r/DogBreeds101

What dog breed we recommend for first time apartment dog owner and why , hybrid work ,

So my current dog (a 100 lb, tall af, Pyrenees, Dane, Corso & Mastiff mix) just turned five; she’s in excellent shape and very patient with puppies, that said I’d like to bring a puppy in before she hits official senior dog status out of fairness to her.

Bit about me: I am not a dog trainer but dog training is my hobby. And my current pup and I are exceptionally active through a mix of being outdoors (I’m a hobbyist mushroom forager so we spend time hiking), walking, meeting up with pup friends, playing fetch and wrestling (she loves body play so we do a lot of that it’s fun considering we’re like the same size tbh), spending a lot of time working on obedience etc. I dedicate basically every free second of my time to being active and outside with my dog, although we take rest and gaming days on occasion and do believe in the importance of dogs learning how to settle and have a chill day. We spend about 30 minutes a day learning new tricks and reinforcing older ones but I’d love to do more this is really her limit and not mine because she gets bored (Pyrs guys). I frequently foster young puppies because I genuinely love training but never found a pup that I couldn’t let go of. My absolute favorite of the bunch of fosters was a mal/poodle/golden mix (her parents got her embarked). I love swimming so a fondness for water is a huge plus.

I work the kind of job where flexibility for animals is seen as a given.

I love my current dog she’s an absolute gem and taught me a lot. I adopted who I thought was a lab mix to get into sporting. Turns out not at all and she spent the first four months of her life in a crate in a vet hospital because she had parvo (twice!!!) before a rescue shipped her up to my city. Instead of getting into sporting (obedience or hund are my goal but just for the love of the game hahah) she taught me how to settle because instead I spent all my time working with her to see that the world wasn’t scary. She is mostly a normal dog now with some extra noise sensitivities, through significant effort on my part. She is mostly pyr in temperament so she’s wicked smart and does know a ton of cues, but whether she decides it’s worth listening to me depends in part on whether she also agrees that’s the safest course of action for her flock (me). And frankly, she can’t match my energy most days; I end up cutting a lot of excursions short to drop her back home because I can tell she’s too tired after three miles or so. Her size doesn’t really bother me and most dogs feel small to me nowadays so that’s no issue. That said 30lb minimum, I absolutely do not want a small dog.

So TLDR: I’m looking for a dog that is handler-oriented and a lifelong learner who will enjoy obedience work. Trainable such that they can and will enjoy being out with me wherever is dog friendly, is able to do sporting, and stamina for an active lifestyle that involves hiking. Swimming is a huge plus! I’m not a velco human so I don’t need a velcro dog, my current pup and I do cuddle, she likes hanging in the same room as me, and she always sleeps next to me but she doesn’t try to crawl in my skin and that’s honestly my ideal. 30lbs plus. I am not a social butterfly and I absolutely do not want my dog to be either: goldens are too happy for me. I don’t mind daily grooming, but would prefer to avoid a twice yearly blowout.

Anyway just curious to see what y’all think!