Small dog suggestions please

I'll be buying land soon and transitioning my life from my house to there and whatever van I can buy, won't be huge, maybe size of a Mercedes Sprinter long wheel base.
Anyway, I'm thinking jack russell, plenty of room on the land to go nuts and small enough to chill with, but they are nuts haha as much as I love them!

Another thought was a Westy terrier but yorkies seem better guard dogs?
Any suggestions welcome good people, I've always been a cat person but loved everyone else's dogs

a reply to: DaisyRainbow
...by guard dogs I mean warning dogs lol

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

a reply to: dfnj2015

good shout! I haven't watched the whole YT but I know them, they are lovely! 😍
Check out the puppy prices, around a grand I ain't got spare yet lol

www.gumtree.com...

Bulldogs are cool. They'll keep a solid watch for about an hour or two between 20 hour naps.

They look mean though........

I have a Corgi.

Excellent choice.

a reply to: MisterSpock

good friend has a bulldog and she loves me 😀 happy to sleep but loves her bursts of energy, loves me massaging the folds in her face lol 😍

Sorry got to crash out, 2.12am here, please keep suggesting and I shall read tomorrow, thank you ❤️

Do your research (like you're doing here- good start!), because owning a dog is NOT ANYTHING like owning a cat.

Dogs need to be part of your fsmily. They should live inside with you. If youre thinkjng you're going to get a dog and have him live outside because you have land, don't. Seriously: DONT. Dogs need to be with their humans and it's cruel to have a dog and not have him live in the house with you, as part of the family. To the dog, he sees himself as part of your pack, and so if he stays outside, he wonders why he has been kicked out of the pack. That is a sh!++y life for a dog, so don't do it.

They need routine, and when you go out of town you can't just leave them with food and water for a few days like with a cat. They need training and consistency, so you have to be willing and ready to devote time to them EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Jack Russels are extremely high energy dogs and smart, so if you don't have the time to engage him and exercise and mentally stimulate him every single day, you will both be miserable. Jack Russels arent grest for first-time dog owners.

Again: research every breed tore thinking of. Westies also aren't great for first time dog owners because they are also smart and can be stubborn, so they aren't the easiest dogs to train if you haven't worked much with dogs.

Please, please do some honest reflection and make sure you have the time and will and discipline to make this committment. This dog that you get, he or she has no control on ending up with you. So don't get a dog and give him a sad life through no fault of his own. Be honest with yourself and realistic.

Sorry to sound bitchy about it. It's a big deal though.

a reply to: DaisyRainbow


Ummm...Aibo...






YouSir

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

Hi DR.

"Small dog suggestions please".

Ok: will ask the next small dog for their opinion and/or suggestions.

( Am secretly suspicious that belly-rubs, will be in the top 5 ) .

I suggest going to the pound and finding a dog that someone had to give up because of whatever reason. I also suggest getting a mutt instead of a certain breed. They usually have much better dispositions and if you save on I really feel they know you did and will be very devoted to you once they get used to the routine of your new lives together.

Dont choose by breed find your soulmate and rescue him

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

Whatever you decide I hope you get a dog that needs to be rescued instead of purchasing from a breeder.

Sal

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

I have heard that Jack Russells require a lot of attention, that they have a LOT of energy.
But they are cute.

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

I agree a plain old mutt is best.
That said I have to caution that look at what breeds are in the mix. Heard Catie Curtis do a personal story about the new designer breeds so she wondered about her Puggle. NPR story she'd read started that train of thought. So she hypothesized that while a Pug is adorable and just curious enough to open her back gate, beagles are notorious "runners" and her little Puggle might not be bright enough to find it's way back.



Not all dogs get the best of each breed/DNA...ROFL!!!!

originally posted by: KansasGirl
Do your research (like you're doing here- good start!), because owning a dog is NOT ANYTHING like owning a cat.

Dogs need to be part of your fsmily. They should live inside with you. If youre thinkjng you're going to get a dog and have him live outside because you have land, don't. Seriously: DONT. Dogs need to be with their humans and it's cruel to have a dog and not have him live in the house with you, as part of the family. To the dog, he sees himself as part of your pack, and so if he stays outside, he wonders why he has been kicked out of the pack. That is a sh!++y life for a dog, so don't do it.

They need routine, and when you go out of town you can't just leave them with food and water for a few days like with a cat. They need training and consistency, so you have to be willing and ready to devote time to them EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Jack Russels are extremely high energy dogs and smart, so if you don't have the time to engage him and exercise and mentally stimulate him every single day, you will both be miserable. Jack Russels arent grest for first-time dog owners.

Again: research every breed tore thinking of. Westies also aren't great for first time dog owners because they are also smart and can be stubborn, so they aren't the easiest dogs to train if you haven't worked much with dogs.

