Hey guys,

I found this forum at random while looking up information on Boston Terriers and decided it would be a good place to get advice. I am a 20-year-old college student in Virginia who has wanted a dog for the past 3 years.

Let me preface my question by saying that I've owned dogs my entire life and LOVED them for the same amount of time. My dad owned a Great Dane before I was born and well after, and after that, we owned a mixed-breed (hard to determine her breed, maybe a northern-type, she was all white and slightly spitz-like) and then a golden retriever who was "my" very first dog and lived until my 17th birthday. Out of the three, I have to say that I liked the golden best.

After she died, I wanted a dog immediately, but it's hard in college. I lived on-campus for two years and now I live in a residence that allows pets but I don't think my roommates would want a dog. Next year is the first year that I will actually be living in a dog-friendly apartment with a dog-friendly roommate.

The thing is, I'm having trouble because I like so many different breeds of dog and I am so passionate about dogs that I'm not sure what breed would be best. I feel like I could accomodate a lot of breeds because I am prepared to spend a LOT of time (the majority of my time) with my dog. The dog will be indoors unless I am with it, and there is a dog park a few miles from my apartment that has a large fenced-in enclosure. I also am prepared to go on long walks with my dog on a daily basis, if need be. Ideally, I am looking for a devoted and highly affectionate and intelligent dog that wants to be with me often.

General Characteristics I am looking for:

-affectionate, not aloof.
-intelligent but with the potential to be very obedient
-medium amount of energy
-good recall ability
-good with other dogs and (the potential to be!) cat-friendly
-mostly attached to one person, although loving everyone wouldn't be a problem!
-likes water and the outdoors
-okay for apartment living with sufficient exercise

Retrievers appeal to me a lot. I would probably go with a lab over a golden because the tumbleweeds of golden hair rolling across my house were a little much. However, I find them a bit big for my liking. I love big dogs but since I want a dog that I can take with me whenever I travel or go anywhere (I don't travel often, but I often make the 2 hour trip home from college), I might want something smaller. I really like Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, but I hear they're a lot more hyper than labs and goldens. Is this true?

I feel like the dogs that really interest me are extremely rare and expensive. The Carolina Dog and Kooikerhondje seem like amazing dogs, but it would be extremely hard to find one. I am especially infatuated with the Kooikerhondje. Those ears! Their gentle nature! How impossible are they to find in the US?

This might seem like I'm going in an entirely different direction, but I am also interested in Boston Terriers. I have a few questions about them. I love their size and the fact that they act like a big dog in a small package, but can I exercise with them as I would a retriever? I'm not EXTREMELY athletic, but I would like a dog that I could go jogging/hiking/swimming with occasionally. Can I do that? I also hear that they're difficult to potty train. Is this true?

ALSO...are any of these breeds untrustworthy off leash? I know that you can't generalize but I know that most terriers and beagles, for instance, will run away at the sight of any moving object. I want a dog that I can train to be fairly reliable offleash. My golden would run out of the house at any opportunity, but my parents didn't do as good a job at training her as I plan on doing with my dog.

I also have not ruled out adopting from a shelter...that's what I hope to do, actually. I love mixed breeds, and just want to know what dominant breeds I should be looking for in a mix. I know it depends on the individual dog, but there still is something to be said about the breeds that the dog comes from.

Sorry this is ridiculously long, but I wanted some solid advice about what dog would be right for me. Thanks!

My email is . Email me with any suggestions, or reply here.