FishProfiles.com Message Forums

"hugs Callatya"

Yes, get a greyhound! They are lovely animals. I think it will be hard to condition an ex-racing dog to get used to having other small animals around though.

I think the BEST choice is to go to the shelter! They need a home, are just as cute and loving as pure breds and plus you would be saving a dog/puppys life!!!!!

~!!I lOve LiFe!!~

So, me and the boyfriend have been considering getting a new puppy. We are looking at all kinds of books and breed info, and talking to breeders to see what kind of pup we want.
Several of the varieties we are interested in is Toy or Miniature Poodle, Miniature Australian Shepard, Bouvier Des Flanders, Australian Cattle Dog, basenji, Shiba Inu,   zhu, and several others.
Does anyone out there have experience with any of these breeds? Which would you recommend? It would be a companion animal for a very dominant little 9 lb long haired female chihuahua, a non-aggressive guardian dog, would have 2 cat brothers, 1 10lb Orange Male Tabby, 1 30 lb Lynx Point Ragdoll Cat Male.
It would have a small yard, but would be well exercised, and could partake of agility training this summer with my Chihuahua if it shows interest.
The puppy would be a male for sure. Our female chihuahua and other pets are all spayed/neutered.
Any suggestions/experiences/knowledge to share feel free! We want above all to pick the right dog, so it doesnt have the wrong home.
Thanks!

Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

basenjis are very quiet, actually. They are also known as the yodeling dog, since they can't really bark. They just make a funny sort of yodeling kind of sound.

---

They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

or if you really want a pure breed - get one from a breed rescue.

and just to double up on what tim said - the cattle dogs can be nasty animals. I used to own some and they were very nippy. They'd herd you and bite your heels.

So unless you gots yourself some sheep or cattle, i wouldn't bother with either the australian shepherd or the cattle dog.

Last edited by meriadoc at 16-Dec-2004 10:18

Voted for a Boston

They are great dogs. I had one back when I was 16. They are 14-pound balls of muscle. Very entertaining to play with.

Words of warning though...Do NOT allow it to sleep with you, even as a pup. The dog will get used to it, and when they get older they snore louder than most humans.

My Boston had a thing for plastic bottles. One day he disappeared and a neighbor 2 miles away brought him back to me. He apparently was chasing/pushing a 2 ltr bottle down the ditch.

Then there was the time he got into the shed and found a brand new bottle of transmission fluid. He musta drank half the bottle before I found him. All of his white fur was stained red. Boy did it ever clean him out. I have never seen a dog go number 2 sooooo much in my life. It lasted for about 3 days.

I am thumbs up on the basenji...and excellent all-around dog.

Which would you recommend?

A shelter pup. They can be every bit of the companion as any "pure" breed, and need a home.

Just a thought. I'm a big advocate of adopting animals from shelters, and sometimes people don't think to look in places like that when considering a new pet.

cally - over here the australian cattle dog IS the blue heeler.

"I think the BEST choice is to go to the shelter"
I agree, but the only problem is, I keep checking the shelters up and down the island, and like 80% of the dogs are either pitbull/ pitbull crosses, or rottie/ rottie crosses.
Neither of these dogs are suited for us.
However, we have decided we are going to keep watching for a good one from the shelter.


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

You've got quite a range there... If you want a non agressive dog, trash the shiba inu. If you have a small yard, trash the cattle dogs and the aussie sheperd. If you want a mop that'll bark all the time, get the poodles Shih-tzu (notice the spelling) are also little mops, but they're kind of cool if you don't mind how ugly they are and the constant maintainance with their coat. The Bouvier is probably the best choice out of your list, if you don't mind they're appearance. There are many dogs out there that might fit the bill, but it's really up to what you like, and what's available.

I suggest a Papillion or a Boston Terrier

why not a maltese terrior mine are quiet, but mines as dumb as a doornail while my sisters is as sharp as a tack and theyre really easy to train and theyll get super tired from a 1 hour walk.

