What small breed of puppy do you recommend?

[ShrekDawg]

Has anyone had any experience with the mini Aussies? I've been looking into them..

They’re pretty good dogs from what I understand but you have to be careful because a lot of them are mixed breeds and/or poorly bred. The “mini Aussie” separated from the Aussie breed several years ago and are now called Miniature American Shepherds. Personally, I don’t really see much of a difference or the point in separating them, and they did actually used to be called Miniature Australian Shepherds (Mini Aussies), BUT the breed has been recognized as a separate breed maybe 5-10 years ago so now the reputable breeders do not call them Mini Aussies anymore. And a lot of disreputable breeders use the mini Aussie name or even “toy aussies” as a marketing technique so you have to be careful. I think some just haven’t really bothered with the name change yet as it’s so recent and may still be reputable but you have to be careful as there are a lot of people just breeding for money and/or for certain coat or eye colors and not really caring for the temperament or personality of the dogs. So do your research on the breed and breeders if you do decide on one and make sure the breeder health tests their dogs. But if you can find a good one, they are a great little breed.

 

[Chicks 'n ducks]

my friend has one.
@AltonaAcres

 

[AltonaAcres]

Yep, I have a mini Aussie and he's the best dog ever (biased opinion). He's loyal, calm (rare for an aussie), lovable, snuggly, smart, and just completely awesome! I would highly recommend. However, these dogs need constant exercise, if you live in a tiny apartment and aren't active an Aussie would be hard to contain. We are active and live on land so he is always busy. Good luck!

 

[Chickens Forever]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I would really like a lap dog that I can take to parks, petstores, etc.. But I do NOT want a dog that yaps and barks at other people and dogs. I have A min pin mix like that and it's hard because she barks at the neighbors dogs and every person that goes down the street. I know all it takes is socialization but I'm not out that often so I want something that doesn't need a lot of socializing to be friendly towards strangers. Again, I appreciate your reply!

Please consider a pug puppy. They are eternally loving and are strong bonders. They will steal your heart from the get-go and charm everyone else wherever you go. Well-socialized pug pups are amazing! They make excellent therapy and psychiatry dogs. They love children and don't bother any of my other animals including newborn chicks. I have hens raising chicks rn and the pugs mind mama hen!

Thanks for the reply! Do they ever have breathing problems or difficulties?

They can, so it is important that you go to a reputable breeder. A good breeder will have the parents on-site, and you will want to make sure both are OFA cleared (OFA=Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. They look for hip dysplasia and other ortho issues and certify if a dog is free of problems). Pugs, because of the hemivertebrae that give their tails the signature curl, can have problems later in life with their lower back and hips. At 2 years of age, vets can clear dogs and if they fail, you don't breed from them. You should be able to meet mom and dad on-site, and you can see if mom or dad has any history of breathing problems. Another thing to look out for is male pups with one testis or both testes undescended (cryptorchidism). This means neutering is a wee bit more challenging for the vet but most importantly, no one should ever breed from these dogs!


An ethical breeder will never breed a dam more than 3 times; have clean bills of health for dam and sire, and be happy to provide you references (you can talk to others who have gotten pups from them). Also if at ANY TIME in your life you need to rehome the pup, a good breeder would welcome them back home. They will also ask you to sign a spay/neuter contract, which prevents unscrupulous breeders from buying a pup and breeding from him/her without approval. Many of these tips apply to buying ANY breed of dog, make sure you get to see the lines!

Right now, we are trying to shift the breed standard via the "retro pug movement." This is an effort to bring back some of the muzzle that the breed had many years ago, before the round/flat face became standard. This does a lot to help their breathing and even helps with their eyes. Pugs are the sweetest, most loving, playful, outgoing and precious dogs on earth IMHO! But of course, I'm very very biased!
Personally I feel they are the perfect size: biggest breed in the 'toy' category, but still small enough to be a breeze when it comes to accessibility with him/her.
Editing again! LOL! Some potential turnoffs/things to be aware of:
1. They WILL SNORE!
2. Depending on the color they can shed mercilessly. Black dogs are less hair-problematic. Fawns have a double coat and holy Moses can they shed (especially twice a year when the seasons change).
3. pugs LIVE TO EAT! You really need a strong backbone to resist those big puppy eyes and they will want some of everything you're eating, so they can become very doughy!
4. Also they don't like really hot weather, but with the retro-pug emphasis on allowing them some muzzle, they are able to cool off better.

Hope this helps!
I am happy to gush about pugs anytime!

