com. They tell you all about the breed, personality, etc. Then, talk to a vet. They know a lot about breeds. I noticed that you haven't mentioned anything about health problems. You really need to do some research on that. Many breeds are predisposed to health problems.

According to your list, a Toy/Miniature Poodle may be the pet for you. They are smart, friendly, they don't shed, (but you have to take them to a groomer) they are not aggressive by nature.

FUTURE REFERENCE: All small breeds are susceptible to luxating patellas and usually require surgery to have it fixed. Also, small breeds are very delicate. They can break a leg by just jumping off of a sofa. Some breeders will not sell to you if you have small children.

Something to consider: Go to your local shelter. It doesn't have to be a purebred in order to be a fabulous pet. Everything that you have on your list is at your local shelter.

I can tell you a little about the Pomeranian. They are extremely intelligent. They get along with other dogs if they are raised with other dogs. They shed A LOT. They are a sensitive and frail breed. They can be nippy. They are not too good with children.

I hope this is helpful for you.

Answer 3

I would either go with a pug, Shih-tzu or Border collie. All of your requirements would definitely be the 'ideal' dog, but you may have to give up one or two qualities. For example, the Pug is not necessarily medium sized, and couldn't have long endurance for excercise. The shih-tzu is similar to the pug for size and excercise, but doesn't shed. But will require constant grooming. And a Border Collie is great for everything, except the shedding. I would check into all of these breeds, and more that are similar before you make any move. Maybe check out your local animal shelter!! I see some people say a poodle. I do NOT recommend this. They can be aggressive and territorial, and tend to be not good with children. But the good with children part really relies on teaching your children to be good with dogs.

Answer 4

You're asking a lot of a dog. For less shedding, I'd check out a poodle or a bichon friese. Neither of them shed at all, but they can be mean (my aunt has a bichon which would just as soon bite you as look at you). The best thing I can recommend is to find a dog handbook which lists the different breeds, and their general characteristics. If you go to a breeder, be sure to see the parents--the puppies will usually have a similar temperment.

Answer 5

These are two good resources:

http://www.glowdog.com/bestdog/
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/searchcategories.htm

At Best Dog, using your criteria as closely as I could, these are the top 12 dogs that showed up for you. How you answer the questions in their "My BestDOG!" quiz will affect these results - you might answer a little differently than I did.

Cav. King Charles Spaniel
Eng. Toy Spaniel
Border Terrier
Beagle
Pug
Papillon
Boston Terrier
Shetland Sheepdog
Silky Terrier
Clumber Spaniel
Italian Greyhound
French Bulldog

Answer 6

Try looking at the breeds on http://www.petnet.com.au/dogs/introdog.html it also gives other information about dogs in general, or try this website that has a quiz that finds breeds suited to you http://www.petnet.com.au/selectadog.html , Check 'em out.

I own a Japanese chin called Suki and it displays all those qualities. Try searching for more info of the breed on google. My Japanese chin is 8 months old and is still shorter than my chihuahuas. Also there are two groups of Japanese chin those under 7lbs and those over 7lbs. Mine have never growled a day in thier life.

If not try a chihuahua or a Japanese spitz. They are both about the same size and all too cute.


Hope this helped
.

Answer 7

I've seen severaly pet questionaire sites listed here, they're a great place to start! I would also suggest that after you find out what you want (or get a good idea, anyway) that you take your family for a visit to the local pound or animal shelter...there are SO many pets there that need homes, and many of them are pure-bred dogs that someone else paid a lot of money for...you could save a few bucks, and a LOT of training hassle!

Answer 8

The only one I can come up with that fits these criteria is a Cavalier King Charles

Answer 9

Get a dog dictionary. Read about dogs and find the perfect one for you. But I have a yellow lab who is awsome. I know they grow big but they are awsome!

Answer 10

hi there
first of all its easy to pick a small dog many around .but i have found with many small dogs they become snappy.everything you want in your list is everyones wish in small and big dogs lol.i hope you don't take this wrong.