Mid-sized dog?

what's a good dog for living indoors? fenced in back yard...bout 3000 sq ft indoors.....something that doesn't shed much.

Any suggestions? something mid-sized. not a beast but not a hor d'oeuvre either

would work out great. He can stay outside during good weather and come in during storms. He won't shed. And he won't be expensive to keep...:D
http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/9624/2019952971ns1.jpg

no seriously, if you are into the poodle thing. i heard they don't shed, and they come in allllll sizes. or how about a schnauzer (spelling?)? i heard they don't shed. i can tell you tho, a rat terrier sheds bad. even tho they have short hair.

Boston Terrier. Boxer. French Poodle.

ugh, don't like poodles. and, they can be mean. and schnauzer's (sp?) lol require too much work. my gal Traci had one, Cochese, and she was always taking him to get groomed.

I want something like.... a beagle. lol, i grew up with beagles and i adore them. but an indoor beagle? nah. plus, their poop is HUGE and they bray. oh yeah, i grew up with beagles lol

Kita Rochelle Shenana Dog is going to live with the ex. She just will NOT stop running out the door when we open it. and then, she won't come back when i call her. She's either going to get run over, stolen, or shot. and it may be ME who shoots her, makes me so dang ANGRY when she trots 5' ahead of me but won't STOP! And she knocks the boys over to get out that door to freedom. so Heaven forbid they hold the door open for me. So, the best thing for Keet is to live with Jamie. i can't get out and go chase her, my health won't allow it. and she's going to come to harm one of these days.

So, to fill the gap left so that the boys don't freak because Keet's "there" and not "here"...i thought a puppy would be nice. Something that they and Shane both can bond with. i don't need to bond, i have my 4 mongrels already ;) LOL

so, i googled and then thought, well HECK if anybody would know, my friends at Ageless would :D

MUTT.

My doggie is part German Shephard, part, well, let's just say someone wasn't too picky about their partners.

She's 40 pounds. Small for a Shephard. The unknown parent was probably a smaller dog. Big enough to hold her own against the little kids, not so big she knocks furniture over.

She's smart, and funny. She plays with babies very gently, and it's hilarious to watch her play tug of war with a 6lb puppy. She could lift him off the ground, but she stays bent over and even lets him win sometimes. My granddaughter uses her for a pillow to watch TV.

Hit a shelter, find one that someone thought would be a good lapdog, but got just a wee bit too big to hold, and dumped. :mad:

Mutts are great. And these days, you can call them designer dogs.

Find one with the best qualities of a couple of breeds, and you're in.

www.petfinder.org

You need a Basinji!!!! That's what I'm going to get when something happens to the dogs I have. They are not too small . . . not too big . . . just right . .. they don't shed much, are impeccably clean and they don't bark . . . not mute . . . they do a sort of giggle . . . just all around great dogs!

Mississippi right?

Somewhere down thataway anyway.

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6065169

That Basinji thing is ADORABLE!!! Corinth is about an hour away, i'm going to call tomorrow! :D



ya'll are so cool.

ok, this dog is super cool. this may be what i look for!!!! thanks you guys!

http://www.akc.org/breeds/basenji/index.cfm

Bella - - -

I am a great proponent of adopting dogs . . . in fact I currently have two SPCA dogs . . . but only if you have lots of extra money for vet bills.

One of mine is a German Shepherd/Rott mix and I do have to say she has the sweetest disposition of any dog I have ever been around . . . ever. She is a wonderful dog and a loving pet. But she has had health problems out the gazoo.

She has hip dysplasia, has had acl knee surgery on both back knees, ear surgery on both ears and presently has a huge (think small volleyball) tumor on her side. For a free dog, she has been the most expensive dog I have ever had.

At least with a pure bred dog, you can choose a dog that has personality traits that are in line with your desired pet, the least inherent health problems, check their pedigree background for health issues and most pure bred's come with some type of guarantee (I guaranteed my puppies against genetic defects for a year after they left me). And the cost you spend up front for the dog, is quite small in view of the fact that you could be faced with what I have paid on Alex's surgeries alone.

Unfortunately, with shelter dogs and mix breeds, you have no idea what you may be getting into healthwise and personality wise.

My other dog is also an SPCA and he has been healthy as a horse, but he is a Pharoah Hound and I believe probably if not pure bred, he's almost there. So it's a crap shoot when you adopt.

Just throwing that out there!

