[Independent George]

I think the hard part is finding a dog that is both low-energy, yet playful. A 'playful' dog usually means it's human oriented, and therefore trainable; the problem is, these are usually hunting/sporting breeds that require lots of exercise.

Terriers, herders, and retrievers are right out because of energy level.

Hounds are out for obvious reasons.

I can't think of anything that matches ALL of your criteria, but a few that meet most of them.

Shih-Tzus and Havanese are moderate energy, playful, trainable chick magnets, but require a lot of grooming.

French Bulldogs are moderate shedding, playful, and containable, but possibly too high-energy, and a bit difficult to train.

You might be best off just looking for a moderate-energy mutt.

[MissMutt]

I definitely think a Shar Pei is out of question.

Honestly, I'm thinking that this is less about breed and more about finding an middle aged dog in rescue that fits the bill appreciably, like Rosemary said.

[hulkamaniac]

Zero can ge go go go when we're outside sometimes. We were tossing the tennis ball last night and after about 5-10 minutes he tired of it and would fetch the ball and then lay down to catch his breath I guess. A few minutes later he'd be up on his feet and returning the ball to me ready for me to throw it again. Yet if we go inside he'll follow me around the house for a little bit, then go crash some place and pass out.

[Xeph]

But just about any dog SHOULD be able to do that (at the very least a neurotic dog can be trained to do it).

That's not a breed thing, that's a DOG thing.

I own a high energy breed, Delphi runs three miles a day (in the evening) with Jon, but even if she misses a couple of days, she can still crash in the house. She's doing it now.

Strauss is doing the same...and these guys aren't exactly low maintenance on the energy scale.

[hulkamaniac]

The corgi/terrier mix I got suckered into adopting was not that way. That dog had one speed and it was go. Maybe if I ran 3-5 miles a day with the dog it would've behaved like that, I don't know. In any case, it is on my list of requirements and I'm willling to train it if necessary.

[Xeph]

And "one speed" dogs are poorly nerved dogs...no off switch

[hulkamaniac]

Local humane society has a puggle that is quiet possibly the friendliest dog in the entire world. He's a year old and wouldn't be able to get over my fence I don't think. He also probably would not be very good at playing fetch and probably is not very trainable either as neither pugs nor beagles are known for their trainability. He would meet my size/grooming requirements though and would probably be pretty playful. I don't think he'd play fetch with Zero though and may not be satisfied w/20-30 minutes of exercise a day.

[rosemaryninja]

I would be wary about a 1 y/o BeagleXanything mix and 20-30 minutes of exercise a day.

Beagles also make excellent climbers. I don't think he would be able to jump it but if your fence is climbable I would look into that.

As Xeph said, the off-switch is a training thing, not a breed thing. My Beagles typically do 1-2 miles of walking/running, twice a day. But if they get maybe just 1 mile twice a day, or if they miss a walk completely once in awhile, they aren't bouncing off the walls. Of course, given long enough they would certainly start eating my doorframes. But even without maxing out their exercise needs, they're perfectly happy to snooze indoors.

[hulkamaniac]

Well, I can't do anything until I get back from vacation at the end of the month really. I'm now debating the issue of getting a third dog as it would be time I'm not spending with Brutus. He's starting to worry me. He has bone cancer and stumbled 3-4 times in a 30-40 minute walk tonight. I'm wondering if one of his legs is bugging him.

[PappyMom]

Shar-Pei is a breed you need to win the lottery in order to own, to put it nicely.

They have skin problems, eye problems, and most importantly kidney problems.

On top of that, the Pei baby I owned was the most loving, lazy, sweetheart I'd ever come to know. He was my heart dog..With all of this said, If I were rich, I'd own another Pei in a heartbeat.

[tigress]

Originally Posted by hulkamaniac

Well, I can't do anything until I get back from vacation at the end of the month really. I'm now debating the issue of getting a third dog as it would be time I'm not spending with Brutus. He's starting to worry me. He has bone cancer and stumbled 3-4 times in a 30-40 minute walk tonight. I'm wondering if one of his legs is bugging him.

Honestly, if he's really sick, I'd wait to introduce another animal. Even if they get along it's going to be stressful and can't be good for him. And I hate to be morbid, but depending on bone cancer, you may not have that long to wait anyways (I know there is at least one type that is very aggressive, not very survivable, and very quick. Osteosarcoma I believe. My friend's dog got it and my parent's golden got it. The golden I call the miracle dog cause he lived for about a year more than what the vet's claimed and we think it's cause it showed up again as they did get the first one cut out and he got lucky that unlike most dogs he got it in his toe vs. somewhere where it would spread easier). You may just want to focus on Brutus while you have him (and really, introducing another dog while he is struggling with a painful cancer really isn't the right time).

[meghf]

Just wanted to add my two cents, when I was researching bichons I got in touch with a breeder to meet her dogs and I made it clear that I wasn't 100% convinced that I wanted a puppy. She was great, she told me that was fine, to come meet her dogs, get a sense of the breed, and if her dogs "approved" of me that she could help me get in touch with a bichon rescue to adopt an older dog. She asked me all the usual good breeder questions and was very straightforward about the breed and what to expect, etc. I ended up deciding it wasn't the breed for me right now but it's nice to know that she's there if I decided, eventually, that I want a bichon. That's what I think a good breeder should do, help educate about the breed they sell and be willing to encourage people to adopt a rescue of that breed if a puppy isn't for them.

