Calm small dog breed for family

[quantAndHold]

I worked assisting a dog trainer for several years. Every dog needs training. Even the “calm” ones. No dog comes perfectly behaved, or even well behaved, right out of the box. The five year old, calm, easy to train cocker spaniel we adopted would bark at the TV and take flying leaps at every piece of furniture she saw when we first brought her home. Getting a dog you can live with requires agreement and a commitment from every member of the family, and takes a year or more, even for the “easy” ones. For every breed listed in this thread, I’ve seen examples of difficult dogs, and dogs that were made difficult because the family wasn’t doing the work. Some of those ended up back at the shelter or breeder. One, a biting standard poodle, ended up being euthanized.

There are, on the whole, breeds that are easier than others. Labs get their brain cells really slowly, and your lab will behave like a puppy for four years. Shepherds overreact. Beagles are ruled by their noses. They’re sweet, but hard to train. Any of those dogs can become fabulous pets, but on average, they take more effort than a Cavalier or an American Cocker or something that’s been bred to be a pet for 50 generations.

[FD1150]

DW and I had Mastiffs for 40+ years, so most breeds are small from our perspective. I suggest looking into a rescue from the pound. They tend to be wonderful dogs, and the staff can usually give you the inside scoop on temperament, etc. I have heard rumors that those who adopt rescue dogs have an assured place in Heaven. Give it a try.

[clip651]

Regarding pugs and French bulldogs, which were mentioned above - neither are good choices if you are looking for healthy breeds. Both have the brachycephalic problems (pushed in faces and breathing issues, which can be severe). It's really not fun for the dog to go through life not being able to breathe well when awake or asleep. And it can be heartbreaking and expensive for owners as well. They are each also prone to a variety of other health problems.

On top of that, French bulldogs are very, very trendy right now. That means they're quite expensive. This tends to bring in a lot of less reputable breeders just looking to make money on the hot trendy breed, rather than breeding for health and temperament. (The reputable breeders will still be out there, too, but a lot harder to find due to the influx of new breeders.) And trendy and expensive also means these cute little dogs are a target for thieves. (Remember Lady Gaga's dogs being violently stolen from her dog walker? They weren't stolen because they belonged to a celebrity, AFAIK they were stolen just due to the breed being pricey enough that the thieves figured they could quickly sell them to someone and make some money.)

I personally like the personalities of pugs and French bulldogs. But the healthy ones (that can actually breathe!) aren't necessarily calm, either.

[SuperSaver]

HERE IS YOUR ANSWER:

CAVAPOO!!!!!

So sweet. So affectionate. Doesn't shed. 12 lbs. Low fecal load. Great with babies and kids.
Would rather spend time with owner than anything else in the whole world.

I never wanted a dog. Never had a dog growing up. This dog breed has changed my whole life.

[clip651]

HERE IS YOUR ANSWER:

CAVAPOO!!!!!

So sweet. So affectionate. Doesn't shed. 12 lbs. Low fecal load. Great with babies and kids.
Would rather spend time with owner than anything else in the whole world.

I never wanted a dog. Never had a dog growing up. This dog breed has changed my whole life.

Is a Cavapoo a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel crossed with a mini poodle? Sounds like a sweet little dog, I'm generally a fan of poodle and poodle mixes. Does it need regular trips to the groomer?

[TomatoTomahto]

[snip…]
I never wanted a dog. Never had a dog growing up. This dog breed has changed my whole life.

I resisted the family when it wanted to foster/adopt (ie, they wanted to adopt but told me it was only a foster) a pit bull mix. That dog became a big part of our life, and mine especially, and I still get teary remembering her.

[ItzaHoot]

Basset Hound.

Not exactly small but for us was great with the kids, big enough to handle a little rough housing, and so calm you'd have to check to see if they were still breathing. Downside - a bit on the stubborn side.

[rockstar]

If a golden doodle is too much for you perhaps you are not "dog people"? What did you do with it?

I agree here. Golden retrievers are very popular dogs and behave very well if properly trained. Goldendoodles are the same.

I disagree. I know several people and relatives with Goldendoodles and they are far harder to train or control than many other dogs. Not everyone wants to spend countless hours over weeks or months training a dog. Not everyone wants a dog that is large enough to counter surf. For many people, smaller and more easily trained dog breeds with a calmer and less energetic demeanor are a better choice. I thought our Lhasa breeder was full of it when she said the puppy was already housebroken when we got it - it was shocking to us that it was after owning many other dogs and having gone through the process. Compare that to my Goldendoodle owner friends who seemed to spend months training their dogs (one resorted sending it way to camp for 2 weeks).
And no - Goldendoodles aren't really the same as Golden Retrievers in behavior.

