I need help picking out a dog breed!

miniature schnauzers!!! Sooo cute, don’t shed, sweet, and extremely loyal. and averaged sized, not too small, not too big.

IAMS dog food created a program to help you figure out what you want.

http://www.iams.com/iams/breed-information.jsp?gclid=CMbQopq9tKECFddR2godqg5b-A

Thanks, you two! I hadn’t even considered a miniature schnauzer so now I will have to look into those! :)

Thank you, @rpmpseudonym, for the link!

@chasy , no problem. After filling out the survey, let us know what the site said was a good recommendation. I’d love to know. :)

<—-Boxers, they are wonderful. Maybe a little bigger than a Maltese, but mine still gets in my lap. She is 48 lbs. She hardly ever barks, sweet temper, short haired so you don’t have to get them groomed.

Toy rat terriers fit your description very well. I own one and they become extremely attached to you and want to cuddle whenever you will allow it. Full grown they are 5–10 pounds but I am not sure about hypoallergenic.

Cuddly = Shar-Pei

@rpmpseudonym The first recommendation was a Gordon Setter, which I’ve never heard of. A Yorkie was recommended over a Maltese (probably because I checked the watchdog box) but the Maltese scored higher than the Miniature Schnauzer. I think I might be leaning more toward the Yorkie now…

@chyna I think Boxers have fur, not hair, which means I would probably be allergic to one. :\ Thank you for answering! :)

@noohac Is “toy rat terrier” a specific breed or does that cover a variety of breeds? Are Yorkies considered toy rat terriers? I know they’re a toy breed and they’re also terriers and I was just reading that they were bred for keeping the rat population down in mines…

Thank you everyone for being so helpful!! I haven’t been in this community for over a year now and it seems a lot more active than it was when I first joined! You guys are amazing! ^_^

@rebbel Oh my gosh, a Shar-Pei is bleeping cute!!! But I think it’s another one that I would be allergic to…

Never heard of Gordon Setter either… looked them up.. daaamn cute!!

Buy a Border Collie. from a puppy, they will be your lapdog friend. you will be its master and he will guard you 24/7.

BCs require a lot of physical playtime and exercise. in return you will have the most intelligent dog on the planet to be your friend for life. BCs are not small, but thier love and devotion to its master is unyielding and dedicated.

Choose a BC and see what i mean. its IQ is unbelievable.

Allergies are variable from person to person, so a dog I might be able to tolerate you may still have a reaction to – even the so-called hypoallergenic dogs.

The allergy is usually to a dog’s saliva or dander in the hair. Short-haired breeds or dogs that shed least are your best bet, but it will still be a matter of being around the dog.

You might not be allergic to one cairn terrier, for instance, but you might be to another.

@john65pennington I’ve heard good things about Border Collies. I will look them up! :)

@netgrrl Thank you for the info! I didn’t know that, actually. I had assumed I was allergic to their dander. I seem to be allergic to most dogs. I’ve not been around “hypoallergenic” dogs a lot so I don’t know if that will actually make a difference or not. My MIL has a mini Schnauzer and those are supposed to be hypoallergenic so when she comes to visit, I will do lots of sniffing to see if I’m allergic. LOL

I second the motion, @Finley! Miniature Schnauzers forever.

@chasy, I would read this thread before getting a Border Collie. A Maltese, Toy Rat Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer or maybe a Bichon Frise might suit your desires better.

bichon frise are good for allergies.

I love my border collie australian shepherd mix. Smarter than me. also portuguese water dogs.like obama

@chasy Toy Rat Terriers are a breed. A full grown one can be seen here.

Just get a small mutt and be happy with it.

It will shed. It will defecate and urinate “inappropriately” and at inconvenient times. It will have health issues. It will require regular checkups, training, licensing, all of that… and more.

But it will love you to pieces.

@xxii Thank you for the link and the suggestions!

@xxii and @noohac, are Toy Rat Terriers hypoallergenic?

@jazmina88 Thanks for the input! :)

@CyanoticWasp LOL I suppose if I go back on allergy medicine, that would be quite a fine solution. ;)

I don’t think they’re hypoallergenic, sorry. Maybe a Bichon Frise or a Cairn Terrier. Of course, the only guaranteed hypoallergenic breeds are the hairless ones, but those aren’t for everyone looks-wise, and I’m not sure how common they are in rescue.

The only truly hypoallergenic dog I know of is the poodle. Everything else will shed.

Chasy. from a puppy, a border collie will lay in your lay. when they are an adult and weigh 65 pounds, they will still want to lay in your lap. they never seem to grow up and believe that your lap is their place to be…........for life. john

I have a rescue who is (the vet thinks) a chihuahua/toy fox terrier hybrid. Being very short-haired I have few problems.

