# Breed ideas



## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

First a little background, my son has decided that he wants a dog. This is a "child" who lasted "asked" for a dog when he was 18mos old. Never wanted another "puppy" since he picked his Pepper. Now, comes the (my) problem. He's always liked the look of huskies. He's spent short periods of time with them but I really don't think he should own one knowing his personality. We have "booted" out huskies because of size "requirements" due to living space, etc, we (the parents) have limited his choices down to 25 lbs at most. So, he decides on shiba inus. My problem is that I really don't think he would be happy with one. My son is not what you would call a "commanding" presence, more shy and introverted than anything which I think would cause problems with an independent nordic breed. He also prefers a "laid back" lifestyle, another issue I think. So I've been trying to "lead" him to other breeds. ray2: <sigh> but so far most of the ones I've pointed out he doesn't like. Three that he's shown some interest in are jack russel terriers, beagles and keeshonden (thanks Caty M). Any ways I was wondering if others could give me some more breed ideas? The ones I've tried are: basenji, basset, corgi, miniature shnauzres, toy fox terrier, daschund, and shelties. So any other ideas?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

How old is he? Can he do a high energy dog? 

When my son was young, we had a chow mix - perfect for him, he was really good with all the friends and didn't require me to get irritated because the dog needed a 10 mile run every day while my son played video games.

I guess if my child was younger i wouldn't get a dog I wouldn't have to time for, because normally kids won't do everything that needs to be done.


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## werecatrising (Oct 15, 2010)

What characteristics are you looking for besides size?All the breeds you listed seem very different.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

I'd say go to the shelter and meet some dogs there... I browse our Animal Control website every day and there are lots of german shepherd/huskey-like fluffy mixes that he may like.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

who's going to take care of the dog you or your son? how old
is your son? i think you should pick a small dog that's highly
trainable.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

My son is 18. He tried his best to take care of his last dog "all by himself" and did a great job of it. The main characteristics are: intelligent but not necessarily "smart", average energy level (or an adaptable one), gets along with other animals, and not be too "difficult" to train. 
As for a shelter dog, he wants a puppy and we have to be sure of the adult size.


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

I'm going to suggest a breed based on looks I guess, but normally that makes me nuts when people do that. But if he likes the nordic look, what about the Alaskan Klee Kai. I've never researched the breed, and would not know if it's a good fit for you folks or not. That being said you have the nordic look in a smaller package than a sibe. Now I can go fall on a steak knife for even suggesting this without knowledge of the breed, just looks alone. I've only ever met one, and she was a sweetie, pretty much a lap dog with her mom. As I am sure you would, if you consider one please research this breed if it is of interest.

Shiba's intrigue me, and I would give one consideration but have a lot to learn. Our problem is I like bigger dogs...sibes being on the medium scale for me, but I like mals, Newfies, and we recently fostered a Great Pyr/Anatolian mix and fell in love with her. However she was a large guardian breed and I would not recommend them for the inexperienced owner that's for sure. She would have happily taken the leader role were we not aware of how to handle it and work with her.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Ah man you beat me to it, I was totally going to suggest the Alaskan Klee Kai! Alaskan Klee Kai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ETA: what about American Eskimos or Pomeranians?


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Ranmiller I had read up on the breed once, and saw a magazine article on them back in the day when we were thinking, that since we were getting older perhaps we should consider a smaller breed of dog. But, I can't get past the breed we love(siberians) and the larger ones we like as well. I think a few folks here reminded me while we were fostering Bella, the Pyr/Tolian mix that large dogs can be cuddle bugs. lol Bella was a cuddle bug, while still maintaining her dignity. lol...I had said I felt like she was the mayor and we were town council, plus she was such a dignified dog.

But Alaskan Klee Kai folks are very avid about their breed and may be a bit challenging to find. American Eskimo may be another as you suggest, I have met one of them as well, however he had personality issues, but then so did his owners. He loved my husband, but hated me and nearly everyone else except his owners. I suspect his problem was bad breeding and poor socialization so I would not rule out the breed based on my one experience.

