[tigress]

Originally Posted by jerz211

Thanks all for the replies!

I only said my gf may not have the time to walk the dog or groom it too much, but she does have the time to play with it once in a while and have it sit on her lap while she do her thesis!

I think a companion dog would suit her quite nicely. She's taken a liking to a corgi, what do you guys think?

I think she needs to get used to the idea of a cat.

And as others said, for what she's willing to do, any herding/working/sport dog is completley out of the question (corgis fall into herding). And I'd still say maybe she needs to learn to like hte idea of a cat. Really, cats are great companions. I love my little furballs. And I appreciate how little work and money they take now that I have a dog.

Take it from some one whose idea of what work a dog took was walking it twice a day and maybe devoting 30 minutes to training each day and found out a dog is a lot more time intensive than that even (I got very overwhelmed at first and I had way more expectations of what I needed to do to keep the dog happy than your gf).

When she finds out that the dog is not meeting her expectations of how little time she needs to give it, she's going to be miserable. Or maybe she'll eventually adjust but she sure isn't going to be doing as little as she thinks she wants to now (I am doinga lot more for my dog than I thought I was willing to do. Even now sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed).

Even my friend's adult and old greyhounds (who are total couch pototoes for dogs) require a 30 minute walk everyday and want attention everyday. ANd I'd consider them very low energy easy to care for dogs.

[Kuma'sMom]

PUG PUG PUG PUG PUG

They're low grooming needs, they will walk for a bit if you want, but love to just sit around and watch TV. They're low energy inside, they don't typically like to bark. and are AWESOME companion dogs...

I can't wait to get another one when I decide to get another small dog of some sort. The only problem is; they shed like crazy.

Pugs are NOT low energy! Maybe once they hit 5 or 6 years, but they are very high energy dogs until then. My Pug Kuma runs circles around Labs and Jack Russells, and is nowhere near low energy. They also require tons of attention, and are not what I'd call low maintenance. They shed tons, have a number of potential health problems that can be quite costly to treat, and most need to have their wrinkles cleaned on a daily basis. I love my Pug dearly, and will always have Pugs in my home, but I think a Pug would be a terrible choice here.

[harrise]

Even if she found this perfect dog, it would benefit even more from daily exercise and stimulation... Poor doggy...

[melgrj7]

If she is really set on getting a dog, have her look into finding a doggie daycare in the area. The one around here charges $19 a day if you go 5 days a week. The dog would be able to get attention and exercise and would be nice and calm for her at home after playing hard all day.

[Trelaboon]

Originally Posted by Kuma'sMom

Pugs are NOT low energy! Maybe once they hit 5 or 6 years, but they are very high energy dogs until then. My Pug Kuma runs circles around Labs and Jack Russells, and is nowhere near low energy. They also require tons of attention, and are not what I'd call low maintenance. They shed tons, have a number of potential health problems that can be quite costly to treat, and most need to have their wrinkles cleaned on a daily basis. I love my Pug dearly, and will always have Pugs in my home, but I think a Pug would be a terrible choice here.

I disagree and agree here...

The Pug CAN be costly...but as for hyper, I don't know..

I've owned Pugs most my life, and honestly...they've all been laid back and calm, only being hyper and energetic when the time calls for it. and honestly...That cleaning the wrinkles every day thing isn't even necessary...I clean mine once every few days, and it takes literally a couple seconds.

Basically the only thing high maintenance about them, is the health issues, and the shedding, other than that...I think you'd be very content with a Pug

[blackrose]

Originally Posted by FriendsOfZoe

Are you kidding me? Obviously not, but a story like that makes it sounds like golden puppies are well-behaved. Glad you met one who was, but aukk you should meet my Zoe. At over a year she is still getting more and more energy every day. She doesn't need a lot of grooming, but she needs more like 2 walks in half a day rather than a week!!

Just don't want the op to get any wrong ideas about goldens...goldens are definitely not a good choice in this situation, not at all.

Nope, this puppy was a perfect angel - no kidding involved. And trust me on this, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw him. lol I had to double check his cage card to make sure it really did say "eight months" on it, because I could have sworn he was older.
I wasn't trying to give the impression that Goldens are calm dogs....just that the only sane puppy I've ever met was a Golden. I've met TONS of other Goldens who were still bouncing off the walls at five years of age.

I wouldn't suggest a Golden at all, and I hope the poster didn't get that impression. That would be a disaster waiting to happen.

I second the "get a cat" or at least "get a senior dog".

You know, they do have some VERY interesting cat breeds out there, including some that love to walk on leashes, play fetch, and are quite trainable. Pixie Bobs, for instance. If you want something with a bit more diversity than a cat, you don't have to get the normal Domestic Short-hair/Long-hair/Medium-hair kind (although that would be wonderful, as those are the muttlies that are EVERWHERE and really need homes), you can get a cat breed that acts like a dog.

Here is a brief article on the Pixie Bobs:

The Pixie-Bob is thought to have originally developed from the naturally occurring crosses of barn cats to Bobcats in Washington state, where the Coastal Red Bobcat thrives. A number of these "natural hybrid" kittens were discovered and became the foundation for the Pixie-Bob breed. Pixie-Bobs going back to these original lines are called "Blue List." Selective breeding has produced a large boned and loving cat with the personality and devotion of a faithful dog. They bond very strongly to their family and get along well with other animals and children.

