should I get another dog?

[caseysmom]

To "try" to make a long story short...we got casey a year ago, she was dumped at a shelter her owners said she didn't get along with their other dog. She is very timid and seems to have been mistreated.

She does okay when my brother brings his dog over but casey does growl if he keeps bugging her. My 13 year old would like a dog for herself. She is going through somewhat of a trying time, she is boy crazy and I am putting lots of boundaries. I think if she bonds with a dog it would be great for her. Me and my other daughter are more bonded with casey and casey is somewhat difficult to bond with you have to do all the initiating of any contact she is extremely shy.

After all the problems heinz57 has had I am scared, casey isn't aggressive and I would crate the new dog in my daughters room(if it is destructive) during our 7 hours of nobody home.

What does everybody think? My daughter wants a small dog, any suggestions of a mellow small dog? I was thinking about a pomeranian because I like the size and the coat but I don't know much about their disposition. Also do you think male or female would do better with a female already present?

[sammy101]

actually the best thing to do is a larger male.Dont get another female..i wouldnt recommend it.When we got Kodie,we had to get a male dog b/c my RB Sheena was aggresiive with other dogs,,and once he was bigger than her then she never even touched him again.:p lol,so i would definently recommend a larger male than a smaller female/male dog.

[caseysmom]

We go camping and stay in a cabin with a friend of ours that has a female lab/beagle mutt, casey actually does better with her than with my brothers male dog. I wonder if its a personally issue because the lab/beagle she pretty much leaves casey alone.

[lute]

i would take your daughter and Casey to the shelter and see if they get along with any of the dogs there.

i have a pomerainian and he's a mellow guy. he does require a good amount of grooming. he's really smart(as are all poms)and is quite shy at times.

i would go with what sammy101 says about the male/female thing.

[dukedogsmom]

I would just be sure that she really wants the dog and it's not just a phase, you know? I'm not sure but I think Pomeranians are a little on the hyper side? Italian Greyhounds are pretty laid back. I really don't know much about the smaller breeds, though.

[GraciesMommy]

I belong to 2 yorkie sites and most there have 2 dogs. I only have one and feel that is all I can handle..I think Gracie will always be an only child..

[caseysmom]

Originally posted by dukedogsmom
I would just be sure that she really wants the dog and it's not just a phase, you know? I'm not sure but I think Pomeranians are a little on the hyper side? Italian Greyhounds are pretty laid back. I really don't know much about the smaller breeds, though.

I have thought about that quite a bit actually and have another daughter who wants to be a vet to pitch in if that happens but I may actually make her sign a contract or something. I got upset with everyone for saying stuff about kids...now I think they were right! In my next life I will stick with my fur babies!

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

well, first I'd like to say DO NOT get a dog if your Daughter is the only one in the family who wants it, you also have to want the dog aswell:) If your daughter truly wants a dog and is willing to take care of it then that's fine but there is still going to be times that she might not want to do everything for it. I have "my own" dog, I do take care of her and I do more for/with her than anyone else does in my family but there are some days that I may not be feeling well or something and can't do as much as I normally do with her. Also, I don't think you should let her choose the breed by herself. What my family has done in the past with choosing a breed is make a list of one or two breeds that each family member wants and then decide from there which all of you think would be best for the family:) Anyway, I honestly don't know alot about small breeds other than Dachshunds so I can't help you much there, I hope I have been a little bit of help.

(also, these are just my personal opinions/experiences)

[caseysmom]

I have no problem taking care of the dog, with the exception of letting her get out of the responsibility. I totally love animals and wouldn't mind that part I just don't want to let her off that easy.

