What would be a good breed of dog for me to get?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m thinking about getting a dog. I would like a dog that does not chew up my furniture. I don’t want a dog that barks a lot. I’m not a big fan of small dogs, but I don’t want to deal with too much dog mess.

The thought of having to pick up warm dog poop with a plastic glove makes me a little bit woozy, so I need to figure out a way to deal with that.

I’m home a lot these days, but I will probably get at least a part time job next year, so it would need to be ok with being home alone for hours at a time.

Those are some of my concerns, but maybe there are others I should think about?

Anyway, given what I’ve described, is there a particular breed that might be better for me than others?

BTW, I’m in a fairly small space with no real yard to speak of.

2

The default answer i always a Lab or Lab mix. They are as close to the perfect dog there is.

3

Are you sure you want a dog?

But to answer your questions-

Most of your concerns are not breed specific. All dogs chew as puppies, (teething, testing their world) and most adult dog like to chew as entertainment. They can be taught to chew on appropriate things only.

All dogs bark sometimes, but frequency is tied a bit to breed type but more to individual personality, environment, and training.

You can get small scoopers to help with poop cleanup, but it is something you get used to doing.

You’ll have to factor in the time needed to walk your canine friend for elimination purposes, and also time for one-on-one interaction and play to burn off energy and keep him from getting bored. Bored dogs can be destructive dogs. If you get a job and the dog is alone for a good portion of the day that interaction time will need to be extended.

If you’re set on it I’d go with a not-puppy of medium size, ask a million questions of the shelter or rescue to make sure it’s going to be a good fit, and immediately get into a good basic obedience class. Classes will help you both get off to a good start and identify any potential trouble spots. If you can find a not-pet-chain-store class, so much the better.

4

I recently had a similar situation and here’s what I did. I went to my local shelter and became a foster. Then I took a few dogs home, one at a time, and kept them each for a few days. It became very clear which ones were not what I was looking for.

Then I brought home Raja, and there was just something about her. As soon as I got her home it was clear that this was MY dog. She is polite, doesn’t chew, is house trained, is very affectionate, doesn’t dig or jump up. So then I just told the shelter that I wanted to keep this one.

This was a win all around. The other dogs I took home got a break from the shelter, and I was able to find a dog that suits me! Perfect!

5

No, not 100% sure. I’d rather have a boyfriend :), but I need to cure my loneliness problem, so I’m thinking about it.

Palo, that is an interesting idea. I will need to see if I’m allowed to do that here.

My daughter and grandkids just got a 4 year old Lab. She’s adorable, but way more dog than this little place can handle!

6

Dachshund. Great smallish dog. Not too yappy.
Maybe you should think about a cat.

7

If the aim is to fight loneliness, some local shelters use volunteers as well as fosters. Our municipal shelter (pound) uses volunteers for many things, and is currently looking for people to take dogs out for long walks and visits to parks. I think the maximum is half a day. You’d meet other people along with the dogs.

If you told them you were trying to decide whether you were a good fit for owning a dog, they would definitely approve of that.

8

Are cats out of the question? :slight_smile:

Cuz it doesn’t sound like you’re really down for a dog, IMHO.

9

First of all I recommend a shelter or a breed rescue organization rather than a breeder if what you want is companionship and you don’t care what kind of dog it is.

I tend to prefer herding breeds, around 50 lbs. Some of the dogs I’ve owned have been barkier than others, but they can be trained.

Shelties are great, smart dogs, but they can be barky, and they need regular brushing (as in, daily). High activity level, they will also need walks and playtime, a lot.

French bulldogs or Boston terriers are cute dogs with lots of personality. Small. Again, some barkier than others. Low activity level, and they are nice lap dogs.

