<p>I suggest you read Paws to consider: choosing the right dog for you and your family. It’s probably the most helpful dog book out there. <a href=“http://www.glowdog.com/bestdog[/url]”>www.glowdog.com/bestdog</a> and <a href=“http://www.akc.org%5B/url%5D”>www.akc.org</a> are also good resources. </p>
<p>[A</a> website that can match you to a dog](<a href=“http://www.glowdog.com/bestdog/bestdog.pl?action=Done]A”>http://www.glowdog.com/bestdog/bestdog.pl?action=Done)</p>
<p>We have two whippets–wonderful dogs. I’m actually more of a cat person, but finally relented with the reasoning that “they’re quiet and don’t slobber” (and how could you ever turn down [this</a> face](<a href=“http://whippetdog.com/Della-4wks.jpg"]this”>http://whippetdog.com/Della-4wks.jpg)?). They’re trainable, but not trained. 
They’re fast runners, but inside the house they’re gentle, decorative dogs that enjoy sleeping in. Bonus: no shedding, and small enough to curl up at the bottom of your bed.</p>
<p><a href=“http://whippetdog.com/[/url]”>http://whippetdog.com/</a> (the kennel in Virginia Beach where we got ours) has some great information about the breed. On the picture page, Della and Kalo are my dogs’ moms. :)</p>
<p>That is a great site. Came up with some bigger spaniels, retrievers and the PWD at #8.</p>
<p>Love whippets, but too quiet.</p>
<p>Two days after we returned from dropping our only off at college, our dog died. You can guess which one of my offspring I missed more!</p>
<p>Two years later we now have an adolescent English Cocker Spaniel whom we adore. Cheerful, playful, smart, affectionate – just the right size. English is the operative word here; more hunting focused and less inconsisten than their American cousins.</p>
<p>OK, now that I have a threadful of dog lovers, I can ask a question that I’ve been wondering about. This same 1-1/2 year old male, healthy and happy in every way, has never taken to lifting his leg when he answers the call of nature. Because of our living arrangement he has access to a big back yard, but seldom socializes with other dogs. Is his behavior normal, common?</p>
<p>My 1.5-year-old male only lifts his leg when ‘marking his territory’ on trees, never otherwise. I don’t know if that’s common, though.</p>
<p>Our Border Collie/Great Pyrenees isn’t as hyper as he used to be …now that he’s on Fluox for anxiety. I’ve decided he would have been a great one-person, one-farmer dog. As it is, he’s been something of a nightmare. He is a good watch dog though, espeically as he can jump six feet into the air and bark at visitors over the top of the six foot garden gate door.</p>
<p>S’s friends call him the Psycho American Dog. That’s with medication, btw. naturally, we paid $60 for him at the Humane Society and tehn spent $3000 shipping him overseas. </p>
<p>I wonder if his original owners knew what they were doing when they put him on the side of the road…</p>
<p>We have a sheltie, which has too much hair for you, although I absolutely love them. The one we have now is my S’s, but I’m getting a puppy of my own this week. I’m so excited I can’t stand it ! I may even share a picture . . . </p>
<p>Shelties aren’t for you. But I have friends who swear by greyhounds. No hair, need less exercise than you think, never yip, and rarely bark much. My friends get rescued dogs from dog tracks, and say they are absolutely wonderful - caring, smart, sociable. Just a thought. </p>
<p>fundingfather - I loved your story about waking up and finding all those toys carefully deposited in your lap. Thanks for sharing - very funny.</p>
<p>I’ve heard a lot about Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and they were one of the breeds my mother and I considered when we were looking for a puppy to bring home. We settled on a border collie, but that’s partially because Rhodies are hard to find! (Not that we don’t love our border collie – super intelligent, friendliest dog in the world, has the most amusing quirks, and only wants to please!)</p>
<p>Rhodies do have a few drawbacks, though, mostly that they’re very protective of their owns (but this can be taken care of easily with early, consistant training) and can be bad around children if not trained (they don’t really enjoy being prodded and pulled).</p>
<p>Beagles are a good breed to look at, though they have the exact opposite of a yip – a very loud, baying howl.</p>
<p>If you consider a mix, I’d say a Labradoodle (Lab/poodle cross) is absolutely perfect.</p>
<p>The catch to Lab/poodle crosses (and golden retriever/poodle crosses) (and anything/poodle crosses) is that often the breeder has not done any of the genetic testing needed for BOTH breeds on either of the parents.</p>
<p>A first-generation cross is utterly unpredictable as to which parent’s traits will dominate. Lab/poodle crosses are frequently found in shelters because they aren’t the dogs the owners are expecting. (Remember those Mendelian genetics your kids studied in biology: you get one gene from one parent, one from the other, and you don’t know which one.)</p>
<p>True, but that’s a concern for any breed. Reputable breeders are always the place to go, and the most reputable are the ones that <em>do</em> the research. It may be harder to find when you’re looking at mixes, but specific crosses are becoming so popular that there should be some professional breeders out there that do all the necessary things.</p>