You can disagree all you want. But all dog breeds need to be trained and owners have that responsibility. The post I responded to and what I said are absolutely true. Just because you have friends incapable of handling and training a dog doesn’t mean the breed is that difficult.

I own small dogs and I’ve had bigger dogs. The bigger dog was a rescue from a family that neglected to train it and it counter surfed. Training stopped that behavior in its tracks. No dog is easy.

I question the OPs commitment to a dog and certainly think anyone should not be sugar coating dog ownership to someone that certainly couldn’t handle their other dog. We have enough dogs in shelters and don’t need more. OP should reflect on the commitment before purchasing another dog.

I never said dogs didn't require training. It's just some breeds are far easier to train than others. The average number of hours it will take to train a Golden far exceeds the number of hours it will take to train a breed with a calmer temperament. We don't all want dog training to be a long term second job.

In my experience, the dogs that are easiest to train also require the most exercise. My friend’s Border Collie is amazing, but the owners also hikes about 3ish miles a day with it. It’s super smart. But it has a lot of energy.

When I took my mutt to puppy class, I was one of two owners that had rescue mutts. Everyone else had a doodle, which is still a mutt. But they had paid small fortunes for these dogs thinking they could pay their way to perfect dogs. That’s not the reality. All dogs require a lot of training when you first get them.

[pshonore]

Regarding pugs and French bulldogs, which were mentioned above - neither are good choices if you are looking for healthy breeds. Both have the brachycephalic problems (pushed in faces and breathing issues, which can be severe). It's really not fun for the dog to go through life not being able to breathe well when awake or asleep. And it can be heartbreaking and expensive for owners as well. They are each also prone to a variety of other health problems.

On top of that, French bulldogs are very, very trendy right now. That means they're quite expensive. This tends to bring in a lot of less reputable breeders just looking to make money on the hot trendy breed, rather than breeding for health and temperament. (The reputable breeders will still be out there, too, but a lot harder to find due to the influx of new breeders.) And trendy and expensive also means these cute little dogs are a target for thieves. (Remember Lady Gaga's dogs being violently stolen from her dog walker? They weren't stolen because they belonged to a celebrity, AFAIK they were stolen just due to the breed being pricey enough that the thieves figured they could quickly sell them to someone and make some money.)

I personally like the personalities of pugs and French bulldogs. But the healthy ones (that can actually breathe!) aren't necessarily calm, either.

Just heard on todays news the French Bulldogs have dethroned Labs as the number one dog in America in terms of AKC registrations

[Atilla]

No personal experience, but Pugs are small and lazy.

And snore, have breathing problems and other things .

Yes, but they are small and lazy - what the original poster is looking for in a dog.

Me - if that was what I wanted, I'd just get any random cat and be done with it.

[Arabesque]

I grew up with a pug. He was a fabulous family dog, devoted to children. Flatulent though.

[baldtaxguy]

Shiba Inu works for our family. He is still going strong now at age 12. Has more cat-like characteristics - very independent - but "says 'Goodnight'" to each of us every night, and usually ends up in our bed. Cannot beat the absence of unnecessary barking - when he "screams" you know something is up.

[clip651]

No personal experience, but Pugs are small and lazy.

And snore, have breathing problems and other things .

Yes, but they are small and lazy - what the original poster is looking for in a dog.

Me - if that was what I wanted, I'd just get any random cat and be done with it.

Well, OP also mentioned they were looking for healthy, hence the comment on breathing problems, etc.

[wfrobinette]

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[wfrobinette]

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[Boston Terrier Fan]

The American kennel club has a useful site where you enter the characteristics you want and can put up with, and the site recommends breeds. It was helpful for me.

Did it return Boston Terrier?

It is more detailed than that. You have quite a few characteristics that you can rate according to your own preferences and situation. I live in a townhome community, so having a small dog that does not bark much and is good around kids was important. Boston Terrier was one of their recommendation and my puppy is everything I hoped for. I did get him from a breeder I found on the AKC site and I would do it again.

[Boston Terrier Fan]

The American kennel club has a useful site where you enter the characteristics you want and can put up with, and the site recommends breeds. It was helpful for me.

Did it return Boston Terrier?

Why do you say this? Asking because I'm interested in the breed for my next dog.

Guessing because that poster's name is Boston Terrier Fan.

Bostons can be great little dogs. They do have the brachycephalic issues (varying degrees of trouble breathing, which can sometimes be improved with surgical intervention) common to all dogs with smushed in faces/really short noses.

