New family member?

[lovemyraffe]

My wife thinks she wants a dog. I never had any pets growing up, she grew up with dogs. We have narrowed it down to 2 choices, beagle or boston terrier, but we don't know anyone with any experience with them. Maybe some of you could give some insight. She had mini-dachshunds growing up, which are really cool dogs, but we want a dog that can go play with us outdoors. I am leaning towards the beagle, but she is leaning the other way.

[WaveAction]

we had a beagle, was a great dog, ours passed away in like 3 or 4 years only cause he had some sort of cancer, but other then that..but if i had my choice..i have to be on the wifes side lol, even though i'd never get either..im more of a big dog kinda guy(chocolate lab, rottweiler, boxer)..anything with short hair really

[VivaVibe]

Both are good choices for a family pet. Since she has experience with raising dogs, I suggest you go with her wishes. Besides, you know what they say, "When the wife is happy..." My favorite dog ever was a Border Collie.

[808 Vibes]

Sorry, can't help you with your decision...I've only known Dachshunds. But have you looked into adopting a dog? http://www.petfinder.com/

[slvrvibes]

Beagles are super cute, a bit crazy sometimes, but cute.

[keithvibe]

both dogs are very high strung... the beagle has a high prey instinct, and will probley bark at any critter in the yard. With out proper training. With proper training you can have a wonderful beagle. Small dog... big bark.... The boston terrier is a very good dog, again high prey instinct for small game, such as mice, hamsters, rabbits. They are big time diggers... if you care anything about your yard, you will want to look for a layed back lazy terrier.The terrier you will want to have a physical fence, rather than an invisable fence.If I had to pick between the two.. i would pick the boston terrier.I am guessing you are looking for a small to medium size dog.May i suggest either a brittany spanial or springer spanial .I am parcel to the brittany.... hence why i have one and currently looking for a second.I went with the brittany for a few reasons. One the shorter ears then the springer, they tend to get less ear infections because of this. Also, brittanys tend not to have the "springer" rage that the springers or cocker's can. check out http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org/I got my boy Andrew from them. non-profit, tax deductable donation and adoption fee. I must warn you though if you don't want a dog that will follow you every second of the day when you are at home. They are not for you. Brittanys are attached at your hip, if you don't train them properly. They are quick learners and eager to please. Some brittanys do have separation anxiety, which mine does. But with proper training and with my boy Andrew the correct medication he is THE best dog I have ever known.They are bird dogs and there is nothing more pritty than to see your brittany point out birds, rabbits ect... They will chase them with out proper training though.. I am just about to break my boy of the chase mode... he has held a point on a rabbit now for well over five mins. with out moving.photo of a liver and white colored brittany..not minePhoto of an orange and white brittany: mine Most brittanys range in weight average is 25-35lbs.. mine though is a big brit... at 45-47lbs depending on year... HAHAHA

[lovemyraffe]

Thanks for everyones input. Still not sure where to go with this. The dog she raised and trained still lives with her parents, but they aren't willing to part with him. He is a mini-dachshund. They have 2 dachshunds and 1 brittany spaniel. The reason I'm leaning towards the beagle is we do some small game hunting, and the beagle would be great for that. I don't want my backyard torn up by the dog either. We have thought of adopting a dog, but most dogs that you will adopt have problems. Also, if you don't train them properly when they are young, they won't be the dog you want. My in-laws other mini-dachshund, they adopted when she was about 3. She is a special needs dachshund. She has seizures occasionally, because she was beaten before the other family gave her up. The brittany spaniel was adopted when she was 5, and her too has many problems. Because of the space we live in, our backyard isn't very big, we do need a smaller dog.

