Info on which breed(s) to look at....

i dont know much about different breeds. but this website is kinda cool: it has a quiz you can do and it will give you suggestions:
 
[linkhttp://www3.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm]http://www3.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm[/link]
 
i also wanted to say welcome to the forum and please be sure to be back, when you have a dog (or even before). lot's of advice you can always get here. []

You know, you have gotten a lot of excellent suggestions, but I'd like to make one more.  In my opinion, you can't make a truly informed decision until you've seen what all's out there.  Why not take your family to a dog show, look at all the breeds, narrow it down to a few you like, then research them.  Talk to breeders, owners, find out about the breed's health, temperament, grooming, exercise requirements, everything there is to know.  Then you can be sure you're getting the perfect breed for your family.
 
One other thing I'd like to add is that most dogs in the toy group would not be the best choice for a child, and sometimes not for anyone elderly either.  Again, it depends on the breed, but some of them tend to get under foot and trip people up.  There's so very many breeds out there that sound like they might be a good choice for your family - try and take a look at all of them!  Good luck in your search.

I am wondering just how much you want to spend for this dog.  Certain breeds are waaay more expensive than others due to poularity, small litters, difficulty in natural whelping, etc.

Someone mentioned FRench bulldogs.  They are wonderful smaller dogs (they are NOT tiny--a male Frenchie can weigh in excess of thirty pounds!) but are very pricey.  A pet quality will run about $1500.00--waaaaay more from a pet store (the one place you should NEVER, EVER buy from!).

My sister has a Smooth Fox terrier.  He is a retired show dog (got too big for their breeding program).  He is perfect in everything you mentioned above.  However, Jonathon came to her debarked because the can be yappy.  You can train a dog to be quiet fairly easily.  He is almost nine years old and still going strong!  When sis got him, all three of her daughters were still at home and he has done wonderfully with all of them. The youngest daughter was about nine when they brought him home.

I have trained Yorkies and they can vary from line to line in yappiness. My boss has two sisters (littermate--HER sis owns the mom).  One is very barky and we have worked with Tillie a LOT so she is toned down.  Hannah, OTOH, is not a big barker. All of them (her sis has the other two littermates in addition to Mom) are fairly good with kids since there are two granddaughters in the pictures and my boss has a little girl (I think she's five) who lives next door and comes over to play with the pups regularly.

Also, if you treat a toy breed as a DOG, this helps a lot.  May people see the little dogs as fragile little works of art who must be coddled every step of the way.  I just finished training a Papillon who is 100% all DOG--no frou frou here!  He romps and plays well with large dogs (including my Am Staff) and has done very well in obedience (not in the ring, just for his owners). 

One things about longer-coated dogs--they will need their bottoms cleaned regularly to keep their "feathers" free of feces and debris.  If you keep them trimmed up short, this may not be a problem.

Let us know what you decide and we will want to see LOTS of pictures!

HI everyone!
 
The stork has come!  LOL!
 
After carefully considering all the advice given here....and visiting a pet store (where I would NEVER buy a dog) and allowing my daughter to see the personality of a 3 month old puppy, and the high maintenance needs of same...
 
We decided on an 8 month old papillon.  We did go to a local Pap meet and greet that is held monthly to see if the personality of this dog was agreeable with our 'idea' of what it was like.  And what a great dog!
 
So, we drove from Philly to Pittsburgh to get a little beauty who the breeder was going to show, but because he won't hold his tail properly all the time (and personally,  I think he is too small for the standard at 6.5 pounds) we got a beautiful red and white papillon.  He was already 'mostly' potty trained, crate trained, and does sit, down, and stay.  He was taught not to bark too much...which has required a little tweaking of our own, but overall..he is working out great!  Great watchdog, and is just talky with us...
 
Thanks so much for all the advice!  My daughter loves the dog, and so do we.  He is just the right size, and full of energy!  He can run through the house and  all I see is a blur...lol.  But he will also lie down on the sofa with us.  He is treated like a dog.  Not a decoration...hehe
 
I am going to try and attach a picture here now if I can....
 

