Help Choosing First Dog

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade here, but just keep in mind what your future will be. You'll be in med school after undergrad, but where will you do your residency? I just read an article about how difficult it can be to find an apartment with a dog. Keep this in mind, since you don't have a family who would be willing to take your dog for you if you ran into a brick wall on an apartment search. I know a college student who got a rescue beagle, and it has worked out great...but only because his family loves the dog, and will always be willing to take care of her in a pinch.
 
If I were you, I would lean toward a smaller dog, since some pet friendly apartment buildings have weight limits and will except a small dog. Also take into consideration the cost of hiring a dog walker when you will be a resident and putting in long hours.
 
I think it's important to think long term when getting a dog; good luck in your search.

I AM looking long-run because if I was looking to satisfy myself right now I would buy a bigger dog (lab, GS, etc) but I know I'll be in apartments for a while (like I said in my first post) so I'm definitely going to get a medium-smaller dog. For residency, some times you can't really choose (they pretty much choose for you) but wherever I go I'll be sure to find a dog-friendly apartment.

Check out the animal shelters!

If you really want to do this right, go to a shelter that has a good behavioral program and ask for an adult dog that still has some energy to play.  You will not want to get a puppy that has to go through the chewing stage.  Please think about what your lifestyle will be like 10 years down the road, since, if you adopt now, the dog may live that long, and if you marry, have kids (big reason why dogs get dumped), change jobs, cities, and apartments, you may be faced with problems.  You need to commit to the dog, so that it won't become just another statistic.  College students sometimes adopt dogs and don't understand the full implications of the job market influencing where they themselves end up, never mind the dog...  Get a dog that can transition through this stage of life with you.
If you need advice, or want to have the dog evaluated by a pro before you adopt it, you can find a trainer here:
[linkhttp://www.ccpdt.com]www.ccpdt.com[/link]
[linkhttp://www.clickertraining.com]www.clickertraining.com[/link]
 
 

As far as choosing which dog to get and where, you have gotten alot of great advice already.  I'm not sure where you are but I know that in most of the communities around where I live, landlords tend to be really lenient with resident doctors.  We just need doctors that badly.  Plus med students and the like are strereotypically more responsible.  I hope you are.  lol. 

Since you are going to be a first time dog owner, there is alot of research that needs to be done before you get the dog.  I trust that you are doing that as well as looking into a breed.  I highly recommend The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.  It has been highly recommended on here so I ordered in a copy, and am reading it now.  It's great!  I also love anything by Stanley Coren but I'm not sure if his books are available in the states.  Take a look through the nutrition threads on here as well.  We have alot of lively debates on great foods.  And stick around idog, we're always here to help. 

Good Luck!

Yeah, I'm not planning on getting a dog til at LEAST the middle of june so I'm definitely trying to do my homework ahead of time like a good student, hehe When you say, "a dog that can transition with you" what type of breeds are you referring to? or are you talking abou the specific dog's demeanor?

I think that almost any dog can do okay in an aparment, if you exercise them enough. I've had to stay in an aparment for the past few months (and until July)  with my 100 lb German shepherd and my 6 month old rhodesian ridgeback puppy. My GSD has an incredible amount of energy, but i either walk him several miles, take him to a dog park, or just take him to the park off leash every day, and he's fine. My ridgeback puppy is pretty lazy, so he mostly lies around and plays every now and then. When i go to work, i crate the puppy and my GSD has his own bedroom that he stays in (he is only one and will get into stuff) Yes, i do think that most dogs will do better with a yard, but if you can spend a lot of time with your dogs and exercise them for a few hours a day...i thikn you should go ahead and get what you want to get (maybe with a few exceptions...) I thought that it was going to be torture keeping these guys in an aparment for a few months, but they have done exceptionally well! But anyway, good luck!

I think that almost any dog can do okay in an aparment, if you exercise them enough. I've had to stay in an aparment for the past few months (a

Thanks for the advice! I plan on jogging in the morning with the dog and doing something with him/her after I get back from classes every day.