recommendations for my friend

[Formula86]

hi everyone! my friend, jim, wants to get a dog and i'd like to describe what he wants and his living situation and see what you guys recommend!

living situation:
it's weird..the business he works at has a garage with an "apt" on top that they live in. it consists of a kitchen, bathroom, the 3 bedrooms and an outside walkway to the front door (it's upstairs, remember). jim wants to put a gate at the end of this walkway so the dog will have access to the walkway, his room, and the kitchen.

what he wants:
jim is very active. he wants a dog that can go jogging with him and that can play for a long time. he would like a dog that can go camping with him.

he wants a very obidient dog. one that could walk off leash if necessary.

if you can tell by breed...he'd like a car-friendly dog. i think this is by each individual dog, though.

should get along with other dogs, even small ones (my dogs! haha).

he wants a dog that weighs about 25-35 lbs grown.

***throw some breeds out there and we'll let you know! i'm sure he will come up with more info once we get this started. then he can narrow it down! thanks guys!***

[RSbunny]

Will the dog have access to a yard at all? If it will I'd recommend a kelpie...they are intelligent, loyal, active and friendly. They can also be trained to walk off a leash (my mum's dog is beagle x kelpie and they don't even take a leash with them on a walk anymore) And the car thing is the individual dog but generally if you take them in the car lots when they are young to exciting places then they will love it!!

[Formula86]

he does not have a yard. but i do, and he will be over a loooooooooooooooooot. so it will have that. but as a rule, no. he will exercise it a whole lot, though. when it needs to go potty, he'll have to take it to a patch of grass by the funeral home (where he works).

[SharonM]

Sounds like a lab person to me !

[Brittney]

Cocker Spaniel sounds good for what he wants.
American would probably be better than English.

[Formula86]

that's funny that you say that brittney- his dream dog is a cocker (american). he had one once as a kid, but it was killed by another dog. he'll be happy i mentioned that. he just wanted to see if anyone had any better suggestions. but that's what he's leaning towards.

sharon m - he wants something smaller. but thank you for the suggestion! i suggested it, too!

[CTChin]

Maybe one of the larger boston terriers? There are 3 different sizes and the largest goes to 25 lbs. It is a crapshoot whether or not you will get any dog to be obedient off leash. Obviously, a lot depends on the owner and how much early training he gives his dogs

Another dog that comes to mind but may be too big, is the Airdale. This breed is fantastic for active people and VERY smart. However, being a terrier...I'm not sure about the off leash thing.

[CTChin]

Oh...Corgi's also are very smart and very obedient. They are like a big dog in a small body.

[Formula86]

ctchin - yes, i believe airdales would be a bit large. but i thought of corgis, too!

great minds think alike!

[Square]

I would take a look at a Brussells Griffin (not sure about spelling). That is the dog off of the movie As Good As It Gets. My buddy in TX has a couple of those and says they are very smart and obedient. I am not sure if the little pup would stand up to a lot of exercise, but all dogs like the attention. He may also want to look into a Jack Russell Terrier. They are cute, smart, and love to run (hunting breed). Tell your friend good luck.

Square

[Brittney]

I wouldn't recommend a Jack Russell. They're not that big with the max weight being about 20 pounds and the off the leash thing.

[Formula86]

well...this is weird...my friend wants to go ahead and keep the dog that i found today!! (see my post: "you'll never guess"). the dog is a min-pin. he just fell for him! he just has to ask his boss and roomies if it's ok. if he doesn't take him, i will, but let's hope he can!