Please help me! What breed?

[chowluver]

Hiya im new here! My name is Naty and I'll be 14 in 2 days.

I think I have finally managed to persuade my parents a little to get me a dog!
My mum hasn't said yes yet, but hopefully she will!

I just need help finding the right breed! (that is if she says yes *crosses fingers*)
My mum, brother and I have some allergies, so a hypo allergenic would be good.
Also a dog that doesn't shed TOO much would be good aswell, since my mum
is a real neat-freak and would go crazy if there was LOADS of fur around the house.
Also, both my parents work at the school I go to, my dad is actually the head (principle)
which means that the dog would probably be at school a lot of the time, since we would not like to
leave it alone for such long periods of time. So a dog that is good with children/friendly is an absolute must! (the youngest kids in my school are about 10 or 11)
I would like to have a dog that is not tiny, but not huge! Oh and I have a guinea pig, so...

Thank you!,
Naty :)

[ReneeD70]

Labs are wonderful around kids BUT they shed quite a bit and I don't know how they would affect your allergies.

Good luck tho!
Renee

[JustJo]

This is a listing from the AKC, however, since different people have different sorts of allergies you should always check out the dog before adopting them. Also, some of these breeds are not the best with children and some of them listed I have never even heard of - LOL!

Dogs Considered Good For Allergy Sufferers:

American Hairless Terrier
Basenji
Bedlington Terrier
Bergamasco
Bichon Frise
Bichon/Yorkie
Bolognese
Border Terrier
Cairn Terrier
Chinese Crested (hairless)
Cockapoo
Coton De Tulear
Doodleman Pinscher
Giant Schnauzer
Hairless Khala
Havanese
Irish Water Spaniel
Kerry Blue Terrier
Labradoodle
Lagotto Romagnolo
Lowchen (Little Lion Dog)
Maltese
Malti-Poo
Miniature Poodle
Miniature Schnauzer
Native American Indian Dog
Peruvian Inca Orchid
Poos
Portuguese Water Dog
Puli (Pulik)
Schnoodle
Shepadoodle
Shichon
Shih-Tzu
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Spanish Water Dog
Standard Poodle
Standard Schnauzer
Tibetan Terrier
Toy Poodle
West Highland White Terrier
Wirehaired Fox Terrier
Xoloitzcuintle
Yorkshire Terrier

[Snowy]

Naty, when u go thru the above list of dogs you may want to keep in mind trainability and whether they are barky dogs since you'll have them in school.
Your parents will probably appreciate a well behaved dog in school.

With that in mind, do u have access to a seeing eye dog center? I don't know how they work in the U.K., but here in the States, there is a possibility of adopting what I call a seeing-eye-dog flunkie. These are dogs that went thru the training but for whatever reason, could not be placed with a human partner. My friend recently got one, a lab who fllunked the finals because he got distracted when he saw other dogs. But the other obedience stuff this dog knows is AMAZING! My friend is a preschool teacher and Joey goes with her to school and is a perfect dog at school.
You won't be able to get a puppy, but if you can find one you're not allergic to, it may be perfect for going to school.
What parent could say no to a already specially trained dog?

[DachshundDuo]

Hi Naty! I have just recently learned about the labradoodle. They sound like the perfect dog for a family with allergies. Check out this website. www.labradoodlesinc.co.uk/info.html (http://www.labradoodlesinc.co.uk/info.html)

Good luck in your search for a great new friend! ;)

['too crazy]

Sounds like you have a lot of great advice here. Good luck and let us know if you get one and what kind you get. :)

[chowluver]

thank you all for the great advice! I really apreciate it, thank you :)

[chowluver]

Naty, when u go thru the above list of dogs you may want to keep in mind trainability and whether they are barky dogs since you'll have them in school.
Your parents will probably appreciate a well behaved dog in school.

With that in mind, do u have access to a seeing eye dog center? I don't know how they work in the U.K., but here in the States, there is a possibility of adopting what I call a seeing-eye-dog flunkie. These are dogs that went thru the training but for whatever reason, could not be placed with a human partner. My friend recently got one, a lab who fllunked the finals because he got distracted when he saw other dogs. But the other obedience stuff this dog knows is AMAZING! My friend is a preschool teacher and Joey goes with her to school and is a perfect dog at school.
You won't be able to get a puppy, but if you can find one you're not allergic to, it may be perfect for going to school.
What parent could say no to a already specially trained dog?

oh wow that sounds great, hmm ill look into that. thank you! :D

[whitewolf]

dogbreedinfo.com will help you decide what kind of dog you want. They have tons of catergories. not like gun dog or pastoral but they use words like. Gaurd or Flock Gaurdian, stuff like that. From my experiance get a lab, but you have to watch their diet. They tend to over eat. Also mutts are one of the best. A couple months ago we saw pet refuge at the fair. My dad melted and I had saved up the money to buy the dog. I think he was $95. If you get one take it to an obediance class, labs tend to be hyper.

