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Small breed suggestions

If you are wondering what is the right dog for you, this is the place to be. In this introductory forum we talk about topics such as breed vs. mix, size, age, grooming, breeders, shelters, rescues as well as requirements for exercise, space and care. No question is too silly here. This particular forum is for getting and giving helpful, nice advice. It is definitely not a forum for criticizing someone else's opinion, knowledge or advice. This forum is all about tail wagging and learning.

  
(Page 2 of 6: Viewing entries 11 to 20)  
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Jackson Tan

Lad about town		 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 4:17pm PST 
Cardigans were suggested to me at one point too but I also received a stern warning about both DA and SSA. They are terrific little dogs though, a bit arrogant but then again I like arrogant. laugh out loud

A sheltie might be tremendous for you, as long as you don't mind taking him to get a sporty short clip. They are barky though. I've never seen one not barking his head off when I go to the park. But biddable and good around others from what I've experienced.
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UCH Onyx TT

Do you even- lift?
 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 4:50pm PST 
Didn't realize Cardigans were a breed known for DA/SSA. I wonder if I specifically looked for a breeding with dog sociability in mind if I could avoid that?

I hadn't given much consideration to Shelties because of the coat, but a grooming requirement wouldn't completely rule out a breed for me. I do think they're gorgeous dogs and the size is pretty perfect. And I have heard they're good agility dogs, although also barky. I'll definitely look into them and the other breeds mentioned.
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Zephyr

1213425		 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 5:26pm PST 
Weirdly Sheltie coats are easy to maintain with a rake and a comb. Ours would matt around the ears but that was about it. We do a fair number of partial grooms on them at work and if you scissor out their armpits, right behind their ears and their tails they're a fairly straight forward dog management wise.

The sportier shelties do have finer coats in general particularly the sleeker looking agility beasts. They do like to hear themselves talk though so buyer beware. laugh out loud
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Augusta,- CGC, RN

Such a Good Dog!
 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 5:32pm PST 
Miniature aussies or shelties? Shelties do seem to be the next most popular dog to Border Collies for agility.

Australian Cattle Dog. Miniature poodle?

I know terriers don't tend to be thought of as nearly as biddable, but it seems like I've seen a lot of rat terrier, jack russell types really excel in agility.

My agility instructor just got a Pyrenean shepherd that she's starting in agility--he's about sheltie sized--I don't know too much about them though.
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Tyler

Whippy- The- Whipador
 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 5:41pm PST 
If Onyx wants to stay away from DA prone breeds, then i'd steer well clear of the terrier types. There are exceptions of course, but probably not a good idea. Although i do agree with you Gus that they can do very well in agility.

I still think a working line Cocker would suit you Onyx wink
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Zephyr

1213425		 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 5:46pm PST 
The Pyr Sheps I've met were... special? Not shy about using their teeth we shall say.

Cattle dogs are notoriously dog aggressive. confused
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Buster

1201864		 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 6:11pm PST 
Border terrier most can be trained to go offlead safely and they were bred to live and work alongside the foxhound packs so not as da as most but still got that terrier cheekiness. There are some great ones in sports too.
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Tiller- (Skansen's- Ira in the M

I DO Exist...To- Drive You Batty		 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 7:24pm PST 
Normally I would recommend a Sheltie to no one....they are extremely vulnerable to mistakes when being raised, but knowing how Onyx's person raised her boy, I like it. A lot.

I always propose for someone becoming a multiple dog home and having thrived with their first pet the consideration of a "contrast" dog. And by that I mean, something I little off center from what you have. There is no dog....other than the perfect mutt you run across every now and again....who encompasses all areas of the dog experience. So you are missing out on something. You also are not stretching your wings, in terms of improving your training chops. Just a lot of reasons to recommend it, and you may find your dog life not simply being more, but "fuller."

You'd need the right Sheltie, right breeder, for they can be sharp/shy done wrong. Expectable problems are bark, bark then bark some more, and SA. A GOOD Sheltie is one of the top training dogs you can find on this planet, their learning rate makes a GSD look slow and they are ridiculously biddable and love to work. More dependent than the GSD, which is sorta nice in contrast.

Pembrokes are great, just sorta similar. I find their energy buzzy, but I tend to be anal about such things wink
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Sonja

It's all about- me.
 
 
Barked: Sun Jan 20, '13 8:51pm PST 
Onyx - I know how much you love all black dogs cloud 9 (so do I)...so my first thought was the Schipperke. But Tiller is right, as usual, Shelties can be awesome little dogs...Especially for someone who likes to train as you do.

My first purebred dog was a Sheltie. She LOVED to be groomed...to the point where as soon as I got the grooming tools out...she would sit next to me and hand me her paw for her peticure. laugh out loud Easy to groom and Super smart! The only grooming issue I kept watch for was small mats behind the ears...everything else was easy breezy. And, never once did she leave my side off leash.

But as everyone has already mentioned... they do like the sound of their own voice. shock which can be quite irritating. Our agility instructor has 2 Shelties. Her male is named Captain. When we end up camping near them at a trial...we can always count on the "Captain alarm" to go off bright and early.

eek laugh out loud
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"Selli"

The Muddy- Princess		 
 
Barked: Mon Jan 21, '13 10:06am PST 
Have you ever met a Bi-Black Sheltie? Very striking, some have very very little white and wind up looking all black. Love Shelties!!!!!!!!! The right Sheltie is everything you are looking for. They are bossy little things, I find it so funny to watch a Sheltie tell its handler off when the dog thinks the human has made a mistake in agility practice!

Less common breeds that might work...a Bearded Collie or Icelandic Sheepdog.
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