I want a dog

[Weka]

Just a little one. Small enough for my lap. Good with kids, won't eat the chickens, nor chase the cat (too much). It also has to be good with people walking past the fence as 2 of our boundary fences are a public path that's well used, and the third is a footpath. Only one side boarders our neighbour. So I don't want it barking at all the dogs that get walked past our place all the time.

I would also prefer it to not leave fur sliver the place as my brother is allergic.

Does any small dog fit that description? I know zero about dogs.



Yesterday we were at Geoffs work colleagues house, they had 2 miniature snauzers(?). They breed from them, and the girl they think may be pregnant, but too early to tell. They were lovely dogs and sent all day at my feet for cuddles. Anyway, D jokingly said I could have one of the pups and I jokingly said yes. . I'm kind of hoping it does happen, but not expecting it too, but I'm not sure if that's the right breed for us anyway give the amount of walkers with dogs past our property, and the chickens and cat. I've been reading this brand overnight that has given met his idea.

Advise gladly received.

[Kaz]

We have a Miniature Schnauzer, Pepper, she doesn't shed fur (I am allergic to cats and lots of dogs but never so much as a sneeze with Peps), is lovely natured BUT they can be very yappy. I read a book on the breed once and it said they like the sound of their own voices.....

They are lovely though, and good with children xx

The thing is that the smaller the dog, the yappier they tend to be - the big dogs are the strong, silent types

[Weka]

Thanks Kaz. I did wonder if one of your two was one. What is Fraggle?

It's the yapping that is my biggest concern, as people walk there dogs past 3 sides of us and there's nowhere the dog could be that doesn't have people walking past.

Can they be trained not to?

[Kaz]

Fraggle is a crossbreed, he is definitely part Shih Tzu as he has the flat face and curly tail, and the rescue home thought the other part was Cairn Terrier as he has a stocky build and rough coat

Fraggle barks too

I don't really know for sure if they can be trained not to bark - ours do (usually) shut up when told, but it doesn't stop them barking in the first place. Becks says it's a natural behaviour so hard to stop, in terriers, as they are hardwired to bark at rabbits and such like

It is nice for children to grow up with dogs, I think, we had a Sheltie when I was young and she was so much fun

[TheOstrich]

I'm allergic to dog hair, Weka. We did research and got a Chinese Crested Puffball (aka Powder Puff), from a breeder in Devon. "Sammy" actually came with a pedigree, or family history chart!

If you google them, you'll see that Chinese Crested's are the really ugly hairless dogs, but what happens is that in every litter, some are hairless and the rest have white fur - these are the Puffballs. The hairless ones are kept for breeding, the Puffballs are sold off as family pets. The Puffballs look a lot like the bichon friese and classify as "small" dogs, they are family friendly (Sammy was convinced she was head of the family, actually ) and she didn't bark or yap. She was affectionate to us, but hated other dogs with a passion as a result of Dog Training classes where she was in with a load of rumbustious Alsations. She also hated the vets, and if a dog could stick two fingers up at them, she would have done .... A dog with personality!

They do need proper grooming; we took her for a trim, wash and blow-dry every 6 weeks or so.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Crested_Dog

[Kaz]

I remember you mentioning her before Os, she sounded like a real character