I need breed inspiration...(Infiniti)

If your wanting a Malamute or Border Collie why not look into finding an adult. 

 When she is in the company of other dogs, see who Honor gravitates to, or at least what kind of play style does not seem to upset her.  My suggestion would be to get a male, perhaps a tad more submissive than she, and not of similar age - have a couple of years difference or more.

Have you ever thought of a Keeshond? 

As far as shelties go, the majority of the ones I've met are as energetic or even more energetic than the border collies.  lol!  I have seen a few mellow shelties, but they were also getting up in the years.  If you want to go with a sheltie, I'd suggest an older dog.  But, also, keep in mind that the dogs I met were probably not well cared for in the exercise and psychological department, so if they were actually stimulated physically and psychologically, they may have turned out to be great dogs!   

 Honestly, I'd suggest just going to the shelter and picking out a dog you like and see how he/she and Honor get along.  There are always tons of dogs in the shelter of all kinds of purebred and mixed breeds.  I'm sure you'd be able to find one that suits you and Honor.  ;)

 

You describe your Klee Kai as bold, which I would agree is typical of the breed in my experience. I think a Sheltie could be overwhelmed, being a naturally more reserved breed. I think you need a tougher and more resilient dog to actually be friendly and playful with Honor.

Of course I think a Samoyed would be perfect for you. Active enough and playful enough to keep up with your activities and your other dog. But they aren't the extremely high energy type that would put the two dogs into a feed back loop of ever increasing mania.

 

How do you feel about beagles? 

samshine

But they aren't the extremely high energy type that would put the two dogs into a feed back loop of ever increasing mania.

 

Haha, yes, that is exactly the reaction that Honor seems to perpetuate with another high energy pup!   And yes, I did think about another Samoyed again.  They're beautiful, intelligent dogs.  :::puts Samoyeds on the list:::

Spiritdogs - It's funny you should mention a Keeshond.  Right after I posted last night, I had the proverbial light bulb go off, and talked with DH about a Keeshond a little.  There were two of them who used to live by me, and their great dogs.  I've never owned one, but I would certainly be interested in doing so.  And I think you were spot on with your assessment.  We're definitely looking for a slightly older dog, and now that I think about it, Honor has done well with the majority of the older male dogs she's met.

Houndlove -  I've considered beagles, because Honor gets along well with my aunt's beagle.  It's definitely an idea.

I appreciate the feedback so far.  I feel like a nutter, because I can't seem to narrow down a list of dogs that might work well with my little unit.  I'm hoping that I can eventually formulate a solid idea of the breeds and temperament types that I'm intrerested in, then go searching in shelters and rescues.  DH and I were talking last night, and we definitely want to do a shelter or rescue dog this time.  Give another pupper a good home! 

Heres my attempt at an inspiration :) Why not a Lab! There good with everyone and everything. They are very laid back inside, but always willing to wake up and play. They're goofy, clumsy and everyday seems to be something new. They like to swim, run and even keep you company in the car, even on the longest of trips. They're quick learners, have great house manners, they're always willing to vacuum the kitchen floor after dinner or anytime food is dropped for that matter, they're not too big not to small, they aren't barkers except for the occasional one if they see someone they're un-ashore of, once trained properly they don't even need a leash outside or on walks around safe areas, they won't hop the fence or run at the chance of getting loose, they're very good at entertaining themselves (well atleast Chance is) , will sit under your feet while your at the computer, do good in all types of weather *takes breathe* and will always come back for more love no matter how much your mad at them or vice versa. Hope I inspired you :)

And since I'm not going to try and push the whole "perfect dog" thing on you, I will tell you the down falls of the breed. Most will not protect you. They aren't guard dogs. Though I've never been in an experience where I needed to be "protected" by him, someone came to my door in the middle of the night once and Chance went CRAZY barking, but who knows what he would of done. Some do shed a lot. My last Lab Mason had a very thick coat and would shed like CRAZY but Chance has a pretty thin, silky coat and rarely sheds. We only need to vacuum like once every week or two. They do tend to become obese easily but that can be controlled with regular exercise and a proper diet. Some do chew a lot. Once again, Mason didn't chew at all, but Chance chews everything. Then again we adopted Chance at 2 years old so who knows how the owners before us trained him. He's usually pretty good about chewing his toys only but once in a while we'll wake up to a flip flop torn apart. I honestly can't think of any other downfalls. If your interested in the breed, feel free to PM me with questions.

Have you take a breed selector quiz? That might give you some ideas.

 

 

FourIsCompany

Have you take a breed selector quiz? That might give you some ideas.

 

 

That one FourIsCompany linked it actually pretty acurate! Though it usually doesn't come up with rare breeds, like the AKK. lol
 

A Keeshond was my first thought, or maybe another Samoyed.  Or what about an Eskie?  Something closer to her size?

ETA:  OR...how about something like a Cocker Spaniel?  Either through a carefully chosen breeder, or else a rescue that has been temperment tested?

GypsyNBeau

ETA:  OR...how about something like a Cocker Spaniel?  Either through a carefully chosen breeder, or else a rescue that has been temperment tested?

Thats a good idea! Cocker Spaniels are great dogs. :)

GypsyNBeau

A Keeshond was my first thought, or maybe another Samoyed.  Or what about an Eskie?  Something closer to her size?

 

Great idea!  Which is funny, because I totally forgot that I took the breed selector quiz that FourIsCompany recommended, and all three sizes of Eskies were on there.  An Eskie might be nice...close to Honor's size, similar traits...hmm.  :::ponders:::

I hadn't considered Labs or Cockers yet.  All the suggestions so far give me something to think about.  I'm so glad I decided to post for advice, you all offer such great ideas! 

I would suggest getting into agility a little bit and then decide on a breed.  Agility tends to be addicting and you may decide, after 3 months or so, that agility is the sport for you and you want a "real" agility dog.  (Before I get flamed for that, keep in mind that my "real" agility dogs are basenjis.)  Many people tend to love the sport more than a given breed.  (I love my breed first then agility, but there is something to be said for training the herding dogs compared to my badsenjis.)   I've seen it happen a lot. 

Having said that, I'd get a samoyed.  If I liked to vacuum my house, I'd have a sammy. 

FourIsCompany

Have you take a breed selector quiz? That might give you some ideas.

My boyfriend and I are going to buy a house soon too and we always talk about the new advantage of a yard/bigger area so we don't only have to have toy dogs. We went to Pet Smart the other night and he looked into the grooming area and was like "omg whats that! It's like a big white Kayla!!! That's an awesome dog!" I told him it was an American Eskimo and he was like "Yeah I'd like something like that" [This made me happy because before Kayla he hated dogs, never owned a dog, and Kayla totally turned him into a dog lover]

So I took that quiz you posted and it says me top two choices are a Shetland Sheepdog & American Eskimo (miniture). YAY! I grew up with a Sheltie and I miss having one!! Also I found it ironic because my boyfriend had mentioned an AE the other night.

Our neighbors have a American Eskimo miniture & Poodle MIX [Eski-Poo]. Looks NOTHING like an AE... barks constantly... and a very "space-shot" personality (idk if it even knows "sit" yet). Is this the poodle part in him?? I hope so!

THANKS FOR THE QUIZ FOURISCOMPANY