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If I get another dog, it must be no bigger than 20 lbs. I would want it to be easily portable and easily washable. I don't mind a little grooming or shedding.
There are so many varieties of mixed breed little dogs and I've only ever had big dogs before, so I don't know he characteristics of the different small breeds.
I do not want a dog that is yappy, cringing and shaking all the time, nor peeing in fear of everything. I don't want an overly active dog, like a Jack Russell, for example.
I want a friendly, sociable little dog which easily adapts to being taken places and gets along with people and other dogs.
My ideal little dog is a pomeranian - they are smart, cute and have the heart of a lion. However, they, like most small dogs can be hard to house-train, very yappy and are very delicate. Second choice would be a toy poodle. Much less shedding.
I never ever wanted a little dog because I can't stand the yapping and ended up adopting one of my fosters which is a chi-min pin mix and the thing makes me laugh like crazy, but I still don't like the yapping.
I foster mostly Jack Russels and jack mixes, because no one else wants to because like yourself everyone thinks they are holy terrors, and I have to tell you only one of them was an absolute terror, ripped down all my window blinds, chewed up the cushions - you know typical jack russel horror stories.
But, that was one out of 30 plus jacks I fostered and I was absolutely amazed at how calm and well behaved they were and were anywhere from pup to 3 to 5 years old short and rough coats, I even had a pure white one that I called Piglet and he never left my side even in the front yard, he was a short haired shedder tho, so grab the back end just before the tail to see how much hair comes out to determine if it has a heavy undercoat.
If you are looking on Petfinder for a jack, read the description and ask a lot of questions about the age and behavior. The gentleman that adopted the spastic one to I was very, very clear about the dog's behavior because I didn't want him suprised when he got her home. Plus our policy is we take back any dog we adopt out no matter how long you've had it and we don't like them returned so we are as honest as possible. Some just require a lot of playtime with the owner or another dog others I had no problem adopting as a lone dog.
I've had nothing but wonderful feedback from people who have adopted the jacks I've fostered so don't rule them out completely - plus their yap is not at a pitch of a dog smaller than they.
The same goes for rat terriers.
Last edited by Thursday007; 09-06-2009 at 09:24 AM..
I never ever wanted a little dog because I can't stand the yapping and ended up adopting one of my fosters which is a chi-min pin mix and the thing makes me laugh like crazy, but I still don't like the yapping.
I foster mostly Jack Russels and jack mixes, because no one else wants to because like yourself everyone thinks they are holy terrors, and I have to tell you only one of them was an absolute terror, ripped down all my window blinds, chewed up the cushions - you know typical jack russel horror stories.
But, that was one out of 30 plus jacks I fostered and I was absolutely amazed at how calm and well behaved they were and were anywhere from pup to 3 to 5 years old short and rough coats, I even had a pure white one that I called Piglet and he never left my side even in the front yard, he was a short haired shedder tho, so grab the back end just before the tail to see how much hair comes out to determine if it has a heavy undercoat.
If you are looking on Petfinder for a jack, read the description and ask a lot of questions about the age and behavior. The gentleman that adopted the spastic one to I was very, very clear about the dog's behavior because I didn't want him suprised when he got her home. Plus our policy is we take back any dog we adopt out no matter how long you've had it and we don't like them returned so we are as honest as possible. Some just require a lot of playtime with the owner or another dog others I had no problem adopting as a lone dog.
I've had nothing but wonderful feedback from people who have adopted the jacks I've fostered so don't rule them out completely - plus they're yap is not at a pitch of a dog smaller than they.
The same goes for rat terriers.
My DIL has a Jack Russell and, except for her occasional selective deafness if she feels like taking a looong walk, she's a sweet couch potato.
i've never really hung out with a toy poodle, but standard poodles are lovely dogs. i was really surprised by how, well, doggy they are. i don't know if that extrapolates to toys. bichons can be very nice too.
they might be a little over your size limit but i really love boston terriers! some of them can be real spazzes though.
really, when it comes to fearfulness, energy level and tendency to bark, breed has some influence but a lot of it is the individual dogs' personalities. your best bet might be to get an adult dog from a rescue that fosters, or a retired breeding dog from a reputable breeder, so you can talk to someone who really knows the dog's personality and behavior. with an adult dog, what you see is what you get - puppies can change a lot as they mature. plus a lot of the time the house training is already done!
My DIL has a Jack Russell and, except for her occasional selective deafness if she feels like taking a looong walk, she's a sweet couch potato.
Yeah, if I didn't have 4 of my own already, I wouldn't hesitate now to get a jack or rat terrier. My thing with dogs is the yap, the grooming - as in bath and nails only -no long hair and, most importantly, it had to have a 'face' like an actual snout that came away from the head.
And the advice about getting a fostered dog who is a year or older is the best bet in getting the type of dog you want and probably house trained.
If I get another dog, it must be no bigger than 20 lbs. I would want it to be easily portable and easily washable. I don't mind a little grooming or shedding.
There are so many varieties of mixed breed little dogs and I've only ever had big dogs before, so I don't know he characteristics of the different small breeds.
I do not want a dog that is yappy, cringing and shaking all the time, nor peeing in fear of everything. I don't want an overly active dog, like a Jack Russell, for example.
I want a friendly, sociable little dog which easily adapts to being taken places and gets along with people and other dogs.
A bit of a loaded question really. I had a Lahsa for years and he was great...but major grooming issues. I currently have a JRT and he's quiet in the house and lively outside...but...and this is a really big but, I live on a farm and he get LOTS of exercise, I never recommend these dogs for appartment dwellers as these dogs are still used for farm work today.
Yappy comes in all sizes some breeds "tend" to be more yappy, I have a Sheltie puppy and that breed is notorious for their barking, however, our local breed club had a puppy picnic recently and there were 30+ shelties all in a large back yard and would you believe it was relatively quiet...I was surprised yes there was some barking but they were just too busy playing to be yappin'.
I'd go to the AKC web site and look at some of the toy breeds and then contact some local breeders to learn about "their" breed. You might end up with a mix of x breed but it's good to know what to look for in a small dog. There are a lot of companion dogs to choose from and many times owners forget that even tho their small they still need exercise, socilization and training just like the big un's.
I'd take a Cairn terrier in a minute- big dog personalities in a little body. Or adopt a fully grown small mutt (don't buy one of those bred mutts...). After about one year, you'd know how big a dog was going to be.
I gather small dogs get adopted quickly, certainly at least in part because of the dog-size requirements in a lot of 55+ housing.
I'd go for a Cairn in a minute. They really are neat dogs.
If I got a little dog it would be either a Pug or French Bulldog
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