[Pax]

For what it's worth, when I first saw a Chow Chow, I fell in love with the big fluffy teddy bear and felt certain it was the dog for me. When I actually learnt something about the breed's temperament and what it needs in an owner, I thanked my lucky stars that I never got that Chow, because it would be exactly the WRONG dog for me.

My point is, if you and your gf want a dog, consider spending some time thinking about what you want in a dog, what you are able to offer as guardians, and researching dog breeds. Maybe you'll come across something that looks like a GR puppy, maybe you'll fall in love with something entirely different, but you'll certainly be much more aware of what you are getting into.

[Vladimir Marenus]

Originally Posted by lovemygreys

I'm not really sure what that means..."fancier dog shows" - do you mean a conformation show where they walk the dogs around the show ring? I can't really think of any (AKC) pure bred dogs that would look like a "puppy sized" golden retriever

Yep, it was on a show where they were walked around the ring, inspected, and all that good stuff.

[Quincy]

Originally Posted by Vladimir Marenus

Yep, it was on a show where they were walked around the ring, inspected, and all that good stuff.

Just a thought. Some Breed Clubs and "All Breeds Clubs" do have "puppy classes", where even 3 month old pups and their owners attend to train and prepare for showing. In such classes they can set up a practice ring which they walk around and do other things, and even get someone to act as a show judge, this so that by the time they are 6 months old they are really well prepared for the good stuff at an actual show. Well it's just a thought, and maybe what your friend may have seen just might have been one of these puppy classes, and where they saw a "puppy sized golden retriever or cocker spaniel", and in cockers there are 2 different breeds in the English Cocker Spaniel and American Cocker Spaniel.

Just another thought and as your friend was watching TV, maybe they were watching a dog show in another country, and in some countries they do have a show class "'Baby Puppy' - For dogs aged three and under six months", such as seen via this link:-
http://www.ankc.org.au/home/inner.as...ID=79&mainID=2

Maybe your friend might like to visit the AKC website and first start looking at the toy group of dogs via this link:-
http://www.akc.org/breeds/toy_group.cfm
And if not there then maybe use this link that list all the AKC breeds and from there they could see more pictures:-
http://www.akc.org/breeds/complete_breed_list.cfm
.

As you mentioned "cocker and newer poodle mixes". On a google search I found these, and just maybe they might be having their own dog shows:-
American Cockapoo Club
http://www.americancockapooclub.org/
Cockapoo Club of America
http://www.cockapooclub.com/
.

[tigress]

Originally Posted by Laurelin

Yep! Phalene looks more spaniel- http://www.dkimages.com/discover/pre...6/65004593.JPG

Papillons are the best toy spaniels, imo. (Okay, I'm biased)

Another one is the English Toy Spaniel- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Toy_Spaniel

Another toy spaniel- Japanese Chin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Chin

Heh, I love Papillons. If I ever got a toy dog it would be a Papillon or a Pomeranian (probably Papillon just cause they look like their fur requires less grooming and I like their attitude slightly better).

Japanese Chins are also really sweet dogs.

[Laurelin]

Originally Posted by Pax

For what it's worth, when I first saw a Chow Chow, I fell in love with the big fluffy teddy bear and felt certain it was the dog for me. When I actually learnt something about the breed's temperament and what it needs in an owner, I thanked my lucky stars that I never got that Chow, because it would be exactly the WRONG dog for me.

My point is, if you and your gf want a dog, consider spending some time thinking about what you want in a dog, what you are able to offer as guardians, and researching dog breeds. Maybe you'll come across something that looks like a GR puppy, maybe you'll fall in love with something entirely different, but you'll certainly be much more aware of what you are getting into.

This is great advice. When looking for a dog, you certainly do want one that you are attracted to, however, you should really look for something that suits your lifestyle first. What kind of traits are you looking for in a dog?