Need suggestions on a "nice" breed of dog for kids (guys version of a Bischon Frishe)

[mom2boys]

DH & I have decided that the boys might actually be ready for a pet. (The cat is only visiting.)
Does anyone have any suggestions on a nice breed of dog that :

-would get along with two active 7 & 8 year old boys
-isn't too large to be an inside dog
-doesn't shed too much
-has a nice temperment
-is relatively easy to train (including house training)

Two of their cousins have Bischons - nice dogs but little white fluff balls aren't "manly" enough for DH's boys. :rolleyes:

Or should we just get a short haired cat.

[Disney Doll]

Well, we have an English Springer Spaniel which meets all of your requirements except the shedding part. The good thing I will say about how they shed is that it rolls into little tumbleweeds which are easier to pick up than a million little separate pieces of hair. Of course, the little tumbleweeds do tend to "tumble" out from under couches, bureaus etc at the most inopportune times;) !

[Ranatra]

A friend of mine has 2 Pugs, they are great dogs, and my cousin has a Boxer, she is a beauty also and not too big.
Then there is always the Cocker Spaniel.
As far as shedding, the Bichon and poodle (which is what I have) do not shed at all. But since your DH doesn't lwant a Bichon, you might have to settle for a little shedding.
Good Luck on your choice!

[DocRafiki]

repeating myself... just go pick one out at a shelter

[mom2boys]

Doc - we probably will get one from the shelter. Just need to have some ideas first - otherwise I'll bring the whole place home & DH will send me to live at the shelter.:o

[jan/cape]

What about a Corgi?

[mom2boys]

never heard of a corgi - what are they like?

[jan/cape]

Short legs big ears that stick up and pretty darn cute! the ones I have come in contact with are loves

[disfanatiks]

Two of their cousins have Bischons - nice dogs but little white fluff balls aren't "manly" enough for DH's boys.

But they sure are cute...
http://www.mrwidget.com/wsunglasseswww.jpg

How about a Jack Russell Terrier? My parents have one and they love to run and play...My parents adopted their dog from JR Rescue.

[Kallison]

What Doc said. We got our 11 month old lab there, already potty trained and mostly through the chewing stage. He has become the best dog ever! Help save a doggie life!! Mutts make the best pets also.

[DocRafiki]

Yea! I'm so glad!

I just noticed from your other post that it's their first pet. Are cats in the running? They're a much better first pet since they're not nearly as high-maintenance. That whole having-to-go-outside-every-few-hours thing is a real bummer (not that I don't LOVE my dogs!)

Talk to someone at the shelter who has worked there for a while. They're really good at recognizing different traits in breeds as well as individuals. Don't be scared off by anything with pit, rottie, or doberman in them... they are very sweet if treated well -- just gotta watch out for prior treatment when adopting from a shelter (more likely to bite if they have anxieties). Of course, Rotties shed. Pits are bred here like crazy, so I know lots of them. Nearly everything in the shelter here has either pit or chow in it (I'm not a fan of chows).

Just have to throw in my token boxer advertisement, as long as you're not going to a breeder... Anything with boxer in it is almost guaranteed to be sweet, and boxers LOVE kids (and don't shed or smell much). I've known quite a few pit-boxers that I have just loved. They vary greatly in size from about 40-90#.

[jsmith]

get a rescue beagle-they can be a pain when they are a puppy but when grow are awesome-friendly, playful, loving,loyal and long lived. And they have the coolest bark

[Rajah]

Jack Russel Terrier is what I thought of, too.

[jan/cape]

Jack Russel Terriers are very cute, but aren't they 'busy'?

[CookieGVB]

Jack Russells are very cute, but can be very independent and stubborn - you really need to be on your toes to be a step ahead of them.

If you want a non-shedding dog, you're going to have to pick a Bichon, poodle, or one of a few terrier breeds - can't think of any others that don't shed.

