Help with breeds of dogs, please :)

986 Views 5 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Silvergirl, May 1, 2009

Silvergirl

Discussion Starter · Apr 30, 2009

I know you may all be tired of hearing this question, haha, so I do apologize ahead of time.
My family and I will be moving to the Philippines this summer and are planning on getting a dog once we get there (Its a 24hr plane ride and would not be fair to put a dog through that when we could wait and get one there and not have it go through that kind of plane ride.) We've all wanted a dog for a very long time but never really had the time for it previously.
We did not have the time because during the day, my father works and my mother is a stay at home mom. There are 4 children in the family, the youngest being 4 years old, the other being 7, my brother is 14, and I am 18. The youngest will be starting school in August which allows my mom to have home time by herself and I will no longer be in school and will be able to help out (I am going to school eventually, haha, just not for another year or two) The younger children, unlike a lot of children, know how to respect an animal. I have owned ferrets for a long time (something a lot of people look down upon when having children) and they were taught how to handle, how to play, and how to treat an animal. They are amazing with other people's dogs and we have even babysat dogs for family friends with no problems because they are very gentle and do not pester them.
However, we are looking for a dog, of course, that would do well with kids. I do understand, for the most part, any dog that is raised with kids will grow to like children and whatnot, but I am looking for one that is more dispositioned to like younger children.

We are looking for a smaller breed, mostly because my mother likes smaller breeds more, and we will be living in a small home with very little yard space (and the climate is not perfect for a dog to be out during the day).

We want a smaller breed (probably nothing bigger the a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) that would be able to handle the heat of the Philippines, of course, but is active enough to keep up with us. For example, during the evening I love to go for nice long walks and want a dog that is willing to go with me and play fetch and whatnot.

My mom LOVES West Highland White Terriers, Maltese, and Pomeranians, but does not like Shiz Tzus (spelling may be off). We seen what is called a Japanese Spitz online and she is pretty much in love with that breed as well.
I am not as fussy about appearences for dogs but I am Bipolar and am looking for a good companion dog just because when I go through my manic or depressed episodes, animals tend to be where I go to make myself calm down. My therapist thinks I need animals in my life because they keep me sane haha.

Mostly, we are just looking for a good companion animal but we are not entirely sure what breeds of dogs to look for and what to avoid. I am trying to convince my mom to adopt a dog from a shelter with me but we also need to know what breeds to avoid haha. Any suggestions?

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MissMutt

· #2 · May 1, 2009

The first thing I thought of is, what is the availability of different breeds in the Philippines? Though I have several Filipino friends I know next to nothing about the country. So that's definitely something to think about.

I am personally not a huge fan of the terrier personality as I usually think of them as high-energy, strong-willed yappers. Of course this is my own generalization, I've known some Westies that'd make great house pets.

Maltese or Bichon might be a good choice, you can keep the coat short so you don't have to worry about the heat and I'd venture to guess that they'd do better with the heat than brachycephalic breeds like Pugs, Shih Tzus, etc. I think Cavs might fall under the brachycephalic category too, not really sure though. The Maltese that I've known have been good with children as well.

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Keechak

· #3 · May 1, 2009

a papillon might be a good choice. very energetic little dogs about 6-10 pounds they are very energetic and have a beautiful easy to care for coat. but because of their small size they are relitivly easy to excercize. they tend to be a bit on the noisier side but they are VERY smart and they are VERY easy to train.

They only have an outer coat which means it would get along in the heat pritty well.

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Dogstar

· #4 · May 1, 2009

I know you can find J. Spitz and Poms in the Phillipines as I have friends there who have them. I'd actually look for a Cavalier, as frankly I think they're pretty much the ultimate family-with-kids toy breed.

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princesstiffany

· #5 · May 1, 2009

my first dog was a maltese, i got him for my second christmas and he was with me for 17years. he was the best dog. they have terrier type personality and my boy was very willing to please and loved being with people. he could also keep up in a jog ( in his younger days) and very clean.
but its all how you raise whatever breed you do get!

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Silvergirl

Discussion Starter · #6 · May 1, 2009

Haha, my mom pretty much only wanted the Westie because of that dog food commercial (I think it was Cesar? I don't know). She seen the dog on there and thought they were cute. My mom picks on appearences while I go out and research and ask questions about temperment. But that is my thing. I'd rather have an 'ugly', well behaved dog, than a 'pretty', bratty dog. Mind you, I have my heart set on a mutt

I've only ever met senior westies, so the temperment of them is a lot different than that of a younger dog.

As for what is available in the Philippines, I only know from ad sites. To be honest I googled and found a website similar to 'Kijiji or Craigslist' and looked at what people were selling and giving away. That gave me an idea about what breeds of dogs are there. So far, it's relatively the same breeds of dogs as you would get here.

I do like the Maltese, Poms, and Papillions. It is going to be weird having a little dog, I think, since when I lived with my father we only had larger breeds of dogs. I've been around 'dangerous' breeds my entire life (rotties, 'pits', dobes, etc.) so it is going to be a change to be around smaller dogs that everyone wants to pet. haha.

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