Good luck in your search Celt, that is half the fun. You get to learn about so many breeds.


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Oh, and Celt, JRT's remind me of bouncing rubber balls on legs. They are very very active dogs, something to consider if your son prefers a laid back lifestyle, then it's likely a Jack Russell may not fit that bill.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

A close friend of mine has an Alaskan Klee Kai. She's an awesome dog but needs a lot of exercise. She goes on runs every day and also plays a lot in the yard (they have a ton of space). Inside she's fairly calm but would probably be nuts if she didn't get enough exercise.


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## Hadley (Jan 6, 2011)

While shibas are a little stubborn, I think they are actually a pretty laid back breed, and somewhat introverted themselves.. I don't see why they wouldn't be a good fit. I don't think high energy dogs would be a good idea if he is quiet and not to interested in a lot of up-keep. I am mainly thinking of JRTs and other terrier breeds. They are a LOT of dog. All of them. If he's interested in a terrier, maybe the border terrier? They seem to be a little more "laid back" when it come to the terrier breeds. 

If not, perhaps he'd be interested in a chihuahua mix from a shelter? Like a bigger one maybe? There is also the schipperke but I don't know anything about them really. Pomeranians are another good one. Also, there are all kinds of husky-like mixes you get at shelters. We had this ADORABLE little mini husky once. He probably weighed 22lbs at most. If you went for an adult, then you can better guage what type of personality the dog has and have a good idea if it would be a nice fit. Here's the little guy we had. He was a fully grown adult:


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I'll look into Alaskan Klee Kai and schirpperke. While "looks" are of preference, we'll definitely look into any breed before we'll ever put it on a "short list" Pomerainians and chihuahuas are completely out, he 's met quite a few and dislikes them. He especially didn't like the "look" of chihuahuas. From what I've read shibas are rather difficult to train and can be dog aggressive. The Jacks we looked into were called irish or shortie jacks. They seem to have a "mellower" temperment and energy level.
To be honest, at this point, it's unlikely we'll get an adult dog. One reason being that we don't want to deal with the "luggage" that most of them have. The second because we were reminded how nice it is to have a dog from puppyhood, to know his past history, and have the raising of him.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

A few other things to consider :

Your climate - I'm assuming it's pretty hot where you live. I'd rule out most of the double coated breeds or he is going to spend most of his time dealing with raking out their coats, handing out ice cubes, and cooling them down. We go through a lot of ice cubes here and Rocky spends pretty much 8 months of the year on top of an air conditioner vent, and we're not even as hot as you are. 

Your sons age - I've got two boys who are a bit older then that now. Is he planning on going to college soon? Or is he just finishing high school and starting a job? Either way, this could end up being mostly your dog if your son is gone most of the day. This is why I now I have Shade (older son ended up in grad school) :becky: I do have one son who attends a local college, but he still spends most of his time either at school or in his room doing homework or online work and not with the dogs. He loves them, but I'm the one who walks them, feeds them, brushes them, etc. 18 year old boys have a habit of things suddenly changing dramatically in their lives. Make sure you love the breed too, just in case.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

It does get hot here, a lot of days over a 100. I've told him if he gets a double coat dog that he will be "combing" for at least 30 minutes daily, longer when they blow their coat and vaccuming at least every other day which is why he was willing to look at short coated breeds. At this point he's planning on staying at home for college and knowing him he would "make time" for *his* dog. I'm the "dog" person in the house, I have final say on if we get a dog or not. The family realizes that I've had the most experience in choosing dogs and (generally) have a better understanding of temperment testing and "feel" of dogs.We definitely wouldn't get a dog that I didn't feel up to "taking care" of.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

stajbs said:


> Oh, and Celt, JRT's remind me of bouncing rubber balls on legs. They are very very active dogs, something to consider if your son prefers a laid back lifestyle, then it's likely a Jack Russell may not fit that bill.


I used to exercise my moms, and they really are just that, while they are smart, they are extremely active, and can be destructive, and annoying if you're not wanting to work them properly. 

for instance... Taffie my mothers dog, still at 3 years old will run at about 20mph for nearly 8 miles and still be rearing for more later that day. (she runs her with a bicycle with a speedometer).