[luvntzus]

Very easy to train? LOL! That is not a Shar Pei trait. I had a Shar Pei that I adopted from an animal shelter. He was a good dog- silly, loved to play, good with my other pets. But he was also very stubborn, aloof and not the brightest. The drooling was gross; he slimed the walls, windows and inside of my car. It also drove me nuts that his lips would make this flapping sound when he shook his head. He had just about every health condition that Shar Pei can have an ended up dying of kidney failure at just a few years of age.

So in my opinion their good traits are being dignified (not doggy dogs, kind of self contained like cats), loyalty, ADORABLE appearance, cleanliness, watchdog ability, nice medium size and low maintenance grooming.

Bad traits- Independence (could also be considered a good trait depending on your perspective), stubborness, strong tendency toward disobedience, drooling, snorting, slurping and flapping noises, somewhat dog aggressive.

[GottaLuvMutts]

Originally Posted by MissMutt

Honestly, I'm thinking that this is less about breed and more about finding an middle aged dog in rescue that fits the bill appreciably, like Rosemary said.

I'll second this. There are probably individuals of lots of different breeds that would fit the bill, but if you're being picky about breed (i.e. if you have something specific in mind), you'll probably end up overlooking them. I'm sure you've read it before, but I like the sticky on adopting a shelter dog.

I also think that style of play is going to be more important than the size of the dog. Some dogs play rough, others not so much. But lots of dogs like to play with other dogs of very different sizes. Assess Zero's play style around other dogs (not Brutus) and see if you can find something that would compliment it. And do a trial run, of course.

Last point: adopting an adult dog has plenty of benefits, but I really think patience is key here. I would suggest keeping an eye on the shelter intakes in the months to come and not rushing into anything too fast. As others have said, your requirements are a bit strict, but I'm sure the right dog is out there - it may just take time to find.

Good luck!

[zhaor]

Originally Posted by hulkamaniac

I've kind of made a short list that will be changed/updated/scrapped entirely as I see fit.

1. The dog must be trainable. Preferably, the dog should be trained, but if not, the dog must be trainable. Hounds need not apply I guess.
2. The dog must be playful. Zero loves to play and it'd be nice to have someone he can play with.
3. The dog must be contained safely by a 4 ft fence. This is what I've got to work with.
4. The dog must fetch. This is Zero's favorite game and when he sees me he always asks where the tennis ball is.
5. The dog must not be a puppy. I have neither the time nor the energy to deal with puppies.
6. The dog must have low grooming requirements. I don't mind brushing the dog on a regular basis, but that's it.
7. The dog must be satisfied with a 20-30 minute walk a day. Tossing the tennis ball around in the backyard is a bonus on days when I'm not swamped with stuff.
8. The dog should be a lower energy dog. I don't have the energy otherwise.
9. The dog should ideally be a candidate for the CGC given enough training.
10. The dog should be a younger, healthy dog.

Maybe a Shiba Inu??
Mind you I've never known a shiba before but from what I researched about the breed (I wanted one for a while) it matches up fairly well.

1. they're very intelligent and so easy to train IF they see you as the pack leader. They're generally described as independent
2. They're a hunting breed are agile, confident, and playful
3. Smaller dog (~20lbs) so a 4ft fence is probably fine. Waterproof coat so they can live outdoors.
4. Loves to chase anything so can be trained to fetch fairly easily.
5. Puppy or not is your choice
6. Short hair, very clean dog and grooms themselves. Brushing is enough
7. Active dog. but a daily walk should be enough. It'll be active enough in your yard. More exercise is better though. Would most likely chase tennis balls.
8. Not too sure about energy level but they should be calm when inside. Probably not a couch potato though.
9. With enough training? sure why not.
10. ....

So you may want to give this breed a shot. The one thing is they're probably energetic and do require sufficient excercise. But they're suppose to easily adapt to various life styles so I don't know.

Again none of this is from experience. Its just what I've read about the breed. Maybe someone on this forum has had experiences with them.

[ZekeandTessasMOM]

We have 2 beautiful Chinese Shar Pei's Ours are very friendly and have not had any health issues, you have to educated yourself on any breed you get. Our Pei's Came housebroken and will let you know when they need to go outside. They are very good gard dogs, and will let you know when they think someone is here, after the person has come in they are a little stand offish but once they know they are friends then they are just fine with them being here. You should always pick a quality food for your pei because they can not have soy that will make them have a odd smell.
We taught our dogs to Sit Lay and Roll over( you know the easy tricks) in 3 mins or less they are very smart dogs and we would never have another breed!

[BellaPup]

Originally Posted by ZekeandTessasMOM

We have 2 beautiful Chinese Shar Pei's Ours are very friendly and have not had any health issues, you have to educated yourself on any breed you get. Our Pei's Came housebroken and will let you know when they need to go outside. They are very good gard dogs, and will let you know when they think someone is here, after the person has come in they are a little stand offish but once they know they are friends then they are just fine with them being here. You should always pick a quality food for your pei because they can not have soy that will make them have a odd smell.
We taught our dogs to Sit Lay and Roll over( you know the easy tricks) in 3 mins or less they are very smart dogs and we would never have another breed!

My good friend has a blue Shar Pei, BeiBei (I call her Miss Hippo). I don't think she makes a good guard dog at all...she doesn't bark. When she gets excited she squeels like a stuck pig! LOL

She is great with strangers...very happy and excited to greet them. She does have some aggression issues with food, though. My friends just had a baby, and Bei Bei (haahaa) seems to do very well so far. She tries to be a bit dominant with other dogs, but knows her limit.

BeiBei: