Need recommendations for a canine.

[Tobias Reiper]

I need a good small breed canine that will remain active on into adulthood, will not be able to get onto four foot tall tables/counters, and requires a fair amount of maintenance, although not so much that my girlfriend can't go to her doctor's appointments and start back to work.

Forgot to add that it should have a fairly hardy bone structure. The last one she had was a miniature greyhound, which has a very fragile structure, and other than a rug she has linoleum floors. Not a good mix.

[Calvinist4Him]

Hey, I doubt I can spell the name of the breed, but remember the breed of dog in the old Taco Bell commercials? Yo quero! :teeth:

[elysian]

I tend to enjoy felines more than canines (I feel our feline friends require less maintenance and are more intelligent) but I can appreciate the value of canine companionship.

It sounds like a beagle (http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/beagle.cfm) would be a good choice- they are relatively small, not too hyper but not too lazy and they are short-haired meaning you would not have to wrestle the hapless canine to pick out matts in the fur. (My parents had a Cocker Spaniel/ Schnauzer mix for almost 17 years- the size is about what you're needing but both Cockers and Schnauzers are hyper, hyper, hyper and you don't want to have to shave the poor thing once a month or pin it down to comb out matts every day!) You don't want a hyper little ankle-biter. A beagle is a good small to medium dog, as is a dachshund though I wouldn't recommend dachshunds because they are prone to disc disease and paralysis later in life.

Personally I prefer the large breeds because they are more laid back and offer better protection (though they also require daily exercise outside.) I have thoroughly enjoyed having Kayla- a 95# German Shepherd who is an 11 year old, retired guard canine. She is living out her retirement as our house pet. I don't like the constant shedding, but to her credit she enjoys being brushed and groomed- so it's pretty easy to manage- and she adores the cats. The cats have learned to tolerate her and work around her too. One of the cats- Spot- actually enjoys Kayla's company and they sleep side by side. If I were to actually choose a canine breed I would probably go with the larger, short-haired breeds such as Labradors or German Shepherds (though I don't particularly care for the Shepherds' hair length, thickness and prodigious shedding.) The only drawback to either Labradors or German Shepherds is both breeds are prone to hip dysplasia and neither breed is known for longevity.

[themuzicman]

Miniature Dashund. Well built (bred to hunt badgers), active, intelligent, small and short.

And good with Children.

Michael

[Tobias Reiper]

She was considering the beagle before she got the greyhound, but they were going to charge an extra $50 because she wasn't spayed (makes no sense, as it costs nothing not to spay them, while it costs at least $50 to spay them, and the extra wasn't to have her spayed. She would have had to have done it on her own).

She got the greyhound yesterday, but she had to sell it today because last night it jumped on the kitchen counter, relieved itself, ate her waste, threw up, then ate that. In the canine's defense she was only three months old. The next one she gets will be a housebroken adult, though.

Chihuahuas are a bit loud for her taste, and whatever breed she gets needs to be able to get along with her dad's dog (rat terrier mix, don't know the other breeds in the mix). She doesn't have the apartment for a large breed. It only has three rooms: the living room/kitchen/dining room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. A large breed definitely would be a bad idea there.

I'm with you on the cat thing, though. I like the worst cat I've ever had better than the best dog I've ever met, although I'm not opposed to certain breeds of dogs. A cat wouldn't be a good idea, though, because she has a lot of breakable items that would be out of reach for a small dog, but a cat would have little to no problem reaching them.

After talking to gabbaily, I may talk her into getting a papillion. Perhaps a pomeranian. She was considering a pomeranian last Monday, but when she went to get it Friday it was gone.

[Tobias Reiper]

Never mind. I just got a message from her on voice mail and she said the deal fell through and she was keeping the greyhound. Her dad's going to keep her for a few weeks and help her housebreak her, then she'll move back in with Rebecca.

To tell you the truth, I was kind of hoping she would get a different dog with a stronger bone structure. I like the one she has now, and from what I understand $20 for a pedigreed Italian greyhound is a very good deal, but until they reach 18 months they're fairly fragile. She slipped on the linoleum last night, yelped for a little, then shook it off. We were both worried she might have broken a rib, but then she started playing like nothing happened.

[Lazy Agnostic]

I once saw a dog chewing on a child's leg; not a bad idea in itself but it shows the dog's intentions.

[Dee Dee Warren]

Weimeraners (larger dog) are wonderul.

[anthrogirl]

mutts are nice, too.

lab mixes make very good companions.

ag

[luv1another]

if she does get rid of the greyhound... bichon frise's are excellent small dogs.
bright alert fun and they don't malt you have to shear them or get a dog place to and if you want to spend time on them you can wash and blow dry them and make them look like one of those cute stufffed toys that you put on your bed :smile:

[Lazy Agnostic]

Goldfish make the best pets. They don't make any noise, they don't mess on the floor and just about the time you get tired of them...they die.