Tracy - - -

They may be a little pricey in certain areas of the country . . . I would suggest that you contact some of the Basinji rescues in your area . . . you are likely to get a really good dog and you will be doing a wonderful thing adopting a rescue dog too! :D

hee hee, i was JUST looking at a rescue site for them. :D

Good girl! :D

Sorry Peachy, but it's well documented that purebred dogs are MUCH more prone to health problems than mixed breed dogs.

Purebreds are prone to health problems



Bone and joint disorders that cause lameness
Eye diseases that cause blindness
Sudden heart disease that causes early death
Epilepsy/seizures
Immune system diseases
Neurological diseases
Skin diseases
Bleeding disorders
Cancers and tumors
Over 300 genetic health defects have been documented in dogs, and in many purebreds, the incidence of defects is extremely high. Reasons for this include:


A limited and closed gene pool. Most breeds were built on relatively few founding dogs, so the same sets of genes have been reproduced over and over since the breed began. Registries such as the AKC require that all future offspring come from the mating of dogs registered with their club. This restriction eliminates the vast majority of other dogs that would otherwise be available for breeding.

Without the introduction of new and unrelated genes, in the long term all living creatures suffer "loss of genetic diversity," which inevitably leads to weaker animals with health problems. This is happening right now with purebred dogs.


The plus side to purebred dogs is that if you know the breeder, and you are careful that they aren't too inbred, you can avoid a lot of the health problems that purebred dogs have.

Kinda like when cousins marry cousins, marry cousins.

Bella - - - Most of the problems you posted are inherent in several breeds (i.e. golder retrievers, rotts, german shepherds and several others are very prone to hip dysplasia; bulldogs prone to heart problems; shar peis prone to inverted eyelids; shih tzus and lahsas prone to kidney failure) and you can avoid some of those problems by avoiding the breeds that are prone to those diseases. And some breeds have very little health problems at all. If you are going to be a good pure bred owner, you research the breeder and the bloodline of the dog you are going to get.

But, like I said, I am a proponent of adopting, just that you kinda have to look at it like Forest Gump said . . . it's like a box of chocolates . . . you never know what you're going to get.

I will never forget when we were looking for a Great Pyrenese going to look at some puppies. They had both mom and pop on site and I asked to see their papers. Both dogs had the same birthday from the same parents . . . they had bred brother to sister :eek: Needless to say, we said "No thanks" and left.

Boston Terriers.

SOOOOo CUTE!!! If I didn't have my kitty....I'd have a Boston Terrier. I just love em to death.

Nadine.

But they can be quite yappy, Nadine . . . my old neighbors had two I would like to have strangled!!!:eek:

Can't help you, Trace/GreenEyedGirl - I am 100% head over heels crazy about Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers, they don't shed - which is great, but they do have to be groomed and it's expensive, or time-consuming if you do it yourself. If you wanted, you could buy your own clippers and just shave him/her down, but they don't look very nice shaved!

For anyone else, every Wheaton owner I have talked to agrees that Wheatons are stupid as stones for the first 3 years of life, including housebreaking --oops, I mean "slow to mature" -- but after that, they are fabulous pets, smart without being obstinate, great in an apartment or a home, in the city or the country, they are happy living a quiet life with older people or playing with children from dawn to dusk, and they're wonderful companions for everyone in the family from the youngest kid to the oldest grandparent. So if you can find one in a shelter or rescue before the age of 3, you have a good chance of getting a very expensive dog that just needs time to mature.

However, be very careful about the males -- they can be crazy or aggressive because they have been overbred for show and not for temperment. And, yes, as they gain popularity, they are being over-produced by breeders and in puppy mills, which can create all sorts of health problems. :(

I agree with everything you said, Peachy, but it's always a toss-up. I researched the breeders of my first Wheaten extensively, got references, etc. etc. etc. and he had rage syndrome. I broke my own rule and bought my 2nd Wheaten from a pet store, so it's likely she came from a puppy mill, and she's had a good, long healthy life free of any problems (just now having joint/back problems at 13 1/2 years old). My pound mutt was smart and healthy; but the beagle my sister adopted was a mess of multiple, severe allergies that cost her a fortune for the 5 years she had her before she died from complications.

Chatter - - - I think the Wheatons are adorable . . . but I had always shied away from the terrier breeds as a whole . . . too scrappy for me. I'll take my Rott any day (or even the Pit I had)!

My friend has a Jack Russell and he is a holy terror . . . he is so cute tho . . . I'm glad she got one before I saw one because they are so cute I might have been tempted . . . but now that I see how they are . . . no, thank you!

I think they misnamed them . . . they should be "terrors" not "terriers.":D

But they can be quite yappy, Nadine . . . my old neighbors had two I would like to have strangled!!!:eek:

I've actually heard the opposite! :D

I have had a couple of friends who have owned Bostons....and have said that they hardly bark at all...and definitely not yappy.