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Oh man, how did I forget schipperkes?? I love that breed and grew up with a couple of them! If you socialize and train them properly (like any dog), they are just the coolest, sweetest, cutest little dogs! If you can find a breeder who will let you not have your puppy's tail docked, that would be amazing too because they have the cutest, fluffy curly tails and I have no idea why they cut them off! It'll probably be impossible to find a breeder who will accommodate you, but if you can, you should IMO.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

i think that's a funny comment "intelligent but necessarily smart". get a Dog Encyclopedia
or a book about breeds. you'll probably find a lot of dogs there that will fit your needs.



Celt said:


> The main characteristics are: intelligent but not necessarily "smart", average energy level (or an adaptable one), gets along with other animals, and not be too "difficult" to train.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

Celt said:


> My son is 18. He tried his best to take care of his last dog "all by himself" and did a great job of it. The main characteristics are: intelligent but not necessarily "smart", average energy level (or an adaptable one), gets along with other animals, and not be too "difficult" to train.
> As for a shelter dog, he wants a puppy and we have to be sure of the adult size.


how can u be an intelligent and not smartZ?

i vote for a newfoundland i think it would fit all of those characteristics.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

she said NOT necessarily smart


doggiedad said:


> i think that's a funny comment "intelligent but necessarily smart". get a Dog Encyclopedia
> or a book about breeds. you'll probably find a lot of dogs there that will fit your needs.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Intelligent dogs are genearlly "easy" to train, but don't need to be kept "entertained". Smart dogs learn quickly and then ask what's next. It seriously looks like "nordic" type dogs are not, imo, going to be a good match for him, the keeshond seems to be the most likely. I don't know for sure yet, but the Irish (shortie) JRT seem not to be as "bouncy" and less "aggressive" than regular JRT. <sigh> This would be easier if there wasn't a size limit.
doggiedad--we've been looking at different books but not all breeds are in books.


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## ksbsnowowl (Apr 30, 2010)

Celt said:


> The main characteristics are: intelligent but not necessarily "smart", average energy level (or an adaptable one), gets along with other animals, and not be too "difficult" to train.
> As for a shelter dog, he wants a puppy and we have to be sure of the adult size.


All those temperament characteristics you listed fit my beagle/german shepherd mix to a "T." It just doesn't look like a husky. She's about 40 lbs. Got her at a shelter.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Holy cow, your GSD/beagle mix looks exactly like my friend's GSD/beagle mix!


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## ksbsnowowl (Apr 30, 2010)

rannmiller said:


> Holy cow, your GSD/beagle mix looks exactly like my friend's GSD/beagle mix!


Yeah, I've seen a few very similar to her on the 'net. I think someday that may become an actual "breed" - I just love her qualities so much. Really driven by food, but very intelligent (and tall enough to get her snout on the kitchen counter...), and a generally very mellow dog, but not afraid to get gruff when she needs to. When she dies, I want to replace her with another beagle/GSD mix.

When looking to reply to this thread I was curious how common these are at shelters. You have to look a bit, but they are around. Here's a basset/GSD mix not far from where I am.
Petfinder Adoptable Dog | German Shepherd Dog | Kansas City, MO | Dory


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## KlaMarie (Dec 30, 2010)

Celt said:


> I'll look into Alaskan Klee Kai and schirpperke.


I don't know if you're still considering an Alaskan Klee Kai, but if you do end up looking for a breeder, you might want to ask some questions about their attitudes towards culling if that is a problem for you (it is for me). I got curious about the breed and looked around a little. Found this on the breed founders website:



> His words had been my silent belief all along, but now I followed them openly and religiously. He said, "Breed the best, and cull the rest."


She then goes on to say some good things about selective breeding which I agree with, but for me there is a big difference between selective breeding and culling those that aren't breeding quality, even when your working at developing a "new breed". I've seen this attitude before in serious working dog circles, but when you're breeding a dog that is a companion type dog-- it was even more startling to me. So just wanted to give you a heads up if you end up looking closer into this breed.


