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Miniature Poodle - smart, easy to train, funny. Famously hypoallergenic.
I'd stay away from the designer dog poodle mixes and go for the real thing. A poodle. Not a toy, not a standard, but a miniature poodle. Toys are very tiny and a little nervous. I grew up with 2 Apricot, a black and a white mini. Great dogs!
Another dog to look at is the wire hair Dachshund. More mellow than the flat coat. Playful and intelligent. Very affectionate. Kids love doxies, and doxies love them back. Especially the wire hair variety. They never tire of playing, especially catch. Very affectionate.
The Schnauzer, (mini) is a nice family pet. No shedding. Loyal, friendly, playful and athletic, I am not sure why this breed is not found in more homes. My husband and his asthmatic brother grew up with mini-Schnauzers.
Look into these breeds. I think you are on the right track in looking for a smaller breed. The three breeds that I mentioned are perfect for inexperienced dog owners. All three are positively adorable!
I have a mini poodle/schnauzer mix showing more schnauzer characteristics.
My caution about Schnauzers to OP is that
1.) Schnauzers are vocal and their "screech' can be ear piercing. 2.) Schnauzers are in the terrier group so they are high energy and prey driven. They need a lot of enrichment. 3.) They form a bond with one person - that's not to say that they won't be good with other people - but only one person will be their person and because of that, there is a tendency to develop separation anxiety. 4.) They may not get along with other dogs. I know some are perfectly fine with others dogs but mine is super reactive. You just don't know what you're getting until you've already got them. 5.) They require frequent grooming, their coat needs regular brushing as their fur gets easily matted. 6.) You have to be mindful of their diet as pancreatitis is common with their breed.
Doxies are super cute but are well known for having back problems. You have to be careful with them jumping on/off furniture and how they are lifted. Because of their fragile backs, IMO, they would not be a good dog for young children.
Beagles are vocal, high energy, and prey driven. Pugs (and other short nosed dogs) have breathing problems and you have be vigilant about their weight.
In my experience, you can do all the research, be patient and carefully choose the dog you think will fit all your wants/needs but the pup you end up with could have totally different characteristics once you get them home and they've adjusted.
I think you should look into getting a medium-sized, mixed breed that's two or three years old. Generally, mutts can be some of the best dogs with the worst of the genetic characteristics diluted. Check out your local shelter to see what's available.
Doxies are super cute but are well known for having back problems. You have to be careful with them jumping on/off furniture and how they are lifted. Because of their fragile backs, IMO, they would not be a good dog for young children.
Yeah, they all seem to develop back problems around 5-6 years old. Probably a breed that should be phased out for the animal's sake.
Medium (moyen) poodles are a great option. They have the robustness of a standard without the small man syndrome that a lot of toys and minis can have.
I'm not sure what you consider small, but one of our dogs is a Brittany who weighs about 15kg. Will happily hike (or hunt) all day, but at home hits the off switch and just relaxes. Bear in mind, the Brittany still has quite a lot of "field" in it so it does need good foundational training and regular exercise, but they seem to make wonderful family pets. As with most dogs, separation anxiety is mostly owner error rather than a breed issue.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We had two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and both fit your description. Despite long hair they didn't shed much, and were big enough that you didn't trip over them like smaller dogs. We never herd either of them bark, they were very friendly with everyone. In fact, if a burglar had come in, they would have probably showed him where all the good stuff was.
I'll never have anything else, they are everything people make them out to be...
-clowns
-hilarious
-love people
-very sweet
-loyal
-good guard dogs (at least, they hear everything)
-so freakin' cute
-sturdy, so you can play with them semi-decent
-always want to be by your side, literally. ALWAYS.
-again, most are very very sweet
Never cared much for small dogs until my wife finally convinced me in 2006 we needed a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He was followed 3 months later by another. And then a few months later a rescue Cavalier sized Spaniel rescue. And then two more rescue Cavaliers in 2011. We've got three now... 3-1/2 YO, 2-1/2, and 7 months. Can't imagine not having them around!
Never cared much for small dogs until my wife finally convinced me in 2006 we needed a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He was followed 3 months later by another. And then a few months later a rescue Cavalier sized Spaniel rescue. And then two more rescue Cavaliers in 2011. We've got three now... 3-1/2 YO, 2-1/2, and 7 months. Can't imagine not having them around!
Other than pugs, King Charles Spaniels are my favorite. My mom has a beautiful ruby one and has had one before him and they have fantastic personalities and temperaments. They're also very, very sweet, and funny. And they'lll turn so lazy it's pathetic (but funny) if you spoil them enough.
The best dog breed is "shelter dog." Search petfinder.com by size, if that's your main criterion (you can also search by proximity, gender, age, and breed - if that's important to you; rescues will have what you want). Save a life; adopt, don't shop!
In my 67 years I've been alive, the best dog I've ever had is a full blooded mutt. They come in all sizes. Some people call them the Heinz breed because there's 57 varieties in most of them. Every mutt I've ever had was pretty smart.
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