It’s really a matter of the dog, not the breed. Some breeds have gotten the name hypoallergenic but you might still react to the one you meet.

I have to agree with @netgrrl. The best thing to do in your case might be to find a breed-specific rescue or foster, then go meet some dogs. You’ll be able to assess their temperament (which is another thing that is typically generalised per breed, but varies greatly by individual) as well as see how your allergies hold up.

I seem to recall that hearing that if you are allergic to dogs, you need to get one whose hair grows and needs to be trimmed—schnauzers, poodles, lhasa apso, etc. Here’s a list of breeds that are good for those with allergies.

Just to add to my previous post… people in breed-specific rescues usually can (and love) answering all sorts of questions about the breed you’re considering. If you Google search ”[state/area] maltese rescue” for example, you’ll probably find something. Otherwise, Petfinder is always helpful.

While toy rat terriers do shed minimally, many people I know that are allergic to dogs are not bothered by some dogs like rat terriers. Please heed this as a personal experience and may or may not prove true for you.

@chasy Rescues are terrific places to find your forever pet. My last 3 dogs were from the boxer rescue in my area. But a dog pound is also a great place to get a pet and you will know you are saving a life. You can find breed specific animals there also.

We have a beagle. She fits your description very well.

Thank you so much, everyone! I’m overwhelmed with all the great responses! :)

My friend ahs tow kids with allergies and needed to get a hypo-allergenic dog. They researched a got a Havanese which is abosolutely adorable. Similar in size to a Maltese, black and white or gray and very lively and fun. Soft-coated Wheaten terriers are also hypo-allergenic and adorable but slightly bigger. Rescue dogs are great but be careful that you don’t get one with socialization problems.

Sorry, @chasy, I’m sure we never meant to overwhelm. Just wanted to answer the Q responsively… and welcome you to Fluther.

As opposed to the many times we mean to underwhelm and do!

@chasy, as a long-time beagle owner, they are HEAVY shedders. I am allergic to dogs and can control my allergies with antihistamines, but when my allergies get pretty bad I am forced to limit my interactions with them.

There are only 3 types of dogs that are hypoallergenic, bison frise, maltese, and poodles so you can get these breeds or the new “hybrid” breeds such as a cockapoo (cocker spaniel and poodle). There are dogs that shed less than the others like shih tzu’s, pekingese and some terriers, these can be mixed with other breeds to make hypoallergenic dogs with minimal shedding too. Getting your dog from a reputable breeder is most important. Watch out for “puppy brokers” web sites and companies that broker sales between breeders and buyers. Their puppies are usually quality and not from puppy mills (although not always true) but they charge almost twice the cost of the dog and their guarantees on the life of the dog is only for genetic defects.

The perfect dog.

Don’t get a purebred. The mixed breeds are cuter and have less problems. Mine is a mix of Shi Tzu, Pomeranian, and Cairn Terrier. I really think he has more in him than that because his huge floppy ears aren’t really like the ones of any of those three.

I did a lot of research before we got our dog and found that a Cairn Terrior or King Charles Spaniel were our best fit. My daughter wanted a poodle desperately. I found a Cairn/poodle mix and almost got it, but they sold it out from under me. Well good!

We ended up with a Cairn/King Charles/Cocker Spaniel mix who is smart (maybe a little too much), loving, cuddly and loyal to all three of us. She will bark her head off at anyone she doesn’t recognize, especially if our daughter is there. Once we tell her they’re ok, she quiets down, but she makes sure we know when a stranger is near.

Good luck! I hope you find the perfect pup. :)

Thank you everyone! :)

Thank you so much, @MayaLocke! I have actually decided I will either get a shelter dog (still needs to be a hypo-allergenic breed though, or at least crossed with one) or rescue a dog from craigslist. I’ve seen a few Yorkie mixes on craigslist recently, and I’m really drawn to the Yorkie breed. However, because I’m an explorer at heart, I’m still going to check out all the links you posted! ;^) Thank you for your answer!

@chasy I’d like to forewarn you about Yorkies. They are very stubborn and hard to train, especially if you get them as a mature dog. So before you take the plunge, I’d suggest you should really think about if you have enough time to train it and give it enough attention to make it see what a good friend you’d be. It takes a lot of work. I know – our last dog, a Yorkie, was from a shelter and was 7 when we got him.

@ChocolateReigns Thanks for the heads up! :^/ I guess I’ll need to find another breed, unless I can find a Yorkie that’s been trained well.