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View Full Version : What dog breed should I get



Bannor
September 28th, 2007, 02:54 PM
I am looking into getting a dog with my girlfriend (we live together). I work all day long I so the dog would have to deal with lots of alone time. I would be able to play with the dog on weekends and give it lots of attention at night but in general I am looking for a lower energy pet. There might be kids in 4 or 5 years so the pet shouldn't be too territorial. since I live in a condo for the most part it would be an indoor dog. What is the best bread given my circumstances.

LaRoza
September 28th, 2007, 03:01 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labrador_Retriever

Get two dogs...so they won't be lonely. However, that might be too much.

xl_cheese
September 28th, 2007, 03:28 PM
Go to the animal shelter and start test driving.

fuscia
September 28th, 2007, 04:06 PM
get a cat. they sleep all day. dogs don't do well cooped up in a condo all day. if you insist on a dog, i second getting a pound dog.

ynnhoj
September 28th, 2007, 05:49 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labrador_Retriever
labs are such great dogs. my old dog (chocolate lab) was home alone every week day from, on average, 7.30am until 4pm, and he was just fine as long as he got a walk in the morning before i left, and another later in the evening.

a puppy can be pretty tough to handle, though; it's a pretty crazy eight to twelve months (if not more). so the pound/shelter suggestion might be more your speed.

USPB
September 28th, 2007, 05:57 PM
I suggest you get a labrador

Henry Rayker
September 28th, 2007, 06:00 PM
Every lab I've ever known has been incredibly hyperactive...and LOVE chewing on stuff.

Personally, I want a bulldog, but house training those is pretty tough due to their stubborn personalities. They're very low energy, though...

mrgnash
September 28th, 2007, 06:06 PM
A lab or golden retriever would be pretty awesome. The latter is what I'd love to get, if I had available time and money.

arsenic23
September 28th, 2007, 06:19 PM
People who don't have a yard to keep their dog in should not have one.

Dogs left alone for long periods of time not only make noise like a mother, but are also genuenly suffering. Dogs are social animals that need interaction throughout the day. So not only will you be leaving the poor beast alone, but while your gone the neighbors have to put up with its wine and barking. Just last year someone in my town was severly beaten because his dog had been annouying his neighbor all day every day while he was gone.

Do yourself a favor and do one of these two things:
Give up on getting a dog and get a cat. Get a female cat and have it fixed to avoid the majority of cat owner problems.

or

Get your girlfriends pregant before you buy a dog. Dogs and little kids are made for one another and they will be able to keep one another company. For that matter Golden Retreivvers are the perfect dogs for small children.



Sorry if my post sounds a little harsh, but I live in a building myself with a neighbor that owns a lonely dog. All I hear is it's stupid stupid crying 8-10 hours a day.

Henry Rayker
September 28th, 2007, 06:31 PM
I actually agree with arsenic23. Dogs should really not be left alone in an apartment for very long at all. I brought my dog to live with me for a while but she wound up going back to my parents' house. While she never barked or whined or anything and she wasn't left for more than a couple hours at a time (I worked close to home and used my breaks to go walk her) she just wasn't terribly happy.

Dogs really are social creatures and not meant to be left on standby while you're at work just so that they can keep you company on the weekends.

Just get a cat. They're a lot better about being in an apartment...or do what I did and get a pet rat (or some other smaller caged animal). For your situation, a nocturnal animal (hamsters, mice, etc) would be best; rats are actually very slightly diurnal, and will switch it up, if they feel it's beneficial.

rustybronco
September 28th, 2007, 06:45 PM
Test drive a pound puppy, with that said a lab is a good dog But if it is young it WILL chew! and they tend to bark, I have one and a golden retriever.
TWO dogs are best. ( I have three )

HermanAB
September 28th, 2007, 06:52 PM
A low energy dog? Well, nothing beats a bulldog. They are excellent watch dogs - they love to lie somewhere sunny and watch the world go by...

A bulldog doesn't run or jump or bark or do anything strenuous if they can help it. A bulldog will also provide excellent protection to your house and home, since anyone coming in the front door, will trip and fall over the dog.

They look extremely vicious and no-one in his right mind will look for trouble with a bulldog, since once clamped onto the calf of an annoying intruder that disturbed its sleep, they tend to forget to let go again and will doze off with the intruder dangling at its mouth.

Cheers,

Herman

mohnkern
September 28th, 2007, 06:53 PM
I have a friend that has two greyhounds that he got from greyhound rescue. They are older dogs, so they are less hyperactive. He has to walk them every evening, but other than that, he's loved them. He's in a townhome.

sr20ve
September 28th, 2007, 07:03 PM
removed

Henry Rayker
September 28th, 2007, 07:06 PM
Of course everyone is going to recommend the kind of dog that they had, or have.

