I Want a Dog!

S

Stacy

Cathlete
Hi, I'm thinking about getting a dog and need some help in choosing a potential breed. I'm looking for a small-medium size lap dog who loves to be carried around and will follow me wherever I go. This dog has to be good with children and strangers, like to be indoors primarily, doesnt shed, and hopefully not too noisy. I dont care about grooming, but I would like my dog to be easy to train. Does this dog exist??

Thanks for any suggestions!

Stacy
 
Hi Stacy. How about a Maltese?? I visited a friend last summer and she has one. He is the most adorable, lovable little guy! So cute! She keeps his hair cut in a "puppy cut". The best thing, though...Malteses don't SHED! They have long hair, but they don't shed. Pretty wild. I mean, they lose a few hairs here and there, but nothing like you'd think. Check them out...it may very well be worth it! Good luck!

Hollie
 
Personally, I love Dachsunds. The short hairs don't really shed.
Oh, I know, a Boston Terrier? Those little guys are really smart and they don't shed.
I think MSN has a breed finder if you try looking under the animals section. Or maybe discovery channel.com.
Good luck!
Cari
 
When you decide on what breed you want, I hope you will approach a rescue group to adopt. There are rescue groups for virtually every breed in every state. I do French Bulldog, dachshund and chihuahua rescue myself.
 
I would not recommend a shitzu. My future in-laws have one and it pees on everybody, can't control its bladder, it is a terribly ugly thing, and it refuses to stay off the furniture. Plus, the fur around its face gets all wet and icky whenever it drinks water because the hair is long. I'm not usually this negative about things, but this is one type of dog I would NEVER get.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
Yes PLEASE support rescue groups instead of breeders. There are so many good dogs euthanized already.
 
You are funny! I have to disagree with you, though. I have a Shih-tzu and he is cute and lovable and loves to be carried around. We keep his hair short and he looks like a puppy even though he is 7.

I would also recommend a maltese or bischon (sp?)

Stay away from terriers. They bark too much. Just my opinion....
 
I have to dispute the comments that condemn the shih tzu! My boyfriend raises them and they're are loving, gentle, easily trained dogs. All they want is to be loved and cuddled. I've always had beagles or bassets myself until I hooked up w/him and now I'm HOOKED on these adorable little creatures!
 
Every breed has varieties in personality, can't be helped!
I would recommend the Bichon or Maltese, small Poodle, or perhaps a Mini Pinscher.
Whatever you get, you're gonna love it!
:)
Absolutely check out the rescues for your chosen breed! Try Petfinders.com for a start.
Ruth
 
Stacy, you have described a MALTESE!! My sister has one and she is everything you want. Maltese have HAIR not fur so they don't shed. She has Elisabeth (yes, that's with a "s") groomed every week, although I'm not sure if weekly grooming is necessary. Elisabeth LOVES company and is great with kids. My sister has cats and Elisabeth gets along great with them... but I think the dog thinks she IS a cat! I have 2 Beagles who do shed but are the sweetest little girls in the world. While not "lap" dogs, in the traditional sense, they do LOVE to lay in my lap and it is well known that Beagles have a great temperment to be with children. It all depends on what you are looking for. In any event, try to go to a "rescue" or shelter. We got one of our girls from a rescue and she is INCREDIBLE...she KNOWS she is a princess while our other Beagle was found at the local shelter and is such a sweet little doll! Good Luck!
 
Thanks for the suggestions! I had been looking at the Maltese and the Bichon before this post, but dont like the hairdo's! Does anyone own one of these and keep its hair short like a puppy and does it look cute that way??

Thanks,

Stacy
 
Hi,

I know you said you want a small medium dog but I have to put in my two cents for the German Shepard, I have had other dogs but my shepard is the most well behaved, easy to train dog.
Whatever dog you decide to get, make sure you read up on it and know which dogs require alot of time and attention, some dogs are more docile than others and some require constant attention.
Best of luck in your choice!!!
 
Ummm...yeah! I was the first one to answer you, and that's exactly what I told you -- my friend has a Maltese and keeps him in a puppy cut. It's adorable.
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-19-02 AT 08:32AM (Est)[/font][p]Geez! I'm an idiot, lol. Sorry for the brain lapse fit@home!! Thanks "again" for the info though!

:)Stacy
 
I have 2 dachshunds and they are wonderful, my favorite breed. Both of mine are smooth minis - max weight 11-12 lbs. Standards can be anywhere from 16 - 30 lbs. Smart, clownish and love to be loved. Both of mine are velcro. One came from a breeder and one from rescue. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND rescue. If you are considering a dachshund try www.drwp.net. They have dachshunds available in every state and Canada. Complete descriptions are given on personality and medical history from the time they entered rescue. They will list which ones are good with children, other pets etc.