[krazy4birds]

Just my little word of experience...I have not had a lot of dogs but I did have a Standard size Poodle once who was very smart, they DO NOT shed and are usually friendly with everyone well at least mine was. Good luck to you and I will be anxious to hear what kind you settle on!! Oh and WELCOME TO PETLOVERS!

[MtWoman]

I grew up with a Silky terrier who was wonderful! She's 14 now and you'd never know she was over 2. She doesn't shed at all, adores kids, and thought my guinea pigs were her children (to the point that my Chihuahua was not allowed to even look at them). She's only about ten pounds, but she's sturdy and holds her own well. You may want to look into them...
Have a great day,
Dawn
PS: Check out petfinder.org, they've got great dogs that need homes!

[zakksmom2000]

I have a Bichon and even though they need to be combed daily they are WONDERFUL dogs! We've had "Sassy" about 3 months and she has probably barked less than 10 times. I KNOW the would thrill your parents! lol :p
She's SO loving! My husband has always had a hard time cuddling up to other dogs but he adores her. We are getting a male in a few months to breed them in fact. I just can't tell you what a wonderful breed this is! Now they do take some grooming when they are older but they are the best friend you could ever have.
My silly pup even likes to take baths! She jumped into the tub with my son once and now tries to every time she sees him in it! lol She is a huge part of the family! OH! And they are diggers either! No lawn damage. :D
She adores anyone who comes through the door (not the watchdog type) and loves other animals too (yes, even cats! lol). She & my son are inseperable!
Lisa

[amanda622]

HEY like mtwoman i grew up with a silky too he was like almost 30 pds they dont shed great with kids not to big not to small i have a 7 month old silky now hes the same hes about 14 pds and still growing good luch let us know what ur family decides

[~Ruby~Eyes~]

Naty I think I know you from another forum? (Sims 2 Community Talk Forums) sorry if I am wrong but you sound alot like the person from that forum. Their name is Naty and they also have a gunie pig. But anyways no dog is going to not shed completely, you will probably have to get some allegery medicine. I would suggest maybe the Cotton De Tulear or the Havanese. They require quite a bit of grooming, but niether of them shed alot and they are both very intelligent and easily trained, but some Havanese have trouble with housbreaking so consider that as well. Neither of them are very large, Cottons can get up to 15 pounds, but they are quite sturdy. Here is a great site :D It has all the breeds!

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/abc.htm

[Kaye]

Personally I think a Bichon Frisé would be best in your situation. They're small and good for allergies (so I've read). Train it well if you get one. Remember if you have to bring it to school.. it will have to go out a lot during the day to go to the bathroom. Kudos to you for doing your research!

[Emuhlee]

Hiya im new here! My name is Naty and I'll be 14 in 2 days.

I think I have finally managed to persuade my parents a little to get me a dog!
My mum hasn't said yes yet, but hopefully she will!

I just need help finding the right breed! (that is if she says yes *crosses fingers*)
My mum, brother and I have some allergies, so a hypo allergenic would be good.
Also a dog that doesn't shed TOO much would be good aswell, since my mum
is a real neat-freak and would go crazy if there was LOADS of fur around the house.
Also, both my parents work at the school I go to, my dad is actually the head (principle)
which means that the dog would probably be at school a lot of the time, since we would not like to
leave it alone for such long periods of time. So a dog that is good with children/friendly is an absolute must! (the youngest kids in my school are about 10 or 11)
I would like to have a dog that is not tiny, but not huge! Oh and I have a guinea pig, so...