I have two Wiemaraners that I absolutly love. Some are known to be hyper, but mine are pretty mellow most of the time.

I keep them inside my house, and they are alone for hours at a time while me and the wife are at work, and they have never chewed up anything other than their toys, they are super smart and beautiful dogs.


Cute dogs.

I actually DON'T recommend the kind of dog I have for an apartment/condo type situation....Boston Terriers are just way too energetic and can be really dependent

Bannor
September 28th, 2007, 07:47 PM
well here is the background. GF (girlfriend) has wanted a puppy forever. I happen to agree with arsnic and explained that we are not home nearly enough for a dog. I finnally convinced her of that fact, when she gets an email from a friend who found 5 abdonded dogs and would shortly have to bring them to the pound unless owners could be found. The dogs immeadaitely won me over and so I aggreed that given the dillemma I would be willing to take a dog.

So GF called and all the dogs were taken. But I had just opened pandoras box. I was hoping someone here knew a breed that was more independent and could be left allone.

Circus-Killer
September 28th, 2007, 07:52 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_Terrier

have two of 'em myself. they have more personality than most of the people i know!

DeadSuperHero
September 28th, 2007, 09:44 PM
I have a Doxen (a weiner dog), and I absolutely love him. Great pet, great with people. Not so great with other dogs, though.
We didn't fix him though, and he humps pillows and stuff. He lives up to his breed.

ahaslam
September 28th, 2007, 10:23 PM
We've always had Labradors, they tolerate (and eat) almost anything & are quite affectionate.

50words
September 28th, 2007, 10:26 PM
It is a sad irony that the lab, one of the most high-energy dogs there is, is the most popular breed in the United States, one of the fattest countries there is.

There are lazy dogs. They tend to be bigger dogs. A Great Dane, for example, will be perfectly happy lying around all day with just a bit of exercise in the mornings and evenings.

I have a husky. Do not get a husky unless you are willing to properly exercise a dog that was bred to run for eight hours or more every day. If you are a runner, however, they are the best dogs in the world. Labs are great dogs, but it's huskies and collies for me.

ThinkBuntu
September 28th, 2007, 11:07 PM
Get a mutt. They're cheap and they're nice. Head over to a local pet store (Petsmart type of place) on weekends when "rescue" groups usually come by. It's a good cause, and the animals are always very nice.

I mean, would you choose a girlfriend entirely based on her nationality or hair color? Well, OK. But still, if you're getting an animal (or a girl) personality should be most important :^)

bmannering
September 28th, 2007, 11:19 PM
I at one point almost got a siberian Husky but they are very energetic and need attention constantly but ultimatly decided against it because of money and time issues. But my family and I have a mastiff and she is the greatest dog ever. She is happy doing whatever we are doing and that can be a problem if you arent home because she can get very sad if we are gone for a while. She is lazy but at the same time she loves to run around and bark at whatever.
But I would recommend a mastiff for a big house, big famiy, and big yard like I have.

fuscia
September 28th, 2007, 11:22 PM
I was hoping someone here knew a breed that was more independent and could be left allone.

our neighbor's beagle is like a cat in a dog suit.

gnuman
September 28th, 2007, 11:26 PM
Greyhounds are pretty much low-energy dogs. You may be able to get two from a rescue program.

fuscia
September 28th, 2007, 11:28 PM
one way to think around this leaving it alone all day dilemna is to get a dog who would be dead if you didn't adopt it.

ahaslam
September 29th, 2007, 12:13 AM
one way to think around this leaving it alone all day dilemna is to get a dog who would be dead if you didn't adopt it.

:-({|=

sp0onman
September 29th, 2007, 12:18 AM
/\ get a pug

ahaslam
September 29th, 2007, 12:23 AM
/\ get a pug

Would that not be a car?

Fbot1
September 29th, 2007, 01:03 AM
a pug or a puggle

sp0onman
September 29th, 2007, 01:04 AM
Would that not be a car?

eh? look at my avatar,

jviscosi
September 29th, 2007, 01:12 AM
We have a Vizsla and a mutt (fostered from the pound and never given back). Don't get a Vizsla, they are way too high energy for a condo. Other than that they're terrific.

