Dog

[ides]

For clean non-shedding dogs I'd go for a grey hound. They are gentle, sweet, clean and good companions. If you want a lower maintence dog, there are a bunch of poodle mixed breeds that supposedly don't shed due to their poodle genes.

[DCJenn]

but the poodle mixes are super expensive!

Definitely don't get a cattle dog, a shepard or any of those mixes- we vacuum daily.

Jenn

Oooh! I'm so glad you started this thread. I'm also thinking about getting a dog, though it will be my first. Shedding is a consideration, but takes a back seat to a personality that's compatible with mine. Size-wise, I just can't get something very big because my house is small, I'm also not generally a fan of chihuaua-sized pooches. It also has to get along with my cat. I really like Border Collies, Shelties, and Sheba Inus. But I know I'll end up falling in love with some dopey mut at the shelter and the rest, as they say, will be history .

A friend of mine just got a Golden Doodle. This pup is really smart (my friend, who is wheelchair-bound, got him as a helper dog) and VERY sweet.

Alison has got it right on the Border Collie! My mom has a border collie (from a shelter) and has done some heavy duty training with him. He is well-behaved now and a sweety. He likes to excercise and does lots of hiking, walking, and snow-shoeing or XC skiing. She also did the agility training with him. At the doggie daycare he goes to when she leaves town, they have had to make all sorts of Hector modifications because of the fences he can climb and jump. A few months ago, they found him lying on a shelving unit three shelves up. Why? Because it was there! He does have an undercoat and his coat requires some attention.

We have a yellow lab and have for 9 or so years. I guess I am used to the shedding. I used to wear a lot more black (for work) than I do now and just kept a lint-roller in my car and office. That did the trick. We had a black lab for a while so that my white clothing could also be covered in noticable fur. The hair is coarser and pointy -- it sometimes gets stuck on the bottom of my feet like a splinter.

With a good vacuum and a lint roller, I don't think shedding is too taxing. My dog is great at cleaning up after the kids. I would probably do more cleaning without him around.

This dog needs to be DOING something about 80% of the day. Training for agility or obedience, helping around the house, or best of all herding SHEEPS!

One of the things that turned me onto the Border Collie was a sheep farm out beyond the Philly burbs where you can bring your dog to herd. That and my roommate of 3 years had a BC/German Shephard mix who I fell in love with. Best. Dog. Ever.

Most people who have more than one have them debarked (which means surgically scraping out their vocal cords so they're incapable of making anything louder than a coughing sound like a smoker's hack!)

OMG, I'm so traumitized after reading this. I can't even declaw my cat even though she's tearing up my new couch. I think I saw a lifetime movie once about some crazy Stepfordesque "planned community" where a barking dog was unpopular and the head guy of the community dogknapped the pooch and had this procedure done without the family's consent and I was irate over it. And that was just a lifetime movie! I only know 1 sheltie from my neighborhood dogpark and it barks a lot less than the Walker Coon Hound.

I'm definitely getting a shelter dog, so I know that the breeds I think I want are really more like guidelines for traits I look for in a mut. Thanks for the input!

Quote:
A friend of mine just got a Golden Doodle.


My aunt breeds this... and gets $1800 per pup...beautiful smart dogs... just a little out of the price range... even with the family discount I would be able to get.

 :o 
I don't know nothin' 'bout no breeders, obviously!

[planet]

Love, love, love BCs!! And yes, they are a good fit with my manic personality. I wouldn't even consider getting one without buying the ranch first. I hear they herd kids too.

Good luck dog hunting.

[mommax3]

We have a schnoodle, and he doesn't shed at all. He looks mostly like a schnauzer, and we keep him clipped pretty short. He is a very smart dog, too, and gets along well with our cats. He is a little hyper for my tastes, which is perfect for the general state of chaos we have going on around here most of the time! He loves the boys and the feeling is mutual! He will bark when the doorbell rings, but that is about it.....he really isn't a yippy dog at all. Frankly, I am not a big dog lover to start with, although I *believe* I would probably like a larger dog that was more laid back, like a lab......however, the shedding would drive me insane.