Please, please do some honest reflection and make sure you have the time and will and discipline to make this committment. This dog that you get, he or she has no control on ending up with you. So don't get a dog and give him a sad life through no fault of his own. Be honest with yourself and realistic.

Sorry to sound bitchy about it. It's a big deal though.

Oh gosh, I have been around dogs all my life, walk my friend's often, I totally agree with everything you suggested but was a bit sad at you might think I would leave my dog out all night. Complete opposite, I should have been more clear, I no longer need to work, I am buying a Mercedes long wheel base type camper van to live and travel in between my house and my new fields.
My dog will live with me in my van, that's why I want a small one, we will be together like 24/7 unless I end up in a hospital or something lol.

Yes, biggest decision of my life that's why I asked nicely here for opinions on all the different small dogs around, personal anecdotal stories are of equal use to me as what the RSPCA or whoever else tell me.

There are a few dog pounds near me, they only kill dogs too unwell to live happy lives, they have all sorts of mongrel dogs, small to huge, I'll probably end up just keep visiting until I meet one I connect with.
...but other people's opinions are very interesting to me about their small dogs 👍❤️

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

As a owner of terriers my entire life, and now "owned" by a Parsons Jack Russell.... I admit my thoughts may be biased.

The BEST dog I ever had was an airedale terrier. But they aren't very small.

Any terrier is kind of a handful. It goes with the word terrier. All of the terriers can be stubborn...

You need a fenced off area, as terriers, or any dog will run amuck, or go where they shouldn't go.

My Jack Russell lets me know if ANYTHING is in the garden, including butterflies, small birds...nothing escapes his eyes and ears.

He has gotten "out" twice recently by accident....and thank God, we were able to quickly round him up. Whilst he was out, he reigned terror on the birds in the neighbourhood, racing like a nutter after every bird he could see. Thankfully he did not get any.

He has recently been a hero for me, as he has killed a couple of rats. They tried to colonise my garden from a big empty lot next door with very tall grasses and weeds, and places for them to breed in.

He is a hand full I admit, very full of energy.... loves playing catch with a ball... and loves to have you chase him in the garden.

He lives indoors with us, and sleeps every night in his portable kennel.

Everything with him is "party time"... play time.

He is a handful, but I love him to bits. He is quite loyal, and no better guard dog exists compared to him. When he isn't driving you mad trying to get you play with him, (24/7 play time if he could get away with it), he is asleep in "his" chair, right next to mine.

But if he gets out.... without a lead on him, good luck getting him to mind you and come to you! Because no lead, and outside his fenced yard, it is of course, PARTY TIME!

Pravdaseeker

a reply to: pravdaseeker

Haha brilliant post 👍
I'm totally imagining your crazy furry friend running free! 😀😀😀

a reply to: DaisyRainbow

Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

Thanks DaisyRainbow, as funny as it might sound, I am dead set against him getting out and running amuck. Where I live we have ground nesting birds, Curlews, Plovers, Wood ducks, etc.

And they raise babies in the neighbourhood and in our garden as well. I love our bird life here in Oz, and the thought of him getting one of the bird bubs really bothers me. He would really just play with it, but could harm or kill one doing this. Let alone the trauma the bird would go through with him playing with it.

The plovers went bonkers at him and started dive bombing him, as their bubs went to ground and hid in the grass. Then he took off after some Wood Ducks down the road, argghhhh.... They are like sacred on my island,, Ha! You do NOT run over a wood duck, or you could get "banished" from the island. Not really, but the fall out from it would not be good.

We just finished another session of fetch and tug of war... he loves tug of war. He does NOT let go... you can pick him up, and he is still jerking on the rope.

He is beginning his afternoon/evening vigil of staring out the window in my office where we hang out together. This is when he lets me know of anything within 150 metres of the house. He even notices a different car parked 100 metres away. And of course has a go at it.

I can't seem to break him of going totally off his rocker at someone walking their dog in front of the house. He sounds like he will kill them, but the whole time his tail is wagging. He really wants to get out and get whoevers dogs to play with him.

He has house buddy, a Yorkie/silky mix, who is 15+ years old. But the old dog gets over his exuberance fairly soon. He wears out his playful welcome with the old dog.... and the old one wants to bite his head off! HA!

My Jack Russel replaced the old dogs brother who died on me a couple of years ago...they were brothers, and had them from day 1, imported them to OZ with me, etc.

The one old dog, Dominic, has bonded with my wife... his brother, was "my dog"... when my dog died, I needed a new fur baby.

After visiting the lady on a farm who had Jack Russels around the house for snakes, and foxes, I fell in love with my dog.

When I found out his birthday was the same as mine, I took it as a sign, and got the little monster for me.

2 years + now, and he is finally starting to quit being such a puppy, and starting to settle down now. The first 18 months were very "busy" keeping the little spoilt monster happy.

Pravdaseeker