Now Jack Russell's....I would end up very upset with one of those!!! :eek:

Nadine.

hey Trace....you have to pick the dog that suits the kids and your personality.....also the one that screams out "pick me" lol

we have always had big dogs, german shepherds, border collies....after my last dog died my daughter found on an animal rescue site a shitzhu/ cavalier king charles mix.....we called him caramel buttons.....he is the sweetest thing, loves boisterous play and fetch.....doesn't bark, is a great visitor, which is excellent coz he goes lots of places with us.....and is resilient to being left alone for long periods, ie doesn't fret or fuss......

this is him...he was 18 months when we got him.....which is also important if you are asking a dog to adapt to new surroundings, especially where there is lots of activity...some older dogs don't cope so well and may get snappy.....

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j38/chezfreespirit/5185041a.jpg

he is small-medium size...about 10kgs....

How cute he is, freespirit!!! I can definitely see the shih tzu but none of the cavalier. And I think cavaliers have some of the sweetest faces . . . and that always wagging tail!:D 'Course I'll always be somewhat partial to shih tzus since I had them for a long time.

Peachy he has the gorgeous cavi colouring, that beautiful caramel colour, except in that photo he had just been groomed and you can't really see his back.....but yes he is adorable and very easy going......I have never had a small dog before but have overcome any aversions with this one....he adores little boys too because they play hard with him....he never gets worn out

ahhhhh freespirit he's so purdiful!!!

i've always been partial to big dogs, although i could smoosh a beagle just for nostalgia sake. my dad has a rott, a german shepherd, a black lab and a golden lab. he's dog heavy lol

i grew up with the beagles but my buddy was Smokey, a black and white mottled border colie. and then of course, Keet. i tried a black lab puppy once, but it was infatuated with Coop and so, Bella ( the lab puppy ) had to have a new home found for her. she absolutely terrorized that baby lol. She sure was pretty tho. And sweet as pie. Had she NOT been a charity case, i wouldn't of even tried, as labs have so much energy and i have the boys...but, i tried.

i gotta have a "manly" dog. i just don't see me with something i could step on accidentally (i'm quite clumsy ya'll). We need something we can wrestle with lol. Shane has a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Josey (yes, the outlaw Josey Wales lol) but Josey's just now a year old and as big as Keet with more energy than a soul has a right to. Will jump up on you in a heartbeat. Terrifies the boys. Actually wrapped his lead around my ankles bout 2 weeks ago and jerked my feet out from under me. THAT hurt. i walked funny for 3 days, landed right on my right hip as i tried to turn to keep from falling ON John who was cowering behind me. Told Connor to get Shane and tell him to get out there and pick Mama's big *** up LOL. so there's NO way that brute is coming to live here. nope, ain't happenin'. Josey stays at Shane's mom and dad's.

argh! i don't know WHAT i'm going to do

and searching on google for different breeds.....blef, that's so useless.

Trace . . . what you need to do is list all the traits you want in the dog and post them here . . . we will help you . . . I have a great book that covers almost all of the breeds and what their personalities are and grooming requirements are and what their exercise requirements are . . . very informative. My daughter has a pug . . . they are in the toy group . . . but the largest of the toys and very sturdy dogs . . . pushed faced tho so they snore and snort . . . and of course, I already told you I love the basinjis . . . and you can't beat golden retrievers if you have kids, but they can be rambunctious (sp?) and they do shed like crazy (had two of them). So I think first you need to decide what you want the dog to be like and then go from there.

Peachy, you'd have to be TWO cool people to be MORE cool

i want something around 40-60 lbs. good and sturdy, not a beast, not a toy. a good solid dog.

I want a dog with a gentle termperment, while the boys are out of their tail pulling stage, the two younger one's DO want to play and i think Keet, being 8 1/2 now, just doesn't dig that anymore. She's starting to growl under her breathe when they try to play. so something that could be a gentle giant?

i want a dog that's protective but also friendly. Akita's are, of course, pack animals, as are all dogs, and they are SUPPOSED to be protective of their pack. Kita could give 2 figs. We have had a few incidents here (none involving our family, one's in which the people knew that this house is one in which the pOlice lived and so they went there for help), one where i actually had to get my weapon. ya know when Keet barked? AFTER the emt's and pOlice had left...she walked up to the front door and said, "woof". one bark. that's it. lol lil turd.

i want a dog that doesn't want my attention ALL the time. I'm spread thin as it is trying to keep my lil family feeling all warm and fuzzy and wanted. And this is 4 MALES i try to keep happy.....help? LOL! so our doggie has to be content with our undivided attention AND/OR just being around us. I feel so badly when i see Keet's face because she wants my attention and i just DON'T have the time for more than a belly pat and some baby talk. :(

The dog would have to be a dog that would easily live indoors. we have a fenced in back yard but it's not ginormous, it's "normal" sized. i'd venture to guess about 5500-6000 sq ft? We have about 3000 sq ft in the house, but there's FIVE of us living here lol and even if 3 are half the time with their dad, half the time they're here.

