Help in choosing a dog breed

[evident]

Originally posted by: Descartes
I know there are forums dedicated to this, but I tend to trust the more diverse ATOT opinions first. It gives me a broader idea.

The wife and I are looking at getting a dog. I've owned dogs and cats before, and while she's never owned a dog she's been around them all of her life.

So, we thought of the following breeds:

1) Border collie. We like the personality, intelligence and energy of the border collies.
2) Golden retriever. I've never owned a golden, but as a kid it's a breed I've always wanted. Intelligence, kindness, energy, etc. are all positives.
3) German Shepherd. I love the GSD, but not sure the wife would. They have a temperament that I like.

That's really about it at this point. We live next to about 15 miles of paved trail through woods, so the dog would be getting a lot of activity on a regular basis. Lakes are also nearby, etc. so we could handle an active dog fairly well.

What we'd like:

1) That they don't shed too much. I know this is a negative for the golden.
2) That they're good with children. We'll keep up on the training, so I'm not particularly worried about the behaviors of the border collie in this regard.
3) We don't want a huge dog. Medium-sized would be our maximum, but we wouldn't mind a little dog either (e.g. Yorkie).

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Cost isn't a major concern unless it just gets ridiculous.

Thanks!


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Moved from P&N

Senior Anandtech Moderator
Common Courtesy

Portuguese Water Dog. They don't shed, they are friendly with everyone especially kids, and is medium sized. They look great with short hair. They are a poodle-like breed in that they have curly hair but they are much cooler my GF has one and i can post a few pics if you want.

 

[middlehead]

Originally posted by: John P
Both day care providers I had my kids at ownend Golden Retrievers. Those dogs would have half a dozen kids crawling on them, tugging fur, etc.. and would just lay there and do absolutely nothing (except look at you with the look of, "Could you please get these things off of me?"). Wonderful dogs with kids.

My brother's got a Golden Retriever/Lab mix, ridiculously patient with the kids. He's got 3 young boys and the dog grew up with the oldest. He doesn't even flinch when he's trying to eat and the boys jab their hands in his food dish. He'll eat around their hands for the first few bites, if the kid keeps at it he won't even growl at them, he'll whine at my brother for help.