Expert: Labman - 7/6/2006

Question
Hi, we are currently trying to find the right dog for our family.  We have children and would like a dog that is good with kids, doesn't shed much and is small enough to take in the car.  We would like a dog that isn't a "runner" although we will keep her in a large fenced in yard when outside.
Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you for your time and information!
Kim

Answer
Even short haired dogs shed.  Maybe one of the more fur type dogs would be better, Poodles, Schnauzers, Yorkies, etc.  Other than that, I won't suggest a breed.  Dogs vary so much within a breed, and even in a given litter, that the breed is not a reliable guide to personality.  A big factor on children is whether the dog is exposed to them before it is 12 weeks old.  Start with a young puppy, and it will grow up to accept your household.  On the other hand, good puppies are hared to find and train, and they are expensive to care for.  

Do you have a county fair in your area?  In many places the 4-H dog club
will be having a show.  You will enjoy seeing the kids and their well trained
dogs.  There will be many different breeds and mixed breeds.

Choosing a dog is a very personal thing.  You need to actually see a variety.
You could drop in on an obedience class.  Most of the people will be happy to
talk about their dog, and many will give honest answers about grooming and
nature.  You want to look for a calm dog.

Maybe ask to visit the breeders home.  Field  and show champions can be bred
in kennels.  Dogs where the mother lives in the house have the best
personalities.  Some kids to fondle the puppies from birth are better yet.  If
the breeder doesn't want the parents in their house, do you want the offspring
in yours?  Spend as much time with the parents as you can.  Nice parents don't
guarantee nice puppies, but don't chance bad parents.  Of course ask about hip
and eye certification  or other genetic problems common to your breed too.

I like the Golden Retrievers as family pets.  Perhaps I am making the mistake
of judging the whole breed by my friends' dog.  But I see others too.  They
love attention, and are sturdy enough and good natured to tolerate almost
anything.  The Australian Shepherds are great too and shed less.  They are
smaller than the Golden and tend to be less nippy than some of the other
herding dogs.  I enjoy my Labs, but some of them can be strong willed and a
challenge.  They shed terribly too.

Consider the animal shelter.  There are many nice dogs, and you can see how
they look with little or no grooming.  You can also see how they behave.  Look
for dogs that want your attention, but are not going wild. Leave the ones that
retreat to the back of their cage.  Look at their teeth.  Look for ones that
still show a 3 lobed, clove like pattern on the front ones.  Leave the ones
that fight letting you look at their teeth too much.  If the points are worn
off the teeth, it is an older dog that may break your heart by dying too soon.
Pinch the web between its toes.  It hurts.  It is OK for the dog to pull away
or whine, but it shouldn't growl, snap or show its teeth.  Think about size.
In a small apartment, a Golden might knock over the lamps when it walks
through wagging its tail.  Since the shelter likely will kill most of the
dogs, you may as well pick out a nice one.

Finding a good breeder and purchasing a puppy that will make a good pet is very difficult.  Almost nobody is intentionally breeding dogs to be nice pets.  Most of your so called reputable breeders are breeding for show or something.  They may say the puppies they don't keep for their purpose make great pets, but the truth is that the parents were selected for other than health and temperament.  Often they keep the puppies in the kennel too long and they miss the important early socialization puppies need to live in the house with people.

Next are the disreputable breeders.  They breed any 2 registered dogs they can lay a hold of looking only at the money they can make selling them to pet stores.  Pet store puppies are easy to find, but difficult to socialize into nice pets, perhaps difficult to even keep alive.  You will not get what you pay for at a pet store.

One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue
dogs.  These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
to be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them.   You may
find a rescue near you starting at
http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm  The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.