trying to decide what type of dog may be best for me?

Hi, thanks for reading my post first of all. :) I currently live in an apartment and have a 2 1/2 yo son and a 4 month old daughter, and me and hubby are looking to get a small dog. We do have a nice trail right by our apartment and the community is very dog friendly so we'd have plenty of opportunity to walk/exercise dog outside. Plus I'm a stay at home mom and normally go on daily walks with the kids.

The problem is I just don't know what kind of dog would be right for us and was wanting suggestions. It would have to of course be very kid friendly(especially with young children), and one that is not too much maintenance, we don't really have the money to take it to the pet groomer every week(once a month at most) so none of that please lol We'd also like one who is laid back like the rest of us lol Yes I'm searching for the absolute perfect dog :)

I just don't know which dog to choose, any suggestions? Thanks

[kimpton]

what weight are you thinking of?  the first small dog that comes to mind that could be on the mellow side is a cavalier.  not too much shedding to deal with and i think you could get away with an occasional trimming.  i know they're expensive, but i do believe there are rescues around and retired show dogs.  

[megochick101]

Well I looked over our apartments animal policy and the dog would have to be under 30lbs, so nothing too big lol Oh I love the caveliers, they always remind me of lady and the tramp, that was one of my fav disney movies as a kid lol I really like all dogs so it's getting harder and harder to choose haha

[April2]

Well, I grew up with toy poodles so I'm kind of partial to them. I have two toy poodles puppies right now. They are extremely smart, easy to train, they don't shed, although they do have to be groomed fairly regularly, maybe every 6 to 8 weeks or so. And they don't get too big, usually only 7 to 9 pounds or so.
I love the caveliers too. I looked into getting one of them but read that they often times have heart problems. Just do your homework on the different breeds and see what you think may fit your family. Good luck! Let us know what you decide!

[megochick101]

Sorry, i'm not too fond of poodles, they're cute but my aunt's poodles ruined it for me. She let them run around crazily and treated them like spoiled children and they barked excessively :( She never tried to train them at all.

It's so hard finding a good breed for us. I've been researching dogs good for apartments but a lot of them do not like warm weather and I live in florida so I have to have a dog who will do well in warm weather lol this is going to take a lot more research than i thought, but i'm determined! lol

[April2]

Well, any dog can be annoying like that if they're not trained. That's true. I'm going to take mine to a puppy class soon and try to get them socialized and trained. That's real important for any dog when they're young.

Caveliers can bark, too, but I think most small dogs can be that way. Again, with some training, any dog can be a good, well behaved dog.
I wish you well with your decision!

[Colz_83]

How about a schnauzer, cocker spaniel, or sheltie?
This is a good site:  http://www.dogbreedinfo.com.  You can find information on their temperment as well as apartment style living.  Also, just keep your eye out at shelters for mixed breeds.