"Yippy dogs"

Hal,

:D, I like that. The only bad thing is the house and the floor space. A Great Dane would knock over everything just trying to get up :(. Got a good sized back yard but the house isn't.

That is why the smaller breeds. I'm looking at the pros and cons of each, and the one that I am really looking at (mainly due to the breeder is "right next door" (not far away)) "Blows" insteads of sheds. The other one that I'm looking at, will be able to watch but not sure of guard. Then with some of the other breeds, some don't get along with cats (a must with me), some don't get along with other dogs (my uncles dogs, I don't like them but still, I can't be having dog fights outside).

This is going to be a major decision. Not only because of the money involved but also due to what I'm needing and if I move into an apt if (when) this place falls apart then I have to have a small dog in that situation also.

Wayne
 
apartment watchdog

There are some good dogs mentioned here, but if someone lived in an apartment, I would think too much barking would get them in trouble with the neighbors. What breed is approx 20 pounds, barks when someone come around, but doesn't bark at everything or when left alone.
 
Still deciding and I will never live in an apartment again... did that once, that was enough.

The Great Dane is out because I don't have the room but a relative of mine just got a Great Dane, something, mix. The puppy is already larger then a mid sized dog and he thinks that he's a lap dog. If I had the room, I would think more about it because the pup is already "guarding" the house and the family. If you are a stranger or BG, I have no doubt that this pup would remove some of your flesh, but if you are a GG then he'll crush you and then lick you to death. He's a "killer" (that is his name) anyway you look at it LOL.

I called on the mini-daushounds and I didn't realize they were so popular here. And since no local breeders, they are going for over $700 in the pet stores :eek: . Cute little things though :).

The full sized daushounds aren't as popular and hard to come by. The local pet stores are only carrying full breed dogs/cats and they want a pretty price for them.

I tried the local pound again and was met by this uppity women with more facial hair then gangus kon (sp). I'm just happy that she was wearing pants and not a dress :barf:. Again, I was told that I was on the "no adopt list" and I asked why they would rather kill an animal then to let a single male adopt. I was told that it, "Was better for the animal". WTF over? Better for the animal to die then to come to a loving home? (And before anyone says, "well, you must have done something in the past". No, it's because I am a single male).

Anyway, I have found a breeder of mini-Italian Grayhounds (had a friend that had three and I like the breed) and am going to see the breedery (is that a word?). From what I remember, great, loyal dogs that have a sense of "duty" and will attack and will always command your attention when you are home. Gets along great with cats (even through they are breed to hunt and kill rabbits and other smaller animals).

It's just amazing. The searching, the research, etc.. I never knew this much about dogs in my entire life. I'm enjoying it :).

Wayne
 
Don't buy from pet stores

If you were considering buying from a pet store don't, alot of them get their dogs from puppy mills. I don't know if you aware of puppy mills but most of them are pretty dirty and inhumane opertaions and buying from pet stores just supports them.

http://www.stoppuppymills.org/

Here is a link to show you what I mean.


I am not crazy animal activist or anything I just became aware of these a few years back and thought you might want to know about them.
 
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Actually Wayne, size should'nt be a factor if you live in an apartment (or are single) I have an English Mastiff and a home with a small yard. She's only 20 months old, but already weighs in at 170 pounds. Her breeder thinks she'll go a little over 200 in her prime, and around 32 inches at the shoulder. These guys are laid back couch potatoes.... until there's a threat to their family. The Romans used Mastiffs to fight lions and bears in their arenas, and that speaks for itself. Most of the agression has been bred out of them, and English Mastiffs (not Cane Corsos, bull mastiffs, or others) today are known for a super gentle and affectionate disposition... unless there's a threat. Even then, they tend to contain a bad guy rather than tear him apart. I know a number of people that have them in small houses or apartments. They do blow their coats though, and slober when they eat or drink, so they are a little more messy than the average dog.

I'm really surprised that the pound wouldn't let you adopt, just because you're single. I'm also single, and I got my Mastiff from one of the top show breeders in the country. I had to fill out a 5 page questionaire with some somewhat personal questions, and the breeder does an on site inspection of your facilities. Being single didn't stop one of the most protective breeders in the business from selling to me.

