What kind of dog should we get?

[cats7494]

I really, really want to get another dog...

We currently have a 2 year old shepherd/lab mix - sweet, sweet dog!
2 cats (they are 7 months old and luckily like our dog)
My DH, DD10, and myself.

I do not really want another large dog - our current dog is about 80-90 pounds and he takes a LOT of room in the house.

So, I am looking for a smaller dog that is great with kids, other dogs, and cats. I am not a huge fan of terriers...

My daughter wants a pomeranian or a dachsund... I do not know though...

Any ideas on great dogs for a family?

 

[WDWHound]

I love Basset Hounds (big suprise there). They are the sweetest dogs I have encountered. They love everyone they meet. They also want to drool on everyone they meet (LOL). But a word of warning, bassets are very, very smart and quickly figure out a way around most rules. This means they are not the most obedient dog on the block . It takes a lot of patience to be a basset owner.

 

[figment95]

My mom has a toy poodle who is so sweet. I always thought that toy poodles were yappy and not nice. She is wonderful with my kids, very playful and fun. She's so cute, a great personality. She gets along great with other dogs, too.

 

[Beauty]

A bit high maintenance but we have a Lhasa Apso and she is the smartest thing!! She knows exactly what the word squirrel is, she can climb the toddler fence that we put up, she knows what her "baby" is. She is sooo smart, loving and wonderful but very protective of us.


POMERANIANS ARE THE DEVIL (((I'm KIDDING, don't thrash me))) Seriously my mom, who lives with us has a red Pomeranian and that dog will bark at thin air and it never shuts up!!! She has a lot of personality but at 6 years old she is still the most hyper dog I've ever seen!

 

[alliecats]

How about go to the Humane Society and let your kids play with some good mutt puppies to see if they bond? We had some purebred dogs growing up and their personalities differed so much, despite them being in the same breed. If the HS is too sad (I always cry), maybe a pet store that adopts for the HS? Be cheaper and you'd get a grateful dog, too! Sounds like your first one is a mutt, and a huge success. Good luck!!!

 

[poohlover]

We LOVE big dogs...currently we have 6 brand new Newfoundland pups!! All arrived on Sunday! WE have both Mom & Dad, along with a Mastiff, and a little cocker/terrier mix.

Other than the hair, Newfs are WONDERFUL! Big gentle giants! They love our 6 kids and trained VERY easily...we will be doing obiedence competitions with them in the fall.

 

[Prince Eric1]

I love all dogs, especially shephards, but love bassetts and labs too. I would not go for a pomeranian around kids, as they tend to be a bit nippy and do not have a great tempermant for kids. If you want a small dog, I love the temermant and playfullness of the dachsunds, while terriers seem to be a bit hyper. If you can go a little bigger, a bassett is very loyal but not as small as people think. Whatever you do, test the dogs in a play area with the kids and other dog first to find out its tempermant. I have gotten some great dogs from the humane society, though they do sometimes need a little more work initially if they have been maltreated previously. Good luck.

 

[cynsaun]

We have a 6 month old Papillon. He is the BEST dog ever! I did a lot of research before we got him. We, too, have a HUGE dog, and now that he is 12+ we wanted to get another to help "ease" the pain.

The papillon is one of the top 5 breeds for intelligence. Let me just tell you that he was completely potty trained after 1 1/2! No more crate and no accidents in the house!

The papillon is GREAT with kids, other dogs and cats. They only grow to about 8-11 lbs and are moderate shedders. George only barks when he hears someone at the door and at strangers for the first few mintues.

Good luck!

 

[DawnCt1]

Originally posted by Beauty
A bit high maintenance but we have a Lhasa Apso and she is the smartest thing!!
POMERANIANS ARE THE DEVIL (((I'm KIDDING, don't thrash me))) Seriously my mom, who lives with us has a red Pomeranian and that dog will bark at thin air and it never shuts up!!! She has a lot of personality but at 6 years old she is still the most hyper dog I've ever seen!

With children, I would NEVER consider a Lhasa Apso. I consider them "apartment pit bulls. I have /had three friends or relatives that have had to get rid of their Lhasa due to disposition. They don't seem to like children and their bite is big enough to do some damage. Poms are yippy but they don't seem to be snappy. I think the poodle is the best choice. They come in three sizes and several colors. What could be better

 

[mrsstats]

I would vote for a shelter dog. You can even get an older dog, already trained and skip the puppy stage. I have adopted my last 3 that way.

