How "big" is a "small" dog?
 

Ok... I'm getting a new apartment that allows "small" dogs. I happen to like large dogs. If I could get a Mastiff/Newfoundland mix I probably would! But I doubt that the landlady will bey the "He was small when I got him!" argument. :D

To me, a 40 lb dog should be fine. I can't stand the little "yip-yip" long-legged rats that pass as small dogs. Plus... when petting a dog that has the bone structure of a canary I feel like I'm going to break it. I need a dog that can run down the hallway, miss a doorway and NOT need immediate veterinary attention!

So how "big" a dog do you think I can get away with?

Maybe a Jack Russell Terrier?

I would say 25 lbs

My guy is considered a small dog, and he is the shit. You'd be shocked the number of times he's slammed into the wall trying to catch the ball.

I know nothing about Jack Russels... How's their temperment?

I got used to labs... Best dog ever! I know if I look, I can get a 40 lb lab... and if it's old, it won't even be too loud!

Are JR's a loud dog that will bug the hell out of the neighbors? From what I've seen, the smaller the dog, the more they tend to bark. Big dogs like to lay around. A friend of my mother is into Great Danes... she says that they are great apartment dogs, since they'll basically take over your sofa and live right there! (But I know that won't fly!)

That is small! When standing normal, do his shoulders even reach the electric outlet?

Most apartment complexes have an actual weight limit. From my experience, generally it is 35 lbs. or less for small dogs. I would just ask them.

As for a recommendation. I VERY VERY VERY highly recommend Miniature Pinschers. Some people may disagree with me, but if you want a small dog that acts like a big dog, you've got it right there. They're not delicate by any means, are smart, and have a great personality.

They are smaller than what you're trying for (around 10-12 lbs)... http://www.akc.org/breeds/miniature_pinscher/index.cfm for the straight-up breed standard or wiki has a pretty decent write-up - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_pinscher

Jack Ruessels are not 25 lbs ;)... (Hmm.. are Jack Ruessell's not AKC certified? I'm not finding them on their site)... well, according to wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Russell_Terrier they average 14 lbs... I knew they were just a slight bit larger than Miniature Pinschers.

If we're sharing pictures, here are mine..

I believe that Bulldogs are good apartment dogs. They don't require much exercise, and are nice and sturdy yet not too large.

JR's are not necessarily that loud, however JR's require a LOT LOT LOT of exercise. How much your dog barks is more a product of how it's raised than it is the size of the dog. It's a common misconception because many owners with small dogs tend to not train them properly because they're "so small" and "so cute", plus they tend to allow things to go because they're "not going to hurt anyone", etc... Anyway.. a well trained small dog will not bark anymore than a well-trained big dog.


Sorry, I'm a bit of a dog enthusiast so I know a lot of this stuff about breeds, training, etc ;)...

I dated a girl who had one once. He didn't bark much, was very loyal and energetic. With any dog I would make sure you get it from a reputable breeded and be allowed to meet the parents of the puppy.

I'd agree with that, although depending on the size limits a Bulldog could technically start to stretch the limits (AKC sayz 50 lbs. for a male, 40 lbs. for a female)...

Agreed with the last sentence big time. Don't buy from a pet store. If you're not an experienced dog owner, don't rescue (as I learned the hard way). Go to a breeder where you can see the living environment, meet the parents, etc.

JR's are great dogs, but you definitely need to understand their energy level and exercise needs as it is very high compared to a lot of other breeds, both large and small.

I would recommend maybe going to a bookstore/library and browsing through a breed book. Most have them good writeups with ratings on various things like exercise needs, grooming needs, how well they get along with children, how well they get along with other breeds, trainability, etc... very useful at a quick glance.

For instance, a Jack Russell is very low (if you get the short hair) in grooming but high in exercise needs whereas like a miniature schnauzer is going to be high on grooming, but lower on exercise needs.

dola- a JR terrier

I can't speak for how good this is, but I just did a quick search cause I knew these existed..

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

This is supposed to be a questionaire to tell you what dog breeds are good for you. It has a size question, so you could cater that to this situation.

I'm looking to rescue one - looking on petfinder it makes you want to save them all!

My last dog died a little over a year ago. I raised him from a puppy and he lasted 13 years... the last few with my mother since I had an apartment that wouldn't allow dogs, plus he and my mother's dog grew inseparable. I have experience with dogs, not an expert, but can handle just about any dog... I would certainly look for the right guy (never had a female... nervous about the whole monthly visit from "aunt flo." :D

Cool!

Just be careful with a rescue, that's all... having experience with dogs is a good thing.. my female was a rescue an it's taken a lot of training to just improve her, but she'll never be as well-adjusted as the male that I got when he was a puppy. Rescueing is great, you just need to be prepared for how hard it can potentially be.