One note of caution, though, on the Mastiff (or any breed, for that matter). you NEVER want to have these dogs guard or attack trained. When you do, they're not pets anymore, and to quote one of our K-9 officers, "Having an attack trained dog around your family is like having a loaded gun with a mind of it's own". Besides, any dog worth his salt will instinctively defend his family without any training.
 
And NSO is dead on target about pet stores and puppy mills. They are abominations that are responsible for the vast majority of health problems in dog breeds today, not to mention the cruel and neglectful conditions that they almost always operate under.
 
rescue dogs

Call another animal shelter or a rescue group.

PS: I thought I would never live in an apartment again, but I'm thinking about doing just that when I retire. That's why I'm doing research on 20 pound dogs that aren't yappy. mini-greyhound?
 
ISSR Shiloh Shepherds

I think that you should take a look at the Shiloh Shepherd. It is a large dog, but it will be a true family member. They are extremely intelligent, loving, protective, and healthy. They are a little known breed, but the people who have met them are devoted fans. I encourage you to check out the Shiloh Shepherd Learning Center and the Shiloh Shepherd Forum.

http://www.shilohshepherds.info/siteMap.htm

http://shilohshepherds.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x

They look very much like German Shepherds, but their temperaments a far more stable, their hips are far sounder, and they are quite a bit larger. Only purchase a Shiloh Shepherd from an ISSR Licensed Breeder, as the breed founder is still guiding the breeding of this wonderful dog. Others claim to breed Shiloh Shepherds, but they tend to produce unhealthy, unstable, inbred dogs. The breed founders website is:

http://www.newzionshilohs.org/Home.htm

This is the website of one of the breeders that I have always thought has beautiful dogs, not to mention she currently has puppies.

http://home.att.net/~belle-graceshilohs/

This is a wonderful breed and I hope that you enjoy learning about it.
Kaci
 
Didn't read the whole thread but here are my thoughts.

Little dogs are ok. First alert and people back down from little dogs too, seems like they don't even want little teeth in their leg, imagine that.

But a seasoned criminal? Might not be much help for deterring. I like shepards. Good people see 'family dog' bad people see 'Police dog'. Plus they have enough weight and bark to make even a seasoned criminal to think twice.

FWIW.

PS;

Oh forgot. I am a service person who visits a lot of different homes and see a lot of dogs. I've been bit by a lot more little dogs than big dogs.
 
I also love German Sheperds and other larger breeds but the fact is that most apartment complexes have breed restrictions (if you go to the leasing office they will give you a list of the restricted ones). I also didn't think it was fair to adopt a large breed at this time due to the fact that I don't think it's very fair to the animal to have him confined to such a small living space. Large dogs really need a yard to get daily exercise, my little mini dachshund gets all the exercise she needs inside my apartment. You have to consider the dogs needs as well not just your own.
 
I got my son a Jack Russell Terrier (parson's russell terrier).

If you don't have any carpet in the house or anything of any value at all. And you never have fits of uncontrolled anger. And if you never never leave anything (valuable or not) withing 6 feet above floor level. And you are willing to shave him, de-claw him & pull all his teeth. I would highly recommend getting one. ;) Seriously I love the little feller.
 
You have to consider the dogs needs as well not just your own.
Click to expand...

and

I also didn't think it was fair to adopt a large breed at this time due to the fact that I don't think it's very fair to the animal to have him confined to such a small living space.
Click to expand...

This is why I'm looking at the smaller breeds. I too love larger dogs but the house is just too small for them. The yard is okay but I want mostly an indoor dog.

NSO_w/_SIG, I think he's cute :). Thanks for the picture, I was going to research them next and didn't know exactly how a Jack Russell looked.

Wayne
 
Thanks USP45

but just to clarify the JR is the one in the pic. running in the background, the camera hog is our 11 month chihuahua
 
uhhggg little dogs :barf: I hate 'em, always have. I think they're useless and not much fun. That said, I have one, it was a christmas present from my husband (we're so in tune with each other) :rolleyes:

Anyway, our first dog, Chester is a Lab, one of the coolest dogs in the world :D Codi, our second blah dog is a Rat Terrier (the great christmas gift). High energy, but he hates going on runs with me, and he can't retreive worth beans (that's why I love my Lab). My suggestion, don't get one. They're annoying. And if this hasn't been brought up yet (sorry, didn't read the whole thread), they're needy. Most small dogs are, not just the prissy ones. They whine and wimper for no good reason. He seems to have ADD/neurotic tendencies. Believe me, it isn't pleasant :mad: And so far, we haven't figured how to curb this behavior. But my next method will be arriving shortly ;) Chihuahuas I think are fairly useless too. I live with my grandma when I was finishing college and she had a mini/toy chihuahua. All that dog did was follow my grandma around the house, eat and poop on the floor. I realize, that fit my grandma well. She needed company and so did the dog. So, match made in heaven.

