What type of dog is best for me?

Question

Me and my boyfriend want to get a puppy. We live in an apartment but it has a nice dog park outside, so we'd take him/her out when needed.

Since we live in an apartment we'd need a smallish dog, also one who doesn't need to be watched constantly since we'll both be out working.

We're both very active though and would LOVE a dog to bring to the beach and swim with.

And one more thing it would be nice to have a dog that doesn't shed much, since allergies seem to get me good most of the time.

Is there a dog out there that would be good for us? We really want a puppy!

Answer 1

The Shih-Tzu is a great dog. It sheds very little hair. As it grows, you can always trim its hair short so it isn't as time consuming to care for. It is a small dog that you can take places with you if you wanted to. You must socialize these dogs and set ground rules for them. The dog park that you mentioned is a great place to do this. The puppies are adorable, and the adults, even if their coats are cut short, if trimmed correctly, are cute. They are very energetic and playful and are generally good with other pets. Again, you must socialize these dogs and set some ground rules for them and reinforce them.

There are other breeds that are good with apartment life and shed little to no hair, making them great for people who may be allergic to dogs. This is merely a suggestion based on my experience with the breed.

Good luck with your puppy search and please do your "homework" and research on the breed that you choose, preferably before you purchase a puppy. It will make things a whole lot easier for both you and the pup.

Answer 2

jack russel terriers are small, playful, and very smart dogs, they have very short hair so they wont shed bad...  

heres a pic of a jack russ puppy  he is really cute!

http://www.gotpetsonline.com/pictures-ga...

Answer 3

YA A BLACK LABRADOR!

Answer 4

miniature dachshund, long haired ,girl!!!! very active and cuddly at the same time and great with other dogs

Answer 5

Hi Kathy,

  The best pup for you and your boy friend to get is a toy poodle. They are very smart,easy to to train and they never shed. This is an ideal pup for both of you My Friend.

Your Friend,

poppy1

Answer 6

Well, I have the solution !!

Get a cairn terrier - why?

**  small dog - usually about 15 lbs.

**  hardly sheds at all (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being NO

    shedding  = 9.75)

**  absolutely the best personality - full of happy energy

**  smart and easy to train

**  Fastidious -- very good about housebreaking - no mistakes

**  Have you guessed yet ?  We have one and adore her !!

Answer 7

If you are both working and won't have time for the dog except on weekends, do you think this is fair to any dog.  But you do need a small one if you have to get one.  Try a Bichon Frise.  

Answer 8

well sense you have a apartment probably you should a Pomeranian or a Chihuahua or a poodle all of them are a perfect size for a apartment i have a chihuahua and it is super playful and adorable!!

Answer 9

I just have to say, whatever kind of dog you get, crate train it! If you are gone at work, no matter what kind of puppy you get it is going to get into trouble. A foreign body surgery is not cheap, and is unnecessary for your puppy since a crate will assure you that your puppy is safe when you are not at home. Certain large dog breeds make better apartment dogs since their activity level is not as high. Also consider adoption, or even an adult dog. Sometimes getting an adult is better because you will already know his/her personality, and the dog may already be house trained and spayed or neutered, saving you time and money. Good luck I hope you find the perffect dog!

Answer 10

Get a little alpha wiener dog--a wiener dog with the alpha male qualities. Those can be a lot of fun, and I believe will go to the beach (as long as you bring it as a pup and get it comfortable).

Answer 11

the best dog is a pug. you can search about it on wikipedia. its hairless and doesnt shed much and its a lazy type of dog who loves walks though. lazy as in it doesnt need much exercise and it likes the tv! =). it truly is the best. and its small too.

Answer 12

check out shiba inu's

Answer 13

Allergy free dogs are poodles and Maltese. Poodles come in three sizes so a miniature is probably the best for your needs. These dogs are very intelligent and will get into mischief if bored but they love the beach and water. Maltese can be more temperamental but are good when left alone provided they have plenty of toys to occupy them. I always leave the television on whenever I leave my dogs at home even when I was working and I never have had a problem. (well...they did get to the meat I had defrosting so they had the meat that I was going to roast and we had eggs)

Answer 14

oo not many choices there dogs like constant attention id say a jack russell terrier but they r hyper if there not trained right  

Answer 15

Pomerianans! There great! And they were always best for apartments! They're cute and they have a-lot of hair BUT it never sheds! But you can always shave him. He would also make a great little security guard! I would also recommend long hair Chihuahuas because I have one! But there hair sheds a-lot! all the time! But there cute and awesome dogs! :)

Answer 16

A small dog is not a good idea to take swimming with.  The wave will take it away. A Shar Pai would be good, it is as active as it could be or as mellow as you want.

