If you like a border collie- they can be very nice to live with and not obsessive- but I would advise adopting an older than one year old from a border collie rescue. Plenty of border collies are gentle, sweet pets. They do require attention, but since you said you are stay-at-home, you should be able to handle a walk a day? Mine are working dogs, but even if they don’t work every day, they are nice dogs to live with- but as pups they do go through a period where they are balls to the wall for a little while. The key to this is to contact border collie rescue, be very specific that you need a easier maintainance dog (especially mention that you do not want excessive energy/nervous dog and that you want it to be friendly to strangers). There are many border collies in rescue, I’ve done home visits on dogs that are bouncing off the walls and dogs that would barely leave the corner. Of the five we have now- 1 is high energy but easy to live with due to her soft temperament, another is high energy when working but sleeps most of the time in the house, my oldest is the butthead that never grew up but the rest are just nice dogs with no issues. Just don’t get a puppy, evaluate an adult and you might be surprised at how nice a rescued border collie can be to live with.
Consider a Labrador or a Lab mix. They’re sturdy, easy-going, friendly, and big enough so your son won’t feel wimpy but not so big that they won’t fit on the couch between the two of you. They’re protective too, which you might appreciate when you’re an empty nester.
As mentioned in a few other threads, I have 7 Jack Russells. They are not yappy little dogs, but live inside quite well, and are extemely smart and loyal. As for size, the smallest one is 14 lbs and the largest is 51 lbs and just a tiny bit shorter than a border collie.
Boston Terriers - fantastic dogs. Great temperment. Medium sized around 16 lbs.
http://www.marleykennels.com/BostonTerrier.jpg
I’ve been lucky to own three in my lifetime.
My Lab, Lucy, is the most couch-potato-like of my dogs. She needs some exercise, and loves to run, but doesn’t act crazy. My Bichon is very loving, but kinda hyper and barky. As was my Sheltie, Blaze, but he’s 13 now and sleeps all the time. The Bichon, Ernie, does need a lot of grooming, about every 3 months at $50 a pop. I bathe him once a week in the sink, but he tolerates it well. The water loving Lab hates baths (given outside with a hose.) But she stands still for it. The Sheltie loves baths, but takes a lot of grooming too. He has an undercoat that needs brushed out about every two weeks.
After all that, I’d recommend a female Lab to fit your lifestyle. Lots of shedding, but what the hey. People shed, too! She’s about 70 pounds and loves to be loved - and the tail isn’t so bad if you put breakable stuff up high!
Why a female, Delores? Size? Or temperament? Puppy, or older dog? My son wants a lab, but in the end it’d be mine.
Size. Females don’t get as big as males. I adopted her at two. She was a stray, and had been spayed by a former owner. She’s a big ol’ love machine. I can almost get her to say “mama” - she talks a lot. 
Ok - I’ve told this before but it bears repeating. I was in between doctor appointments (one hour) and stopped at the duck pond because it was a nice day. I watched this dog chase the ducks, swimming and barking, and in general having a great time loving life. It made me smile!
My husband and I had been talking about getting another dog (it would be our second, the Bichon wasn’t known about yet.) My husband had a Lab that he had had to leave behind in Florida when he moved here, and she had recently died.
Anyway, this dog was full of life and a joy to watch. I tried to get my husband on the phone repeatedly, and he didn’t answer. I was sitting in my car with the driver’s door open - and she jumped in and over me and sat looking at me! I had been adopted.
I took her home, and introduced her to the Sheltie. They got along alright, and I left her in the backyard with some water and some food, with my Blaze inside. i came home from the doctor’s appointment, and finally got my husband on the phone.
And that’s the story of Lucy! She had no chip and no collar, and no sign up looking for her.
She’s the best dog ever. Very low maintenance.
I agree with the suggestion of checking out rescues. Whether it’s a breed rescue or one that deals with all types of mutts, a dog that has been in a foster home is more of a known quantity than one that has just been living in a shelter kennel. The rescue will be able to help you find a dog that best fits your needs based on their experiences with the dog in its foster home.
Unfortunately, Labs do not fit with the requirement of not knocking things over with a wagging tail. The ones I’ve known were happy all the time and could knock over a small child with their tails!
Lanzy, a 51 lb Jack Russell?! That’s about twice as big as any I’ve met – I’d love to see a picture!
ETA: If this thread proves anything, it’s that individual dogs vary and you have to meet them to know for sure what you are getting!
How very inspirational, Delores. I may have to consider a lab. But a lab owner warned me about the 2 years of puppyhood…maybe I should adopt an adult like you did.
ETA: yeah, the tail…hehe
She was already house-trained, too. I don’t think I’ll ever deal with another puppy. It’s rough enough with an elderly dog in the house!