<p>Best dog I’ve ever had - standard poodle/airedale mix. The front half was black, glossy, wavy (but not curly) hair. The back half was reddish/brown airedale. It looked as if someone had screwed together the front and back half of different dogs. The smartest and sweetest animal I have ever seen and no shedding! She rarely barked. She would wait at the gate for the school bus every day - rain or shine. </p>
<p>Momrath - We have a very friendly, lovable golden mix. He’s 7 and still “pees like a girl” most of the time. Occasionally on a walk he’ll make a half-hearted effort to lift a leg. Even around other male dogs it doesn’t seem to be a big priority. He’s about 85 pounds - maybe his size makes him feel like he doesn’t have anything to prove.</p>
<p>Check out Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. I currently own my third (he’s a rescue, the other two were from breeders), and I can’t imagine owning any other breed. They are medium sized, between 38-45 lbs normally, although they can sometimes be larger or smaller, and stand about 19 inches at the shoulder - knee high, in other words. They are extremely smart (too smart for their own good sometimes) and will make you work to prove that you’re the alpha in the family, but they are loyal to a fault. Also (trumpets, please), they don’t shed. Of course, this means that they require frequent and regular brushing, and if you’re not willing to do this, please don’t get one - there’s nothing sadder than the sight of a Wheaten who had to be shaved because his coat was neglected. They’re terrific animals that are often used as therapy dogs because of their even temperment, and while my groomer says she has met some nasty Wheatens, I have yet to come across one. If you’re interested in rescuing a dog, there are several highly reputable Wheaten rescue groups that will help you find a dog in your area. If not, go with a good breeder - avoid pet stores and puppy mills at all costs. Wheatens are prone to a particular genetic disease that a good breeder will be working to avoid, and you won’t get that with a pet store/puppy mill. I highly recommend Wheatens to anyone who has prior dog owning/training experience, since they can be a little hard-headed for a newbie to handle.</p>
<p>German Shorthair pointers can be quite bright, mellower than some of their cousins, short hair = mostly invisible shedding…(though it does show up on the sheets!), happy to be around the family, can be fine with cats (even though they are bird dogs) as long as you introduce them as puppies (my GSs did wreak havoc with the ducks…they could not help themselves! My current hound hangs out with a doggie friend and there are chickens wandering all about, neither dog bothers the chickens or the cats!)</p>
<p>Speaking of strange mixes, we saw an odd one this week- German Shepard/Basset- mostly German Shepard- colouring, head, tale, slightly shorter fur, but Bassett legs. It looked like one of those flip books where you put the tops & bottoms of different people together, and so sad, those little Bassett legs!</p>
<p>Adopt a greyhound!! Did you say you had a B&B? We met one here:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bythesideoftheroad.com/[/url]”>http://www.bythesideoftheroad.com/</a>
</p>
<p>She said that whippets were “too quiet”, and greyhounds are pretty much the same temperament. Otherwise I’d second the recommendation. ;)</p>
<p>Well, you lost me at “medium.” I have two Great Danes, and I could not think of a better dog to greet guests at a B & B. Howver, I too like the PWD – they are always so well behaved at shows, and very handsome/pretty with their springy coats. A slighter larger dog, that is very impressive looking, is the Black Russian Terrier.</p>
<p>I have been thinking about a greyhound for a couple of years. We have a very high profile adoption group here; the dogs are always around at the festivals, parades, etc. They are the sweetest things and they are actually “cat tested” to insure capatability with other pets.</p>
<p>My huge, hairy 2 year old Golden Retriever is my best friend. S (Wild Child) bought him without our permission as a puppy. Sent the kid away and kept the dog.</p>
<p>I love my goldendoodle (golden retriever/ poodle mix). While goldendoodles and labradoodles are considered a designer breed, they are great dogs. Yes, with a first generation you don’t know which parent the pup will take after, but if you choose a reputable breeder you will have a good idea. All of the better breeder do test, and I have a long list of breeders that test for those that might be interested.</p>
<p>I wanted a more golden built pup and had first pick. One of the pups had curlier hair so I knew that one was not for me. My pup has long wavy hair when not cut back (has been as long as 7 inches), short snot/nose, and medium legs. Others in the litter ranged from looking like a golden to more poodley. A good breeder can tell by 3 weeks what your pups coat will be like.</p>
<p>These dogs are smart with a capital S! I had a bit of a training problem because she was so smart, but with the help of our trainer I have been better with her. I also had the alpha of the litter; not a good pick for a mom that doesn’t always follow through! I keep up with others from this litter, and everyone loves thier dog.</p>
<p>My daughter said that she was going to start a club for parents that are soon to be empty nesters that got a puppy and love the puppy more than the human kids! While we really don’t love the dog more, it sure is nice to have one of the kids, even if it is the furry one, cuddle with us at night and to love us unconditionally!</p>
![http://whippetdog.com/Della-4wks.jpg"]this](http://whippetdog.com/Della-4wks.jpg%22%5Dthis){kind=link}
