My Funny Picture - What breed is best for me?

What breed is best for me?

When i got my first dog, it was more of a , "oh he is so quiet and cute lets get him" than actually doing research trying to find the right dog. Eventually that quiet cute pup turned into the loudest dog in the neighborhood. But i still loved him,and i worked hard to fix those problems. But soon he got bigger, than what we were told he would get. He broke the fence, escaped a few times. But i still tried to work with him. My father threatened to throw him out, he was never really for it anyway.So i then realized this wasn't fair for the poor pup, and we eventually found him a new home. 3 years later, Ive done so much research on dog care it isn't funny, and my dad is out of the picture. I don't want to make the same mistake again.I want to find the right dog for me and my family. The only thing is i don't know where to start. i took almost all of those tests online, they are no help. So if you could help me out, id be grateful! So about me: im 16, i live with my mother and my sister and a cat, in a two story home. 2 backyards, 2 minutes from a field/nature trail, 10 minutes from the doggie park. Im in school from 8:30-2:30,My mother works 9-6, my sister is in school from 8:25-3:30. Im currently looking for a part time job to help my mother out and pay for my car note/insurance.(i do not know what hours i would work) I dont do much outside of school that takes up time, and when i do hang out with friends its usually at my house anyway(dont have that much friends anyway xD) so the dog would be included. I go to church on Wednesdays from 7:30-8:45, and Sundays from 4-6. We dont go out of town very often(especially now that the folks are separated) but when we do the dog would come with us, if not i have a friend who pet sits my cat, she wouldnt mind pet sitting the dog too. I am not super active, in fact i dont like to work out at all. My sister on the other hand, is a track star, but she is lazy too. But during the cooler months we often go out to the lake or to the creek, so i think maybe a dog who likes to swim would be good. Im looking for a companion,a loyal best friend to love and to grow up with. I understand that shelter dogs need love to! and if i meet the right shelter dog, no doubt will i adopt him! id just like some information about a type of dog that would be good for me, so i can work with it! thanks for your help <3! Im so sorry to hear that Nate! Unfortunately, i wont be getting a German Shepard for a while, my mother says they are to big And Jordan its funny you say this because my family applied to foster Cockers! Hopefully if our application is accepted, we will find out if a Cocker is a good fit (: RickRude we are looking for a medium-small sized dog. My mother has made it clear if the dog is to be inside it cant be huge xD Although her soft spot is Labs. so i would say as long as its under 80 lbs, we'd be okay! Rmastyx i certainly understand your point about time. But my beliefs are if you prioritize right you find time for anything and everything! i plan to sign up for obedience training immediately! I have heard that about GreyHounds! And i agree about the working dogs. My first dog was a hound, he needed alot more time and training than i could have offered at the time. And thanks for that <3 it means alot. MamaBas i would never get a puppy at this point in time! i have told my family over and over again, that we do not have the life style for a pup! We do plan on adopting an older dog. I do not condone treatment of animals like toys. Therefore i will be making every effort to treat the dog like a member of the family. Many people work 40 hour weeks and still having loving health pets. I will certainly not be getting a puppy anytime soon, but not all dogs need to have someone there 24 7.

