Quote: connie sutherland

 Quote: sarah_morris

Connie...after a less-than-stellar Monday, just thinking about a group of 30 pugs, all together, is bringing a real smile to my face. How fun!!

It sure is. At the holiday party in December, there were about 22 Pugs and several big and small "siblings."

This was all in someone's home, so it was truly impressive.

She hosts these guys several times a year, and I wouldn't miss it.

I do love training the big guys and really love my GSD's training club, and I've always considered myself to be a working-breed, big-dog person ..... the Pugs are just a whole different experience.

They band together, so on the training field when they are released to have fun, they all move together like a big beige amoeba with black dots.

I apologize for the hijack. Cindy, what a fun site you posted!

I tried to PM you, but it wouldn't work. Pleeeeeze let us see a picture of 30 pugs! Sorry, but come on. Gotta be fun!

 Quote: Michael_Wise

.... I tried to PM you, but it wouldn't work. Pleeeeeze let us see a picture of 30 pugs! Sorry, but come on. Gotta be fun!

No P.M.?

I went and deleted 10 or so, in case my limit had been reached. (I gotta say that the new PM system confuses me, but I have been receiving and sending, so I can't think why it won't work now.)

I will try to get a photo from the club's albums and move it to my Photobucket page.

Sorry for the hijack! Back to Bostons and Poodles! I too have heard what you said, Sue, about mini Poodles being (maybe) more trainable and balanced than toys.

Mini and toy poodles seem to come with orthopedic issues...I can think of a fair number who have had some pretty major problems.

Of course that may stem from being carried around like an accessory instead of being allowed to act (and walk) like a dog

I love a couple of the working terriers but know they aren't for everyone. Aside from that, I think the Papillon is one of the more trainable breeds, regardless of size. Only little dog I'd have....besides a good terrier.
Connie (Shiba Inu) think small Akita.

Well beside our 3 shepherds we have a King Charles that is a pretty cool dog.Not Yappy,loves to play with the kids , loves to hang out in their room .Pretty sturdy little guy , my son takes him to obedience classes on Saturday mornings.He is a bit honery but easy to fix and he's accepted his position in the pack....at the bottom.We really did not want to get a small dog but my 11 year old son really wanted one. Now we really love this little guy and he's been a great addition to our family.
http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r77/cadogancna/

You might want to consider a Tibetan Spaniel or Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. My only concern with the Cav would be the health issues in the breed. If you were to go a bit larger, The Tibetan Terrier (like the Boston the TT is not really a terrier)would be a good choice.

ANY bulldog breed has many health problems - including the Frenchies. Skin problems, sensitivity to heat, snoring/breathing problems, allergies, epilepsy, joint problems, early arthritis, epilepsy. Bostons are HIGH energy, and very barky. Both are wonderfully friendly, outgoing - I personally love Frenchies too but wouldn't own one - plus they are more than 15 lbs. Schipperkes I'd say "yes" thuogh they can be a challenge to train, and quite protective. Toy Poodle - I'd say "no Toy" as they have health problems too - go with Miniature if you want a Poodle. They are still small, and have minimal health problems - very smart, nice little dogs if you can deal with the grooming requirements. I have two chihuahuas - one is chi X toy manchester terrier - they are nice little dogs, not yappy at all, sweet and happiest being held or in your lap. Excellent companion dogs. Difficult to housebreak. But raised with GSDs and the same way I'd socialize a GSD pup - they are not 'shivery nervous fear-snappy" as many of the breed are. Treated like real dogs, they act like real dogs. Of course they are much smaller than 15 lbs, though a "real" chihuahua is also not 3 lbs (also with health problems) - they should be more like 5-10 lbs.
I also like Norwich and Norfolk Terriers - not yippy or hyper for terriers. And Border Terriers.

molly

Me and my girlfriend have put our name down for one of these little chaps http://www.lancashireheelers.org/# should be arriving with us late UK spring. Cross with a Corgi and Manchester Terrier.

Jim, one of my sons recently got a Maltese, which I thought was the worse idea since he has 3 boys, ages 10, 6, 3. The Maltese reaches a weight of 4 to 6 pounds I believe. But it has been a great experience for them, and the puppy is sweet and cuddly and absolutely loves the kids. They plan to keep it's fur in a "puppy cut" so it doesn't get matted and dirty, and if kept long it has to be "rolled" to keep it straight and silky looking. Too much trouble unless you're showing the dog. Also my son's wife has allergies but has no problem with holding the Maltese close to her face, which she does a lot, another reason they decided on the Maltese.

Here's a site (AKC) that will give you "some" idea about the temperament of dogs, this one for the toy group: http://www.akc.org/breeds/toy_group.cfm I don't have any personal experience with pure-bred small dogs, except limited experience with the Maltese (which I do like), but the Havanese caught my eye.
This site for the non-sporting group: http://www.akc.org/breeds/non-sporting_group.cfm

Another good site for more in-depth descriptions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dog_breeds

 Quote: Ricky Barnes

Me and my girlfriend have put our name down for one of these little chaps http://www.lancashireheelers.org/# should be arriving with us late UK spring. Cross with a Corgi and Manchester Terrier.

These are WONDERFULLY cute little dogs!!! I looked into them too, but they're a bit on the pricey side. There are a couple breeders in North America.