I will second this. The OP described my BT to a tee! I, too, grew up as a cat person. Never owned a dog until adulthood and I was looking for a smaller (but not pocket-sized) dog that would be a great companion and enjoy outdoor activities and chilling out on the couch equally; low-maintenance, easy to train and not a shedder; loyal, but not yappy.
I couldn’t have asked for a better dog.
I’m dog-sitting a 2 year old black lab over the holidays. I like labs, but she requires a great deal more activity than the Boston and her tail is lethal to xmas tree bulbs and anything on the coffee table. And she’s shedding all over the place. Other than that, she’s a sweetie.
I must suggest, if you can find one, an English shepherd. They are just about the most intelligent dog I’ve ever met. Medium sized and somehow related to the border collie, they are mild mannered and cute as heck. The English shepherd mix puppy we had was named “Sneaky” because she could get out of any pen or kennel - they should be highly trained, frequently exercised indoor dogs, probably.
Oops just spotted that you are looking for low grooming. Our pup was mixed with Alsatian, so his hair was a bit finer but purebred English shepherds have high maintenance long hair. Still recommend the breed, though. Could be trained to anything due to their intelligence.
Another possible breed to consider: Welsh Corgis. They come in two flavors - Pembroke (no tail,) and Cardigan (long, feathery tail.) My experience with Corgis is that they tend to have the attitude of a large dog in a much more compact body. Very smart, tend to get along well with other animals (herding dogs usually have a lower prey drive than many other types,) minimal grooming needed, and very, very smart.
I’ve only ever owned (been owned by?) one Corgi - a Cardigan, FWIW - and adopted him when he was a young adult, maybe 1.5 years old. He was great around my toddler and pre-schooler, as well as the three little girls that I babysat often back then. I also had him when I was a newly-divorced working mom, and he was absolutely fine being left at home (uncrated) while I worked, and was very protective of his family.
As others have mentioned, you might do well to consider adopting an older dog. Puppies are a joy, but their energy levels might tend to seriously annoy your cats.
She is SO CUTE!
We’ve got three dogs right now and have fostered a ton more. Our current three are medium-sized mutts, and are just the best dogs. Any of them would fit your description. We have no problems with them; they’re healthy and sweet and well-behaved, despite my laziness in training them. I’d definitely recommend getting an adult dog. With puppies, you just don’t know what the adult temperament will be like, and most puppies go through a 1-3 year long crazy stage where they’re pretty high maintenance.
We got Mirabel from the pound. I walked down the isle of frantic, barking dogs until I came to Mira, who was so depressed by her captivity that she just laid there on the floor and looked at me. She had been there 1 day. She was calm and reasonable in the pound, and she’s been calm and reasonable from the day we brought her home. Go to the pound and meet some dogs. I’d bet there will be one that you connect with, that you can tell is a good dog right from the start. If not, keep looking and trust your instincts.
Good luck, and let us know how it works out!
You guys have the greatest pictures! Oy, Mirabel and the cat! And yes, Sadie looks like a good-natured floppy dog doll!
I bet I’ll be dreaming about dogs tonight…
I just got a blue heeler (australian cattle dog)and she is everything you mentioned. She is a one-person dog and has bonded strongly with me. She is rather calm, but likes to run with me. She is well-trained and well-behaved. Every single person to meet her remarks how good she is. I am pretty sure this is pretty common of the breed. She isn’t small, but not large. She is not yippy - nor even does she bark much to be honest. I honestly couldn’t have picked a better dog.
Thanks for the mention of Dogs 101 on Animal Planet. The season is over, but there are 40 videos about various breeds!
We just got a Basset Hound puppy. A sweeter, prettier little puppy you’ll not find anywhere–a disposition as lovely as our Lab, which is saying a lot. I recommend either breed, but size-wise, perhaps the Basset is a good choice for you. And Bassets need exercise, like all dogs, but the few I’ve encountered have definitely tended toward “couch potato.”
Our puppy steps on her ears if she runs really fast. Very cute.
The cuteness factor in that picture just gave me diabetes.
Had you thought about a Keeshond?
http://www.redorbit.com/modules/reflib/article_images/45_fc5bc40bf39a1b0f071447132f16a17c.jpg
And cuter puppies you will never find!
My parents used to raise them, and I have never known a sweeter tempered dog. They love EVERYONE- human, dog, cat, horse… a Kee knows no enemies. Of course, that doesn’t make them the best guard dogf in the world… butr they are excellent WATCH dogs, they will bark to let you know someone’s about.
They smile when they’re happy (which is pretty much all the time), are VERY intelligent and easy to train (My highest score in an obedience trial was with one of their Kees, trained half-heartedly on a whim… 198 out of a perfect score of 200) They love to cuddle, big enough to take hiking, meduim sized, just all round great dogs.
Their downfall is also one of their strong points… their coat. They do shed, and need LOTS of brushing. But if you have the time to put into it, they are probably the perfect dog.