A greyhound...interesting. Dont they need like tons of exercise? I also heard they are very timid and fearful- I dont want a timid dog.
Also, my mom-in-law would probably not come over much she has this thing about greyhounds and borzois and whippets and salukis and such.
As for a terrier- We had eliminated the "terrier" group pretty much entirely, they have all the traits we dont want in a dog ie- diggers, barkers, not listening, hard to housebreak, snappy, etc.

We are now considering a Labradoodle as well.
We have narrowed it down to: Basset Hound, basenji, Bouvier des Flanders, Labradoodle, Chihuahua, Poodle (toy or mini), Mini American Eskimo, Walker-Blue Tick Hound, Norwegian Elkhound, Papillon, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Australian Cattle Dog, or German Shepard Dog.
Unfortunately it is so hard to find some of these dogs around here. We are going to keep our eyes peeled on the shelters and rescues as well.
Its kind of frustrating though- find a great dog listed on the shelter, read all their info, scroll to the bottom and it always says "NOT Good with Cats!".
*sigh* what hard work finding a dog is


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

Greyhounds are complete slugs. They just snooze all day long. They aren't designed for long term energy, just a short burst every now and again, so a walk of 20 mins would be just as good as an hour in most cases.

some racers have been raised with cats and other small pups (farmcats and the like) so if you have a greyhound adoption program, they should be able to sort you out one that is good with cats. However, as with most dogs, i wouldn't be leaving then completely alone together indoors unless the cat has a high perch somewhere. Its not that i don't trust dogs and cats, its just i know how irritating cats can be

My fave dog breed so far has been a whippet x ridgeback. I have never met a calmer, more trainale dog.

So maybe look at whippet/greyhound crosses?



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

I vote greyhound or whippet. Greyhounds are big, but lazy. Very down to earth and affectionate. Pretty quiet and dont neccesarily need a huge yard. Theyre called "35 mph couch potatoes" for a reason They can be timid however, but it varies. My aunts greyhound would greet you quietly at the door and then head back to the couch.

Last edited by katieb at 18-Dec-2004 21:33

I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.

"My fave dog breed so far has been a whippet x ridgeback. I have never met a calmer, more trainale dog."[/]
I dont know about ridgebacks. My parents got a ridgeback- lab cross (1/2 n 1/2), and it tried to kill me. The thing had serious domination issues, and if it had been my sister or brother, it would probably have killed them (i am much larger than either bro or sis and was 16 at the time). I told it to get off the bed, it snarled and snapped, so I grabbed him by the collar as usual, and he went for my throat.Took both my parents to haul him off me, I could barely hold him. He was only 11 months old. Not a dog I would recommend to anyone, especially considering ridgebacks were bred for lion hunting and killing, and only the largest, most aggressive, most dominant dogs were bred, submissive, or timid dogs were destroyed in the breeding process.
Im amazed you found this dog calm, I have known several people with these dogs, and every one has ended up being put to sleep because of severe aggression issues.
Of the 12 pups in the litter of which we got 1, all 12 were put to sleep in the first year because of aggression/ and/or attacking people/kids.
3 other local people in the area with females, also had pups, and the majority of them were destroyed- there was a big thing about it in the papers and on the local news when it happened. It was proven all but 1 home had provided quality, positive reinforcement training- with only horrible results.




Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

Ok then, scrap the ridgeback crosses

Whippet crosses would be good tho.



For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Calla- I did some research on Greyhounds and Whippets.
I like the Italian Greyhound very much, the profiles on these dogs I have looked at - including in my "Dogs Annual" Magazine, say they require a steady, hefty amount of exercise, either long walks of 1 hour or more every day, or a large yard in which to run.
I like the fact though that "Dogs Annual" called this little dog "the epitome of a lapdog" - that is just what we are looking for. A cuddler with a preferably calm nature.
This is so hard guys! I had no idea how many types of dogs there were that are well suited to our lifestyle! It makes it even harder to pick!


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

Just watch the italians, they are very fine boned.

I suppose it varies from dog to dog, but really, one good run or a bit of a walk a day is usually plenty.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Dont forget to dress 'em for winter!



I'll do graffiti,
If you sing to me in French.