[keithvibe]

you could have problems with a dog you raise from a pup too... i tend to think that rescued dogs know they are getting a second chance at life and try harder to please.Don't totally write off adopting a dog. With most dogs being fostered you can get a very good idea on their temperment and training ability. As you can see from the link I provided in my last post most of the dogs are taken in by people who just want to help find a forever home for an unwanted dog and in doing so they figure out what traits the dog has to better find the perfect owner.When i got my boy he had just turned one year old... all he knew was being house broken. He was abused as a pup and is fearful of people. He also hated being alone,(separation anxiety)which now with much patience and training he is doing much better, we didn't know this at the time. The foster mom never left the house so it wasn't an issue on her end. He now knows, sit, laydown, rollover, shake(both paws), highfive, stay, Nice(take a treat gently or toy carfully), come, leaveit, find it, fetch, heal, I am sure I am missing a few but with time and training, dispite what the old saying goes, you can teach an old dog new tricks or an abused dog.No mater what breed you decide on please all i ask is that you consider adopting a dog.

[AKLGT]

i've grown up with many pets and dogs in particular. being allergic to just about everything, that really cuts down on what I can own as I get "older." We used to have a Wire Hair Fox Terrier. the dog was definitely a digger and a runner. no matter what we did, we could not break her of running away. Extremely high strung dog, required a good size yard to run around in and play. In Jr High and High School we had a Keeshound. Beautiful dog and he was a bit larger than most. Great dog, though he did like to run off from time to time, he always came back after a good game of "chase". The downside was he liked to bark at every thing! no matter what we did, all the training courses we took him to, he'd still bark.Then after he died, we didn't have any pets for a long time. I begged my parents to get me a dog. i wanted a big husky or something... but again, I'm allergic to dogs/fur. So, after much pestering for a good year or two, my parents and two other families went in together and bought my first toy poodle. She was a chocolate, but when I opened the box, she just looked like a little fuzz ball with eyes.... I thought it was a gerbil at first, so I was a bit disappointed until I was told it really is a dog... just a small one that doesn't shed. And really, a poodle??? Is that even really a dog?? But then, after about an hour or so of "i don't like poodles" she grew on me and I loved that dog like crazy. Sure she was small, but she was extremely intelligent, no problems training and didn't really require a massive yard. She didn't dig, bark (she does now because my parents let her), pee, etc. Great dog! So I bought 2 more.... but these two aren't as smart, but great companion dogs. Unfortunately, I can't use them much for walking because the smallest one gets tired. Now my first dog, she was great and if my dad was into hunting, she'd have made a fantastic bird dog, just not the other two. So good luck in your search for a dog. I would recommend either adopting a young pup or doing a lot of research on breeders. You don't want to pick up a dog with medical issues due to over breeding.

[keithvibe]

A lady I work with owns a toy poodle. The thing is smaller than my cat. It only weighs 7-8lbs. The dog is wicked fast.... Not much of a barker, a bit of a digger for some reason though, i think that has to do with the lack of training on the owners part again.The dog will walk backwards twards you as to say... pet my tookiss... pet my tookiss... HAHAHA it's funny and creepy at the same time.She bought her dog only to have to spend massive amounts on vet bills because she though she was buying from a good breader turned out to be a puppy mill.You are correct, they are very cute and don't shed one bit. Some, now I say some only because it's a blend of both but a labraadoodle can get the non-sheding traits from the poodle side and be a non-sheding dog. If the pup gets more from the labraador side they will shed.Labradoodle

[Sputnik]

Doodles are cute. A friend once had one. He was a bit high strung I think.

[drunkenmaxx]

for those who are allergic, the solution is to get a dog that has hair instead of fur. (yes, i'm serious, there is a difference)drunkenpooch is such a dog, no shedding and no dander.

[keithvibe]

i think we have gotten I don't know what dog you will get, I just hope you consider adopting.Thats all I am saying... I got my 2c in

[kevera]

The next dog I'm getting is a Bulldog.Big fat,sloppy,drooly lazy Bulldog.I'm not allowed any more big dogs because our last one went wacko.It was an American Pit Bull.Then I'm going to teach him how to skate

[keithvibe]

you need to teach them how to skate... they are too fat and slow to walk... HAHAHAHA

[lovemyraffe]

We haven't ruled out adopting. It would have to be the right dog.