I want a handsome dog. that doesn't chew, snore, drink, cuss, bring home hookers, look up porn on my comp, leave the frig door open. all the normal stuff you don't want a dog to do, ya know ;)

I'm KINDA used to the dog hair, but i'd rather live without it. Akitas blow their coat twice a year my left butt cheek. Keet sheds ALL year, no matter how much i brush her. Friggin' back yard looks like we've had a freak snow storm and there's STILL more to do.....but 20-30 minutes of brushing and we're both fed up lol.

and if it came with it's own 401K....that'd be hella sweet! :D

Wow, ya don't want much do ya?:D

I need to do some research . . . but . . . and this may be a bit larger than you had in mind . . . but you might also want to think about a boxer . . . they are great kid dogs . . . protective of their people . . . don't shed too much (and what they do shed is really short) . . . but they do slobber some (not as much as a Mastiff or St. Bernard tho). Now as to chewing -- all puppies are gonna chew so maybe you want to get one a year or more old; snoring -- that's a hard one but push-faced dogs snore the most; drinking -- I think you will just have to keep your drink protected because I haven't had a dog yet who didn't like beer; cussing -- well if they do that they do it in their own language so your kids probably won't pick up any new bad words; bringing home hookers -- this all depends on how cute your dog is and if you take it where hookers are; looking up porn on your comp -- nope, no fingers to work the mouse, I think you're safe there; leaving the frig door open -- again it's that fingers thing . . . even tho I know some dogs have been known to get the frig open . .. mine can get the cover off the dog door!:eek:

Let me see what else I can find tomorrow for ya. I'm pooped and headed to bed now. :)

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. :D

True, she's not looking for a fighting dog . . . otherwise I would have told her to get a Pit . .. they are great dogs and I would still have my sweetie, Abby, if she hadn't had separation anxiety and tore up my carpet!:eek:

Gonna try to post a pic of my monster. Have to take a good one though, the pics I have of him suck.


MY DOG!!! ...Cheesh!

What kind of dog ya got? One of mine weighs 101 lbs . . . big gal . . . but the 60 lb one is probably more likely to rip someone a new one! :eek:

G Shep.

Think he goes about 80-85 but he's still a pup. :)

My big one is part Shepherd part Rott . . . I think Rotts tend to be overweight and I have had her on a diet for 2 years :eek: However, she is so broadchested, I don't know how I think she is going to be any smaller. :D

Peachy's right Trace...you're not asking much....LMAO....

seriously though some of the best dogs I've had have been shepherd crosses.....with labrador or short haired collie....they have the integrity and smart of the shepherd with the tolerance and companionship of the other breed....so they are smart and placid, tolerant but not stupid....

go for one about a year or two old, they will love you forever, guard you with passion and play with the boys until they want to walk away......my daughter used to climb all over our shepherd collie, poke her eyes out, stick bottles etc in her mouth.....and the dog would just up and throw her off and move on.....

I grew up with shepherds, if you train them and teach them they are the best dogs....very predictable and responsive to command.....

free . . . the only bad thing about the shepherd mixes . . . they shed like a mother****** :eek: I finally had mine cut way down this summer. I thought she would be cooler (which she does seem to be) and I have way less dog hair to deal with in the pool (where she stays as long as I will let her stay in there!). I know she's shedding just as much, but since it's so short now, I don't see it as much.

my best friend for 16 years and the love of my life was a shep/husky mutt

God I miss him. Gone 3 1/2 years. Sleep well angel.

One of ours had to be groomed Peachy.....but the other one was a short hair.....she only shed in the spring...by summer it was all gone.....lucky i guess....I have friends here who keep alaskan huskies....can you believe....this is sub tropics....and those are working dogs for arctic conditions......I think its really cruel to take an animal so far out of its natural climate zone.....those dogs suffer in the summer when we're dripping wet with no fur!!!

I totally agree, Free . . . I love Newfoundlands, but I would never get one . . . it would suffer miserably down here.