Quote: wendy lefebvre

Well yes I am going by height in my opinion of what a large or small dog is.

Corgi's to me are a small dog due to their height, thats my opinion, despite the fact that they may be 30lbs.

Gotta be careful going by weight... I know someone who owned a 30# min pin that stood only about 10"... The dog was so fat it couldn't look up, grunted like a pig, and frequently got sores on it's underside from being dragged along the ground.

No joke, the thing (a female) weighed as much as my smallest ACD.

It was sad. I wanted to confiscate the dog and bring her to a healthy weight but the owner (an old man) was convinced she was an appropriate shape, and that it was all muscle. He would go on and on about how much he'd feed her (he fed her in accordance with a 30# dog) and how if she didn't finish he'd put gravy on it and she'd clean it right up...

Okay tangent aside, weight means so little. Definitely I'd say a corgi is a small dog.

ick. I don't normally judge what size a breed is by how fat they can be - I've seen a 150 lb German Shepherd too - and no, that wasn't it's ideal weight or the weight it should have been. Corgi's are 30 lbs, more or less - short but very sturdy, not small dogs to me when I could barely carry one and they can't fit comfortably in your lap. Springers are around the same - 30 lbs - but leaner/leggier in build. Still (to me) the same- medium sized dogs. I consider a small dog under 15 lbs, and that's "correct" weight for the breed. I think it's disgusting to see an obese dog of any breed -

molly

Well, Shibas (like Basenjis & Akitas) are not a good match for every household, that's for sure -- They're typically dog-aggressive, highly prey-driven, very bull-headed, and it's all about THEM all the time, ha-ha...

I like the breed myself (having owned both the others mentioned above) but they're not handler-oriented, to say the least <:-)

I agree - the "asian breeds" of any size, are notoriously difficult in temperament and trainability. My sister has a Basenji - nice enough dog, and he has a good temperament for a Basenji. If you want a quiet, clean dog that's the breed - but, very stubborn, difficult to train. Strange temperament too - hard to describe - kind of more like a cat than a dog. The Shibas I've known have been like miniature Akitas - very aggressive by nature, independant, ready to fight.

molly

If you're only going by height - do you consider a Bassett a small dog? They can be hardly taller than many small breeds - but weigh 60-70 lbs. Large dogs, to me - but short in stature. Like, same size as Bloodhounds take away the legs. Try picking one of those suckers up.

molly

Molly, you took the words right out of my mouth. I used to groom & the bather/brushers used to just groan when a basset came in. They are REALLY difficult to pick up - remind me of seals.

YEP -- and my Akita is an obedience trainer's DREAM compared with any Basenji I ever owned over a period of 40 years <:-O Those little African barkless dogs are craftier than coyotes & more willfull than wolves...

Plus, they're pretty much oblivious to all corrections short of a "near death experience" LOL -- However, none of mine could stand feeling humiliated & would repent of any misbehavior if I shamed them for doing it (of course this sounds ludicrous to folks who train "working herders" and the like, but it's still TRUE nonetheless) !

I own an Italian greyhound and she is very personable and smart. She fits the size requirement,small but still dog size. She can keep up with the big dogs.The breed is a good match for people with alergies because the hair coat is very short and nearly odorless. The downside is they can be difficult to house break and do sometimes like to chase the cat.I have found Marty to be very attentive and easy to train.The leg bones are very thin when they are young and can break easily.To bad she could not also be a cairn terrier or an airedale.

Jim this is my third one, and I haven't had a problem what so ever, perhaps I am tone deaf, LOL but compared to my female sheps they are much quieter, the two females, I have both alert when people come, the one is super socialable adores children,the other is a bit stand offish, she has issues(spoilt rotten by hubby)I was also told they are yappy and snappy, but I think how you socialise them and train them counts for 90 % what you get out,mine have been an absolute pleasure to own, they also are not intimidated at all by our sheps, I have three and the male shep is a bazooka never acts normal period, but they just ignore him when he gets his jerk moments and run around him
not fazed at all, of course we always supervise.You also get a standard min-pin which might suit you better, if a handful is a bit small, my husband dotes on his. The red is his and black and tan is mine.They normally bond to one person but will have substitues if there true love is not available.
Dynamite comes in small packages is how I like to describe them!

What about a Dachshund? Always liked them - seem to have real character.