Yes, Boston Terrier was one of the breeds they recommended. My puppy hasn’t had breathing problems yet. He’s a bit sniffly in the morning when he wakes up, but not anything more. Another puppy from the same litter has been having seizures. The breeder I went to did warranty the health of the puppy, but it wouldn’t be easy to give up a puppy after you take them home.

[hunoraut]

My dad was a veterinarian. He said all breeds had ill tempered individual dogs and really sweet dogs. Much depends on how they are trained and this does take effort. Rescues can be great as well as pure breeds.

Dogs are like humans. Even controlling for the environment, theres still lots if variance within the breed.

My sister has 2 dogs of the same breed and they’re quite different in personality. I have 2 dogs of another breed and they’re different to each other. My sister and I are also different.

That said I find our french bulldogs the perfect size, with manageably-low levels of health care, and i would kill for them they are so beloved to us….

[Arabesque]

Not to enter into a silly fight, but it would be very hard to teach a pointer to herd sheep and as hard to teach a Border collie to point game. Not all breeds are the same. People breed dogs carefully for specific purposes. Hence, some breeds, like retrievers, have “soft mouths” so that they don’t puncture their retrieve. Other breeds, guardians and fighters, have poor bite inhibitions because they are supposed to bite.

This is pretty obvious if you work with breeds.

[VeryBlessedCali]

Highly Recommend the PUG.

Have a BLESSED Day folks!

[SmileyFace]

Not to enter into a silly fight, but it would be very hard to teach a pointer to herd sheep and as hard to teach a Border collie to point game. Not all breeds are the same. People breed dogs carefully for specific purposes. Hence, some breeds, like retrievers, have “soft mouths” so that they don’t puncture their retrieve. Other breeds, guardians and fighters, have poor bite inhibitions because they are supposed to bite.

This is pretty obvious if you work with breeds.

And there is a reason why certain insurance companies in certain states may not want to insure you (or will increase your rates) if you own certain breeds.

[Trance]

Looking for anyone who has experience with a small dog breed that’s calm. We had a golden doodle that was probably the worst dog experience I ever had. Jumped on everyone barking at everything. Nervous biting at guests ankles and wrists. We have a small yard so smaller dog would be better. Low shedding is a preference as well. Also good health breeds. Kids want a dog they can pick up and hold. Any recommendations on this is much appreciated.

I highly recommend you look into shih tzu's. They are wonderful lap dogs that love to be held and picked up and genuinely just being around you. Their temperament is great around kids and even strangers. They will assume that literally everyone is their friend and they aren't territorial at all. If anything they'll just pout and whine if say another dog uses their bed. They are happy just looking out the window all day or sitting next to you while you work, but they can also go on walks everyday which is a great health benefit for both you and them. Mine walked 1-2 miles per day and lived for a long time cause of it.

They are one of the few breeds that doesn't have fur but instead hair like humans. You are more likely to find your own hair than theirs. Especially if you keep them as a puppy cut like most owners.

A small warning, they have VERY sensitive tummies so you can never ever give them people food. And even treats aren't needed. The small extra cost of good wet food and a disciplined diet will save you magnitudes more in avoiding vet bills and give them a long life. And they'll go crazy for the taste. In the rare case a kid gives them non doggy food just be ready for the poor adorable fluff ball to have the runs that night lol. Also feel free to feed them twice a day with two small meals instead of one big one.

Oh also they are dare devils so just make sure you have a foot stool by the bed because they have no sense of self preservation. They'll look off a table or a vet counter and go "... I can make that."

Love shih tzu's <3

[LadyGeek]

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[tigerdoc93]

Boston terriers make wonderful pets. I have 2, female 13 yo and male 4yo. They are family dogs with a loving playful disposition. Excellent breed in every way

[DarthSage]

Keep in mind, it's best not to have a "bug-eyed" dog if you have cats. Cats fight with their claws, even when playing, and can scratch the dog's eyes. For this reason, I won't get a pug or Boston Terrier--even though I love both breeds. Especially since they are close to cat-sized. I think our cats think our cavachon is one of them, just hideously deformed. We actually had a cat that outweighed her (cat was 18 pounds, dog was 17).

[Mr. Rumples]

Would agree on the comment above about cats; my cat rests her paw on my face around 5 a.m. reminding me it's time to get up. Even with her claws retracted, I can feel them.

[wfrobinette]

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[wfrobinette]

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[LadyGeek]

The point that the OP should not own a dog has been made, let's move on.

