Chosing the right breed (help??)

[pomtzu]

It doesn't matter what breed that she gets, because from what I've read of her, it's likely she would end up dumping the dog in a shelter in a relatively short period of time. Reasons: doesn't have the time or patience, costs to much to maintain (food, vet, toys, and various never ending needed supplies), pees on things, poops on things, chews things up, won't listen and behave, barking is annoying - and those "reasons" are the tip of the iceberg.

This person DOES NOT need a dog in her life at this point. Maybe someday when she grows up and becomes more responsible, she MIGHT be ready.

[Karen]

I reread her inital requirements, and each items on the list knocked any potential breed off as a good choice. Get her a stuffed animal in the shape of a dog. That's the only thing that will meet her "requirements," frankly! Any medium to large size dog will need training, and exercise. She's planning on kids in a few years, and whatever dog she gets now is going get less attention and exercise then, and end up in a shelter.

[Casper]

I've went back and forth on deciding whether or not to reply to this thread.

I'm on the side that she doesn't need a dog if her requirements are that strict. Just like humans, dogs aren't perfect in every aspect. Even if their breed is known for certain characteristics, there is no guarantee that the puppy you get will match the breed standards perfectly. This scenario sounds a lot like how my sister ended up with one of her dogs. She used to dog-sit for a lady who bought a Standard Poodle puppy because she just had to have a dog that matched her lifestyle (she is a very materialistic, showy kind of person). Poodles are notorious for being easily trained, regal, smart, etc. Come to find out that the puppy she got actually had a mind of its own and without proper training proceeded to get in trouble, with the final straw being jumping up on the dinner table and helping himself to a steak dinner. That night she called my sister and asked if she wanted the dog. He is still a handful, very stubborn, too smart for his own good, and the list goes on and on. BUT...We love him despite not being a perfect representation of the well-mannered poodles that are so often advertised.

The bottom line is that if your friend isn't ready to accept the "drawbacks" of having a dog, then she isn't ready for a dog.

[wolf_Q]

Yeah if she doesn't want to train it or exercise it much, good luck on it not being destructive. She definitely should not get a puppy of any breed they are a lot of work. Any puppy, crazy hyper working breed or not, will destroy things, that is what puppies do. I was thinking maybe a greyhound, it doesn't sound like they are as hyper as like a weimaraner, of course they would still need exercise and training. They need a fenced in area to run. They don't come across as hyper as sporting dogs to me, at least the ones I have met, they seem pretty mild mannered but greyhound owners feel free to correct me. Also they are very elegant and graceful. Whippets are a medium sized version I don't know if their personalities are the same though. However, a puppy is a BAD idea for her, so if she's against adopting a full grown dog, and she's not willing to commit to working with the dog she just shouldn't get a dog.

[lolli94]

I agree with y'all, but remember... 'Jane' refuses to accept not getting a dog. I hadn't thought of a greyhound or whippet. I don't know much about the breeds, but from what I do know that may be a good option. Definitely don't get a sporting/hunting breed!!! But for the most part, any medium/large breed of dog is going to require a good bit of exercise.

[InjaTheGolden]

I reread her inital requirements, and each items on the list knocked any potential breed off as a good choice. Get her a stuffed animal in the shape of a dog. That's the only thing that will meet her "requirements," frankly! Any medium to large size dog will need training, and exercise. She's planning on kids in a few years, and whatever dog she gets now is going get less attention and exercise then, and end up in a shelter.

I agree with you, but sadly, I can't change her mind, she doesn't listen to me. Something I may not have expressed clearly in my initial post though, is that by "training", I mean more like good manners, not jumping up, loose leash walking, all that stuff. She is fine with potty training, teething and that. The thing is, she is materialistic, but she still cares about her animals. She has two siamese cats, she's had them since they were kittens and she dotes on them, they're probably the most spoiled cats in the world. The only thing is she doesn't really understand that dogs are different to cats, so she would need a dog that is quite cat-like and dependent, not a dog that is prone to separation anxiety and who needs tons of attention all the time. She wants to get her puppy in about a month (again, sadly she doesn't want an adult dog), so I don't have much time to change her mind As I said, her sister, who's my friend, has a Tervueren shepherd, and 'Jane' really likes her and is very good at looking after her when her sister isn't around, she's just not the sort of person who will spend hours walking and training her dog.