Chuffy
Posted : 6/15/2008 7:43:16 AM
My first thought on reading JUST the original post is: what do your horses think of dogs? If you have horses that are very spooked by dogs I don't think it would matter hugely how well behaved the dog is. The dog is a predator, the horse is a prey animal. Some horses freak out over a paper bag in the wrong place.
My second thought is: You don't need a puppy. A puppy takes waaaay too much time and effort to train, and I am guessing the horses already take up a fair chunk of your time. Also, a puppy would not be able to run with you until much later. A puppy is also more high energy and more likely to become bored, destructive and noisy, regardless of breed. Training a puppy will take longer than the summer I'm afraid. And when you think you've cracked it, along comes adolesence and you realise there is still some way to go! A young adult - perhaps 2 or 3 years old - would be best IMO. With the added advantage that they should already have some grounding in housetraining (although you are best off treating them like a tiny puppy until they realise the rules about pottying are the same in your house as elsewhere, ie lots of supervision, lots of wee breaks, lots of praise and treats and play when they get it right).
My third thought is, you need a dog at the higher end of your weight range (less likelihood of devastating injury should a horse put a hoof wrong) and one whose history is KNOWN. I think you are RIGHT to avoid shelters, unless there are any dogs there that are "owner surrenders", although even then the owner may not have been 100% truthful about the dog's history. A breeder's dog, an ex-show dog who has had some "experience" around horses would be ideal. But failing that, a known "bomb proof dog", one who takes most things in his stride and who the breeder thinks would quickly acclimate to the horses without too much fuss would be OK, maybe one who has lived on a farm and is known to be well behaved around other animals?
I'm going to have a think about actual breeds and come back later.... But I think age, size and personality are going to be more deciding factors than the breed itself. However, I would rule out most hounds and herding dogs.
OK - edit - you want a "small dog". Most small dogs are either terriers or toy dogs.
Terriers are working dogs, they are small and hardy and they are a little independant too (you said you didnt want a dog taht was 2super attached to you";) But yes they CAN be yappy and badly behaved - if not trained and adequately stimulated. Mind you, the same goes for any dog! "Terriers" and "calm" rarely go in the same sentence.
On the other hand we have toy dogs, lap dogs. Dogs that have been bred for generations JUST for companionship. Dogs taht WIL be super attached to you!
If you are insistent on getting a small dog you have two choices:
Either get a toy/lap dog and sacrifice some "horse time" for the dog in order for him to thrive.
Or get a terrier and sacrifice some horse time to ensure he gets all the physical and mental stimulation the dog needs so that he is as "calm" and well behaved as you want him to be. If you were willing to do that I would pick a Staffordshire bull terrier, or a cairn terrier or a Jack Russel. I have a cairn and he is not yappy or badly behaved, nor is he a "velcro dog". I think a dog like him would fit you pretty well, provided he got plenty of exercise and play to keep him calm and content.
You can't have your cake and eat it unfortunately!
If you were happy to let your parents take on the dog as the main carers and you just help out, and if your parents were OK with that, then you can still spend as much time with your horse and have the dog too. You could even get a puppy. But that really isn't the same as having a dog yourself and if you were to go that route you may as well wait a couple of years and consider a dog again in the future.