Patient for Puppies

[zionchild]

Kate and I are very patient about it and we want to make sure we can handle it first, but we've always eventually wanted a dog. I haven't liked most of the small breeds that I've seen, so I always assumed that we'd end up getting a larger dog like a Lab or a Malamute once we had enough backyard to let it run around. After meeting a couple of

Comments

[soundpicturebox]

oh fuck oh fuck I swear I'm not going all PI on you but.

You've got to be really careful with 'developing' breeds cause a lot of the breeders are going to be responsible and committed to healthy dogs, but a lot of other breeders are going to be 'hurr novelty breed!!" So watch out. The UKC means jack shit. Find a breeder who does a whole lot of health testing before breeding (eyes, hips, etc). It's a pretty big :smith: to find out your year-old puppy needs hip replacements.

Also from my experience huskies do not give a shit about what you have to say to them. They are the stubbornest most independent motherfuckers in the world. If these little dudes are anything like malamutes or huskies, you're going to have a hell of a time training them (especially not to howl, which they do A LOT).

But hey, they are pretty cute.

[zionchild]

Dammit, I thought they weren't one of those breeds. The last thing I want is a frickin Labradoodle. I'd read in a couple of different places that these breeds were pretty resistant to defect.

I'm not really interested in greyhounds, at least not the ones I've seen - someone in PI recommended "a smaller, less-athletic spitz breed like the Finnish Spitz, Keeshound, Norwegian Elkhound, or Schipperke".

[soundpicturebox]

Schipperkes are cute as all hell, my god. Little black puffs.

Are you set on a purebred? Why not just look around on petfinder and see if there's a smaller-sized mutt with the characteristics you're looking for? Save a bunch of money and give a dog a good home. Everybody wins!

[zionchild]

Most of the people that are putting information into Petfinder for shelters in our region appear to be profoundly retarded. They seem to think that as long as it's a puppy, it fits under "small-sized breed". Also, when I went looking for Klee Kais for the hell of it, I found one ad saying "the owners thought this little guy was a Husky, but she's only grown to about 24 inches tall - we're sure she's a Klee Kai". Just going on my ten minutes' Googling, that's either a damn huge Klee Kai, or a moderately runtish Husky. I would really, REALLY hate to bring home a puppy that was listed as a small breed, have it grow to waist-height and beyond our capacity for care, and just end up bringing it back to a shelter.

But no, I love mutts. :)

[soundpicturebox]

Also completely irrelevantly you should get a greyhound. They're big goofy lovable lumps that need zero space and almost no exercise. And they're funny-lookin.

[aya_blue]

Dogbreedinfo.com says:
Alaskan Klee Kai's shed, bark, and have a high energy level, therefore not making them ideal choices for everyone. However, if in an appropriate home, the Klee Kai can be a wonderful companion. They are friendly but somewhat reserved with strangers. Docile and very loving.

Doesn't look like its an AKC registered breed, but it is UKC.

I'm glad you are looking in to this before you buy. Too many people just go out and buy a dog without doing the legwork.

I never liked "soccer-ball dogs" either, but after being around a few that weren't yippy, they've grown on me. They can't cause mass destruction, and even when they are bouncing all over the place, it doesn't matter because they're so small.

Good luck with your search!

[telsh7]

As long as you don't get one from a puppy mill and you know the meaning of the words "Calm, Assertive", I have no other advice. I support rescue leagues, but I'm not a purist. If you have questions or need anything concerning dogs, they are Sarah's passion and I've learned a lot by association. Just ask! Especially if you rescue a dog, some may have varying degrees of behavioral problems from being maltreated, but all these can be worked through with an owner with stick-to-it-iveness.

Hey, if you want to borrow Killian for a weekend, Sarah says you're welcome to. :)

[zionchild]

I love Killian.

I never thought to ask - how much energy do you end up spending on Killian as opposed to the other two? Or does it all kinda get jumbled together from doing the same activities with all of them?

[telsh7]

Hmm. I'd say he's about the middle. Babs is the easiest as long as you sporadically launch the tennis ball a few times a day. Killian just wants to sit in your lap, stir up the other dogs, or chew up papers or Kleenex. He doesn't tend to eat anything he shouldn't but he will help open your mail- whether you know he's shredding it or not. He's fully housebroken now- finally (small breeds tend to take longer to potty train), he doesn't eat much, and he's not on any special medications. He may be a little shy if we're not there, but that's ok. The other two need a break from him, anyway.