[bckrazy]

:) I got Gonzo when I was 13 too.. I had never taken full responsibility for any dog up until then. I was getting into a lot of trouble at school and out of school, and our Rottwieler of 7 years had just passed away. I wanted a dog, and my parents wanted me to re-direct my..um..energy ;).. so we got Gonzo. I really wanted a German Shepherd, but my parents wanted a Border Collie because we had 2 when I was growing up and my Mom grew up with them, and I also liked the breed. I have full responsibility of him, and it has really made me a much better person. I realized he completely depended on me and he needed a LOT of work with obedience and behavior, and it helped me to focus on more important things in life, things that are EVEN more important than boys and friends and shopping! -gasp-... I could no longer blow off my parents and stay at friends houses and go to late parties, because my doggy needed to be fed and played with and exercised ^_^

Anyway, I totally support you! As long as she's really into this, and you get her to commit to it (with a contract like you mentioned, or something similar), it will probably work out really well. I would definately let her do a lot of the work in researching breeds, finding breeders or rescues, and organizing what supplies she wants. It'll make her feel a lot more like this is HER dog, SHE needs to prepare for it and she needs to work for it. Also include cleaning and exercising duties in the contract ;).. and try to get her to clean up after, walk, and feed Casey for a couple weeks to get her used to it and make sure she knows what she is getting into. As far as a good match with Casey, it completely depends. If she has a tendency to be picky about dogs, rescue would be the way to go so that you can introduce her before-hand to the dog and make sure they get along. A laid-back male of around her size might be a better choice than a small dog... but, again, it totally depends on the individual dog. Casey might prefer a more playful dog her size if she likes to play with other dogs.

[caseysmom]

bccrazy...Your parents were thinking just like I am. Those are really good ideas thanks... I mentioned in another thread that we will have to meet at phoenix field sometime...my daughter could probably relate to you better than me.

[bckrazy]

;) that would be so cool!! I would love to meet you guys! Gonzo would probably love Casey, he gets along with most dogs, and he can convince any dog to play with him ^_~! what breed(s) is Casey? I probably won't have much time until January, we're leaving in a week to go to Hawaii, but it'd be so fun to meet at Pheonix sometime. I'd love to meet your daughter.. just curious, where do you guys live?

[caseysmom]

We live in gold river, 5 minutes from phoenix. Casey is a mutt that looks exactly like an entlebucher, go to entlebucher.org and that is exactly what she looks like, its funny they are $2,000 dogs and I got her at the pound. She is a good dog just pretty shy.

[Giselle]

Wellllll....I won't lie. GENERALLY, Toy breeds are needy and most are actually the opposite of mellow. Chis, for example, are generally high-energy dogs. If not given enough exercise (and they often adore 1 mile walks, believe me), they'll find other outlets. This is where all the stereotypes come in---who hasn't met the barky, yappy, loud, jumpy Chihuahua?:p Papillons are probably the Border Collies of the Toy breeds. So I guess that's a no-no. I've seen quite a few Iggies, and they're umm...mellow isn't the word I'm looking for... They're actually very needy and high strung, not to mention, difficult to housetrain as is common among the Toy breeds. (I'm just ruling a few popular breeds out according to the bits of information you've given me.)

Pekingeses aren't really recommended for young children because Pekes usually have the personality of the grumpy mommy who's on her lady days *wink wink*. But if your daughter wants a mellow playmate who prefers sleeping over playing tug of war and fetching, then a Peke might work. She's 13 years old, so I'm not really worried about roughhousing, but she still needs to respect the Peke. Generally, Pekes are stubborn. But once you earn their respect and they view you as an honorable leader, they're very easy to train and my own is highly food motivated. They're not lap dogs, mind you, but they will allow you to pick them up and cuddle for awhile (if you earn their trust). Activity wise---They usually adore walks around the block and will benefit from playing fetch once in a while. My own adores socks and balls and we have a blast just throwing and catching. If you need to find a Pekingese breeder, please visit Pekingese Club of America and you will find the breeder referrals OR visit the shelter.

Can I ask you a few questions?
How often do you plan to groom? If the dog requires it, will you make regular trips to the groomers?
Desired Activity level?
Desired size (rethink this question because a lot of bigger breeds are mellow and adore kids)?
Does it need to be small animal/cat safe?
How much exercise can you provide?
Regarding your own dog: No matter what breed you choose and where you acquire him/her, you need to bring your own dog to visit the other in neutral territory. It really does help, and it can prevent many squabbles. Expect a few snarls here and there, and just hang on! Good luck!