My in-laws got the dog for my boys, so I don't know about the cost, but I am SURE it was nothing like $1800! My FIL is the Dean of the Kansas State vet school, and he found a reputable breeder.....they have actually gotten two other schnoodles from the same breeder, and a cousin of DH's got one, also. So far, all good experiences.

Still, if it had been DH and I getting a dog on our own (doubtful, given my reservations and DH's schedule) we would have gone to a shelter.....that is how we have gotten all of the cats we have had over the years.

Sally

Clarification on my mom's Border Collie -- I mentioned he was from a shelter but not why that mattered. I don't think he is purebred so maybe the other breeds tame him a little? He does need daily exercise but also likes to laze around. He was probably mistreated -- he had some serious seperation anxiety as well as a few other issues. Without that, perhaps he would have been easier to train.

[planet]

Nellie,
Your post made me wonder if this is common with BCs. Mine (as a kid) was so attached to me. She had seperation anxiety as well. I haven't thought about Maggie in years. I sure miss her.

[Michele]

Just to fuel the fire....


I'm partial to pit bulls. :!





Seriously though, the majority are great dogs...it's a shame a few bad apples spoil the breed's rep. Oh and they do shed like labs.

[Gwendolyn]

Just to fuel the fire....


I'm partial to pit bulls. :!





Seriously though, the majority are great dogs...it's a shame a few bad apples spoil the breed's rep. Oh and they do shed like labs.

We had a pit and he was the most wonderful dog in the whole world. I still get teary thinking about him and its been almost four years.

We have pugs now and they are pretty good...they shed, but it isn't to bad to stay on top of. they are kinda neurotic, but very loving...you can't take them running or swimming, but they are great to play in the back yard with for 20 min before they are ready to come inside and chew a toy

They have been perfect. Rentals take small dogs, they've been great with James (we found them when james was about 6mo., I don't recommend raising three babies at once if you can avoid it, however I was up with James in the middle of the night anyways...), and they are low maintainance, high love...but they snort, snort, snort

:dog

I don't know if you consider this too small of a dog, but Bishon Frise (or however it's spelled) is a good breed that doesn't shed. Several of my neighbors/friends have them and they don't seem yappy and from what I have experienced they seem to be good around children. Anyways, if you decide to go with one of these, let me know...a good friend of mine volunteers with a Bishon rescue group, Small Paws, and she can help match you up with one.

I *believe* I would probably like a larger dog that was more laid back, like a lab......however, the shedding would drive me insane.

Umm...not a very laid back dog...they tend to be hyper, especially if they do not spend alot of time outside.

You haven't met my guy! He's Mr. Mellow and has been since around a year old. Our other lab had a harder time growing out of adolescence but she wasn't hyper. I think labs partly get a hyper label due to bad breeding.

Maybe the seperation anxiety is a BC thing? I thought it was because he finally found someone who lurved him and didn't want her to leave. My mom swears that he reads her mind. He can tell she is going to leave long before she does. He was VERY destructive and mad when she would leave. He is smart in that he would often chew the pair of shoes she wore the last time she went out. He was also partial to purses. All better now. I think she also used an anti-depressant medication for a while.

[mommax3]

Umm...not a very laid back dog...they tend to be hyper, especially if they do not spend alot of time outside.

Hmm, I didn't know that.....but I'm certainly no authority! I was just basing it off of the three labs DH/DH's family has had since I have known him, and a couple of other labs I have "known".

I just hate dogs that jump up on people, and I am afraid that my current dog does just that. He is loving AND lovable once you get to know him, but just a bit too happy to see us! None of the labs I have been around (again, not many!) have done this.

Sally

[Meenah]

I love dogs!! We have a supposedly "Miniature Dachsund" named Winston and a Mini-Dachsund -Chihuahua mix named Franklin. They are really close buddies and we treat them like our kids!!!! I have had difficulty with housebreaking though