should I get another dog?

[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

[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/






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!

Jack/Parson Russell Terriers are VERY energetic dogs... There's a reason terriers are sometimes called "terrors"... haha 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. 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.



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 .. 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?....



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.