Rescue dog breed identification help.

as to your allergies...have you not been around the pup yet? Wouldn't that rather than breed be the best way to see if he sets you off? Checking pics..

This'll be moved to "Breeds" as that's where the guess the breed stuff usually goes

Sorry for putting it in the wrong place :).  I have been around him and am as sure as I can be that he is not going to cause me problems.  I'm mostly just curious what he is.  I didn't make that very clear in my post. 

from what I see...he is brindle?

This is not a color seen in schnauzers or Poodles bred to standard, but it does occur, now...esp with fad breeders introducing or perpetuating it.

I do see Schnauzer...as to Poodle? Very hard to say. But you know with him being brindle and the way brindle is passed...that at least one parent was brindle itself...or both carried it. He appears to have a wire coat and there are hereditary clues in that but I forget how it's inherited and if it would be recessive to a curly coat or not...

Another Terrier that does carry brindle are Cairns...

Wish I could help more....cute pup!

He is brindle, which is what clued me in to the inconsistancy with a Schnoodle classification.  I do have a suspicion.  I'm waiting for someone to say it too so I can say "ha!  maybe I'm right", lol.  I have seen brindle schnoodles on breeder sites though, so I guess it's possible, especially if he's from a non-reputable puppy mill type breeder.  Poor guy.  I'm just glad to be bringing him home. 

 Also, perhaps I'm wrong due to my limited experience, but doesn't puppy "fur" change considerably as the doggy gets older?  Would that make his coat type not really a good way to guess because it could change a lot?  Would shedding breeds be apparent early on?  H seems to have hair rather than fur.  He did not shed, but would a 4mo pup shed anyway?

 Also, cairn terriers are little right?  So it would be unlikely for this big guy to be part little something?  This is all waaayyyy new to me, lol. 

Schnauzers do shed a little, from what I understand. Is your allergy to hair itself or dander?

Some breeds have a puppy coat they drop yes...no idea is the schnauzer does that tho.

Even a schnoodle from a known poodle/schnauzer combo can be non shed/non allergy provoking...while it's littermate is not...so do be aware that "oodles" are not a guarantee, and it will take living with the dog for weeks perhaps to be in the all clear.

If you wanted to up your chances going with a dog of known heritage might be safer...it'd be heartbreaking to have to give the pup back in a couple weeks.

I know second generation or greater poodle mixes have less liklihood of being allergenic so I had been researching how to increase my chances.  From what I know I think this pup will be fine.  It's the dander I'm allergic to but more shedding = more dander so a low/no shedding breed is more likely to be ok than a high shedding breed.  I'm on a medication that has my allergies under such great control that even if he is mildly allergenic I should still be fine.  I was at a friend's house with 2 cats and 2 shedding dogs and had no trouble at all.  I specifically stopped taking my meds before going to see this pup just so I could be sure.  I really think he's going to be fine.  I would not take him back uless it was the most extreme case ever, which I have done my best to prevent, lol. 

 The feet and front of the legs make me think cocker spaniel. Head  makes me think a schnauzer. I'm still trying to figure out the brindle color...where that could have come from. I really see cocker in those feet though.
I also have allergies but was a groomer and have always had a house full of pets. I've learned to live with it. I also believe that often the allergies are to other things that may have collected in the dogs coat and not necessarily just to the dog itself. Therefore, it is most important to keep the dog groomed on a very regular schedule. I saw that as a groomer, dogs that I groomed more often tended to bother me less. Of course, in grooming, you are also keeping the dander down. Some times my pets may bother more than at other times. With one of my cats, for instance, if she gets up around my face too much, it may start to bother me, especially if I'm already having allergies to something else. In other words, some times it is a combination of things that might be setting your allergies off. I have asthma, as well, so I know what the problems can be. However, I also work in rescue and allergies is one of the biggies in why people give up pets. I just hope you really know what you are getting involved with and are really sure of your commitment. I don't know if you have children or are planning on children, as they too may have allergies, so keep that in mind...dogs, cats must go, child allergic. Another we hear quite often.

His ears and something about his eyes, plus the brindle coloring, make me think pit bull. Pitty/schnauzer maybe?

Hes a cutie tho. One word of warning I must give is that Schnauzers love to 'talk' to you about everything. lol

I'm lol about Schnauzers talking to you.  He was vocal at the shelter but only to the cats, tail wagging the whole time. 

Does anyone have any experience with Bouvier Des Flandres?  He resembles one to me but the only pics I can find online are of really young pups or adults.  He resembles an adult Bouvier from my perspective, but I'm certainly no expert.

I also know that the Bouviers are a very common breed around here and puppy dumping of the pups left in a litter is a huge problem in the county where he was rescued.  They have one of the worst back yard breeding problems in the whole country.  I'm going on the assumption that he was bred on purpose and was getting too large to handle and too pricey to feed.  They probably needed the welping box and this guy and his sister were taking up too much space. 

For the record, I have done almost 2 years of breed research, talked to my doctors about how and why people are allergic to dogs, explored methods of handling those allergies if they come up, etc.  I am confident that this dog is coming to his forever home on Thursday.  I know that people are dumb and give up dogs that are obvious shedders after taking them home to allergic children for a week.  I am not one of those people.  1 of my children has mild allergies but she is as controlled as I am on medication and I don't anticipate any problems for her either.  I know you are all worried, but I promise I am not the buyers remorse type.  I looked at dozens of adorable, fantastic dogs and had to leave them at the shelter because they made me sneeze, lol.  This little guy is a labor of love.  I'm not giving him up if he turns out to be a little bit dandery.  I'll just take him to be groomed more often. 

 Thanks for the concern though :).

I had honestly thought Bouvier...could explain the color. I looked at several on the internet as well. However, I didn't say anything, as it is not a breed that you see a lot of.  If you have a lot of them in your area....well then, I'd say it might be a possibility.

I had been trying to think of something bigger than the cocker, with that same look with the legs and feet and was thinking along the lines of a sheepdog type of dog. That was when I thought the Bouvier, because of the color. Not quite sure what their size would be at 4 months.

Found a few sites that you may not have seen.

 http://puppydogweb.com/gallery/bouvierdesflanders/bouvierdesflandres_plourde.JPG


http://www.joyalenbouviers.com/photos1_candid.html

Glad to know that you have done your research well. I think you understand where some of us are coming from though.

Good luck with your new family member. 

Wow!  THANK YOU for those links.  I found a puppy on the breeder page that was 16 weeks old in the picture and it was exactly the same size as my guy.  I am as convinced as I can be, lol.  I really gasped when that first picture came up on my screen.  Other than the coloring being different, it was a spitting image.  I can't wait to get and post better pictures.  Those shelters don't have the best lighting :p. 

 And yes, I understand exactly where you all are coming from.  I want nothing more than to give this pup a good home, and I know that's what everyone wants for these rescue animals (or any animal).  I'm so blessed to have found him.