Hi,
My wife and I are looking for any advice on what dog breeds might best
fit our lifestyle. I hate to just paste a checklist of requirements b/c
it's so impersonal, but I think it covers the important points that
we've put together in the last few weeks.

Here are the points in no particular order of importance:

- little/No drooling
- Zero to little shedding
- Good for allergies
- Not overly active/energetic/hyoer all the time (I need to be able to
work out of the house during the day and eat dinner in peace)
- Will be relatively calm indoors and not too attention seeking
(similar but not the same as last point)
- Not a huge barker
- Not very difficult to train
- Can train not to chew furniture
- Kid-friendly
- High likelihood of long-term health

We are active and plan up to 1 hr of exercise per day with the dog. We
have a good-size backyard with a radio fence. Would be nice if it could
go on at least 2-4 mile runs with us.

We would like to keep grooming to 1 hr a week and have no problem with
professionally grooming every 2 months.

We have no kids now, but will in the next 3-5 years.
Thanks for any breed suggestions.


-Dave

Hi,
My wife and I are looking for any advice on what dog breeds might best
fit our lifestyle. I hate to just paste a checklist of requirements b/c
it's so impersonal, but I think it covers the important points that
we've put together in the last few weeks.

Here are the points in no particular order of importance:

- little/No drooling
- Zero to little shedding
- Good for allergies
- Not overly active/energetic/hyoer all the time (I need to be able to
work out of the house during the day and eat dinner in peace)
- Will be relatively calm indoors and not too attention seeking
(similar but not the same as last point)
- Not a huge barker
- Not very difficult to train
- Can train not to chew furniture
- Kid-friendly
- High likelihood of long-term health

We are active and plan up to 1 hr of exercise per day with the dog. We
have a good-size backyard with a radio fence. Would be nice if it could
go on at least 2-4 mile runs with us.

We would like to keep grooming to 1 hr a week and have no problem with
professionally grooming every 2 months.

We have no kids now, but will in the next 3-5 years.
Thanks for any breed suggestions.


-Dave


I would say a poodle. They don't shed and are good for people who have
allergy issues. They also don't drool. They can be trained easily as they
are very smart. They can be kid friendly if they have positive exposure to
kids (the earlier the better). I have a toy poodle and he is the best. I
work from home for the most part and he has learned to entertain himself
while I am sitting at my desk to work. He learns tricks easily and is very
smart. He knows a lot of words too without any training (just daily living
with me talking to him when I am doing something). good luck and let us
know how it goes.

"Dave" wrote:
Here are the points in no particular order of importance:

Wow, I'm not sure I can think of one breed that fits all your criteria. :}

Let me address some of your points in general:

- Not very difficult to train
- Can train not to chew furniture
- Kid-friendly

Though the breed does make a difference in most of your criteria, these three
points have more to do with the individual dog. A dog who has been
systematically exposed to small children from a young age will be good with
children. Any dog can be trained not to chew on furniture, and all puppies
will destroy at least one item of value while they're learning. :} And even
though some dogs are known as "easier" to train than others, I've yet to meet
one who didn't respond favorably to operant conditioning. They're all
trainable.

- little/No drooling

That rules out labs and mastiffs. You might also want to consider ruling out
bearded dogs - they slobber all over you after they drink water. :}

- Zero to little shedding
- Good for allergies

This is tough. Bichons, poodles, Chinese cresteds, and maybe yorkies would fit
the bill here, but none of them fit your other criteria. The only bit of
advice I can give you here is not to assume that short coat means less shedding
or less allergens.

- Not overly active/energetic/hyoer all the time (I need to be able to
work out of the house during the day and eat dinner in peace)

This is a training issue, not a breed issue.

- Will be relatively calm indoors and not too attention seeking
(similar but not the same as last point)

Gotcha here. There are certainly breeds more independent than others, and it
sounds like this is what you want.

- Not a huge barker

Some breeds do tend to be barkers, but that also is an individual dog thing.

