Have any of you gotton the April Dog Fancy issue? I just got it, and I was reading the part in what it says to find your perfect match(breed of dog). I need some help! Even though I love my Cocker Spaniels, and I think they are great, I am looking researching different breeds to figure out one that would be even better for me. I read that the athlitic one says you play outside, sports, etc. Well I play soccer a lot, and I swim(for fun, used to do it at meets, etc). And I used to do solfball.And I would love to have a dog that would run with me(maybe not everyday, but almost everyday) Even though I play sports and like playing outside, I also watch T.V. like most people. I really don't count myself as an athletic person(because I watch T.V. about the avgerage). Should I count myself as athletic, active, or whatever the other choices were? These are the ideas in what I want in a dog, also:
* large dog or medium(don't want it too large, but not too small, like a smaller large dog, or a larger medium dog. Confused? Some people count say Aussie as a bigger medium dog, or a smaller large dog. My parents don't like large dogs, so it might be best to go with a medium since they would take care of it for say 1 or 2 years, when i am in college in a few years).
* sutible for hotter climates(in Georgia, it gets about the lowest 30 somthing in winter(sometimes) and sometimes it is so warm in the winter that I wear tee shirts, and shorts. It also gets about 90 somthing -100 degrees in the summer.
* I don't have a "fence" around my yard, but I do have 5 acres, and trees surrounding it. But I do have a fairly large pen, (which I hardly ever put my dogs in)
* Dosen't matter with children, becuase the youngest person in my family is 13 years old.
* gets along with other dogs
*I don't want long hair, I want either medium, or short hair.
Don't worry, I am doing plenty of homework. It will probley be in a year or two! I was maybe thinking of a golden retriever. I live not in the city, I know they shed, but I can deal with that. They have about med. hair(the books I've read sound like they have less brushing than a cocker). Many people in my neighborhood have labs, so I was thinking not a labrador. I see it, I've only had sporting dog breeds(cockers, and grown up around labs) I need a dog in the sporting breed. The kind of house and environment thta I live in should be for sporting and hounds. Herding dogs probley like jobs, and like fields. Then I don't really care for terrier, and toy group(not what I'm looking for). And since I don't have a "fence" around my yard, maybe not a hound. Oh, to say what you considered, I train dogs myself. If I couldn't handle a dog, I would def. sign it up for training lessons. I have have many dogs before who lived a long time, so I am not a first time owner. So what I'm looking at is really either:
Golden Retriever
Lab
Aussie(minature seems to fit more though)
Border Collie
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If you STILL decide you want one of those breeds, thn I think your best bet would be a lab. They have short fur for surviving hot climates, but they shed a ton. They are also very active and love to spend time with people. 
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