which small breed of dog would suit me?

angie001

Hi guys, i'm new here.

ok, here's the situation.... i currently have a rough collie, smooth collie and an english springer spaniel. my partner has 3 bull terriers and a staffy.

we are looking to move in together quite soon, well, as soon as we can save the deposit for a rented property (about 2 months hopefully) but it will only be a small 1 bedroom house. none of his or my current dogs will be coming with us as they are all settled and happy where they are.

i cannot live without a dog! i cannot get up in the morning and not have a wagging tail to greet me and cuddles on the sofa at night with a furry friend so here is my question...

i want a small breed of dog as it will be a small house, but as i am not familier with small breeds i was hoping you could offer me some advise on the breeds i like...

border terrier, smooth coat brussels griffon, lhasa apso, cairn terrier, mexican hairless, chihuahua smooth coat, dachsund smooth coat, french bulldog, japanese chin etc. etc. you get the idea...

1) i need a dog that doesn't shed (or sheds very little) due to it being in a rented place and i suffer with asthma.

2) it needs to be able to be crate trained, again, as it's a rented place it will need to be in a crate whilst we are out.

3) easy to be house/litter trained

4) not needing loads and loads of excersise, will deffo get about 30 mins a day, maybe more, but not garunteed more.

5) must be able to be left alone in its crate for up to 6 hours a day through the week.

6) the smaller the better.

7) easy to get hold of and not costing too much to buy.

my personal fovarites are the lhasa apso, border terrier and the brussels griffon (but the brussels are hard to come by in my area)

so any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

angie001

any other ideas of small dog considered if they fit my situation better than those listed.

angie001

oh.. and they have to be good with animals, children and other dogs too!

Cali

most of those breeds are more hyperactive than I think you would want. The french bulldog and the Japanese chin are both good choices. I would not recommend a Xolo (Mexican hairless) as they can be a challenge to train and despite the lack of hair they have a LOT of grooming requirements- big issues with teeth and skin (blackheads, blemishes, sunburn, etc). You might consider a Chinese crested. I could point you in the direction of a FANTASTIC rescue, they are a lovely little breed- easy to train and two varieties, the hairless and the powderpuff. Both are considered "hypoallergenic" (no dog truly is) and shed very very little if at all.
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angie001

the main worry is the amount of hair they shed, just thinking of the house really, although even one who does shed would probably still be alot less than the group i'm used to atm! lol. i do like french bulldogs. it is only thru the week that might be limited excersise, i should have stated that they will be going out for long collie walks on the weekends with my current dogs who will be living with my mum. my mums friend has a lhasa apso which can keep up with them, lovely little dog! i dont mind the hairless ones but i know if possible my partner would like somthing with fur! training is not really a problem in the way that my partner has always had the most stubborn of learners, the bull terrier, but cage training would be a must. how is the french bulldog with being left alone?

Cali

As far as being left alone that will depend on the individual as well as the training you put into them. Are you looking for a puppy or would you consider adopting an adult dog? Many adult dogs will already be potty trained or crate trained, more independent and a rescue would be able to tell you whether the individual does well left at home or not.
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angie001

yes i will definatly be looking in shelters, but with 3 male dogs already, bringing an adult dog in might be tricky, at least with a puppy, they know its a puppy and means no harm, but it would be an option. it depends what is about at the time. i'm going to keep researching anyway, i dont take this kind of thing lightly, i just wondered about other peoples experiences with these breeds have been. all advice is appreciated tho! have you ever owned any of these?

Cali

I own a Chinese crested, a border collie, an Aussie, and a Pomeranian. Never have owned any of the ones on your list, however I have had each of those breeds in training classes at least once. Only one Lhasa, one Xolo, two Brussels, countless chihuahuas, doxies, frenchies, carins, and a few chins, I try to familiarize myself as much as possible with the breeds I work with.

Big kudos to you for doing your research- I wish everyone did that before getting a dog!
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angie001

it bugs me so much, all the shelters around here are crammed with big dogs that people get and dont realise how big they get, or things like staffies cuz people get them not knowing how much of a handful they are! my partners mum recently lost her staffy she had for 15 years, now shes got a new puppy, my god is it hard work! lol. i do like them too, but they shed alot so that has put me off them in a rented house. i love my mums friends lhasa, he is the reason i was wondering about them, she said hers doesnt shed but she doesnt work anymore so its not left for very long, he was a rescue. do u have the crested with the fluffy head or the completly hairless one?

Cali

My crestie has hair all over his body- he's a powderpuff. The hairless version comes in varying degrees of hairlessness (from totally bald to just parts of bald).

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