Question:
Hey all, I have come to the decision that I would like to add a dog to my family.
I am not too sure what I should get or would suit me best as far as breeds go. I don't have a ton of space, and would need a smaller species. I am currently looking into Dachshund's, but am still very unsure as to what would be best.
I basically need a dog that doesn't have:

-The fragility of toy breeds
-Destructiveness when bored or left alone too much
-Running away, oblivious to your calls, when an interesting sight or scent catches his attention
-Emotional sensitivity to stress and abrupt changes in schedule
-An independent "what's in it for me?" attitude toward training
-Notorious housebreaking difficulties
-Frequent Shedding (long hair)

I am interested in an affectionate breed, good with kids if possible (none in the house currently but you never know) and isn't known for being loud...
I am out of the house from 8am till about 3pm most days but can stop in around 12:00 for an hour or so. On weekends someone will be home all day.
With that schedual in mind, and the other factors I listed... is there a suitable breed for me? or am I SOL with the whole doggy idea? I would be aiming for a puppy, and I know I would have to train it from scratch which is ok.
Any information available would be sincerely appreciated! thanks a ton!





Answer:
dauschunds are cool...but my personal recommendation would be to get with a rescue organization, find a dog that is in foster and talk to the foster family and see if their dog is the one for you. there are tons of them out there, and one for just about any breed you would want.

the humane society or city pound are good choices, however you don't get the personality assessment as often that you can get with a family who has been living with the dog for a while in a home setting, imo.

http://animal.discovery.com/guides/d.../selector1.jsp

there's a cool little questionaire to show what dog might work for you!


Answer:
Basically, any dog (regardless of breed) could have the traits that you listed. If you absolutely cannot deal with those behaviors, you may want to reconsider having a dog.

Have you tried a breed selector? There is a good one on the Animal Planet website.
http://animal.discovery.com/breedsel...dogselector.do

After you complete the survey, you can further research any dogs that you are interested in.


Answer:
Originally Posted by Candycane
Basically, any dog (regardless of breed) could have the traits that you listed. If you absolutely cannot deal with those behaviors, you may want to reconsider having a dog.

Have you tried a breed selector? There is a good one on the Animal Planet website.
http://animal.discovery.com/breedsel...dogselector.do

After you complete the survey, you can further research any dogs that you are interested in.
JINX you owe me a coke!


Answer:
That's impressive...it must be a good site.


Answer:
COol thanks for the link.
My main concerns are really just the distructiveness, being able to be home alone during the times I listed, and the shedding. Other then that I am willing to work at the rest.

I will try that site asap!
Is there any major pros or cons to adopting animals?


Answer:
Originally Posted by Candycane
Basically, any dog (regardless of breed) could have the traits that you listed. If you absolutely cannot deal with those behaviors, you may want to reconsider having a dog.

Have you tried a breed selector? There is a good one on the Animal Planet website.
http://animal.discovery.com/breedsel...dogselector.do

After you complete the survey, you can further research any dogs that you are interested in.
LOL, appearently it has no idea what is good for me either... "No Results Were Found"


Answer:
Originally Posted by najiwench
JINX you owe me a coke!



Answer:
Would you consider adopting a greyhound? They are great house dogs...pretty big couch potatoes!


Answer:
Biggest concern is space, an italian greyhound is even a little big for my area.
After reading a bit on that link you gave me, the Dachshund seems to be a very good option.

What are the pro's and Con's of starting with puppies vs. older dogs?
Are there ever puppies that need adoption?