question to breed-savy people

The breed that comes to mind is Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Much less brushing than a Cocker because their coat isn't thick or nearly as long. It just has some feathering on the ears, chest, legs and tail. Basically low maintenance. I think they also fit your other requirements to a "t". []

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/cavalierkingcharlesspaniel.htm

oh i was on that site earlier today and did the test and the first two dogs on the list were alaskan husky and malmute.. i actually laughed out loud!!
 
yeah the chavalier king charles spaniel seems a good fit, although i still feel that's almost too much fur..
i guess it's just having to "fluffy" dogs, i often wish for a short haired dog.. lol.

you say you dont want to brush, but you dont mind shedding? if you have a dog that sheds, then you have a dog that needs to be brushed. there are many short haired breeds that shed just as much as larger (pug, chihs, all bulldogs, labs, etc). if you want to take on the responsibility of a dog, then you have to accept all of it, and this includes brushing. you wouldnt stop feeding your dog just because it was inconvenient would you? to me its the same thing. if you dont want to brush, make sure you get a hairless or a dog with little hair (whippet, greyhound, italian greyhound, crescents)

I took that to mean she didn't want to do tons of coat maintenance like with a long haired or double coated breed, not that she was unwilling to do any grooming at all.

just to clarify. i currently have a cocker spaniel. trust me, i know about the need to brush..
just because i need to do something everyday, doesnt mean i have to love it, ya know.
 
so do you think the breed you just mensioned fit my other "requirements"?

ORIGINAL: 2shelties

I took that to mean she didn't want to do tons of coat maintenance like with a long haired or double coated breed.

 
yes, i guess that's what i meant. any suggestions?

Ever think about a hound? They're a little touch and go on the fetch--some do, some don't, but it is something you can train. Easy maintenence coat, friendly with both people and other dogs, great with children, and usually lower on the energy scale than your retrievers or gun dogs. I don't think I've ever heard anyone describe a lab as "mellow in temperament".

hmmm, yeah i have heard good things about hounds..
any downsides to this breed?

The downside to the hound breeds is that they are all very independent and have high prey drives. The independence CAN be a plus if you look at it a different way, though. I, personally, prefer it. Marlowe largely takes care of himself. Yes, he likes very much to be with me and we choose to be together a lot, but he doesn't act as if he's going to shrivel up and die if he can't for whatever reason. He just goes off and finds something else to do. He's not constantly all up in my business wanting to be a part of it. The down side of this trait is that hounds can be a bit more difficult to train. They are usually not motivated by just pleasing you or getting your positive attention. Mo ma'am, you need to show them the money. Some people call this "stubborn", I call it "knowing which side his bread is buttered on". You can train a hound to be very obedient, but it takes patience, a sense of humor, and a good supply of liver treats. Knowing the nuts and bolts of how to fade the treats is key or you really will become a vending machine for your dog, and we don't want that. Hounds are smart, smart enough to train you if you let them.

The prey drive, well, the only up side of that is if you're a hunter. It means that a hound can never be off leash unless there is a fence. Even if you manage to put a good solid recall on a hound (it can be done!), it just is not a good idea to press your luck in that regard--you will be sorry. For the scenthounds, when the nose goes down, the ears go deaf, and same for sighthounds and when they spot prey.

wow... sounds like they really are tough to train. not sure if i am experienced enough to handle that.. lol...
they do however sound like pretty cool dogs to have... the hunting instinct doesnt bother me, i think. although who knows, if i actually HAD a hound i might feel different.. lol

They're not that hard to train once you understand where they are coming from. You have to throw out all your ideas about "this dog should just want to please me, end of story." Once you get rid of that concept and start seeing things from their perspective (which is, "what's in it for me?") you can figure out how to motivate them easily. Most hounds are extremely in to food. That's why you see so many overweight beagles and bassets--they will eat pretty much anything you put in front of them, with the gusto of a starving stray. So, they want to know what's in it for them, and if you answer with "food" they usually pretty quickly decide that you and your training program are a-okay. You just have to then stick to your guns when it's time to start fading the treats. They're like cats in a lot of ways. They don't NEED you, so you have to put some effort in to being the kind of being that they WANT to hang out with and listen to. Once you get that angle working for you, it makes everything else a whole lot easier.

Cavaliers definitely aren't short haired, but I think you'd be surprised at how much lower maintenance their fur is than a Cocker. Believe me I understand what you're saying about the grooming. I do brush my Tzus, but I don't like it! Unfortunately I've searched through every possible breed and the Shih Tzu is the one best suited to me. Btw, I'm not sure how the test recommended the Malamute or Husky. Waaaay off! lol

The only breeds that I can think of that fit what you're looking for personality wise are the lower energy sporting breeds and none of them are shorthaired. [:-] Here are some of the ones I was thinking:

Clumber Spaniel
Sussex Spaniel

Edited to add- maybe a Beagle?

Boston Terrier or Greyhound? I don't know how they are at fetch though. I was going to say Lab or Brittany until I went back and read that you wanted something low energy. My ex has a pretty laid back Brittany that I dogsit for, but I hear that's not typical. The coat needs to be brushed, but just a quick once over every now and then.

Boston Terrier crossed my mind too, but I was thinking most of them wouldn't really be mellow. Plus I'm not sure how they are with retrieving. It might be worth looking into though!