- High likelihood of long-term health

That has more to do with where you get the dog than the breed. With a
reputable breeder, you have a high likelihood of long-term health. From a pet
store or a back-yard breeder, you don't.

Would be nice if it could
go on at least 2-4 mile runs with us.

And there go all the toy breeds. :}

What if you give your top five priorities, in order of importance? Then it
might be a bit easier to make a recommendation... :}

We have no kids now, but will in the next 3-5 years.

Make sure that whatever dog you get, he has continuous positive exposure to
babies and children.

--
Family Dog Trainer
"It's A Dog's Life"
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Get Healthy, Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

Leah wrote:
"Dave" wrote:

- little/No drooling

That rules out labs and mastiffs.

Labs? None of the labs I've known have been droolers. Including
Oppie. He's a bit sloppy around the water dish, but he doesn't drool.

You might also want to consider ruling out
bearded dogs - they slobber all over you after they drink water. :}

As does our German Shepherd - and they're not known as droolers.
And she drools when she's coveting food. Even our Chihuahuas have
been known to shed a few droplets when being forced to wait for a
tasty morsel. But Mastiffs are a in a whole 'nuther universe as far
as drool goes.

- Not overly active/energetic/hyoer all the time (I need to be able to
work out of the house during the day and eat dinner in peace)

I wonder if you really want a mature dog here, rather than a puppy.

This is a training issue, not a breed issue.

- Will be relatively calm indoors and not too attention seeking
(similar but not the same as last point)

Again, a mature dog?

- High likelihood of long-term health

That has more to do with where you get the dog than the breed. With a
reputable breeder, you have a high likelihood of long-term health. From a pet
store or a back-yard breeder, you don't.

But remember that there are no guarantees. We got our GSD from a
reputable breeder (or so we thought), and she developed cancer at
age 7 and has hip dysplasia. We got our Chihuahuas from a back-yard
breeder, and they're still healthy and going strong at 13.5.

Good luck, whatever you choose.

FurPaw
--
Sleep is the best meditation. - Dalai Lama

To reply, unleash the dog

FurPaw wrote:
Labs? None of the labs I've known have been droolers. Including
Oppie. He's a bit sloppy around the water dish, but he doesn't drool.

Most labs I've met don't drool. But many do. I know several lab owners who
carry around a towel as a matter of course. :}

--
Family Dog Trainer
"It's A Dog's Life"
http://hometown.aol.com/dfrntdrums/m...age/index.html
Get Healthy, Build Your Immune System, Lose Weight
http://www.re-vita.net/dfrntdrums

On Sun, 23 Jan 2005 22:25:37 -0700, FurPaw
wrote:

- Not overly active/energetic/hyoer all the time (I need to be able to
work out of the house during the day and eat dinner in peace)

I wonder if you really want a mature dog here, rather than a puppy.

This is a training issue, not a breed issue.

- Will be relatively calm indoors and not too attention seeking
(similar but not the same as last point)

Again, a mature dog?

Getting a mature dog would also get the OP past the heavy chewing
stage. Dogs can chew at any age, but if they are past teething, at
least it is usually not as bad and easier to train them out of. All
in all, I highly recommend adult dogs from reputable rescues. As cute
as puppies are, they are much higher maintenance and harder to tell
exactly what you are getting.

--
Paula
"Or if you really want to meet me just take the NJT to 78, take 78 to 24, take 24 until it runs out, and then just drive around listening for the sound of quietly smoldering rage." Ben Allard

Leah wrote:

Most labs I've met don't drool. But many do. I know several lab owners who
carry around a towel as a matter of course. :}


The only reason I can think of is water on their body or to wipe a hand from a
slobbery tennis ball. Labs don't drool.




Janet Boss
http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/
http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience

Leah responds to Dave:

Wow, I'm not sure I can think of one breed that fits all your criteria. :}

I can think of several that may.

- Zero to little shedding
- Good for allergies


This is tough. Bichons, poodles, Chinese cresteds, and maybe yorkies would
fit
the bill here, but none of them fit your other criteria.