Mutt: Mutts are great. If you get an adult dog you will know what you’re getting. If you get a mutt puppy you could be surprised at its eventual size, but the paws of a puppy are a pretty good indication. Large paws= big dog.
You might consider a cat. They are less trouble than dogs, can be left alone longer (since they don’t need to be let out). The great thing about kittens is, when you get them they are about as trained as they’ll ever be. They are good companions. I’ve got two right now. They are both friendly, but one is a lot more social than the other, as in, wherever family members are, he is there. The other one might be, or he might be hiding in one of his secret places having a nap. Cats never need to be walked. They do need to be played with, or at least the ones I have now do. These two are a year old and they get into a lot of mischief, usually involving dragging something out of a closet and leaving it where it can be tripped over.

Cleanup: I will say, I never think, when getting a puppy, “Oh, now I am going to have to pick up a ton of dogshit over the life of this dog.” So it’s good to think of that now. I use the plastic bag approach. Put my hand in, pick up the poop, turn it inside out, tie it. Then walk around carrying a plastic bag of dogshit until I find a proper receptacle, which sometimes isn’t till we get back home. It’s not pleasant to think about but my dog is worth it. The worst is in the winter, when he poops in the snow and then it kind of melts its way through the snow and freezes to the ground, yuck.

10

While I agree 100%, understand that Labs shed like its their job (mess) and they are chewers. I live in a townhome in the suburbs without a private backyard - but I went and got a Lab puppy 2 years ago. He is my first dog (as an adult). He is an outstanding companion, however, I won’t pretend that he hasn’t taken over my life (not that I really had one to take over - he was my post-divorce Rx). What I’ve learned (the hard way, as I am a reformed cat person) is that dogs - maybe more so Labs - are social beings and don’t want to be alone too much. I fork over a chunk of my paycheck now to pay for doggie daycare. You’ll get used to picking up poop with a baggie - I dreaded that, too - but now I walk around with (clean) pooh bags stuffed in my bra & don’t even realize it - I’ve come a long way. Labs bark a bit, but not like smaller breeds seem to. My full grown male Lab is now 81 pounds; my neighbor has a female Lab and she is 55 pounds. Puppies are a ton of work and they will teach you what you are made of - if you are not up for losing your sanity for a few months, then I recommend you not go that route. My life revolves around my dog - getting him to & from daycare daily, walking him, hiking with him, trips to the dog park, cleaning him up when he gets dirty (often), spending the rest of my paycheck on his treats, quality food, flea/tick & heartworm meds, grooming, boarding when I want to leave town without him. He isn’t cheap. But a better friend I’ll never find. Priceless.

11

Two cats, so they can entertain each other when you’re not home. They’ll still need human attention, but they’ll be a lot happier and a lot easier to live with if you’re not their only source of attention.

Adult cats, already bonded if possible. Kittens will almost certainly tear the place up for a while. And preferably cats who are already used to living indoors only, unless you live in a neighborhood in which cats are routinely let outside and still have long lifespans.

And whether cats or dogs, I agree with the foster and/or volunteer at a shelter suggestion. It’s not entirely clear to me that you actually want to live with a dog or cat. They can be very good for loneliness; but it’s different from living with humans (this is true whether or not you’re also living with other humans.) So if what you want is a human substitute: that’s not what you’re going to get.

12

Off the track greyhounds are big, but couch potatoes. They aren’t barky, and aren’t usually pushy around people. They’re used to being crated, if that’s necessary. As a bonus, greyhound people are very social with each other, and tend to hang out, giving you a human social interaction. too. As far as picking up waste, here’s a portable scooper you might find handy.

StG

13

Listen when people tell you that puppies are a TON of work–I’ve just brought home a 9 week old pup and this is the first time since 1983 that I’ve A) bought a dog and B) had a really young puppy. All my critters have been rescues and usually at least six months old when I got them and boy howdy those six months make SUCH a difference! I’m going through paper towels like it was my job, going through enzyme cleaning spray like it was on sale and diverting this tempestuous little booger from eating furniture and shoes and the rug and the other dogs approximately ten thousand times A DAY. And I have such a huge advantage because my heeler mix is three years old, a natural nanny dog and she has plenty of energy to keep this little maniac in check. Crate training wasn’t a thing back in the day but it is now, you betcha, and I’m so glad I decided to go that route because it sure makes a difference. Not only do I not have to worry about random destruction and elimination while I’m sleeping but I also don’t have to worry about the puppy pissing off my old grumpy dog and getting bit before I can do anything about it.