Thank you!,
Naty :)

Yes. Labs are excellent dogs, But they DO shed ALOT I have one.. I would reccomend a Jack Russel Terrier I have two of them and they are the best dogs ever, or maybe a dachshund they rarley shed. I know how exciting it is to get a new puppy I am only 15.. Jack Russels and Dachshunds ARE smaller dogs but very nice family pets.. The larger the dog the more hair

[xxJessxx]

Ruby~eyes~, i used to go on sims 2 talk community forum! :D

[swtnikki]

I was watching a special about the new hypo-allergitic dogs, & the poodle mixes seem to be the way to go. What I could tell is that they don't shed, people who have allergy probs don't have them, & they come in the three standard sizes *small, med. & large* Let's see..there's the Labordoodle *lab/poodle*, snoodle *snauzer/poodle*, maltese poodle, & a few more that you can find if you look it up. There's also the Alaskan kei kai, that I squealed when I saw it, 'cause it's basically a mini huskey. :D

[amanda622]

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/poodlemix.htm

[phelipa]

Hey, I had the same problem as you, I have 2 guinea pigs, my mom's a neat freak and allergies run in our family. We've finally decided on a dog, a greyhound. Unlike most people think they hardly shed and they hardly need any excercise. They need maybe 2 walks a day and are totally kid friendly. We're getting a rescued one for only 300 dollars and they do prey testing on them so the guinea pig thing shouldn't be a proble, just tell them and they'll give you one that has a low prey drive. If you want more info u can e mail me at horses_for_life88@hotmail.com or go to www.adopt-a-greyhound.ca or www.greythap.com

[phelipa]

I would really discourage getting a larbadoodle or a golden doodle I work at a vet and we have a few that go there, some of them had to be put down because of tempermental problems (biting). They are most of the time tempermentally unstable

[barksalotbis]

I would suggest a sheltie - except for the shedding...they are extremly smart and love kids - I have had 4 of them since my boys were babies...Sometimes they can be very shy - but the 2 I have now love people and love kids! They are very easy to train also..

[iLuVpEtS]

My best guess it go to your local pound and pic out the sweet'est loving little dog that is good with kids and not a big shedder, if you have you heart set on a full breed I would say go for a wheaten terrier!! They are usally great with kids, they have hair not fur (ask your vet they will tell you the same) they are sweethears, I do animal rescue and just adopted one out yesterday! He was a sweety...They are med, they do have long hair but do not shed AT ALL!!! It is like a dream dog. But I will tell you it is very hard to find one, because we had 34 ppl fighting over him because they have been looking for one for years...So I would just get a mutt! They are the best oin my opinion. You will find that they are most heathy because ppl are so set on getting them to look right they comlitly forget about health (no ofence, I ment most) So Please PM me and tell me you final decizion...and your mums!

[iLuVpEtS]

Oh and my mom just said that there are some wheatens that have wirey hair (that might shed) so if you are you are going to go for a wheaten go for the soft coated wheaten, and the ones about 1 to 4 are the best. I would not start with a pup! There are rescues, just go to a search engine like yahoo or google and put like soft coated wheaten rescues in you area and many will probibly come up. And most will adopt even if you are in a diferent area...Let me know!

[lovielover]

My personal favorite is the golden retriever they are beautful and the best family pets :D. Mine will sleep in bed with me and loves to swim in our pool. She tries to sneak in our car to come to school with us, because my mom is a teacher. And at lunchtime she will walk around the halls with the kids at my school. She is a very sweet loving dog, but does shed. When she sheds she sheds in small balls of fur, and not splinters like the labs (since they have shorter hair). She is a dark red color not as red as an irish setter but not as light as a normal golden. The goldens colors can range from white to darker red (like mine). I would highly recommend them :-D GOOD LUCK!!!

[petlove]

I have allergies too. To all animal dander. I'd suggest a poodle. I have two of them and they hardly bother my allergies at all. They don't shed, but they require a lot of grooming. They're also very smart and learn things quickly. If you want a quiet dog, I think a standard poodle would be best. Toys and minis can be quite vocal. Poodle mixes aren't always hypo-allergenic. It depends on which breed they got most of their characteristics from. Even dogs with short hair that don't shed a lot could be bad for allergies. I guess it depends on how bad your allergies are and how much you're willing to put up with them. Good luck!

[skyhawk]

definitely terriers or any short haired.

[John Olexa]

What ever you decided to get, try your local animal shelter first, you just might save a life :)

[Jennicat]

I would really discourage getting a larbadoodle or a golden doodle I work at a vet and we have a few that go there, some of them had to be put down because of tempermental problems (biting). They are most of the time tempermentally unstable

Not to mention that a lot of times you're getting charged for a really fancy mutt. The Doodle dogs are not registered with the AKC and aren't considered show dogs or anything. Granted, this may not be important if you're getting them for a pet, but it does mean that since there are no breed standards, you're pretty much up for a random mix of personality from either breed, as well as being subject of the genetic problems from either breed.

I think animal shelters should take up the cute doggie name banners. Instead of my Aussie Shepherd mix, they could've called her a Aussweiler... ;)