As for the female thing. I'm not sure that that's a real problem? My female doesn't have that issue, although it could be because she's spade? But if you're rescuing, you'll have to spay anyways.

Like I said... I know nothing about females (somewhere, many ex-gf's are laughing uncontrollably right now) I don't know if they still get periods after being fixed or not.

According to the site, I should be looking at Corgi's (or the Corgidor mix) or Pit Bulls... (I don't think so!)

Let me throw in my vote for a Miniature Dachshund. The long haired ones have a milder temperament, depending on what you're looking for. And as far as I'm concerned, Wade, your dogs are delicate. :) But we've had this argument many times.

Dola: I would also recommend Basset Hounds and Beagles, although I have never owned either.

both of them bark and howl alot

Easy Mac...is that spray on hair?:D

Nah man, I just have the darkest hair known to white man. Of course, that doesn't include the other half that is gray.

My two dogs:




BE CAREFUL with dogs and apartments though, a long time ago when we had the white dog and lived in an apartment, the lady checking our apartment out, pulled the carpet up and showed us what she said were "pee stains" and refused to give our deposit back. What a bitch she was. :mad:

Cheers to grey hair.....i feel ya in that department.

There is an easy solution to that... and male pattern baldness. It's called bald! :D

Thought I'd show my old pal, the best dog ever!


I miss him, but cancer's a bitch. At least he went quick...

My dog Thelma, a White Highlands White Terrier, perfect as small dog as i did a lot of research before deciding wich dog to buy, she weights around 14 lbs.

Corgi seems like a very good option from what I know of them. Relatively low grooming, low exercise, good temperment...

:rolleyes: ... They've never had a broken anything.

My neighbor (I'm in a rowhouse converted to condos) has a beagle and it never howls or barks. In my house (single family) there was a basset hound across the street and I don't recall ever hearing it howl either.


Well of course not, it's hard to do that when they don't roll around and wrestle with you. :p

And, since everyone is posting dog pictures, I thought it would be a good excuse to again post a picture of Wade's dog vs. my cat :)

Fragile and wussy (which obviously we disagree on) are entirely different thing ;)...

The boy has wrestled with Great Danes before, he's not fragile, I promise.

That cat looks like it's wondering if it could eat the dog before someone can run over and take it out of it's mouth. :D

I can tell you anything you want to know about papillons. My family used to raise them and show them when I was a kid.

-Anxiety

According to wade's link I should get a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. I'd pay good money to see that action!

You mean Parsons Russell ;)

The best move ever was whent hey first met -- the dog (Pharaoh) chased after the cat (Red) and generally tormented him. Pharaoh later went to sleep, Red walked over to the sleeping dog and punched him in the head 3 or 4 times.

And my tough-as-nails dog opened his eyes to look for the mosquito, didn't see it, and went back to sleep ;).

...and people say cats are lazy. :D

When I was growing up, a friend of mine had a dog that was a mix of a chihuahua and a terrier. That thing was awesome.

A Golden Doodle(I think), my parents have 2. Nice dogs that are becoming very popular.

Minature Schnauzers are decent...

I have a Corgi and would highly recommend one. Sturdy little dog (about 30 pounds), loves to mix it up with the larger dogs. Very intelligent and trainable because they were bred as herders. The only time she barks is when she sees someone outside or gets excited. And she's actually much more of a barker than most I've seen. Gets along great with our cats as well.

I have 2 beagles in my house and I have never heard either of them bark inside. Outside I can get them riled up, or make them chase me on the ATV and their hunting nature kicks in and they bark as they run, but never a problem inside.

Very low maintenance, very smart and easily trainable (next to labs they are the smsartest dogs I've ever had, and my ex ran a kennel:rolleyes: )... They aren't real people needy dogs, so if you want one to jump up and chill on your lap every night, Id look elsewhere.

Interesting.. I would put labs on the opposite end of the spectrum on intelligence from most dogs I have experience with.

When I was young my family raised labs and was involved with field trials.

IME labs are very quick learners, and can be taught nearly anything. (choosing direction at 200plus yards based on 1 whistle blast or two is impressive to me) But they also are prone to a personality. Leave one alone unattended and free to roam, it will very likely destroy something. Not out of ignorance but rather to try and influence your behavior.

YMMV

funny you say that, when I was growing, we had that exact same kind of mix in our dog, chihuahua and terrier. And yes, she was simply awesome. May be weird, but it looked a whole lot like some of those corgidor I saw on that website linke above if only a bit smaller, but stocky and rough enough that you could play with her and not fear breaking her a bone or two...

FM

Don't mess up a perfectly good Corgi by crossing it with a Lab.

I've seen several labradoodles around here. Very cool dogs. Seem to have great personalities.

I have a dog that is part chow, part coyote, part german shepherd, part belgian. He's a great dog, I highly recommend you seek out that particular mix.