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

A lot of people have suggested rescuing a dog, are you opposed to checking out dogs at a shelter or online rescue groups? Just wondering because you're only responding to the comments suggesting purebred dogs. I know you don't want an adult, there are sooo many puppies in shelters and rescue groups (foster homes). One of my dogs I adopted from a rescue at 8 weeks, his mom had been in a foster home when she had her pups, he is a purebred dog (that I know of, not that I really care) and he came with no "baggage" (I know a lot of people are opposed to rescuing because they're convinced the dogs will come with baggage). His first couple months of life were spent in a very loving foster home with a lot of human interaction and attention, I'm sure a lot more than most puppies from breeders get. 

It seems like your son isn't ready for an "intense" dog. In my opinion, purebreds are usually more "intense" when it comes to things they were bred to do - you mentioned a JR, bred to be ratters (obviously), they're very intense dogs, require a lot of exercise, and can be very difficult puppies. Siberians are also very intense dogs, bred to pull, need a lot of exercise (also difficult puppies). If you were to get a mix, chances are these traits would be watered down. You still get a great dog with some characteristics of that breed, but not as "intense", if you get what I mean. That's not to say not all mutts are as intense as purebreds, I'm sure there's a lot of husky or german shepherd mutts that are way more intense and better workers than their purebred counter-parts... I'm just sharing what's been my experience. 

I'm not saying NOT to get a dog from a breeder, if that is your prerogative (if it is very important to your son to have a purebred dog). I just think that there are a lot more mutts that would fit his list of preferred traits than purebreds.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

ksbsnowowl--You're pup looks almost like his first dog. She was a basset mix. Sweetest dog ever.

KlaMarie-- I'll keep an eye out for that. 

Julie-- It's not just that he wants a puppy but that there's a size limit and it's very difficult to "know" how big a "mix" pup will get (even with "small" parents).


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## Kapalua (Sep 29, 2011)

Oddly enough I do have experience with AKK's. They're personalities are very similar to the spitz breed and nordic roots. Socialization is huge, very huge with these little guys and they do have quite a bit of energy. They are smart but not necessarily easy to train. The other thing noticed is that because they're gaining popularity a lot of the temperaments we've been seeing have been questionable. There's a lot of breeders out there now and a lot of the dogs seem to be spazzy, barky, insecure, and nervous wrecks. So really make sure of the temperaments. Again socialization is very important for them. KlaMarie is also right about the culling. The breed creator openly states it.

Good luck and keep talking it out.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

The more I read on the AKK, the less I like even if he would absolutely love the "look" of them. Has anyone ever "dealt" with a rat terrier or toy fox terrier?


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Celt said:


> The more I read on the AKK, the less I like even if he would absolutely love the "look" of them. Has anyone ever "dealt" with a rat terrier or toy fox terrier?


Rat terrier...yes. My grandma had several and my sister has one currently. They are extremely high energy. I've heard people say that they are a bit lazier than other terriers, but I have never experienced this. The ones my family has had have all been extremely yippy too. Friendly...but not very calm or "even" tempered....they always seem to be on the go!

I got nothin' on the toy fox terrier though.


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## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

What about an American Eskimo? Admittedly, I don't know tons about them but from what I do know I think they may be a good fit. They have the look he likes, they're relatively small. and I think the temperament might be a good fit for your family. The only thing I'm not sure about is whether your climate would be appropriate.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I may have missed it, but what about a corgi? I know they aren't exactly nordic looking but they are somewhat similar in some physical aspects?


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi's are some sturdy looking dogs. Their personality/temperament is awesome too. If looking at smaller breeds this would be one I would consider. For some reason I like the look of the Pembroke vs. the Cardigan. Guess we just like sturdy/working type dogs at our house.


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

I'd suggest a whippet, but I doubt he would go for their look. Sighthounds in general seem to go along with what he's looking for... but most are larger then 25 lbs. Instead i'll suggest the Euraiser.... not many breeders for them though. They do have a double coat though, which will be an issue in your climate.


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