What kind of dog to get? Help please!

(just an fyi - you're looking for *breeds* of dogs, not "brands";)

 I'd look into getting a young adult dog from a shelter - you'll have a great idea of size and will be more likely to find all the qualities you'd like, plus many may have grown up with cats so you know they'd be fine with them *and* you'll be saving a life.  Puppies are a crap shoot when it comes to final personality imo.  An older dog will have a more predictable energy level and personality than a pup.

 Now for some questions, to get more info:

How active are you as a person? 

What kind of things would you want to do with the dog?

Why do you want a dog now?

Are you willing to spend the time necessary to housetrain and obedience train a dog?  Even a small dog needs basic manners.

Are you financially able to afford regular vet care, high quality food, grooming as needed, and buy supplies including toys, treats, crates, etc.?  Can you cover an emergency vet visit?

Little BREEDS (not brands!) are generally energetic dogs.  They all love the be with their families (they were bred specifically to be a companion) and most are "talky". The lowest energy of these breed (IMHO) would be the Pekingese and Lhasa Apso. Both of these are coated breeds which will need regular grooming by a professional groomer unless you want them to look like matted mops.

Since you work full time, you will need to come home for lunch to walk your dog or employ a dog walker to get some of the energy out of you dog.  Also, I would look at ADULTS rather than puppies since puppies are full of energy and have had NO training.

Lastly, whatever breed you do decide on DO NOT BUY FROM A PET STORE OR AN AD IN THE NEWSPAPER!!!!!!!!! I can NOT stress this enough.  Start by going to your local shelter and petfinder.com. You will find hundreds of dogs available not far fom you.

If you decide to buy a puppy from a breeder, look for an ETHICAL one. Ethical breeders DO NOT sell for profit.  They breed for one reason: the betterment of their breed. Most ethical breeders  actually lose money on litters.

Go to a dog show and speak with the owners and handlers of the breeds you are interested in.  They will be happy to talk with your about their dogs.  However, wait until they are out of the ring, after their classes.

Good luck and keep us posted on what kind of buddy you end up getting! 

Contacting a rescue group in  your area may be a good idea. They  have a pretty good idea about personality matching.  Meaning......you have a cat, they know which dogs get on well with cats and which ones do not.  They know which ones are barkers and the quiet ones.  So on and so on.  Plus you will be helping out a dog that needs a home.

Java

lol sorry.. BREEDS!!

i am 23 .. I just bought a new house in my home town. It is not built yet and I have given up my apartment in toronto and have moved back to my mothers place until my house is done. Her dog is great. Its small... its got the right energy level and is very lovable.

I figured I would get osmething young so I could try to litter train. I dont want this to be a main solution but I would like her to have somewhere to go in a pinch. I'm not sure if its possible to train an older dog.

 also I have the money and energy to spend with the dog. I've had my cats for 6 years... and they have always been taken care of. I love my pets

i dont mind them being talky. i just dont want complaints of the dog barking all day long while im at work..I dont mind and kind of look forward to spending time training the dog ~ Cats are probably easier trained but I enjoyed training them when I got them. I am not opposed to getting a 1 year old or something... but again I at least want to try and litter train it...

and fyi I had every intention of going to the local pet shelters...never buy from pet stores.. only problem is if they arent having any of the dogs there I would like... I would like to begin training before I move as i will have alllll new carpets and that when i move :)

also..

i cant find anything in my area online... petfinder has like 4 but then goes off to places in new york under my search!!..

I am in Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario Canada. I work in Toronto tho so that works too.

Any links??
 

>

>I figured I would get osmething young so I could try to litter train. I dont want this to be a main solution but I would like her to have somewhere to go in a pinch. I'm not sure if its possible to train an older dog.

 also I have the money and energy to spend with the dog. I've had my cats for 6 years... and they have always been taken care of. I love my pets

Careful about litter/paper training . It's more difficult to retrain to go outside.  Are you willing to drive a bit to get to a shelter?  Petfinder.com is a great place to find a dog.  But....it's in the States.  Many sweet doggies in the Mi area.

Java

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=9923945

I'm not sure what breed you are specifically looking for but on petfinder I found a ton of small breed dogs in Toronto. I also found this pup on petfinder:

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=9917566 

You may want to consider an Italian Greyhound, they are supposed to be low energy, small, and they have extremely short hair.

If you want kind of lower energy I'd look for a full grown dog.  Puppies are a lot of energy and have a lot of behaviors you may not be looking for.  An adult dog from a breed specific rescue might be a great way to go.  I've actually seen Italian Greyhounds in shelters here, usually from a back yard breeder who had them taken away.

i dont like the look of that one...i want some hair on her!! :)

I was looking at some small beagles... still lookin tho..

gonna try and visit the shelter in my area and see what they have... in cambridge here they wouldnt have what they got online so.

 
thanks for suggestion though.
 

I second a Chihuahua. 

In my experience, Italian Greyhounds are pretty active.

I found a Breed selector questionnaire that asks alot of questions about what you are looking for, and then gives you suggestions on breeds of dogs that might be good for you. Hope it helps

http://www.puppyfinder.com/breedselector.php 

King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, Toy Spaniel, Papillon, shih tzu would all probably fit what you want