Designer Dogs

[Chips]

Recently I've been looking at purchasing a dog, but I haven't really found a pure breed that I want, so I started looking at crossbreeds, or "designer dogs." I'm looking for a small to medium sized dog that doesn't shed too much hair and is good with kids. With those traits in mind, I was looking at getting a Petite Goldendoodle.

I figured I'd come to BG first and see your opinions are on crossbreeds. Also, feel free to mention any crossbreeds that you've come across and like (or would recommend as pets). A couple of purebreeds I kind of liked were the Corgi and Samoyde, though both shed a decent amount.

[Pikarya]

Does it have to be a pure breed? I'm sure theres more than enough animals in your local shelters that you could take a look at.

Or... www.petfinder.com, look at each breed until you find your cup of tea.

[sekaran]

Golden doodles are so cute. When I'm ready to get a dog, that'll be high on my list for the reasons you stated.

[Seraphise]

I don't know what your idea of medium is, but I personally have a Novia Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, and its absolutely gorgeous.
Its extremely loyal and playful. It was rescued from a abusive family so mine personally has a few attachment issues and gets scared from anything loud, but i'm fairly certain these arn't common traits between the breed. I think its medium, with Bermese being large.

If that doesn't interest you, I know a pedigree chow are often times not the nicest to strangers, but i've only heard/seen amazing things from chow mixes.

On another note, Our scotia doesn't shed often, but does grow its hair out and gets it knotted, so we keep it kind of short. I'm fairly certain it wouldn't shed too much if you keep it long and brush every 2 weeks or so, but I couldn't tell ya.

[Siegtaru]

You can get a Shi Tzu/Toy Poodle if ya want something small and tame. Doesn't shed, fairly small, even when fully matured, very cute and they're usually friendly. Not like they could really hurt anyone lol.

[Griselda]

I have a Cockapoo (sometimes called Cockerpoo or Spoodle) which is a hybrid of Cocker Spaniel and Poodle and he has been an absolute joy to have in my life. As much as I believe a dog is a product of its environment, he has always been a well mannered dog, affectionate and low maintenance in terms of low shedding. He's around 20 pounds so he's not too heavy to carry around but he's hefty enough to play with kids. He's only a few months old in these pictures but just wanted to give an idea of how he looks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...a/DSC02719.jpg

Also, wanted to agree with another poster - my dog's hair doesn't shed much (if at all it seems) but if he isn't properly groomed, his hair gets VERY tangled. We made the mistake of getting lazy with his grooming a few months ago and his hair clumped up (and was impossible to comb through) and we ended up having to shear it all off like a sheep. Here's a closeup of his hair, which is beautifully curly and so soft. So while shedding won't be an issue, you really want to maintain a good grooming schedule.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...a/DSC02716.jpg

[Shuemue]

Dude, if you don't know what kind of dog you want, just pop down to your local shelter weekly, you'll soon fall in love with one that needs a home badly, and will save you $1k+ on an inbred status symbol.

[/peta]

[Xenega]

Honestly, there are a lot of dogs with the traits you mentioned who are not purebred, or a specific mix. I adopted my dog over 7 years ago, she a mix of at least everything in each size group. She's also exactly the traits you had described, and I got her from the animal shelter in my area. I also wanted to get a dog like what you want, and I had a breed picked out and everything, but I was persuaded to look at the shelter first. The second I met the dog I have now I knew that I wanted her.

There are a lot of animals that need a good home at shelters, and a lot of them are good dogs. You shouldn't single your decision out before you look at other options as well.

My advise is to check out your shelter(s) a couple of times before you look at dogs who are bread for money. You might be surprised at how many sweet dogs are there, and you might find one you really want, like I did.

[Lbelle]

I think cockapoos are really cute. Also, why are there like 800 "I want/am getting a dog" threads lately??

[guartz]

pugs

[Ddz]

pugs

I have one, he is adorable and hilarious but also a pain in the ass. They are predisposed to a lot of health problems including allergies, ear infections, skin infections...they need constant maintenance and cannot handle being outside in the heat or cold too long. He barks constantly at everything that makes noise or walks past the house. Basically a pug is just a dog to sit and look pretty indoors most of the time. Oh and he sheds a shit ton of hair all over the place. He is fucking cute though.

[Lbelle]

but can he do this:

http://www.bluegartr.com/forum/image...ine=1216263402

[Tankjr]

With the amount of animals in shelters that will eventually be destroyed I rage at people paying $1k for dogs. Dogs born in puppy mills, under horrible conditions.

Buying dogs is bad, and you should feel bad.

[Ddz]

but can he do this:

http://www.bluegartr.com/forum/image...ine=1216263402

Yes he can, rofl. He has a lot of neck skin like that dog. When he has to shit, he runs to the back door and spins in circles until the door is opened. Also when he wants attention he will grab a toy and crawl around on the floor in front of us.

[Tankjr]

Yes he can, rofl. He has a lot of neck skin like that dog. When he has to shit, he runs to the back door and spins in circles until the door is opened. Also when he wants attention he will grab a toy and crawl around on the floor in front of us.

Friends of mine rescued a pug from some ghetto in Chicago. The former owners were keeping it in a cardboard box. He learned to relieve himself by standing on his front paws and shoot everything back, outside of the box. He never stopped doing that even after being moved to the country with plenty of open space to just shit on the ground.

[Demosthenes]

Yeah, checking out the shelter should be your first option. I can understand some people wanting purebred dogs though, and I can't fault them. Make sure you realize that your dog is not an accessory. If I see you accessorising that shit irl, I will slap you myself.