Wouldn’t trade him for the world, though, but I’m a very experienced dog owner–this would not be easy for someone who hasn’t done it a bunch. Cats really are a lot easier overall and they tend to be super cuddly, if you’re not 100% sure you want to tackle dog ownership, best to cut your teeth on the simpler, more self reliant species.

14

I agree with Palo Verde and thorny locust.

You need to try out foster dogs to see if you even want a dog. And I suspect you need a cat instead.

15

Another vote for greyhounds. They’re pretty much cats in dog form. They hit all of the things you listed, plus some.

When my husband and I decided we wanted to get a dog our criteria was:

no barking
no drooling
little shedding
light grooming requirements
light exercise requirements

We discovered greyhounds and have been over the top in love with them ever since. Along with what St. Germain said about our socializing, there are a lot of great online resources like Greytalk and reddit.

16

Consider a bunny rabbit. Excellent pets. My last one was a real ladies’ man.

17

A good wash and wear dog is a Rat Terrier. Fastidious as a cat, smart as crap, not always yappy. Good sturdy training is necessary as they are stubborn and bossy. I’ve never met one I didn’t like. Characters.
ETA, they are long lived. Mine was 20+ when she went to sleep and didn’t wake up.

18

Have you ever owned a dog before? Or lived with one? I read your two posts, and I see that you would like the dog as a companion and I read about all of the things you don’t want the dog to do, or have to do for the dog, but nothing about what you want from the dog.

What you want from it, and your prior experience, is going to make a big difference about what sort of dog you should get. If you should get one at all.

Labs shed. A lot. They chew. A lot. And they can be powerful dogs. I think I mentioned here before, inadvertently waterskiing behind my Lab and Weim while we were going for our afternoon pull on a wet sidewalk. Weimaraners are basically cat-like dogs, (that eat cats), but are incredibly clingy, unsettlingly bright, and can be very dominant. On the plus side, they’ll do whatever hunting task you ask of them, if not as well as a more specialized breed, they swim like fish, and they’re amazing watchdogs. I doubt you want to put in the exercise requirements for either breed. Which is fine.

Mastiffs are very loving, IME, and are couch potatoes, but they drool everywhere, fart more than you’d like, and make your yard look like a drunken bum has decided to use it for a bathroom.

(Aside, plastic shopping bags are great for the poop problem. Just catch the dog mid-squat, flick a bag under its butt, wait till finished, grab edges of bag, tie in knot, dump in trash. Grabbing it already on the ground is for the birds.)

Oh, and they snore like the aforementioned drunken bum.

Greyhounds sound great. And they’re beautiful when they run. Lure coursing sounds like a blast.

19

I can’t have a cat box in my house. I can’t stand the smell.

I think the foster or volunteer thing might be a better first step for me. Thanks everyone.

20

Gosh, my vote is always for a dachshund, but, in general, they can be significantly yappy. We had one. :smiley:

We adopted two rescue dachshunds 13 1/2 years ago. We’d always grown up with breed, and we just like their personalities. They have just enough devil in them to make them more than just a slavering worshipper. We lost Shanni (the yappy one) a year ago tomorrow. She had a seizure disorder that wasn’t bad until the last 8 months. We just lost Luc this past Wednesday. It’s hard hard HARD when you lose them. But they make your life so much more interesting. I don’t think I’d know half my neighbors if we didn’t need to walk the dogs.

Rescues can have lots of issues, but when/if we get another dog(s) we’ll try to go the rescue route.

Dachshunds are small, smooth coats have little to no grooming needs, they’re really smart, and comical as hell.