What a cutie!  I have a soft spot for paps.  They're great little dogs.  You know they also make great agility dog. 

Congrats!  My favorite breed. 
 
He's a cutie!
 
6.5 isn't too small for the standard.  Paps vary a lot in the ring.  Mine are 5.2 ish pounds and 6.5 lbs.  Well, the five pound one didn't make it far in the ring, but that wasn't due to her size. 
 
I love paps.  They have so much energy for such a little breed of dog.  They're really just loads of fun.  And very affectionate too.  I'm sure you'll have a blast with him. 

Thanks guys! 
 
I did know they were good agility dogs...we see a little of that at home....lol
 
I did not realize they could be that small and show...=]
 
A friend wants to take us to a dog show around here in November I think...that should be fun.
 
I may look into the agility ring...hehe, or obedience....he is a pretty good dog...
 
Thanks for all the great advice you guys have given me!   It really helped me in the choice we made, and I believe we made the best choice for us!
 
 
 

 I wouldnt sugest a yorkie as they are yappy and tend to be snappy. My recomendation would be a bichon maltese or snoodle.

I have a 1 year old bichon frise and my cousin has one that is 6 months and they are the sweetest dogs i have ever met Ie love kids dont mind being sudenly picked up and dont bark except at things they view as a threat. ( i have a 7 years old sister and my cousin ahs a 3 year old.  and they hate to go for walks in bad weather but are more than willing in good weather. They are calm yet active and love to play.

Yorkies are soooo cute!  I have a little Maltese too, and yes they do not shed as they have hair not fur.  They are perfect lap dogs, love lots of attention!  Friends of ours just this past weekend were dog sitting a yorkie and they were camping, I think I heard "Suzie" bark once the whole weekend.  They took her on their boat, too.  She seemed to like all of it.  We take our Maltese on the boat too.  She should be ok in the car, as all dogs, some do get car sick, but I think as long as someone is holding her or she is in some kind of carrier, she should be fine.  Potty training little dogs is tough, I've found.  My Tabitha (maltese) doesn't like to go out in the snow, therefore, we have to shovel the yard for her to do her business, and well, she is 13 now, she piddles.  Her bladder is teeney tiny, so it's hard for her to (I guess) hold it for a length of time.  So you may want to make stops if you go camping and the travel time is long.  They make a wonderful thing now called "puppy pads" and since a yorkie is small so are their "turds" (sorry) about the size of a tootsie roll.  Grandma will love her (I bet) and your daughter, not sure how old she is, but sometimes little dogs are skittish with children and tend to snap.  I believe because little kids see the little dog and just want to pick them up all the time, that is the only concern really.  But lots of luck!  Can't wait to see if you do decide on a yorkie, the pics.

 

 

although I totally prefer large dogs I understand the appeal of Yorkies. A bit of advice...GO TO A REPUTABLE BREEDER.  any breed that is genetically engineered to look or behave in a specific manner comes with a ton of issues. Make sure you meet and play with the dam and sire, check out thier personalities and thier overall health, check with the National website for the breed and determine what illnesses you may encounter? Make sure the Breeder has a Breeder Take Back Clause,  people who churn out pups and require nothing of you but a $$check$$ are bad news most al the time. I prefer a pup from people who show, belong to thier national breed club,  attend seminars on thier breed and can talk your ear off, they aren't just in it for the possiblle profit to be found breeding dogs they are passionate about the breed you are looking at.

I have known 2 Yorkies that really made an impression on me, one, Belle Star a teeny tiny thing in southern Florida who worked an agility teeter toter until it finally and ever so slowly came down, The other a yorkie I pair big bucks for from a huge California Chain Pet store ( before my enlightened days) as a gift to my mom grew roughly 5 times the size we had expected him to be, Henry was a doll baby and a tough little ratter but a delicate lady's pet ??? Not hardly.  Funny I miss that little beggar!