 

[Chickens Forever]

Dittos. @KaylorFarms Don't pay for a dog from a breeder. Take your time and browse/visit your local rescue sites (there are a ton of them on Facebook). Also, regarding your MinPin, little dogs will always bark at strangers. That's what they do, especially if they are with one person most of each day. We have 3 little dogs (rescues) and 3 big dogs (all rescues). They have each other and us but they'll still bark when strangers come to the door or are near the house. Dogs bark. That's what dogs do. Because they're well, dogs. There are ways to train them not to but I don't recommend most of the available methods.

You have one small dog. You don't get out much. You want a dog that doesn't bark at strangers, will sit on your lap all day....sounds like you'd be better off with a small stuffed toy?

Puppies are great. IF you have time to clean up after them and work consistently with them so they'll be house trained, etc. If you don't want to get up at night and let them outside and reinforce "good dog" behaviors like using the potty outside, playing nice with other dogs, etc, you might want to reconsider. Good luck.

I have to be honest, parts of this post come across as very patronizing. Especially this: "...sounds like you'd be better off with a small stuffed toy?" Come on, that was just rude. And, "Dogs bark. That's what they do. Because well, they're dogs." Nuisance barking is a thing, and yappy dogs are a thing. These concerns are valid. I just think, if someone comes here for advice, we should offer it without put-downs.


EDIT: THIS is comment is even worse:

The rescue dogs that you disdain are generally the products of people like yourself who neglect their puppies and then dump them.

But I expect you'll get a Bassett anyhow because you want one. Poor pup.

For real? Do you talk to people like this in the real world? Not okay. Have some respect. OP came here for advice. They didn't just impulse buy a random pup; they are asking questions and learning here. You really need to not say things like this. Totally uncalled for.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I have to be honest, parts of this post come across as very patronizing. Especially this: "...sounds like you'd be better off with a small stuffed toy?" Come on, that was just rude. And, "Dogs bark. That's what they do. Because well, they're dogs." Nuisance barking is a thing, and yappy dogs are a thing. These concerns are valid. I just think, if someone comes here for advice, we should offer it without put-downs.

Exactly!! I thought the same thing. There were quite a few posts on this thread that were very rude and condescending at the beginning. It has gotten better and there haven’t really been anymore but yes it was very rude and mean at first I thought.

 

[Chickens Forever]

Shelters are cute little dogs!! I went to an agility trial today and saw tons of them. But they are a little bit yappy/barky/vocal dogs, right?

GOD yes on the yappy front. Every sheltie I've ever met has been a shrill yapper. Agility! What kind of dog were you working? Or were you watching? Or were you doing chicken agility (it's the coolest thing ever)!?

 

[Willowspirit]

Exactly!! I thought the same thing. There were quite a few posts on this thread that were very rude and condescending at the beginning. It has gotten better and there haven’t really been anymore but yes it was very rude and mean at first I thought.

Well let’s go back to the OP and consider the question. She has three ducks already but they are not what she wants. She wants a fourth duck that will be well socialized, without effort, not need a pond, won’t grow bigger than what she prefers although it’s standard calls for it to be bigger. This duck will be her constant companion even though her other three ducks aren’t any more. They are cared for by just free ranging. Her new duck might have a coop but maybe not. If not it can roam her twelve fenced acres. She has had rescue ducks but isn’t interested now because they didn’t come presocialized.

kdogg331, you are not the OP. You sort of hijacked the thread from the OP to get info for yourself. Nobody has minded talking to you and you seem like a responsible and agreeable person. But I think it would behoove you to go back and reread the details of what the OP has said. I fostered many many rescue dogs and screened many potential adopters. I believe from my experience that the OP is not currently a good candidate for yet another dog. When people ask for opinions they often don’t hear what they want to. Yes I’m harsh sometimes but when it comes to poor innocent animals who have no other champions I’m going to be on their side every time.

PS when we adopted one of our foster dogs we still had to go through a home check and fill out a lengthy screening form. The rescue pretty much knew our answers but we were not insulted by this. It was the same thing I’ve gone through with my purebred dogs and their responsible breeders.

Right now I am buying a horse and before I met her I had to give extensive details about how we care for our existing horses. I even have someone more experienced in Western horsemanship than I am to work with her and me to make sure her life isn’t messed up or wasted. This is where I come from when I responded to the op.

What small dog (like a Basset!) is a good fit for the op? In my opinion, none. I’m done with this thread but thanks for playing.

 

[Willowspirit]

Last word. Go to the thread where I ask about livestock guardian dogs and watch me get schooled. You might learn something about asking advice and hearing “no”.

 

[Pekin747]

Pomeranian if u dont mind all the hair I have one
Jack Russell if u want so.wthing with a ton of personality and small
Or gold retriever if u want something big and friendly hopping to get on but we only take them from pounds cause that's the best way to get dogs in my opinion
Unfortunately the nearest pound is quite the journey so we make ait a day trip when we visit