Pixie-Bobs have a thick double coat that stand up off the body having "loft". The texture is quite wooly reminiscent of a Bobcat and comes in both shorthair and longhair. The longhaired Pixie-Bobs have a softer texture to the coat, and the coat length is medium. Both long and shorthaired Pixie-Bobs should have substantial boning, a tall rangy body with incredible muscle tone and large thick toes. Polydactyl cats are allowed for showing with a maximum of 7 toes per foot. Males average 20 pounds with females averaging about 14. They keep growing for 2 to 3 years. The Pixie-Bobs' face counts for 50 out of 100 points in a cat show and gives the Pixie-Bob it's unusual Bobcat look. Small almond shaped eyes, a thick fleshy chin, puffy nose, leather, heavy brow, lynx tipped ears and an inverted pear shaped head are features sought after in a show cat. The natural bob-tail can vary in length with the ideal being 4 - 6" on an adult cat and its frequently kinked , but should have flexibility and natural movement.

The Pixie-Bob comes in various shades of spotted and mackerel tabby ranging from a dove gray, tawny, through to a reddish brown, with small spots or rosettes. Extreme ticking should obscure the markings for a true Bobcat look. Sometimes kittens are born with a "classic" tabby pattern and these are usually sold as pets. Only colors found naturally in Bobcats can be used in a breeding program.

These "dogs in disguise" are unusual in both looks and personality and are on of the largest breeds of registered show-able cats.

Article reprinted with permission from Tracey Semchison

http://www.pixiebobbreed.com/about.htm

And a picture of one:

[Kuma'sMom]

I disagree and agree here...

The Pug CAN be costly...but as for hyper, I don't know..

I've owned Pugs most my life, and honestly...they've all been laid back and calm, only being hyper and energetic when the time calls for it. and honestly...That cleaning the wrinkles every day thing isn't even necessary...I clean mine once every few days, and it takes literally a couple seconds.

Basically the only thing high maintenance about them, is the health issues, and the shedding, other than that...I think you'd be very content with a Pug

I've worked with a lot of Pugs, and know a great many people who have them and have bred them, and my experience and theirs is that Pugs are very high energy until they're about 4 or 5. I have yet to meet a low energy Pug that's younger than 4 years. My Pug Kuma has literally gone up to 6 hours playing and swimming without a break, and he is not unusaly in my Pug group. As for the cleaning wrinkles, it does depend on the depth of their wrinkles, but many Pugs do have to have their wrinkles cleaned everyday. Pugs also are very clingy and need a great deal of attention. Being walked every couple of days and being played with every now and then is nowhere near enough for these dogs. I really don't think there is a dog out there that will meet the op's requirements. I agree with the other posts, a cat would be a much better choice.

[FilleBelle]

I'm with Kuma'sMom here. I don't actually own Pugs, but I thought I wanted to until I began housesitting for two different Pugs owned by two different families. They are comical little critters, but MAN...they get the zoomies more than any dog I've ever met. They are seriously crazy little dogs. And I know exactly why: They were purchased because they are little companion dogs and the owners were hoping that they would be content to play on the patio once in a while and sit around on the couch the rest of the time. Very, VERY wrong!

ETA: I want to go back to the Basset Hound post, too. I definitely agree that Bassets are fairly low maintenance...except in the training department. I've never met a Basset who wasn't stubborn, hardheaded, and difficult to housebreak (among other things). Maybe I just haven't met enough Bassets, but I'm thinking this poster's gf shouldn't be saddled with a dog that is a challenge to train when she doesn't even have time for a walk!

[dusty&lulusmom]

I do have to agree that my basset has been the most stubborn and difficult when it comes to training out of our pack. Sometimes she just doesn't seem to get it...Maybe you need to look into a dog that is a few years old and already housebroken. There are always dogs looking for a good home at the shelter, most of them are not puppies...this might be the best thing in this case.

[Criosphynx]

Originally Posted by blackrose

Nope, this puppy was a perfect angel - no kidding involved. And trust me on this, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw him. lol I had to double check his cage card to make sure it really did say "eight months" on it, because I could have sworn he was older.
I wasn't trying to give the impression that Goldens are calm dogs....just that the only sane puppy I've ever met was a Golden. I've met TONS of other Goldens who were still bouncing off the walls at five years of age.

I wouldn't suggest a Golden at all, and I hope the poster didn't get that impression. That would be a disaster waiting to happen.

I second the "get a cat" or at least "get a senior dog".

You know, they do have some VERY interesting cat breeds out there, including some that love to walk on leashes, play fetch, and are quite trainable. Pixie Bobs, for instance. If you want something with a bit more diversity than a cat, you don't have to get the normal Domestic Short-hair/Long-hair/Medium-hair kind (although that would be wonderful, as those are the muttlies that are EVERWHERE and really need homes), you can get a cat breed that acts like a dog.

Here is a brief article on the Pixie Bobs:

http://www.pixiebobbreed.com/about.htm

And a picture of one:

i agree with the "better" cat idea. There are lots of interesting cat breeds out there. A high energy cat is still less work than ANY dog. No walks, and you can leave for the weekends with no worries.

have her go to a small dog rescue and tell them what you told us, they can probably make a good match, or they might tell her to get lost.

Senior dogs are awesome btw

I have three, they are about as much work as one young dog. I knew my limits on patience and time, plus i wanted a Pom, which is an active breed, but i knew i couldn't deal with the energy. My old pom sleeps more than my cats. I love it because shes not Insane all the time.

[poodleholic]

Ok, if I have understood correctly (reading between the lines), your gf will be living alone and is a student, so will not have tons of time to devote to daily run/walks/jogs, and daily grooming requirements.

If so, then I do think that she should wait to get a dog until after she graduates. Not only is there studying and homework, a social life is part of going to college. This is not the environment in which to raise a puppy, nor to subject an adult dog to. Having a dog of any breed is like living with a human toddler - and remains that way for the life of the dog.

A cat for now, and a dog later.