Hello There,
This is Marisa Sacks, Eric's wife, he encouraged me to get my own id so we can both be on at the same time. We are the parents of Cleopatra, our lovely Presa Canario puppy. I am in the process of looking for a new puppy and would love to hear your thoughts on what would be a good match for me. As I'm sure Eric has mentioned in his posts, we've always had BIG dogs and now I'm looking to get a small to medium sized dog, one that I can handle. I'm 5'1'' and Cleo soon enough will be able to knock me over, actually she kind of already does,lol I was looking at possibly a Jack Russel mix, Pug mix, or Corgi mix. Purebred's are not important to me, as long as they are healthy and can get along with Cleo. My hubby Eric and I, are a fairly active couple, we like to run, hike and swim in our pool. Since this will be my "1st dog," (one that I will train and be alpha to) I want one that is eager to please, not too hyper(as I know through my research, JRT's are super hyper), smart and one that I can handle(thus, small to medium size). I've never had any experiences with small dogs, and through my research the one's mentioned above appeal to me. Also, they have to get a long with Cleo who is very rambunctious and loves to play. I would love to hear your thoughts on these types of dogs or open to other types as well. What are your experiences with them. What type of Corgi is better? Pembroke or Cardigan? Looking forward to your replies.
Thank you for your thoughts Marisa

I have absolutely no "little dog" experience to offer.

I just wanted to welcome Eric's better half to the site.

For no real reason I've always liked the pembroke. Another small breed I see that seems like a good choice is a Havanese. Welcome to the board Marisa.

Welcome!

I have a JRT (I assume, the rescue had his mom but no idea about the dad) mix - husky/lab/beagle/JRT. He's 17lbs but thinks he's a German Shepherd.

He is hyper, but not horribly so. He's still a puppy, so I chalk a lot of it up to puppy brattiness. He's a good mix, energy-wise, for my female German Shepherd.

Obviously it'll depend a lot on the dog and possible breed mixes, but in my limited experience, a JRT mix could be a good match. He loves to hike!

Pembroke Corgi....best little dog going.

My daughter's first dog was a corgi mix. Smart, sassy, intelligent, and treat to train...

She also could swing that bunny butt with her head in the air and give you the "I'm done" walk away. ( I couldn't help but laugh when she did that..bad for training but great for the funny bone). )

I'm with Will.

My instructor at NK9 had a Pembroke Corgi. Great little dog...You should have seen him go after the bite sleeve! Fiesty little dog!

For small dogs I like the Basenji and the Whippet. Basenji's get along with other dogs, love to play and would be good for your active lifestyle.

Whippets are fun, energetic dogs as well. Both are very clean dogs.

Is it a Basenji that has that screeching sound instead of a bark?

They are called the barkless dog. They kind of yodel, so to speak, but it is not to the point of a nuisance.

My sister handles Pembroke Corgis and has a handsome finished male but do beware of the common ACL/joint issues this breed has. I would only buy from a breeder that has cleared stock, extra points for herding trialed dogs if you want something highly trainable. They do have issues w/same sex aggression, as a pair of females that I petsat locked up on each other repeatedly like pit bulls over a dog treat or the hairy eyeball at feeding time. They're not as cuddly as people expect in that way but they have a lot of potential. They also shed like *crazy* and they can be barkers. If you like the Basenji, you might like a Shiba Inu, though i wouldn't consider either breed very willing to please in the way a corgi would be. Hey, how about a small pit bull? :-)
You can see videos of my sister's corgi acting up with my pit bull:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoNAQos3pBo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUE46VwjixM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jINs9N6TdqA
Corgis seem to enjoy playing w/dogs their own size from my experience. With such a weight difference between a Corso and a smaller dog, I'd want to pick something sturdy. Like a Staffy Bull or a small pit bull. :-) Or a mini Bull terrier. :-)