[Tonya]

Both of the poms that I have had were total hellians as puppies. My pom Sarah is starting to mellow out. She's gotten fairly calm and likes to sleep alot. My mom's pom, Teddy is pretty mellow now too. BUT they are both total yappers. They never stop barking. Every pom house that I've been to has constant yapping.

[vinjashira]

Originally posted by caseysmom
Casey is a mutt that looks exactly like an entlebucher, go to entlebucher.org and that is exactly what she looks like, its funny they are $2,000 dogs and I got her at the pound.

maybe she is an entlebucher after all :D

[caseysmom]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I don't really want a yappy dog so the poms are probably out. I didn't want a dog that needed to go to the groomers. My daughters friend just got a dog, can't remember the kind but its the kind from wizard of oz. He seems to be enjoying him.

[caseysmom]

A friend of mine at work's jack russell just had a litter of 9, another friend has a pup from the last litter, he says it has been a good dog so far. I know jack russells are high energy...I know I am crazy but its kind of hard to resist.

[Christiansmommy]

Originally posted by caseysmom
A friend of mine at work's jack russell just had a litter of 9, another friend has a pup from the last litter, he says it has been a good dog so far. I know jack russells are high energy...I know I am crazy but its kind of hard to resist.

I know of someone with a Jack Russell and a shepard and the Jack Russell can be pretty harsh, but i am sure not all are...

BTW, i wouldn't be surprised if Casey is a full blood entelbucher. I think i mentioned that before. You say she is shy, and feel she might have been abused, due to her personality, but it is also possible that she is a rare breed with some weird quirks, since i have a sennehund ( as is the entelbucher), i know that Dale certainly has some weird quirks, and has never been owned by anyone but us. He is terrified of empty milk jugs, and we have NEVER abused him with one, but you would think that someone beat him over the head with one...he hates them. Just something to think about, she may just have a weird personality...and from day one, i thought she looked just like an entelbucher or appenzellar.

Back onto the subject at hand, i think, for sure, a male dog and a medium sized may be a better option than a small, if you think she might not have the patience for a small dog that might try to play the alpha role, which some try to...my mom's 15 lb. poodle is alpha over my 100 lb. Swissie, but Dale doesn't mind :)

[BCBlondie]

Hmm... small dog, not a lot of grooming or yapping, and for a child.... What about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?

"The breed is gentle and easy to train in all other respects, and is an excellent and trustworthy companion for children. Cavaliers are good with other breeds of dogs and other household pets. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is adaptable in their need for exercise and will be happy either snoozing by the fire with its owner or taking three mile walks across country in any weather. The Cavalier has a coat much like that of other sporting dogs such as the Golden Retriever. It should be straight and silky - and never need trimming; only regular brushing."
http://www.ackcsc.org/

http://www.welpen.de/zverzeichnis/bilder/caval.jpg

http://www.tegiet.onsi.pl/images/rasy/Cavalier_King_Charles_Spaniel.jpg


By the way, not ALL Pomeranians are yappy dogs. Megan is very quiet, and when she does bark, it is controllable (If I tell her to stop, she immediately listens). She is VERY smart and willing to please. She's even smarter and more energetic than my Border Collie! :rolleyes:

Jack/Parson Russell Terriers are VERY energetic dogs... There's a reason terriers are sometimes called "terrors"... haha :D If you get a pup from your friend, be prepared to give it LOTS of exercise for quite a lot of years...

[caseysmom]

Everytime I see a picture of Dale I think of a large manly casey! Well today we went to the spca in our area, here is a dog we were looking at http://www.sspca.org/DogProfile.html?qryDogID=2053 we went to see another dog but it was in sick bay with kennel cough. Anyway Serena scared me she was so high energy, they recommend that we bring casey in to see how they get along.