Good luck in your search - hope you get to rescue an adult dog from a shelter! :)

[bsnyder]

I'll throw in my .02!

We got a Bichon puppy in January. The main reason we picked this breed was because oldest DS has very severe allergies to pet dander. DH grew up with labs and he thought this was a totally "sissy" dog. Currently, his parents have a yellow lab, one brother has a black lab, and the other brother has a boxer.

Well, Gibson may look like a little "sissy" dog, but he thinks he's a lab! We were at DH's parents' beach place over Memorial Day weekend, and had all 4 dogs there, and Gibson kept up with those big dogs with no problem. He was jumping off the dock into the canal with them! There's nothing funnier looking than a soaking wet Bichon covered with mud!

DH gets on his bike and Gibson runs on the leash beside him, just like a "big" dog. He plays with his "cousin" dogs until he wears them out and they go hide from him, for a little peace and quiet. Yet, he's not a "hyper" yappy little dog.

I'll also put in a plug for boxers. My BIL's dog is the best behaved dog I've ever seen. This breed seems to have a natural inclination to want to please their owners.

[clutter]

Guy version of bichon = cockapoo

Well, I wasn't looking for a guy version, just didn't want white. Clara's got a great temperment, listens well, doesn't shed and thinks that all children, dogs and cats were placed on this earth for HER amusement. Poos come in sizes from 10 to 60 pounds - Clara will be around 30 -- big enough for a dog hug, small enough to pick up if I need to.

Did I mention she doesn't shed?

[disykat]

I agree that it's good to rescue a dog, but after trying for a year to find a non-shedding dog (we also have allergies) under 30 pounds we gave up. We have a Miniature Schnauzer and she does great with my 7 and 9 year old boys.

[Planogirl]

I grew up with a few Collie/Shepherd mixes that were super dogs. They were protective and gentle yet very eager to play and smart as can be too. Retrievers are nice dogs too.

[mamajoan]

I vote for the Cockapoo... Great dogs, usually every shelter has one waiting for a new owner...
Um, I like our Scotties, but they can be little devils when pups... regular puppy stuff tho.

[Cinders]

Labs and Boxers are both great with kids but Boxers shed much less than the Labs. Only problem I have with our 80 lb. Boxer is that she still thinks she's a lap dog. ;)

[Tense]

This is a wonderful breed. I've owned three Dash hounds now. ALL were great with kids, calm, smart and very loving. They are easy to train, they come in standard and mini. Long, short or wirehaired. I had a short hair and a long hair. Neither shed very much at all. If anyone has allergies, the long hair Dachshund really doesn't have fur, it's hair like and usually doesn't cause any allergy problems. They are funny..cute and if my husband loves them.. you know it's a great breed.(DH due to the line of work he did, came in contact with many dogs.. and bit far to many times!) The Dachshund are big dogs in little bodies. They have no idea they are small. They are not yippie or sissy in any way. I've had Spaniels, and they are not all that good with children.. not the ones I've come in contact with. Someone said Corgi's... they are very much like a dachshund..very cute, small dog..big heart! However I've never owned one! Good luck on choosing!

[Liz]

Well, I don't know if it exactly meets ALL your requirements, but I'll put in a plug for basset hounds mainly because of the wonderful temperment. We have two bassets who are indoor dogs 99% of the time (and we don't have a huge house). They are sooooooooo incredibly good with kids and people in general. They do shed, one more than the other for some reason. And our male is kinda big (short but long). Even though he probably weighs 80 lbs. he thinks he's a lap dog! They really keep us laughing with their funny antics!

When we were doggie hunting, we considered a Jack Russell but read that they sometimes don't get along well with cats at all. We have cats too so we took that breed off our list.

Good luck and have fun whatever you decide!

[nativetxn]

Our golden retriever/blonde lab mix is so wonderful with people. But she sheds something fierce.

The only dog I can think of that doesn't really shed is a poodle. Would a standard poodle be manly enough?