Really? Don't know many poodles Leah?

- Not overly active/energetic/hyoer all the time (I need to be able to
work out of the house during the day and eat dinner in peace)

This is a training issue, not a breed issue.

Not completely. Some breeds are very high energy, some less so. A miniature
(not toy) or Standard poodle may be a really good match (and great dogs). A
decent SCWT may be a good choice.

- High likelihood of long-term health

That has more to do with where you get the dog than the breed. With a
reputable breeder, you have a high likelihood of long-term health. From a
pet
store or a back-yard breeder, you don't.

Yes and no. Some breeds have much lower life expectancies than others.

Would be nice if it could
go on at least 2-4 mile runs with us.

And there go all the toy breeds. :}

So a Standard Poodle or SCWT is a better choice. A miniature poodle could
handle this as well (low end, with conditioning, and obviously, the dog should
be an adult before this begins).




Janet Boss
http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/
http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience

The OP mentioned he has a radio fenced yard. Does that mean you've have a dog
before? What kind? What did you love or not love about that dog?

So many dogs, given the right structure and exercise, can fit into your
lifestyle. Even my very active dogs shut off when indoors and can be total
couch potatoes (and they don't bother me while I'm working on the computer or
around the house, nor when I'm eating).

My two do shed a fair amount (Lucy is shedding in gobs these days, that's what
I get for a GSD mix!), but good grooming can cut that down (Ok, I admit, I
prefer to groom outdoors and it's a tad too chilly for that right now).

Not hyper, but active when appropriate, not big barkers (Franklin rarely barks,
Lucy shuts up when told to).

Here's how my Flat-Coated Retriever and Lab/GSD mix fare on your list:


- little/No drooling -

*neither one drools

- Zero to little shedding

* both shed, Franklin not a lot, Lucy heavy in spurts

-Good for allergies

*I rely on my meds for this (allergic to cats and dogs, have 2 of each)

- Not overly active/energetic/hyoer all the time (I need to be able to
work out of the house during the day and eat dinner in peace)

* neither one. Both very active in appropriate ways. Need exercise and
training of course. Flop around the house all day, lie down nearby while we
eat.

- Will be relatively calm indoors and not too attention seeking
(similar but not the same as last point)

* spurts. Dogs need some attention, but neither one is needy. Give them what
they need and nobody gets bugged. More attention seeking when company is here.
Both have good "bug off" command response.

- Not a huge barker

* one not at all, the other at things that go by the house, quieted on command.

- Not very difficult to train

* both very smart and easily trained.

- Can train not to chew furniture

* neither one does this or has. Franklin chewed a table leg when he was 9
months old and the petsitter was here infrequently while I was in Europe.
Should have crated him when not home, but he had been trustworthy before and
since.

- Kid-friendly

* both love children of all ages. Ability to throw ball gets high points
though.

- High likelihood of long-term health

* Franklin's breed is prone to cancer, but it's a crap shoot. Lucy has been
extremely healthy and she's 8, but who knows? Good likelihood, but nobody
guarantees.

-We are active and plan up to 1 hr of exercise per day with the dog.

* they would both handle that well.

-We
have a good-size backyard with a radio fence. Would be nice if it could
go on at least 2-4 mile runs with us.

* both could do that as well

- We would like to keep grooming to 1 hr a week and have no problem with
professionally grooming every 2 months.

* IF I groomed an hour a week, we'd have less hair around the house! I have to
admit to being a hit and miss groomer.


So, you see that dogs who don't appear to meet your description, may indeed if
addressed in a reasonable manner.

A good, if outdated a bit (not enough breeds) book - "The Right Dog for You" by
Daniel Tortora. Be honest in your answers and you can get a very clear idea of
the perfect breed.

Janet Boss
http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/
http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience

Here are two good places to start:
http://dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/d.../selector1.jsp

These will let you fill in certain criteria to limit your search to a
handful of breeds, and give you pages with more detailed information
where you can look up more about each particular breed and see a
picture of it.