I may wait until the other dog gets out of sick bay but my heart strings are being tugged, serena has been in the shelter for 6 weeks.

[caseysmom]

This is the other dog we are thinking http://www.sspca.org/DogProfile.html?qryDogID=2126

[caseysmom]

bcblondie, those dogs look great, not sure how many of them are around in my area, I will have to look into them.

As far as male female the more I think about it the more it seems casey prefers females.

[micki76]

Originally posted by caseysmom
A friend of mine at work's jack russell just had a litter of 9, another friend has a pup from the last litter, he says it has been a good dog so far. I know jack russells are high energy...I know I am crazy but its kind of hard to resist.

From what you've said so far, I'd steer far from a JRT if I were you. You are going to get everything that you don't want. I have a JRT mix and let me tell you, this is not breed for everyone. :eek: She's, er, something else. Not only high energy, but with a myriad of behavioral issues common in JRTs that we've had little success of altering. Toy Fox Terriers are great little dogs, but a bit needy and VERY hyper as pups.

I also agree with Giselle that IGs are a bit needy too, as are most small breeds.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

What do you think of American Eskimo's? My uncle had one once and he was a great little dog.
http://www.norsled.org/saraheskie.jpg
http://dogoftheday.com/archive/2001/March/07.jpg

Temperament
The American Eskimo Dog is intelligent, alert, and friendly, although slightly conservative. It is never overly shy nor aggressive, and such dogs are to be severely penalized in the show ring. At home it is an excellent watchdog, sounding a warning bark to announce the arrival of any stranger. It is protective of its home and family, it should never threaten to bite or attack people. The American Eskimo Dog learns new tasks quickly and is eager to please.


They do need regular brushing though to keep their fur from getting matted. It never needs to be trimmed or anything so you should not have to go to the groomers unless you feel like sending it there for a bath or something.

[caseysmom]

I never knew anything about the american eskimo...it is really cute. This whole thing started with my daughter after my brother brough his westie over and it spend all thanksgiving day on my daughters lap. The american eskimo is similar in size and color. I was steering cleer of the westie because you have to take it to a groomer and they have a lot of allergies.

[Christiansmommy]

Not sure how you feel about poodles, but mini poodles would be a good size, or a small standard ( my mom's Bella is only 40 lbs). All poodles are so very easy to train, it wouldn't be frustrating at all for your daughter to try to train one of them...i grew up with them, and they are sweet dogs...easy to house train, most anyway, and smart as a whip. No shedding too. They come in a variety of colors, white, black, silver, apricot, red, chocolate...if my husband wasn't all about manly man dogs, i would have another poodle...their temperment has always been great...however, some of the toy poodles, can get snipy...after owning all sizes, i would say the Standards are the sweetest :)

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I think getting your daughter a dog is a great idea. I have a friend whose parents got her and her two sisters all a pet of their own when they turned 13. She got a corgi and it was the love of her life.
I work at a boarding facility and a customer of ours is a lady who has a young teenage daughter who was very shy and very depressed. She got her daughter a pomeranian and it helped her daughter a lot. She is still a very shy girl, but the depression is a lot better. The little dog gave her something to love and care for, a reason to get up and be happy. The woman said that her daughter takes care of her dog just like a new mother would care for her baby. The girl even rocks the dog to sleep at night.

Bitsy, My pom is very mellow. But oh the grooming. Poodles are a great suggestion, but also can be a lot of grooming. I wouldn't recommend a yorkie (hard to train), jack russell (hyper), or a pug (hyper). I don't think a spitz is the best idea either, they are a lot of grooming and I've seen many aggressive spitz. Not that all are aggressive, but at the boarding facility I work at the majority of the spitz that have boarded with us are aggressive and not allowed back (seriously, I would say 75%).

I think mutts are great. But as far as breeds go, corgis are usually dogs that get along nicely with other dogs, also dachshunds. A little more active, but a breed I like a lot is rat terriers. Papillions are great too, kind of similar to a pomeranian but a little less grooming.

