Hi guys
I was hoping to get some input from all of you.
I am itching to get a dog.
I had a dog for almost 13 years. We rescued him from the pound and he was the love of my life until he passed away in 2004.

I feel like I am finally ready to have another dog.

Here is my living situation to help with the reccomendations.
I am 27, I live by myself in a 2 bdrm apartment- dogs are allowed and there is lots of green space to walk the dog. My parents live 2 miles down the road on 2+ acres of fenced in land.
I work in the family business so the dog could come to work with me everyday. There is a dog park 4 minutes down the road from our work so I could take it there almost every day.
I am up at 6 am every day, by 7:30 am on the weekends.
I'm active so walking the dog, taking it for runs, training it would be no problem.
On the weekends either my boyfriend comes over, or I go to his place (we live an hr apart), he would be thrilled to have the dog at his place, so thats not an issue.
I dont really go much of anywhere. I play volleyball for a few hours a couple of times a week, I go to the movies once in a while. If I were to travel somewhere that is not dog friendly, it could stay at my parents' house.
id prefer a dog that doesnt shed a lot.

What do you guys recommend?

Here's a little quiz thing that will match you up to a good breed depending on your answers. Other than that, I have no idea what to recommend!

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

HTH...

AKC website has an interactive I believe to help you choose.

Mike

Up until your very last comment about one that doesn't shed much, I WAS going to say Cavalier King Charles Spaniel! We have three, but oh my gosh, do they shed like crazy. I vacuum my furniture twice a day, and more than that if anyone is coming over. That is the ONLY (well, except for the price) downfall to the breed. They're smart, sweet, lazy but playful if you want them to be, adorable, quiet, adorable, did I say adorable?! Great apartment dogs.

But, another breed that you might really enjoy is the ShihTzu. They are generally quiet, they're smart, not nervous, if they shed at all it's next to nothing. I'm not a fan at all of the flat faced breeds, so I'll probably never have one for that reason alone, but I do know they make wonderful pets. Good luck on your search!

I've had quite a few different breeds, but golden retrievers are my all-time favorite. They are lovable, smart, gentle, and good natured.

Have you thought about adopting one from a shelter?

. . . the non-shedding starts to limit your options . . . poodles, airdales, bichon frises are all breeds that are recommended for people that have allergies because they do not shed the same as most breeds . . . you might be well advised to check out other hypoallergenic dogs to see if there is a "match" . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoallergenic_dog_breeds

oh, get a bichon! we had one and he was the sweetest, cutest, softest, most cuddly little thing ever! they can be litter box trained and don't shed (they are hypoallergenic too). bichons are very mild mannered and don't 'talk' much. oh how i'd love another one someday!

good luck!

I have a miniature schnauzer who is an excellent pet. He has a very sweet personality, is a people lover and doesn't shed at all. I have had problems with allergies to animals and he doesn't bother me at all. He loves going to the doggie park and will play ball until we run out of energy.

michellenj
I am definitely going to be adopting my dog, I just want to to know which breeds to lean towards and which I should probably not consider because I can't meet their needs. I want to be as educated as possible before I choose one.
Unfortunately I think a golden retriever is just too big for me size wise. My apt is only 1100 sq ft.

jescapades- my last dog was a bichon and he was absolutely amazing, shed almost zero and he was soo smart, too smart for his own good sometimes and had an amazing personality.
However I can't bring myself to have another. I would constantly be comparing it to my first dog, so I want to get a different breed.

dragonfly- thanks for the link. I don't have dog allergies, I'm just not fond of having to pick up dog hair from everywhere.

bharbor- ill definitely go look up the miniature schnauzer. My neighbor when I was 11 had one and he was awesome.

From my research I fell in love with the Glen of Imaal Terriers, however they seem to be really rare and hard to find and def not a dog Id find at a shelter.
So I gotta keep looking.

Hi! Check out my signature link. They are a wonderful breed, NOT like the negative attention they get. My brother's dog (adopted from a shelter as a puppy) just melts, wiggles, and cries when I come over to visit. I love Bear (my Buddy) to pieces and can't imagine the world without him. Might be a little big for you, though, since you said a retriever is too big. FYI, I don't think the pure breds are big shedders.

Good luck and let us know what you decide!!!

I need to chime in for Shih Tzu's. Sweet, smart and very cuddly....no shedding...not yappy. I've had them all my life.

These are mine...Beau and Bailey

I am a big fan of Yorkshire Terriers. I have a 3 pound girl, 7 pound boy and a 12 pound boy. All have totally different personalities. No shedding, but they do require brushing a couple times a week. The two smaller ones are actually grandchild of one that I had last year. She died when I had her neutered. She did not wake up from surgery. I thought that I would not be getting the same breed because of the reasons you stated earlier, but the grandchildren were in. need of a home fast, so I grabbed them. No regrets at having the same breed, because they are so different from the grandmother and yet so similar. There are also poodle mixes that do not shed that you might be able to find to adopt. Take your time and be sure before you fall in love from a visit. I would like to save all the dogs if I had a big enough place.

