Looking To Find A Good Breed For A Household With A 3 Yr Old-preferably Medium-large To Large, But Not Huge!?

We had a house fire in oct/04 and lost our 2 cats & 2 dogs. We’re ready to have housepets again. It’s a no-brainer with the cats, but, we will be introducing my munchkin to dogs, since she is too young to remember the ones we had. I am curious as to what are good breeds to have with young children. The 2 dogs we had were very old and were not threats to the baby. One was a cocker spaniel, the other a golden retriever/daschund mix (imagine a retriever with 3 inch legs-he was just too cute!). I am a firm believer that children should grow up with a companion or two if at all possible, and I am ready to start over again with a new dog.
I will definitely be looking to adopt, and I am not sure if I want a puppy, or one that is grown and house-broken already.
We have also been investigating retired greyhounds, but they are kind of iffy with cats.
I will have to find something soon as this is an incentive for potty training that IS WORKING!!!
Do NOT want any small yippy yappy things!

Can You Help Me Narrow Down What Small Breed Of Dog To Get?

I have 4 horses, 2 other dogs (a almost 2yr old Papillon, & a 8yr old Sheltie), & 4 cats (2 inside; 2 outside). All my pets get along with dogs.needs to be a g It ood traveler, and put up with being taken places including horse shows. I’d like it to be fairly small under 20 lbs but the smaller probably the better. No fenced in yard, but I do have about 6 acres. I have raised a litter of Shelties which are the easiest to train and also trained my Papillon with a short attention span! Also please dont say depends on the dog, I know that.
I was considering these breeds-
Affenpinscher
Cairn Terrier (but r they ok w/ cats? I heard not)
Coton de Tulear
Italian Greyhound
Miniture Pinscher
Norfolk Terrier
Norwich Terrier
Silky Terrier aka Australian Silky Terrier
Toy Fox Terrier
Rat Terrier (the smaller type)
Toy American Eskimo
& Podengo Portugueso Pequeno or Portuguesse Hound, but these are pretty rare
I would also luv to hear about other breeds too!

Another Unique Dog Breed Quiz?

Can you guess what AKC recognised breeds known today, were created from these mixes, and their brief history?
1)ancestors were two German mastiff type dogs, the Bullenbeiszer and the Barenbeiszer. They were later crossed with the powerful ancestors of the Mastiff and Bulldog. Early on, these dogs were prized for hunting, bull baiting, and for pulling carts. A bit farther down the family tree, this breeds ancestors became cattle dogs, and were used to round up livestock.
2)Originally used as a vermin hunter. The breed was created by crossing the old English rough-coated Black and Tan Terrier (now known as the Welsh Terrier) with the Otterhound. It is also said to have Manchester Terrier in its blood. In addition to his role as a small game hunter, this breed has been used to hunt big game in Africa, Indian and Canada, and as a police dog and army sentry dog in World War II.
3)breed emerged over time from the St. John’s Water Dog, also an ancestor of the Newfoundland dog (to which this breed is closely related), through ad-hoc breedings by early settlers in the mid to late 16th century.The original forebears of the St. John’s dog have variously been suggested to be crossbreeds of the black St. Hubert’s hound from France, working water dogs from Portugal, old European pointer breeds and dogs belonging to the indigenous peoples of the area. this breed is one of the most popular breeds in the United States. Originally from Newfoundland, Canada, this breed was trained to jump overboard into the icy waters to haul fisherman’s nets to shore
4)Crossed with anish Hound, Danish Gallant, Deutsche Dogge, Boarhound, Grand Danois or German Mastiff, these magnificent animals capable of overcoming bears and wild boars were much admired, a process of selective breeding was begun. The dogs were crossed with Irish Greyhounds, and the issue was the beautiful, large, thin, agile dog known today

Is This The Wrong Reason To Get A Dog And If It’s Not What Breed Should I Get?