[GoldStar]

Lots of great suggestions and you are not alone as many people are interested in calmer dogs.
You can see many of the mellower breeds people have mentioned in these various lists (pick out the smaller breeds since that's what you are looking for) - in case you haven't seen these yet good to look through:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/p ... og-breeds/
https://www.rd.com/article/calm-dog-breeds/
https://www.dailypaws.com/living-with-p ... dog-breeds
https://www.purewow.com/family/calm-dog-breeds
https://www.dailypaws.com/living-with-p ... dog-breeds
https://www.k9ofmine.com/calmest-dog-breeds/
https://www.southernliving.com/culture/ ... dog-breeds
https://be.chewy.com/behavior-breeds-10 ... og-breeds/
https://www.thesprucepets.com/calm-dog-breeds-5525804
https://paradepets.com/dogs/calm-dog-breeds

[ClevrChico]

Greyhound from rescue.

They’re not small. But they’re the calmest dogs I’ve met.

I agree with this, 100%. I know someone that surrendered their greyhound for being "too calm".

[BionicBillWalsh]

Greyhound from rescue.

They’re not small. But they’re the calmest dogs I’ve met.

I agree with this, 100%. I know someone that surrendered their greyhound for being "too calm".

If we’re going to recommend things that the OP didn’t want, I’ll throw out Jersey Cow. Very calm, very nice disposition, and provides the best milk and cream that you’ve ever had. Plus bragging rights if you’re able to rescue one at the local humane society.

[quantAndHold]

Greyhound from rescue.

They’re not small. But they’re the calmest dogs I’ve met.

I agree with this, 100%. I know someone that surrendered their greyhound for being "too calm".

It’s become hard to get a rescue greyhound, because there are few racing greyhounds left in North America. I know that our local rescue, which was handling several hundred greyhounds per year five years ago, has branched out to handle other breeds now, because there are so few greyhounds available.

[Outer Marker]

Our family is fortunate to count two Havanese among us. Small dog package; big dog personality. No "unnecessary" barking or whining. Fun and playful without being crazy.

[alex_686]

Greyhound from rescue.

They’re not small. But they’re the calmest dogs I’ve met.

I agree with this, 100%. I know someone that surrendered their greyhound for being "too calm".

If we’re going to recommend things that the OP didn’t want, I’ll throw out Jersey Cow. Very calm, very nice disposition, and provides the best milk and cream that you’ve ever had. Plus bragging rights if you’re able to rescue one at the local humane society.

Nah, go with a Dexter. Jersey’s require too much work. A shepherd could help, but that’s not a calm dog. And if you want milk you might have to get a bull as well.

[clip651]

Our family is fortunate to count two Havanese among us. Small dog package; big dog personality. No "unnecessary" barking or whining. Fun and playful without being crazy.

This is a nice suggestion for a small breed dog for a family.

[Elsebet]

Regarding pugs and French bulldogs, which were mentioned above - neither are good choices if you are looking for healthy breeds. Both have the brachycephalic problems (pushed in faces and breathing issues, which can be severe). It's really not fun for the dog to go through life not being able to breathe well when awake or asleep. And it can be heartbreaking and expensive for owners as well. They are each also prone to a variety of other health problems.

I agree with this 100%. We had two pugs previously, they are certainly cute but have breathing, ear, and skin fold issues their entire lives. Will never have another dog with that facial structure.

[Firemenot]

Why a small breed? Most small dogs are insane in my experience — at least from walking my dog. Our 65 pound golden retriever is super chill. Works fine in our 1600 square foot house with two cats and three kids.

[Shackleton]

Since I have a breed that is VERY high energy but also very trainable and tends to be 50-75# when full grown, I don’t think I have a suggestion.

Except that finding a non-puppy that is already potty-trained is probably a good idea.

[Fallible]

My dad was a veterinarian. He said all breeds had ill tempered individual dogs and really sweet dogs. Much depends on how they are trained and this does take effort. Rescues can be great as well as pure breeds.

Dogs are like humans. Even controlling for the environment, theres still lots if variance within the breed.

My sister has 2 dogs of the same breed and they’re quite different in personality. I have 2 dogs of another breed and they’re different to each other. My sister and I are also different.

That said I find our french bulldogs the perfect size, with manageably-low levels of health care, and i would kill for them they are so beloved to us….

This, especially from a veterinarian who would know best, probably says it all about dogs and their humans - each is different from the other and the differences bring out different traits in the other. This has been my many years of experience with dogs and cats that I, family members, and friends have owned. And sometimes the animal personalities don't fully reveal themselves until they and their owners have been together awhile and get to know each other.

Also agree with other posters about mutts vs. purebreds. We've all had both, the purebreds being a long-haired Dachshund, a Standard Schnauzer, and Bassett hound - and all were just as good as the mutts.