What kind of dog should I get? I need the "lowest maintenance" dog
possible. This is for my kids, but I can't live with just any dog. I
need one very easy to live with. Minimal shedding, barking, licking,
or roudiness. Small dog, Cuddling, and lots of sleeping preferred. Dog
will live indoors, St. George Ut.

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Request for Question Clarification by knowledge_seeker-ga on 09 Dec 2003 07:29 PST

Hi hotinstgeorge,

Would you be interested in having me follow up my comment below with a
more definitive answer listing some specific breed recommendations?

-K~

hotinstgeorge-ga,

Have you considered a Basset Hound? This breed is a small to medium
sized dog with short, stubby legs and big droppy ears.

Here's a link to the American Kennel Club's Basset Hound webpage,
which includes a couple of pictures:

[ http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/basset.cfm ].

According to the site:

"The Basset Hound is laid back, sociable, and affectionate. It is a
great dog for children and adults of all ages. When there is nothing
better to do, Bassets sleep, and are not destructive when left alone.
They turn on to food, but not necessarily to exercise."

Google keywords:

basset hound
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=basset+hound 

Hope this helps,

omniscientbeing-ga

Please don't get a Bassett Hound.  My son, now age 23, had wanted one
of those lovable-looking little critters all his life.  I wouldn't let
him have one, so as soon as he got out of the Army last year, one of
the first things he did was get one.  Her name is Lucy, she's adorable
and cute, and he loves her to death.  He also swears he will never
ever EVER get another one, and if he had only known ...

Well, to make a long story short, it turns out that not only is dear
sweet Lucy a bit short in the legs, that extends to her dear little
brain as well, which has caused no end of grief in getting her
housetrained, not to mention obedience trained, which she likely will
never entirely be.  Her short legs, long body and large head also
create a spectre of future (read: expensive) hip problems, and my son,
who lives in a two-story condo, has been advised by the vet not to let
her negotiate stairs on her own as that would accelerate said future
hip problems.  She has also had several mysterious digestive
complaints costing quite a bundle at the vet, who shrugs and says
those aren't uncommon with this breed either.  And she sheds and chews
(pillows and shoes) and throws up in the car.

If you'd like, I can get more details from my son, but I'm sure you
get the idea.  I'm no expert on dog breeds, but this one I'd suggest
you steer clear of.  Good luck!

Cheers,
Byrd

You might be interested in this excellent answer to a question about dog breeds:

http://www.answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=265211

I've heard good things about the OriPei:

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/oripei.htm
http://www2.dogomania.com/gallery/breeds/breed344

I would suggest trying this breed recommender:
http://sy.adiho.com/ASA/Controller?sysid=33&appid=9901

(I've tried it myself and, yes, one of my recommendations was the
mechanical dog. :) However, it did also recommend some real dogs too.)

The AKC's breed guide might also be helpful:
http://pets.yahoo.com/pets/dogs/breed/

Hi hotinstgeorge, 

I don't have time today to really look into your question, but did
want to pass along a bit of wisdom gained from years of working in a
veterinary office and even more years of raising and training dogs.

I would highly recommend speaking with someone from your local animal
shelter about finding you a mature already well-trained dog. It
doesn't sound to me like you are going to do well with a puppy of any
sort. Animal shelters often receive well-mannered adult dogs that
previously belonged to elderly people or families who were forced to
move into a "no dogs" situation. These grown dogs are difficult to
place because most people shop for puppies, so many of them get
destroyed when actually they would make fine pets.

A mature dog of any breed is less bouncy, licky, and destructive than
its puppy counterpart. Plus they sleep more. :-)  As far as breeds go,
a few guidelines --

Stay away from "long" dogs like bassets and dachshunds.
Stay away from flat-faced breeds (bulldogs, pekes)
Stay away from trendy or exotic breeds like sharpeis,chow chows.
Stay away from anything traditionally bred as "guard dogs" - shepherd,
rottweiler, doberman.

Go with well-established breeds that are known to be good with
children. Ideas would be beagle, poodle, cairn terrier, cocker
spaniel, german shorthaired pointer, sheltie, lhaso apso.

Some of these are pretty energetic in their younger years, but as I
said, get a mature dog -- 5-6 years old -- and they'll likely be much
more settled.

If I had to pick one for you, I'd recommend the poodle. Smart,
friendly, no shedding, and comes in several convenient sizes.

And remember, there is nothing wrong with a good ole mutt. I fact, in
many cases, the more mixed the better. A little Bengi dog might be
just the thing for your family.

I know I'll probably be hearing from commenters about how wonderful
some of the dogs on my "avoid" list are. I'm tailoring my comments to
YOU. Sure, a Rottweiler may be a great dog for the experienced dog
handler, but that doesn't sound like you. You need something reliable.

The people who run shelters are well trained in matching dogs to
families. If you explain to them your circumstances, I'm sure with
their help you and your family will settle on a suitable dog.

Good luck!

-K~

Greetings Hotinstgeorge:

How about a cat that acts like a dog?  The Ragdoll cats are an
incredible breed and are likened to dogs.

"Ragdolls are usually not very "talkative" and they have a quiet
voice. Yet they have a large vocabulary and often Ragdoll owners tell
how they cats "chirp", "squeak" and "growl"!"

"Ragdolls are less stubborn than most cats tend to be and they can be
easily trained. They usually learn the same tricks as dogs, like
retriving toys, rolling and begging. They are also easy to teach how
to walk on a leash and how to use a scratching post. Ragdolls are
generally not destructive at home, because they are calm and usually
prefer the floor-level to climbing. Due their lack of undercoat,
Ragdolls shed relatively little."

From http://www.dlc.fi/~ashi/ragdolls/character.htm

*********

PURRsonality:
They love to be held and handled. 
They are usually relaxed in new surroundings with existing dogs and cats. 
They usually relax when held. 
They are very affectionate. 
They have a quiet voice. 
They can be easily voice trained. 
They are playful without being noisy or destructive. 
They have little or no fight or preservation instincts. 
They are strictly an indoor cat, as they will not defend themselves
and their beauty attracts catnappers.

From http://www.ragdoll.com/ragdolls.htm

If there are no allergies to cats in your household, I suggest you
consider this breed.  Ragdolls are so much like dogs, you won't
believe it.  And they are extremely loving and intelligent.  :)

Best regards,
journalist-ga


SEARCH STRATEGY:

ragdoll cat

Dogs involve  a huge amount of work and money.  There is no way to be
a responsieel owner and have it be no or little work.  The work is
worth it for dog lovers, but not worth it if you do not want a dog and
are just getting one for your kids. Don't do it.  You will be
unhappy,the dog will be unhappy, and ultimately, the kids will be
unhappy when you give away the dog, beacuse it acts like a dog.

You have the right to not have a pet.  Let your kids get one when they leave home.

Dogs involve  a huge amount of work and money.  There is no way to be
a responsible owner and have it be no or little work.  The work is
worth it for dog lovers, but not worth it if you do not want a dog and
are just getting one for your kids. Don't do it.  You will be
unhappy,the dog will be unhappy, and ultimately, the kids will be
unhappy when you give away the dog, beacuse it acts like a dog.

You have the right to not have a pet.  Let your kids get one when they leave home.

Well I have the Breed for you how about a German Rottweiler They are a
great breed low maintance and short hair they do come in different
sizes depending on which German Rottweiler kennel you contact I have
lots of pictures of German Rottweilers on my site you can look it
there is alot of info on my site as well
http://www.germanrotties.com
If you would like more help please contact me.
also you can look thru these google results
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-09,GGLD:en&q=german+rottweiler