There are various "dog breed selector" web sites that might help you out. One of them is actually what originally steered us to the Vizsla. I think it was the Iams one. Anyway, here are some examples:

http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselector.do (heh heh heh -- they said "dog do")
http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=DBS
http://www.breederretriever.com/breedselector.php

BTW, everybody is right about dogs not liking to be alone. That's why we have two. I'd suggest getting more than one.

-grubby
September 29th, 2007, 01:39 AM
get a cat. but if you insist on getting a dog... get a small dog like a dachshund or poodle although dogs don't like being left alone

50words
September 29th, 2007, 02:03 AM
You know, dogs and cats actually do get along. I have always had a dog and at least one cat, and the cats keep the dog company when she is inside. (Sometimes it is cold enough here in Minnesota that I feel bad leaving my best friend outside, but rarely.)

Tiffanyann
October 30th, 2007, 07:11 PM
Poodles are great. You can train them to be alone if you're consistent with them. Mine sleep while I'm at work and play when I'm home. :)

cyclefiend2000
October 30th, 2007, 07:27 PM
not sure if this has been mentioned, but greyhounds typically make good apartment dogs. they are generally content to lay about most of the day as long as they get a little exercise in the evenings.

a friend has two and they live in a condo. she takes them on a long walk most nights or goes to the dog park for a quick run.

look into adopting a retired racer. they are generally fairly young, and there are thousands of them looking for a good home.

good for you for doing some research first.

i am a member of these forums....
http://community.dog.com/forums/
http://chazhound.com/forums/

both are a wealth of dog related information and help.

edit: puppies while cute demand loads of attention regardless of breed. typically a puppy can only hold their bladder for the number of months in their age plus one, in terms of hours. ie. a 3 month old dog can probably hold it for about 4 hours. smaller dogs even less. the more often a puppy is allowed to poop/pee in the house makes it that much harder to house train.

we have been through puppyhood 3 times now. or at least we are on our third time. all rescue/shelter dogs. amelia (boxer mix) was 3 months old when we adopted her from a local rescue. sydney (husky mix-extreme high energy!) was 2 months old when we adopted him from the humane society. emma (rottweiler) was 7 weeks old when we took her out of a dreadful situation. she was covered with fleas, malnurished, and tested positive for parvo. it was touch and go with her for quite a while.

amelia is now 3 yrs old. sydney is almost 2 yrs old. and emma is about 7 months old.

when sydney was almost 1, we decided we wanted a third dog. but we werent looking for a puppy.... then along came emma!

no way could we handle having a puppy except that i can go home at lunch everyday and let the dogs out for a bit.

another thing to consider is that most puppies really need 3 or 4 meals a day until they are around a year old. emma is still eating 3 meals. our other dogs weaned themselves off of 3 meals after about 8 months old or so. plus they need to poop within about 20-30 minutes after eating.

dogson
October 30th, 2007, 07:48 PM
Dogs are pack animals and don't like being left alone, if you know the dog will be left home alone most of the day consider getting a cat instead.

sailor2001
October 30th, 2007, 08:07 PM
schnauzer.. they don't shed, super smart and friendly in the family. can be trained to be alone for long periods. Had one that broke my heart when I had to put it down. salt & pepper

helliewm
October 30th, 2007, 08:14 PM
I would second the greyhound they are literally 40 miles per hour couch potatoes. I now have my 3rd, a puppy. The puppy hates walking he is desperate to get home to the 4 cats and the German Shepherd.

Helen

Ps They are excellent with children

plb
October 30th, 2007, 09:19 PM
German Shepherd ftw

MCrittenden
October 31st, 2007, 05:26 AM
I work at a veterinarian as a vet tech/question answerer, so I finally found something on these forums that I know something about :)

Everyone is right when they say that dogs are much happier when not left alone, but in many cases, the only other choice is euthanasia. Most human societies are working somewhere around a 50% euthanasia rate, and most of the survivors are puppies, so if you see a grown dog and don't get it, there's a good chance it just missed it's only chance. The point is, if you're going to get a dog, get it from a humane society, because lonely is better than dead.

As for the breeds, obviously dogs differ a LOT even within a breed. Saying "all greyhounds are lazy" is like saying "all women are talkative." In GENERAL, the laid back breeds include great danes, greyhounds, bulldogs, dachshunds, and corgis, among others. Whoever mentioned the websites with the quizzes to find the best dog for you gets my props...those do a good job.

As for everyone who mentioned labs, labs are very energetic, but also very obedient. If you train them to be quiet and sit still, they will do that, even though they are full of energy. In other words, a quiet lab is a sad lab. IMHO, you'd be better off with other breeds.

Whatever you get, make sure it's been spayed or neutered. That often helps.