[Giselle]

A few breeds you mentioned:
Westies: VERY Active. Though they may look cute, white, and cuddly, they're terriers at heart. They thrive on play and work. They're intelligent--much too intelligent for the novice/beginning owner.
Papillons: The Border Collies of the Toy breed world. 'Nuff said.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: While I don't know much about CKCS' temperaments, I do know that the average lifespan of a CKCS is pitiful. Think 8-10 years. Double digits, if you're lucky. Why the short lifespan? I have no idea, but many MANY CKCSs succumb to tumors and cancer. There is a kennel in California that produces extremely linebred and extremely healthy Cavs (think 16+ year old Cavs!). It's amazing what selective breeding can do.

Spitz type dogs are usually independant and prey driven. At least, this is from my own experience. They need to have a leader (the owner), and once they begin to respect the leader, training should not be hard. They're opinionated and love to question the leader's motives. Again, I wouldn't recommend Spitzy type dogs for beginning/novice owners. Keep in mind, they're not aggressive from birth. ALL dogs should be socialized from pups, and this is especially true with Spitz types. Not to mention, gradual desensitization, training, and discipline. If given these, a Shiba or Eskie or whatever should not display aggression.

If you're not willing to go to the groomers monthly/weekly, then I wouldn't recommend a Poodle. If not brushed in the 'hard to reach' areas, the non-shedding fur quickly begins to mat. It's like human hair. Brushing stimulates the oils in the skin and pulls dead hair away from the body. When you skimp on little areas, the dead hair becomes mats and you've got yourself a whole lotta trouble. If you do decide on a Poodle, Please do not buy directly online unless you know the breeder very well. Please also visit the Poodle Club of America and go to Breeder referrals, or adopt. Just steer yourself away from bybs and puppy mills. This is highly important if you're interested in CKCS.

[bckrazy]

;) Casey is cute.. I would love to see more pics of her. I was thinking she has similar markings to a Bernese or Entelbucher..

JRTs are awesome dogs, my friend Amanda has a female named Zoe who is so sweet, but extremely hyper and a little nuerotic. She once dug halfway through a wood door when she was kept in room for a few hours, out of her crate by mistake :rolleyes:.. Maybe you could meet the parents of the litter anyway just to see? Its cool you're looking into the SPCA. I just went there last week! I go to visit people I used to know there, but also to check out the dogs.. :) I didnt see that girl but I saw lots of cute BC mixies, sadly. If you're looking for a mellow dog, though, I would steer clear of Border Collies!! However, if your daughter is looking for a running partner or some one to compete in (atleast one) canine sports with, BCs are perfect for that. They're also total, complete velcro dogs, they invented that term ;).

You've got a lot of good suggestions! CKC's are cute and VERY sweet and mellow dogs, but all of the dogs that I've met have had bad health at a young age.. even the very well-bred CKC's, which is why many die young. I read that a large percentage, like 75%, are carriers of luxating patellas, or dysplasia. There are a few websites on it. We had a CKC in flyball class who was an adorable boy, but he had really bad skin allergies and couldn't ever compete because of his elbows, and he was just over 1 year old. I personally am so in love with Boston Terriers, I have to suggest them... they are extremely cute, playful, fun little dogs. They're small, but they have some substance to them, and they typically do WONDERfully with other dogs, kids, and all people and animals. I am in love with BT's! how can you not love this?....

http://members.aol.com/calvinian/images/calvin4.jpeg

anyway, good luck! I hope you find a great dog... and, if you are interested in BT's, I know two really awesome breeders in the area.. one of which has a litter out right now, I think. They live right in my town, too.

[micki76]

Originally posted by bckrazy
JRTs are awesome dogs, my friend Amanda has a female named Zoe who is so sweet, but extremely hyper and a little nuerotic. She once dug halfway through a wood door when she was kept in room for a few hours, out of her crate by mistake :rolleyes:..

Yeah, that's a JRT for ya! :p