[phins_jazy]

Not a manly dog I know, but how bout a shih tzu? We've got one that we got from the shelter about 3 months ago. He's a year and half old and was completely potty trained. His hair needs to be clipped every 3 weeks but he doesn't shed nearly as bad as my rottie does. Very, very little shedding. He loves to play with our 3 yr old dd. Granted, he wasn't the cutest thing to look at when we found him at the shelter. Matted hair and ticks galore but it's amazing what a bath and a good haircut can do to a dog. :D Good luck in your search. The love that you'll receive from a shelter dog is amazing. It's like they know that you're the one that has saved their life. It's a great feeling. :cool:

[Leota]

As a Jack Russell owner, I have to warn you that they might not be the best choice for a first dog for you - They are very intelligent, high-strung & stubborn. They can also be very dominating & protective dogs, even tho they are small. They tend to pick one member of the family & stick by them. They are also easily trained, loads of fun & loyal as the day is long. You really have to work hard with JR's - I love our Cosmo like crazy - but she is HIGH maintenance. Even with obediance training & lots of socialization since she was a wee pup, she hates "strangers" (anyone non-family) coming to the house - anything that moves is fair game, including dust mops, vacuums etc....If you choose a JR - do alot of research first & be prepared to be woken at 4 am by a playful pooch. We wound up getting Newman, to help Cosmo slow down a bit.

I will put in a plug for Boston Terriers - Newman is a BT - he's 15 pounds, thinks he's big - keeps right up with our JR. His main mission in life is to love & entertain people - anybody (definatly NOT watch dog material) They have short hair, which is easy to manage. Even tho they're small, they are quite the manly little dogs, having the bulldog type face & the mini boxer type body - strutting like junkyard dogs - Downside - not the most intelligent breed & training can be harder because of that.

Hope you find the right dog for your family! We love our babies & they are like members of our family - they have brought so much love, comfort & fun to us. I can't imagine being without them....

[Patricia]

Well, I have to jump in here with a very enthusiastic vote for a Westhighland Terrier. We were on the look for a dog which was small and non-shedder, able to handle kids, smart and easily trained. We discovered the Westie on a vacation and ended up with our Minnie 7 years ago. She is just what you described, a little dog with a big dog mentality. She stands up to a lot with our kids and the kids that visit our home, while at the same time she has the advantages of a small dog. I really didn't want a dog when we got her, but I have to say that she stole my heart and has been the best dog I have ever owned.

[Mermaid02]

If you do want a pure bred.... do a search on rescue dogs.... when we were looking for our dog we contacted The Yankee Weimaraner Rescue in Massachusetts.....usually they live in a volunteers home until adopted so they can tell you quite a bit about their personality!

[Disney Dee]

We have an 11 week old pug, and she is great. We wantd a smallish breed, dodie will get about 20 lbs. My fiance wanted a manly dog:rolleyes: and a pug has a sorta bull dog face, but doesn't get as large as one. If you aren't familiar with the breed, people call them the "Men in black" dog. Goodluck whatever you decide!

[MineeBaby]

We got a Chihuahua Terrier mix, and he is ADORABLE! He is about 10 lbs, VERY well behaved, and everyone that comes over, especially the guys, absolutely loves him. Even if you have to get a full bread Chihuahua, they would be great for you.

[jrmasm]

www.petfinder.com

Do a search for your area. You might be surprised by how many shelters and rescues are in your area. The staff should be able to steer you to a good match for your family. Another thing to consider, puppies are cute but adult dogs are usually housebroken and frequently have outgrown (or will soon) a lot of the "puppy" behaviors.

JRT, in my opinion...NO WAY. They aren't called Jack Russell Terrorists for nothing!!

On a side note, while you're looking for your new family member, please consider researching crate training as well. It can be a god send!:)

[cherylp3]

I just wanted to comment that any breed can have a bad temperment depending upon how the dog was raised and socialized.

Cheryl