Hi!

I live with three small dogs, two min pins, and a miniature American Eskimo. Both of the min pins are high energy, feisty, are not good for mellow owners, and have independent minds of their owns.

I used to work at kennel and handled several corgis who boarded there. They were not too bad, but I hate brush them after bath. Oh my goodness, I never forget how much undercoats they have. Are you sure your parents want to brush the corgi for hours and hours after bath? They can get a furminator. They have a really thick undercoat.

I'm wondering does it have to be a corgi? There are other breeds with less coat and easier to handle like the schnauzer?

Conan, in my signature picture, is my Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He will be two in October. He is absolutely the easiest dog I've ever trained, and the most eager to work. He comes from show lines, but after seeing his working ability I have been inspired to take a true working dog into my home in the near future.

That said, he is a lot of dog, in all sorts of ways. He is extremely active and needs a lot of exercise, like any herding dog. He also, as said above, has an endless amount of hair. You can see it floating around in the house. He is very dominant, and definitely needs strong pack structure. We don't let him and our Pit Bull mix play together very often, because they're both dominant and playing will lead to fights. You also need to be careful with how active they are because of their long backs. Conan loves to run around and thinks he can fly up and down stairs and jump off of everything, but we don't let him. He's good about it though.

So he's a lot of work, but if it's what you want it's obviously very rewarding for everyone. But, as everyone knows, each dog is as different as each person. We put a lot of effort into finding a breeder and I feel that he has all of the qualities that make Corgis an awesome breed. His temperament is perfect for me. They're incredible dogs, but definitely require a lot of effort on our part. Hope this helps!

If they want a smaller dog with a hound temperament, why not something like a Beagle, Basset Hound or Dachshund?

Another "smaller" hound is a PBGV. Happy little dogs but they are also noisy One of the breed standards actually says "good voice, freely used" Believe me, the ones I met had no problem with this requirement :-p

What about a Boston Terrier? They are actually one of the few smaller dogs that I would like to have myself. They have an easy coat, a cheerful temperament and they love people, generally speaking. They are also intelligent little dogs that are easy to train.

I've looked into them a little bit and am impressed that in spite of being a smaller dog, they are still rather sturdy. I'm also quite enamored with their expressive faces.

On the downside they tend to snore, but even that is cute. I would just make sure that if you choose one, the parents are CERF, BAER and cardiac tested, along with a normal OFA on patellas.

Edited by Kristel Smart (09/03/2009 08:50 AM)
Edit reason: clarity

Frenchie.

i have not yet met a non-happy good natured french bulldog. Im sure they exist, don't get me wrong....

There is a dog show coming up here in the fall and I plan on taking her so she can see a lot of these breeds in person.

I forgot all about frenchies and boston terriers! I'll have to email her some info about them and some pictures!

 Quote: ingrid rosenquist

Another "smaller" hound is a PBGV. Happy little dogs but they are also noisy One of the breed standards actually says "good voice, freely used" Believe me, the ones I met had no problem with this requirement :-p

They are cute!!
I do love the general hound dog temperament
We were looking last night and Oona is just about killing me with those eyes.
http://www.coonhoundrescue.com/OONAORSON.html

 Quote: Mallory Kwiatkowski

Frenchie.

i have not yet met a non-happy good natured french bulldog. Im sure they exist, don't get me wrong....

Ooo! Ditto - there's one that lives down the street from us - Bugsy - and I love meeting him out on a walk, he just seems like the most marvelous little personality. He's extremely well muscled and his head is so big and thick that it almost looks like his rear end could lift off the ground from the imbalance...! I don't know anything more in depth about the breed, but I'm with Kristel - if I ever got a small dog, Boston terriers and Frenchies would be at the top of my list.

I also really love Italian greyhounds, but they're so very fragile looking... I'd be terrified of breaking those skinny little legs!

~Natalya

I am also a big fan of Bull terriers, That would be a good size too and a very sturdy dog.

I love italian greyhounds too, but gosh they do seem fragile.

I sort of feel that way about papillons and Chis and other tiny little dogs though, the thought of a dog that is smaller than my cat is hard to fathom!!

The smallest I have ever had was a 25 lb rescue and she seemed tiny to me.

Having owned, lived with, and bred Shih Tzus since '74 -- that would be my vote. However, whichever breed you choose -- BE SURE to meet both parents if at all possible. If you hear 'they don't really like strangers', or 'she's growling because she's had puppies' or any other excuse RUN don't walk to the nearest exit.

I have a 'Tzu Bitch that is just that. To other dogs. But... she's just standoffish with strange people. Not growly or showing her teeth -- just staying back. Watch out for shyness/nervousness too. How many litters do the owners have at a time? Where are they housed? What kind of socialization do they have? Etc.

Here is a site that I give to all my new puppy owners (among other handouts): http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/toybreedswordsout.htm