Pets add so much to your life, good luck in finding your special "baby".

Lorrie
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-19-02 AT 11:27AM (Est)[/font][p]I have a Manchester Terrier--kind of looks like a miniature Doberman. He is the BEST dog I could ever imagine and is spoiled beyond rotten. He is my little baby (until my real one comes in 5 months!)and I cannot imagine life without him. He is a great companion. He loves to be with people, cuddles with us all the time and sleeps in bed with us under the covers. He sheds minimally and is a very clean dog. In terms of barking, he has his moments like any dog--if someone is outside the house, when the doorbell rings, stuff like that but he is quiet otherwise. Size-wise, Sammy is a standard 16-18lbs but they come in toy as well (10-15#). I cannot recommend this breed enough.
 
Whatever breed you decide, PLEASE look into adopting a shelter dog or go to a rescue. I volunteer at the Humane Society and there are just too many dogs and cats abandoned by their owners.
I have a lab mix and she thinks she is a lap dog at 80lbs!
Beth
 
I have a bichon, and your description really did make me think of either a maltese or bichon. The two are closely related: the "dog part" is very similar, but maltese have straight hair and bichons curly hair, and bichons are larger. Maltese are a toy breed and are usually under 10 lbs, while most bichons are more in the 15 lb range, though of course individuals of both breeds can be larger than average.

Comparing the two breeds, I would say that of the ones I've met, both are usually friendly with people, but some maltese seem to be "yappier" and less dog-friendly than bichons. This may be because they're so small that the owners are nervous about socializing them with other dogs. If you want to put your dog in a tote bag and carry it everywhere, a maltese is more the right size for that. On the other hand, maltese can be very tiny and fragile; a bichon is probably a better bet with children for that reason. Of course, it depends on the age of the children and how gentle they are. In general, I'm not sure I would recommend small dogs for most young children under 8 or so. A bichon might be ok with gentle children from 5 to 8 and would probably be ok with most kids 8 and up, but for a maltese the kids should be older (maybe gentle 10 year olds and up). This is just my opinion, naturally! My bichon is good with kids, but is usually around them in small doses and I always keep a close eye on the proceedings!

Bichons are allegedly hard to housebreak, though I didn't really have any problems with mine. I don't know about maltese in this regard. Other than this, both breeds should be easy to train -- they are very smart and eager to please.

My bichon has a "bad home haircut" -- basically sort of a medium length all over. The bichon fashion police would probably accuse me of neglect, but I think he looks perfectly cute and more normal than the poofy show 'do.

Probably more than you wanted to know about bichons and maltese, but you might want to check out the web page for Small Paws Bichon Rescue at www.smallpawsrescue.org.

Good luck with your search!

Audrey
 
Stacy, re: Bichon

Hi Stacy!

Just had to weigh in here to tell you that we have a 5-year-old male Bichon (Eddie :p) and he's just THE pet beyond all comparison. We do keep his clip pretty simple -- the groomer trims his ears short so they hang to around mid-muzzle, and his face is groomed with whiskers sort of like those on a Scottie. This is the traditional Bichon face clip, by the way. Now, I'd be lyin' to you if I didn't admit that our Eddie is an EXTREMELY dominant pooch (clearly, his self-image is: German Shepherd), but in our encounters with other Bichons I've rarely seen one that wasn't, basically, passive and submissive. I'm afraid our furball is a rule-breaker in just about every Bichon sense -- dominant AND huge (tall, long and well over 20 pounds, but out of courtesy for his feelings -- he's a yo-yo dieter -- I won't say how FAR over 20 pounds ;-)).

Temperamentally, the Bichon (ours included) is a fabulous pet. They were circus performers historically, and that happy, let-me-please-you personality is still very much a part of the breed. As dominant as Eddie is, he's always totally joyful to see us, affectionate, playful, very intelligent and gentle with children (little kids always want to pull his fluffy tail -- he just looks at me like "Why me, Mom?" and endures it.)

In short, in my book you can't go wrong with a Fluff (what we Bichon owners call our little Q-tip doggies.)

To see a picture (and not even my best one) of our pooch, check out my website at http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=43393&ck=

Happy pooch searching!

http://www.clicksmilie.de/sammlung/sport/sport003.gif [FONT C OLOR=Blue]Kathy S.[/FONT]
 
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