I would certainly recommend Scotties. I've owned 4 different breeds myself, and taken care of 3 others, but I have to say my favorite breed are the scotties. They love attention, they're tiny enough to take anywhere and be carried if needed, they dont shed (at least mine dont, and i have 3 of them) and they have such wonderful personalities. Mine love to travel, and I've known several people that travel with their dogs, two of which travel the world with them. The only thing I would suggest is that they should be kept on leashes at all times, considering they like to run off. They can be trained, but I dont take the chance... long story about that....

Anyways, I rescued one of my puppies from Arkansas, she was the runt of the litter and was about to be euthanized, but I took her. Now I can't imagine life without her! She's my little baby Olivia, who is just a ray of sunshine in my life. Enclosed, if it works, is a picture of her. I have to say, I've dealt with many breeds of dogs, but i certainly wont be getting a different breed anytime soon. The personality of a Scotty is just so distinct and wonderful!

Jasmine

Ok, so that picture didnt work... this one is of all three of my puppies, Olivia is in the middle.

Jasmine

Ok a yorkie would be awesome to have! I would have that or another cocker spaniel. If the spaniel is kept cut the proper way, they don't shed much. I had one for yrs, loved that dog. Great bird dogs, and pets all the way around.

sounds like we are in about the same situation, apartment, allergies etc. My husband and I have been looking mostly at schnuazers, except that I want a GIANT schanuzer so we are holding off until we move. we also like poodle, west highland terrier, bichon and scottish terrier. OR some mix of those breeds (schnoodles, wauzers etc).

thanks guys for such great info- I feel a lot more confident about falling in love when I go to the shelter
mystique- your scotties are absolutely beautiful - let me ask you, how involved is the maintenance of their coat?? I love their faces hehe

dinas- I can whole heartedly reccomend bichon frises, they dont shed, no dander and they do great in an apartment.
I was looking into a west highland terrier also but there arent any near me- at least not on petfinder

I just though of all the iam commercials I have been seeing here in Canada for adopting a pet for Christmas. I found the American website - its linked to petfinder not sure where you have been searching

http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/data_root/html/Angel/AdoptAPetLanding.html

I hope you find your furry friend.

If you exercise that much and plan to take your doggie with you, make sure your little pup can handle all the activity. Some peter out at a certain point. If you just want your doggie to mostly hang at home, I have a Labby that does nothing but sleep until we return. His life is not worth living if his *people* are not around, and my Mom had a Shiz shu that was fine while she was at work all day. Good luck, pets are so awesome to have around. Hope you find the right one for you.

thanks guys
I'm thinking about heading over to the humane society when I leave work- its literally around the block.
Just to look because I really can't bring anyone home until I get rid of my ducks and chickens.

sugarjunkie- thats a good point, thanks.

I'm debating wether to wait until after the holidays to get a pooch.

when you decide on that specific breed you're looking for you might also want to look into reputable breed rescues! if you go to the akc website and look under the breeds it lists all the rescues for that breed under the state they're located in.

Great Dane Lover here!!!

Well I took a trip over to the Humane society yesterday afternoon.

Does anyone have any experience with basset hounds??
there was a beautiful girl there- about a year and a half.
Awesome disposition and super adorable.

im wondering how bad do they drool or shed

here's some reading from the Basset Hound Club of America.

http://www.basset-bhca.org/#

When I was growing up, there was a Basset Hound that showed up at our house. About one week later she delivered 13 puppies. She was extremely lovable. Her only fault was her bellowing at anyone who came to our house. After we gave away all her puppies, she decided to leave just like she came. We called her Bessie. Just remember, they are working dogs and need activity.

We have a maltipoo that is a little over a year old now. His mom was a poodle and his dad a maltese. He was the runt of the litter so we got him a little cheaper...he was also the only one of the pups that wasn't completely white! He's white, grey and black....according to our groomer that's an odd combination but we don't care...he's absolutely wonderful. He's at his max weight of about 10 pds and he doesn't shed. He takes a shower with my husband at least two times per week so he's usually really clean. I can't wait to hear what you get!

Our Shi-Poo (Shitzuh-Poodle) "Shiloh" will be 2 in January and he is by far the best dog we've had. He is so loving, easy to train, well mannered, loves strangers and especially great around kids.

I love big dogs! I have a Collie and a German Shepard. Both are fabulous dogs in their own right and I'd recommend them to anyone! If I were to look for a smaller dog I think I'd pick a Border Collie next (I know there not small but they are way smaller than the ones that I have) they are extremely smart dogs.

If you do decide on a particular breed and do not find one at the local shelter I would also recommend looking up some of the breed specific rescues.

Please keep us posted!

We just rescued the little maltese that is my icon and he is the most loving little guy I've ever had. We lost a maltese a few months ago and this little boy has helped fill the void. We also have a bichon/maltese mix and neither of them shed at all. You can go to www.petfinder.com and see if there are any dogs of a certain breed in your area available for adoption.

there are lots of grey hounds that need to be resued. a friend of our family has one and he's wonderful. i do love a good 'ol mutt though. another friend of mine just adopted a bassett hound. she's lovely. not too much drooling but shedding, yes. sadie's worth it though with a swiffer and a vaccuum!