General

[sloonan]

So Amanda and I were talking about getting a dog within the next few months.

We live in an apartment with 2 cats but no kids (and we are unlikely to start having kids within the next 5 years or so).

I grew up in a house without a dog (because everyone else was allergic) but Amanda had a dog in the house she grew up, a big German Shepard.

After reading up on different breeds I think these might be good choices:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
English Bulldog
Pug

I am leaning toward getting a Pug, out of these choices, they seem to be a great fit.

Any thought or suggestions.

[comovartia]

No suggestion on the dog but make sure you can have a dog if you are in an apartment. Most apartments that are pet friendly are usually cats and other small animals that don't require to go outside and are not very noisy.
Pugs are supposed to be good dogs.

[Frink]

We've got a Mini Dachshund now...don't get one of those. Great dogs, except for the noise, obsession with food, and intense hate of everyone. Our next dog will be a Corgi, have you checked them out? They seem like a good apartment dogs, small and quiet.

[Titus]

Labs

Simple dogs, easy to train, and friendly.

Turn on the animal planet on breed 101. Great show about owning pets or thinking about owning a pet, gives the complete 411 on everything.

[going_home]

Originally Posted by sloonan

So Amanda and I were talking about getting a dog within the next few months.

We live in an apartment with 2 cats but no kids (and we are unlikely to start having kids within the next 5 years or so).

I grew up in a house without a dog (because everyone else was allergic) but Amanda had a dog in the house she grew up, a big German Shepard.

After reading up on different breeds I think these might be good choices:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
English Bulldog
Pug

I am leaning toward getting a Pug, out of these choices, they seem to be a great fit.

Any thought or suggestions.

Kids are easier and can be trained to wipe their self, wash their self, dress their self, and feed their self. They are lots of fun and they eventually will leave and get their own place.

[earonk]

id stay away from pugs IMO.. eye and breathing problems are common. o and skin. i have family thats had them for over 15 years and every pug usually ended up with the same type of health problems at some point. i'm savin up for a great dane myself

[ih8cornnuts]

Weimaraners!!!



I've heard the same things about Pugs having problems, spaniels are great dogs. How about a Brittany? sorry I'm biased towards hunting dogs.

[PJ]

I'm partial to Australian Blueheelers myself, good natured, loyal, short-haired, and if you do have kids, they're good with them. Australian Shepherds are very similar, only longer hair.

[custar]

If you are staying in an apartment, avoid Jack Russells. Neither of you will enjoy the experience.

custar

[91Foxtrot]

I will second the "think twice about pugs" sentiment. Some very good friends of ours have 3. They are friendly, but they do have some health issues. And my god, the snoring...

My recommendation is the retired racing greyhound. We have had ours for about 5 years. Everyone seems to assume that they are crazy and high strung, when in fact, they are the laziest dogs I've ever seen. We refer to them as 70 pound cats. They are friendly, they rarely bark, and since they are bred strictly for utility, they don't have a lot of health issues that other purebreeds have.

Since racers are usually 2-4 years old when you get them, you can't raise them to be OK with your cats. All of the adoption organizations that I have heard of test the dogs to see if they will be OK with small animals. Also, you can't ever let them off leash in a non-enclosed area. It is worth finding an enclosed park or beach to let them run in, though. Seeing your dog running around at 35mph is quite a sight to see.