Well I’ve been planning on owning two Cavaliers for when I become a grown adult, and I just realized that I might not be to safe! I don’t know exactly when I’ll be getting married, and a single woman is a pretty vulnerable target, if you know what I mean. So, I’ve been thinking I want to rescue one of these breeds:
Greyhound- I’d love to rescue one from a Greyhound Racing Rescue place, they’re so elegant. My one question though is how old do you expect to get these dogs if you rescue them from there?
Rottweiler- I’ve always loved this breed, and I really want to rescue one. My main question for this breed though is training available through obedience classes for this dog?
Brittany- I also want to rescue a Brittany, and my question for this breed is if it’s even a good guard dog?
So please take the time to answer the questions above and also answer if I’m getting a larger dog for the right reasons. I’d love this dog to death, don’t get me wrong. And have any other breed suggestions?
Thanks!

Dog Experts, What Do You Think Of This Breed?

Hey…
I’m finally getting a puppy next week, and after a long search for the
perfect breed, I decided to go with a little-known breed that’s been
around for 150 years, and is recognized by the National Kennel Club and rumored to be the most likely next addition to the AKC due to its
rapidly increasing popularity. It is called a Texas Lacy (also known as
a “Texas Game Dog”).
It comes in three color patterns: Blue Lacy, Red Lacy, and Tri-Color Lacy.
For a great photo of a Blue Lacy, which is the color I’m getting, click here…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_lacy

Texas Lacy’s are becoming popular for several reasons: one is because
they’re considered the smartest breed on earth, even moreso than the
better-known brilliance of the Border Collie. Another is their functionality. Their lineage is a 3-way cross between a greyhound,
a redbone hound, and a coyote…the coyote in it makes it a great
hunter, the greyhound makes it remarkably athletic, and the redbone
makes it renowned bloodtracker…and therefore it’s a dog you can
train to do darn near anything. Finally, it’s considered to be one of the longest lived and healthiest dogs on earth due to very responsible limited breeding. Lacy’s commonly live to see 15, and have been known to see 20, and remain relatively mobile until the very end. And
one truly bizarre ability; Lacy’s can even climb trees to its low branches…a skill it evolved after years of breeding towards squirrel
hunting.
But I’m writing this because, there is SO LITTLE INFORMATION online
about this dog. I had to speak with 20 breeders in person before I
learned the history of this remarkable dog. Lacy breeders are a
very secretive bunch; most require interviews before granting a puppy,
and are militant about the owner intending to either actively heard with,
or hunt with, the dog.
Do ANY of you know any more info about this dog? It’s amazing how
few “experts” even know of this breed, let alone have interacted with it.
But then again, it’s a breed that’s kept a very low profile in the rural
Texas-hill country for 150 years until recently, so that might be why
so few people realize what a gem it is.

Which Dog Breed? Please Look Inside >>?

I am looking for a breed of dog to specialize in breeding/training. I have a few ideas, but suggestions are always appriciated I train deaf dogs, so I am ready for any challange the dogs can throw at me. I have a lot of expierence from working at kennels and groomers, so a stubburn breed is ok. The breeds I am looking into are Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Boxers, Dalmations, and Aussie Shepards. if you have any expierence with these breeds, it would be amazingly great if you could list some pros and cons… i’m not quite sure of them yet =] I have been going to Animal Rescue legues and fostering those breeds. Thanks everyone!

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Which Dog Breed Will Suit Me/my Lifestyle??

ok so im at home pretty much all week * i work only on wednesday,friday and saturday) from 6am to 11am
i want a companion dog that will be very energetic,playfull and not too big
i have a one family/flat house with large backyard
i was a dog breeded so i know pretty much everythign about care,training and owning a dog
i bred giant dogs ( newfies and giant schnauzers)
i did my research yesterday and im thinking about one of those breeds :
mini aussie( australian shepherd)
sheltie
greyhound
or american eskimo dog
i no nothign about those dogs besides what i have read
i need more information before making any decision
what i need to know is:
exercise requirements
grooming ( i know that long hair dogs need lots of brushing from past experience with nefoundlands)
and im willing ot take the dog out like 3 tiems a day for 1 hour long walks
will that be enough???