Answer 17

Well you want a small dog and one that doesnt shed alot, A yorkshire terrier sounds like a good bet for you, they only weigh a few pounds and dont shed at all their hair is like ours! And they love to go on long walks!

Answer 18

I would recommend going to a local shelter. certain breeds aren't always the best thing, mixed breeds can fit better in families because they have different breed characteristics.

and also, border collies are very active, they can definitely live in apartments if they get lots of exercises, but they can shed a little but you can always get a vacuum that's made for picking up pet hair.

best of luck ^^

Answer 19

I had a miniature poodle/terrier mix for years and it is the BEST dog.

Poodles are highly intelligent (she learned all her tricks in three days!) and both poodles and terriers are very active animals, yet small so they fit well in an apartment. Poodles were originally bred for water hunting, which means that they not only love fishing things out of the water for you, but have buoyant fur.

Poodles are EXTREMELY hypoallergenic, which is great for me because I have allergies too. Terrier breeds are also low-shed, and they've found that dogs mixed with poodles often pick up that hypoallergenic function from them.

My dog was long-legged yet only weighed 14 pounds, which meant that she could keep up with me when we went running but also was small and didn't take up a lot of space. We found our dog abandoned, but I would recommend the local humane shelters, as well as breed rescues, for cheaper purebreds. Get miniature, not toy or regular, as one is too small and the other too large. :)

Here are some dogs to stay away from:

- Anything with longhair (a ***** to maintain and typically they have lots of dander)

- Border collies and other large dogs like this(they need LOTS of room because they are used to herding sheep)

- Spaniels, especially cocker spaniels (they are NOT good for people with allergies because their dander is like, out the wahzoo!)

- Anything too small - you want an active dog, not a lapdog like a s**z tu or those other yippy animals. Ugh.

Answer 20

You should get a Crocker Spaniel or a Chow chow. :)

Or a little terrier. (But they're loud.)

Answer 21

It sounds as if you want to small dog, but definately not a fragile dog, or a lap dog. You want a real dog, that is nevertheless small and managable, and suited to apartments.

You sound like you'd make excellent terrier owners.

I'll speak from my experience of a Fox Terrier. They are no-nonsense dogs, a big dog in a small dog's body. They are small enough to be well suited to apartments, but they will love being taken out! When outside, they keep themselves busy (if you don't) by chasing insects, birds, cats..whatever. (Don't worry if you're a nature lover, they never actually succeed in catching birds. Rats they do catch). They are extremely playfull, ideal for active people like you. They have short hair and certainly don't shed anything to speak of.

Most probably don't like swimming per se. But they love the outdoors, and will enjoy playing at the edge of the water. Fox Terriers also travel well, as they don't get car sick. They can (for example) easily be trained to sit on the carrier and ride bicycle.

A Jack Russel is very similar to a Fox Terrier. The former is currently more fashionable in the world. But in my country (South Africa) in maybe in yours Jack Russels generally have much shorter legs. A Border Terrier has a similar size and temperament. Which one of the three (or other similar terrier) is a matter of taste on the appearence. Terrier crosses (for some reason, I think it's their temperament!) are easy to find.

Actually a good cross (e.g. Fox Terrier x Jack Russel) will ensure a good chance of a disease free and trouble free companion. Personally I'm wary the much smaller dogs for active people. The breeds mentioned won't break if you accidentally step on it (please try not to). Terriers are extremely playfull (even for dogs), they are confident, and not as perturbed by sudden noises, new faces and new surroundings. They are quite intelligent and adaptable, but they're not "trick learning" dogs, anyway, not the tricks you'd want them to perform. I'd say they're about average in that department.  If you want an apartment living dog that can do tricks, I'd say get a Poodle.

It is really pleasing to see you are willing to give the dog excercise. The dogs I mentioned are reasonably apt, as far as dogs go, to be left alone on occassion. But no dog really loves being locked alone in an apartment  for longer than 5 hours, while their owners are at work. For that reason, if at all possible, consider getting two.