 

[Ellester]

I had dachunds growing up (full size and mini) and they were great dogs, both with kids and other dogs/cats. Poms are cute, but they do require a lot of grooming. I'd love to have another doxie someday, or maybe a Corgi. I think they are really cute too. Good luck!

 

[janette]

Go to www.petfinder.com , it's a great place to look for dogs available in your area. I'm sure you'll find one there.

 

[NoodlesTheRabbit]

In my opinion, the Bichon Frise is the BEST kind of dog for children and families. First, they are small dogs, usually 10-15 lbs. They do NOT shed which is great, esp. for people with certain types of allergies. They have an absolutely wonderful temperment...cheerful, playful, etc. Unlike poodles, they don't have the tendency to nip. They are smart and great with children.

The downside is that they have to be groomed regularly.

 

[bballmom56]

Originally posted by alliecats
How about go to the Humane Society and let your kids play with some good mutt puppies to see if they bond? We had some purebred dogs growing up and their personalities differed so much, despite them being in the same breed. If the HS is too sad (I always cry), maybe a pet store that adopts for the HS? Be cheaper and you'd get a grateful dog, too! Sounds like your first one is a mutt, and a huge success. Good luck!!!

Originally posted by mrsstats
I would vote for a shelter dog. You can even get an older dog, already trained and skip the puppy stage. I have adopted my last 3 that way.

Count me in as another "adopt a homeless animal" vote. Alliecats is so right about having a "grateful" dog. They truly seem to know. Ours that we adopted at 1 1/2 years old (fully housebroken!) is still grateful today at almost 13 years old. You can see it in his eyes.

 

[slo]

Beagles are good smaller dogs

My mom has her third Beagle and she is very sweet. They can be a bit stubborn - but they are very lovable.

 

[eeyore45]

I am hooked on this site

http://www.petfinder.org

you can plug in your info, and click and the local shelters that use the internet are in this site, you can see pics of the animals needing adoption - - - WARNING - - - lots of really cute animals are here, we adopted a guinea pig (didnt thinnk I could care for a dog!) and I hate looking at those cute pigs needing a home... (I've never had pigs, they are so much better than hamsters!!)

 

[CourtasanSatine]

another vote for mutts Our dog is a mutt and he is loveable but big

 

[Uno]

First let my compliment you on doing your research first. Secondly I'm writing this before reading any other responses I have to highly recommend a Boxer. The females typically top out at around 55 lbs. Some are larger and some are smaller, but 55 is average for a female. I've got both a male and a female. Boxers are absolutely wonderful dogs that are absolutely great with children and other pets. They have an innate ability to know how rough they can be when playing. Both my furbabies know that they can rough-house with me, be gentler with my dw and abosulte pussycats with my ds. Beyond that innate ability they can also detect when something is wrong. In October it will be 3 years since my ds was diagnosed with leukemia. For weeks before the diagnosis my furbabies would be right by my ds's side from the moment he came home from school until he went to bed. The night we finally learned of his diagnosis I was, naturally, quite upset. When I came home from the hospital, dw stayed with my ds, I bawled my eyes out and my furbabies did their very best to comfort me. Not by trying to get me to play with them, but just by being with me and ever so gently licking (not lapping) the tears from my face. Another example of their innate ability to read feelings is one time when a friend was over our house after having to put her Newfoundland to sleep. Again, ever so gently my male climbed up my friend putting a paw on either shoulder gave her the sweetest little kiss I've ever seen a dog give someone and then actually hugged her. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Despite reports to the contrary Boxers are extremely smart. Because of their intelegence they get board very easily so training is extremely important. Boxers absolutely love their people. If you have a Boxer you don't just have a pet that's an extention of your family you have a member of your family.

To learn more about the Boxer I highly recommend this site www.boxerworld.com

In short if you want a dog in your life, get a dog, but if you want a dog in your heart, get a Boxer. I will never own another breed.

 

[TIGGER'SFRIEND]

We have mini daschund--Cocoa She is a great dog, very loveable, good with kids, nice lap doggy.

 

[aprilgail2]

Well here is my vote AGAINST a cocker spaniel....we have one and he is the nastiest dog I have ever had. He is snappy and just downright nasty. Prior to this I have always had mutts and they made the best pets! Before getting the cocker spaniel I had visited 4 shelters and all they had was big dogs, German Shepards (which I would never get because I have only been bitten twice by dogs and both times they were german shepards), Rotties, and Pit Bulls (the Pits aren't adoptable anyway, once they get them in the shelters if their real owner doesn't claim them they put them down) and we didn't want a big dog so we ended up with this darn cocker.