Someone mentioned all the time, effort and research going into choosing a new pet, very smart. My husband did the same thing (he's never had pets, even growing up). I on the other hand, had cats and dogs all my life. But it's important to know what you're getting. Also check out the dog parks and whatnot in the area. If you're living in apt or condos, a little land can be hard to find. (One of the reasons we moved into a house, just to get our Lab) :o So know where to go to take your dog out for some fun. Walks in the 'hood are fine, but sometimes a dog just has to go wild on some land.

My In-Laws have a mini schnauzer, again, not my style, but it works for them. She's not too big, but certainly not "mini". Maybe 14lbs. She's a pretty decent dog. Her maintenance is a little more ince her hair is longer.

Anyway, good luck finding the right one.
 
Shorts

I used to think the same thing of chihuahua's until I got my own. He is nothing like what you describe of your grandmothers. He is very loving and wants to be in your lap all the time but he is fun and loves to play and has a great personality. I think alot of chihuahua's get a bad reputation becasue they are always seen with old ladies or people like Paris Hilton who I am sure doesn't treat that thing like a real dog. I bet your grandma's dog wasn't played with much and probably not been around many other people besides her and probably almost never around other dogs. I guess I am saying that alot of chihuahua's have what people see as bad personalities because alot of them are owned by people that faclitate that type of personality. The breed itself I don't think is nessecarily like that, atleast mine is not.
 
NSO, every dog has a personality of its own but you can mold it into acting how you want. It's all in the traning and the psych. But most people don't TRAIN train their dogs, they just live with them and sorta teach em stuff they kinda listen to, kinda don't, depending on how the dog feels and wants to do at that time.

As for grandma's chihuahua, it was a gift from my mother so we had the dog at our house for a week or, then it was off to grandma's. The pup was only 8-9wks old, so, a pup that young will grow into its owner's lifestyle as well. In this case, it was my grandma. But, this wasn't my first experience with a chihuahua. I'm from TX. Born and raised in Corpus, and frequented San Antonio (grandma's). I swear, everybody had chihuahuas and pit bulls....just think demographics ;) (before anyone freaks over that, I'm of the hispanic pop. so I got room to talk "of my people") :D Anyhow, the dog was played with, so your bet is wrong.

As for the lap dog business, again, not my style. I don't think dogs belong anywhere on people furniture, it's not their domain. We don't coddle in this house. All dogs live by the big dog rules. Does that mean it's a loveless house, absolutely not.
 
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Well I guess

We can just chalk it up to different tastes then, becasue I grew up with 2 black labs and although they were good dogs I found them a bit boring. I would never want either one of them on my furniture or in my house for that matter, my parents never let them inside the house, they slept in the garage.

I just find it much easier and more fun to have small dogs, from spending time with them to getting them from place to place. I would never dream of packing them labs up in the car to take to my mom and dad's house or over to friends house on regular basis. I like being able to do that with my Jack Russell and Chihuahua and I think it makes them a "better" dog and more social which is good.
 
Yup, different tastes :)

All my previous animals were outdoors. Dad didn't like animals in the house. He was raised on a farm and everybody sleep outside.

Chester is was my/our first indoor dog so figuring out an EFFECTIVE housetraining routine was something else. As for socializing, he goes everywhere and is excellent in public. I'd rather take him with me than Codi. The hardest part is tossing 70lbs into the front seat of my lifted truck :o He does fine in the front seat of my truck, and for the Tahoe, we just got one of those gate/separator bars that keep the dog in the back cargo area. He likes that better cause he has more room. We started Chester early with socialization, taking him out at 8-9wks. Our primary focus was get him use to people and distractions and 'the world' so we could take him out when he was full grown and not have him go crazy. Yes, it was still early prior to completing his shots, but it was well worth it. At 8mths now, you can see the work and training shine through. I'd say he's a "good" dog ;) At least much "better" than the little ones.
 
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