Looking for the Right Breed!

[Chris7620]

Me and my wife are both dog lovers and have been looking for a dog for the past couple of months but we keep on disagreeing on type of dog we want. I want a Beagle and she wants a Schnauzer, then I said a labrador retriever and she says Pit Bull. Now we are just settling for a breed that can fit our life style and a dog to keep my wife company when I travel over seas. We have pretty long hours at work (7am to 5pm M-F only) but with the weekends off. Want want either a small or medium size dog that does well with kids (especially babies). We can give the dog at least 2 walks a day and groom it at least twice a week. Also we need a dog that doesn't bark or whine when we are not at home. So if you know a place where I can talk to someone about this, a website, or if your a dog expert; that'll be a huge help for us. Thanks.

[That_girl]

I would say, definitely don't get a beagle. They need tons of exercise and are notorious barkers.

Any dog can learn not to bark when you are not home via crate/kennel training. Check out this site if you aren't familiar with it. http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

Also any dog can do great with kids if properly socialized at a young age. Puppies need lots of socialization with other people, kids and other dogs.

Have you thought about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? They were bred as a companion dog. They are smaller and don't need excessive amounts of exercise. Otherwise I think a pit bull or a golden could do well for you.

[MandyPug]

I'd stay away from Schnauzers too if you don't want barking and you want kid friendly dispositions. Terriers tend to be pretty high strung and barky and non-tolerant of unpredictable child behaviour.

You could try a Pug. They're awesome with children and don't need tons of exercise, they enjoy walks but are perfectly content to curl up and sleep all day. They're not notorious barkers, the most mine do is bark once or twice if the mail man or paper boy comes by then they stop and go back to their nap. However barking is more a training thing too. They do shed so should be brushed about once a week to get the undercoat out (using a tool such as the Furminator) and their wrinkles need to be cleaned at least twice a week (with warm water and cotton swabs then dried really well) to avoid infection.

Another option you have is to check out shelters. These dogs are a little older usually and you can tell what they're going to be like. Barker or not, good with children or not. Plus they usually come completely housetrained and even sometimes knowing basic obedience.