Public Comments

I had three german shepherds, but since i will start crying and I've already posted a 7 paragraph thing about them on a forum, i won't go into that. All I can say is if you want a best friend who will lick tears off your cheeks, protect you from anyone, and cuddle with you, get a German Shepherd
I strongly suggest a Cocker Spaniel as they have the best personalities.
What size dog are you looking for? I've had a couple dogs in my life, and my best results have come from my Pug. Now, Pugs are not going to be able to protect you very well, since they are small, but they are one of the most alert dogs out there. If you don't feed them table scraps, and take them outside, they will not get fat (Which is a common thing with pugs). Mine is very muscular, and I feed him reg. purina dog food and have him outside at least once a day for a nice jog. They are very friendly dogs, get along well with other animals, and mine has been a best friend for 3 years now. He will sleep in my lap, give kisses, and can do some basic tricks. If you're not looking for a smaller dog, I'd go with a lab or sheppard.
Sounds like you wont have much time for a dog. One breed that I can recommend is the Greyhound. You can rescue one, which is always the best way to get a dog, think adoption first! They don't need excessive amounts of exercise like people think. They are actually very cat like and lazy. They are nick named the world's fastest couch potato. That being said, they are not without issues. They need to be kept inside, they have very little fat to keep them warm. They are sight hounds, so you have to be sure to find one that will be safe with your cats. Breeds I would tell you to stay away from are any of the terriers, the herding group, i.e. Boarder Collie, working dogs like German Shepherds, all of these require lots of time and lots of training and regular mental and physical exercise. Any dog you get should be enrolled in a training class, it's a good way to bond with your new dog and for you to learn about dog behavior, it's not really dog training, it's people training! Good Luck! And good for you to learn from your other experience and realize that research is key and you must find the right fit!
So many people don't realise that a PUPPY needs to have somebody around most of the time, at least to begin with. It's not all about lovely walks, feeding and grooming by a long way. Puppies need to be taken outside every hour, after every sleep, feed and short period of play. They should not be crated, overnight apart, for longer than 2 hours. Puppies need to be able to develop physically, bones, joints, muscles and mentally so they become well-rounded adults. If they are left alone for hours on end, they will become lonely, bored, destructive and noisy, and if crated, probably run into structural problems. Given all the coming and going in your family, can you say you can do this, for a puppy? Looking at your schedule, you will be away for 6 hours during the week, mum for 9 hours, and your sister for 7 hours. Strikes me this isn't going to be anywhere near enough, for a puppy. It might work if you 1. Get somebody to come in to be with your puppy 2. Get your puppy into a day-creche but that can't happen until he's had all his vaccination shots 3. Consider adopting a slightly older dog, perhaps one who is more used to living a solitary life. Dogs are not toys, to be left in 'cupboards' until convenient I'm afraid. And they are not like cats who will be okay living alone. For this reason, I can't suggest any puppy (or dog really because all adults need to be able to empty at least every 4 hours) for you, at the moment.
I think you should consider the German Shepherd Dog, American White Shepherd, Shiloh Shepherd, King Shepherd or Dutch Shepherd.
as far as german shepherds go they are great dog- and really about the same size as a nice lab but they need a ton of training and loads of exercise. and honestly any dog you get can have issues with barking or misbehaving so its all in the training. and since you're going to adopt a mixed breed can do just as well as a purebreed. i have had both- and the mixed are just as intelligent and in my experience actually have less health issues that the purebreds.
American White Shepherd German Shepherd Dog American Eskimo Dog German Sheprador Shiloh Shepherd Havanese Irish Red and White Setter Japanese Spitz German Shorthaired Lab Jack Russell Terrier
Maybe a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They are friendly and get attached to you. They do'nt need TOO much excercise but a few walks a week is enough.
Well terriers don't get very big and are really good for a first time dog owner. The lazy issue though would have to be resolved but if you take them on walks and to the park regularly that shouldn't be to bad. Jack Russel and rat terriers are small bred terriers and don;t get much over12 pounds they do bark when someone comes to the door and it can be rather high pitched but other wise they are pretty easy to train and are very good companion because they love to be around people and are eager to please but they do like to run so if you have fenced yard that is good idea. If you got to a breeder you can end p paying hundreds of dollars and while going to a shelter is wonderful thing sometimes you have no idea what you are getting. So you cna trying looking in the pet section of the want ads in the paper sometimes they have puppys for free or for sale that aren't too much but don;t discount shelters altoghter I am just giving you opions.and any dog can be crate trained just make sure that you take them out so they can do thier things before you leave and right when you get home or that whoever gets home frist does. Best of luck
German Shepherd Dog American Staffordshire Terrier Wolf Hybrid Portuguese Water Dog Dachshund Blue Lacy Akita Inu Bugg Pekepoo Jack Chi
Flat-coated retriever~ water loving, loyal pets.