I'm thinking of getting a dog.
- Thread starter Trekker4747
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All dogs shed, some more than others, I don't care what they say about certain breeds that are 'non-shedders'.
Yeah, a Golden will shed a hell of a lot more than a Vizsla or some other short coated breed without guard hairs, but there will be fur on the floor.
I have a Lab, which is not known as an excessive shedder. I have a vacuum that's especially for pets, but I fill up the hopper with dog hair twice every time I vacuum the house, and my place is mostly wood floor!
I also recently pulled an 18" long plug of dog hair out of my shower (where I bathe him) that was clogging my drain.
If you can't take a little fur, don't get a dog.
Damn, I mean Dogs. Either that or I got the picture really wrong.
Well you're right about dongs too.
There we go. Your new best friend. And when you neglect it, eat it, or hurt it no one on this board will hate you.
All animals with hair shed. You shed, I shed, we all shed hair. But "shedless dogs" don't do it as much.
I "sat" a co-worker's beagle once. That thing got hair everywhere I had hair all over my pants, the guy had hair all over his furniture. It looked like a stiff breeze blew through a barber shop into his house.
My parents had a toy poodle. Never saw a single hair from it anywhere. On clothes or furniture. Sure it "shedded" (again like all mammals with hair do) but not enough that the hair was a messy nuisance.
Anway, looking at some pictures, I'm thinking a Yorki might not be too bad.
I'm also thinking of naming the dog "Tom Servo."
DO NOT get a border collie! They are very smart dogs with a lot of energy; they would likely get bored while you were at work and destroy your apartment unless you locked it up all day, which wouldn't be fair to the dog. I know of someone who had to padlock his refrigerator because his collie could open it. The only way that breed would work would be if you exhausted it every morning/night exercising and/or had a lot of experience working with dogs.
You might want to consider getting a book to help choose a breed.
I'm having trouble thinking of possible breeds, but I would probably suggest a bulldog.
Yorkies say "manly dog" to you?
Not really. But I'm expanding my narrows a bit.
A Westie.
Hmmm...
Sorry, a Westie is still on the small toy dog side of things, even if it's not technically in the Toy group. How about something slightly larger? A English Springer Spaniel, maybe? That gets you into normal dog sizes, but still not too big. Finding something that doesn't shed makes it a lot trickier (spaniels will shed).
Labradoodle? Gonna cost you some money, but gets you a normal sized dog with decent behavior, and won't shed. Also avoids the poodle look, as it's more of just a wavy-haired Lab...
Labradoodle? Gonna cost you some money, but gets you a normal sized dog with decent behavior, and won't shed. Also avoids the poodle look, as it's more of just a wavy-haired Lab...
Sheds like a retriever. Of course, you can go for a Goldendoodle, which gets you the golden retriever and poodle mix, and eliminates/severely reduces shedding. Pretty much anything that ends in "doodle", really 
A friend of my has a Schnoodle (Schnauser and poodle) that might meet what he's thinking of, if he's determined to stay fairly small. It's 20-25 lbs, and the schnauser makes it look a little less girly than its size would otherwise say.
A friend of my has a Schnoodle (Schnauser and poodle) that might meet what he's thinking of, if he's determined to stay fairly small. It's 20-25 lbs, and the schnauser makes it look a little less girly than its size would otherwise say.
Probably a bit large for my apartment.
Dachshunds are great, I've had mine for over 10 years now and he's been the greatest dog I've ever met. Actually dachshunds meet Trekker's qualifications:
Small
Don't shed - at least the smooth ones don't
manly - these things were bred to go into badger holes and flush them out. Have you ever seen a badger?
Miniature schnauzers are 11-15lbs and look pretty manly to me. And don't shed to any particular degree. No reason to get another poodle involved.
Of course, according to Wikipedia, the miniature schnauzer came into existance by breeding a regular schnauzer with a poodle, so poodles are already involved
And agree that for small dogs, they might look "manly" enough to pass the test, or at least "not feminine, or a purse dog". Would argue that at that point, though, might be worth upgrading to the regular sized schnauzer. Looking at between 35-45 lbs, give or take, so not exactly a giant, but big enough for some self respect, and to resist the urge to dress the poor thing up
Actually, looking more at them, schnauzers could be a good choice that seems to fit all of the criteria presented...
And agree that for small dogs, they might look "manly" enough to pass the test, or at least "not feminine, or a purse dog". Would argue that at that point, though, might be worth upgrading to the regular sized schnauzer. Looking at between 35-45 lbs, give or take, so not exactly a giant, but big enough for some self respect, and to resist the urge to dress the poor thing up
Actually, looking more at them, schnauzers could be a good choice that seems to fit all of the criteria presented...
Of course, according to Wikipedia, the miniature schnauzer came into existance by breeding a regular schnauzer with a poodle, so poodles are already involved
And agree that for small dogs, they might look "manly" enough to pass the test, or at least "not feminine, or a purse dog". Would argue that at that point, though, might be worth upgrading to the regular sized schnauzer. Looking at between 35-45 lbs, give or take, so not exactly a giant, but big enough for some self respect, and to resist the urge to dress the poor thing up
Actually, looking more at them, schnauzers could be a good choice that seems to fit all of the criteria presented...
One thing people overlook with smaller dogs is the teeth factor. Always remember that anything with small, sharp teeth will bite the ever loving shit out of the victim. Larger dogs tend to bark and intimidate by being loud.
Of course, according to Wikipedia, the miniature schnauzer came into existance by breeding a regular schnauzer with a poodle, so poodles are already involved
Yeah, that's why I said "another"
I'm a big fan of the mini schnauzer, though obviously I'm a bit biased. A good reason to go with a miniature is space... personally I wouldn't get any sort of dog while living in an apartment (which is why I am currently dogless myself) but miniature is probably better then standard if one must restrict a dog to an apartment.
Standard Schnauzers are also part of the working breed. They are very hard headed and need someone to be the boss.Of course, according to Wikipedia, the miniature schnauzer came into existance by breeding a regular schnauzer with a poodle, so poodles are already involved
Yeah, that's why I said "another"
I'm a big fan of the mini schnauzer, though obviously I'm a bit biased. A good reason to go with a miniature is space... personally I wouldn't get any sort of dog while living in an apartment (which is why I am currently dogless myself) but miniature is probably better then standard if one must restrict a dog to an apartment.
How about a collie. They're relatively easy to train, easy to care for, but they do shed a lot. They're not as energetic as border collies but still very active. There's also a smooth coated variety of the breed.
Herding dogs in general can be fairly energetic though. I've got a Belgian Malinois deemed to be a happy go lucky animal and phew, he can be tough to keep up with, and I'm lucky my parents love looking after him whenever I deploy. He loves to go jogging with me, but he's not taken to swimming though. He loves chasing waves and crabs around the beach too.
But, be sure that you have sufficient time to exercise, feed, water, and care for the dog and that you have reliable and dog friendly folks to look after your four footed best friend. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.
Herding dogs in general can be fairly energetic though. I've got a Belgian Malinois deemed to be a happy go lucky animal and phew, he can be tough to keep up with, and I'm lucky my parents love looking after him whenever I deploy. He loves to go jogging with me, but he's not taken to swimming though. He loves chasing waves and crabs around the beach too.
But, be sure that you have sufficient time to exercise, feed, water, and care for the dog and that you have reliable and dog friendly folks to look after your four footed best friend. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.
