Wanting to get a dog....?

Question

I have two cats, but my husband and I want to look into getting a dog. My sister's chinese crested just had a litter, and the father is uncertain, but they guess is a min-pin. the puppy we 'want' looks mostly like a rotweiller puppy.

#1-does anyone have a 'projection' on what the demeanor of this puppy would probably be?

#2- what kind of maintainence would this kind of dog require in terms of grooming and attention? (we understand they're not as low maintainence as cats!!)

#3-if this breed doesnt seem like a good idea to bring in to our cat's house, what kind of a breed should we look for instead?

Answer 1

Like everyone else has said, it all really depends since it is a cross.  You can look into both breeds though if you want to have an idea for what this dog will be like.  This is my guess of what they puppy will be like.

As for the demeanor, it will probably be a high energy, bouncy dog.  Chinese cresteds enjoy jumping from chair to chair and all over your furniture.  Miniature pinschers are also a fairly high energy dog and are usually very focused on what they want to do.  They are bouncy and sometimes have a hard time controlling their energy so jump on people and sometimes use their mouths to get attention.  Chinese cresteds are very affectionate and enjoy pleasing their owners and therefore are usually pretty good to train.  Miniature pinschers are much harder to keep their attention and have them listen to you, but if you get one that wants to listen, they are very smart dogs.  So, I'd say you will be getting a very active dog, that will be good if you can train it and socialize it properly.  Any dog if brought up with cats will learn how to interact with them properly.  If your cats have met other dogs before you are off to an even better start.  If not, your cats will teach your puppy to leave them alone.

For grooming, min pins just need a bath when they are dirty, otherwise their hair is short and they will shed, but otherwise you don't need to be bringing them to a groomer.  Chinese cresteds grooming needs depends on whether they are a powder puff or hairless.  Your puppy being a mix, will depend on what the hair is like.  If your dog gets a more powder puff coat, you will need to take it to the groomers for a hair cut every few months probably.  The hair will also need to be brushed as needed.  As for the hairless, you only need to worry about any skin issues.  Being hairless, they don't have any protection, so some may get pimples that need to be dealt with accordingly.

Any breed, if introduced as a puppy, will learn to live with cats and the cats should learn to tolerate the puppy, or teach the puppy to back off (this may take a little swat).  If your cats are young then they may become playmates, if the cats are older they will all learn to mind their own business and the puppy will learn that you are much more fun than the cats.  Make sure that you take your puppy to obedience classes to socialize him/her with other dogs and other people.  Min pins can have aggression issues with other dogs and territorial issues if they are not socialized at a young age.  This can make them very hard to deal with.  Also, neuter or spay your puppy!  This will stop the growing pet population and the amount of unwanted animals in shelters AND it will keep your dog's mind off the natural instinct of reproduction and will help it to focus on you which will make your puppy easier to train.

If you want to look into other breeds that will be good I would look into Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (as a small dog), Cocker Spaniels (as a medium dog - make sure from reputable breeder as some are overbred and have behavioural issues), Golden Retrievers (as a larger dog), or Great Danes (as an extra large dog - very laid back breed).

When looking into any of these breeds, make sure you research them, and if you do choose a cross breed, make sure you look into both (or all) breeds in the cross you are getting (if possible).  A great site that has some very good information on breeds is www.breederretriever.com.

Good luck!

Answer 2

since she/he is a mutt u may never know.

but hes going to be small and small dogs are usually best with cats.

well if its more chinese crested then not much, but i believe they need to wear a shirt or something to protect from sunburn!

big jumpy dogs or noisy dogs aren't good with cats.

although its based all on persaonality ~

Answer 3

With a mutt, there is no telling what the demeanor will be! Train him/her, and it should be fine. Grooming? Again, mutts are hard to tell. They could take on either the fathers or mothers genes. With any dog, introduce them slowly to the cats! Good luck!

Answer 4

I am not a fan of min pins. They were bred for something that makes them mean and barky, and chinese cresteds grow up to look like bald ugly chi's. i dont think you will be happy with this mix.

Smaller dogs are often the most protective and mean.

My best form of advice is to contact your local shelter and discribe your ideal dogs temperment. They may or may not have anything for you, but if you keep waiting a calm and mellow, all around good dog will appear. if you get a dog for the purpose of having a dog, and havent had dog experience, i wouldnt take a puppy, and i wouldnt have a small dog.

I adopted a border collie, he is the best thing i have ever had, and he is the easiest dog i have ever seen. hes just so mello. this isnt typical though, so i wouldnt suggest getting a border collie, but i would definitely contact the shelter and say you are a first time dog owner and see what they think you can handle. Thats how kenzi came to us, and i cry while lying next to him because he just makes me so happy. sounds stupid, but my dog really impresses me.

Answer 5

http://animal.discovery.com/breedselecto...

Answer 6

well i agree with the second answer, but with the grooming you could also take him/her to petco or petsmart and get the dog groomed. good luck! :)

Answer 7

A dogs demeanor all depends on how he's treated by his owners.  We have a pitbull that is the biggest baby you ever saw.  He loves everyone, especially kids and will stand there and let kids drape ribbons all over him.  He's been babied and loved like a child and acts just like one.