What do you think is the best dog breed?

I need to pick a puppy out in a couple of weeks.

What breed is friendly and not too hyper... like a dog that will sit on the couch with you for an hour and just chill. (Wow, that just made me sound really lazy!)

Small dogs only tho. Any suggestions?

Go to the local pound and get an adult dog whose personality is already well-established; the staff will know which dog is chilled out like that. And mutts are healthier than purebreds anyway.

Maybe you could try this site:

 

http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dog selectorindex.do

Hmmm... I don't know of any small dog breeds that are calm and not hyper.  Especially puppies - all puppies want to play, chew, play, chew, poop, and play some more!

I don't think there is any one breed that is "best" anyway.  It depends on what suits you.  Why do you "need" a puppy anyway?  Most dogs are very active and they all need exercise.  If you don't want to have to exercise your dog, then I suggest getting a cat.  :)

If you really want a dog that will sit on the couch and chill with you, I would suggest adopting an older dog (3 yrs plus).  They will have lost most of their puppy hyper activity by then, and will be very loving and loyal, not to mention grateful, to you for adopting him.  A friend of mine recently adopted a 4 yr old Jack Russell, and he's great.  He was already housebroken so she didn't have to worry about accidents, and he's done with chewing on the furniture and all that.  While he is active and loves to exercise, he is also fine with laying on top of you for hours while you watch a movie or whatever.  Or, give him a chew toy and he's occupied for hours!  If you are interested in adopting (which I highly recommend; rather than a breeder!) check out petfinder.com.  You can specify breed, sex, age, etc in your search.

Good luck!

What trustwoman said. A few weeks isn't enough time to research reputable breeders, then wait until a puppy becomes available.

btw, the whole hybrid vigour thing really does require the species in question to be, well, hybrid. Mutts can be just as unhealthy as pure breeds, if not moreso, because no one is checking to see if they have any bad genetic abnormalities. The only reason pure breed dogs get a bad rap is because of the idiots out there breeding when they shouldn't be.

Thanks for the replies!

I might have sounded like I want a dog that's nearly catatonic or something... hahah. But I just mean I don't want a hyper crazy type. My mother in law's bichon comes over all the time and she is waaaayy too much to handle...

Exercising it is fine...I would love to do that.

Maybe I will check out the dog shelter. Did you see Oprah's puppy mill show?

Someone told me that malteses are relatively quiet dogs. Anyone have any experience with them?

May I second petfinder.com, I forgot about that. It's a great resource for adopting pets.

I couldn't even watch Oprah's show on puppy mills.  I saw the preview and that was enough.  Ugh! 

I was going to suggest a German Shepherd until I saw you wanted a small dog.  They're my favorite breed. :)   Since you want a small one, I also suggest going to a shelter.  I feel so sorry for those dogs.  My husband accidentally let our dogs out last year, and we went to every shelter in town to search for them (someone several miles away found them and contacted us thankfully:), but my heart just broke seeing all those sad eyes staring up from the kennels.  We decided any future pets we adopt will come from shelters. 

My SIL just got a maltese, but I haven't met him yet so I don't know what he is like.

Petfinder searches all the local shelters so you don't have to.   When you find a few that you like you can go visit them.  But I agree, how could you not adopt, knowing that most of them will be put to death if they're not taken in by someone? 

I've met some pretty mellow and sensible dachsunds ... then again, I've met some that were hyper ankle biters as well. 

Other small dogs with mellow temperaments that I can think of are welsh corgis, boston terriers (ok, not exactly mellow, but at least happy to sit on the couch with you!), and pugs.

Agree that an older dog's personality will be more established than a puppy's, and it'll be easier to see if you'll be compatible.  Many breeds have rescue organizations established to place animals that, for one reason or another, can't stay in their original homes.  I had some friends who were into the pug rescue organization and had several, they were all very sweet and affectionate (and LOVED sitting on the couch with you!)

Original Post by trustwomen:

Go to the local pound and get an adult dog whose personality is already well-established; the staff will know which dog is chilled out like that. And mutts are healthier than purebreds anyway.

 I second that!  I have adopted all of my furry lap babies from local shelters and they are the best!  They are usually the ones that are the 'least likely to be going home because I'm old and very special looking' dogs-they end up being wonderful pets!

Good luck on your search!

another vote for a shelter mutt, here.  mine is virtually perfect!

Another homeless mutt vote.  If you want a couch potato greyhounds and great danes are super lazy.

I'd say Golden Retriever - by a long shot - but it sucks you don't want a big breed...

Adopt a 10 year old pug and you're set for life! (or maybe 5 years)

It really depends on the particular dog. Someone suggested a pug and I can definatly say mine isn't gonna just sit on the couch with you.  She's totally neurotic, goes completely nuts when she's excited, and she can't breathe very well so she's really noisy when she's excited. And she snores. And farts.  And she's not very smart. She chases airplanes when they go over the house.  And it's not like they're really low or
anything, they're airliners.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade her now, but she's a lot to handle. 

And I think a rescue is a GREAT idea.

Not small, but akitas are great dogs

shiba inus are small akita cousins and very similar in temperament.  not low maintenance, though!

BOXERS!

i have 2 and they are the best, really good with people and super friendly, and they just lay around with me all day until its time to go out and play!

schnooder, i love boxers.  they're so beautiful.  that said, my mutt is the same: totally laid back and lazy around the house, exactly the opposite outside.  sometimes i'm up an hour later than her at night and two hours earlier in the morning; she loves her sleep!

I am all about boxers, they are the sweetest, but my husband won't let us get a "big dog", so, I've been looking for a dog or puppy with exactly your specifications, plus good with small kids, and with the tiny bit of research--the most recommended breeds were the squash faced ones, pugs, boston terriers, french bulldogs, english bulldogs and someone told me japanese chins are supposed to be good too.

of course, I highly recommend NOT going to a breeder or pet shops. if it's a pet shop, they will, hands down, get their dogs from puppy mills. Not all breeders are bad, but why not save hundreds of dollars and save a homeless dog? If you feel like you need a full breed you can find specific shelters that do specific breeds all over the U.S. (petfinder.com can direct you to a location), but don't pass up a mutt because it's a mutt, they can be awesome too.

 

before i found kenya, i contacted a couple of boxer rescue agencies by email; they never got back to me.  i think they're so selective, if you can't go there in person, they don't even consider you (and there's nothing of that description in my area). 

not that i mind; i couldn't be happier with my dog.  i'm just saying that breed-specific rescues might be a better idea in theory than in practice.