Hello,
I went to look at a litter of pomeranians today.I probably won't get another dog for several months but I want to have a good idea at what I want. I'm looking for a dog that is small, in agility termed 'mini' size, but able to keep up with the Afghans and not too fragile. Temperment doesn't matter as it would sleep in the kitchen in the winter and the kennels in the summer. Would it be better looking at a terrier type dog? I don't however want one that is incredibly stubborn as I've seen with some terriers. Any ideas on what I should be looking for?
Thanks ever so much,
Catherine

Admin: advertising removed

Not to be rude, but why do you want another dog if you're going to make it sleep in the kennel during the summer?

Why is temperament not a problem, surely it will still have to mix with people and other dogs, and especially if you want to do agility

I don't see anything wrong with getting a dog to live outside in a kennel. They wouldn't have home comforts in the wild.
It doesn't matter about it's temperment as it wouldn't often meet children. If it turned out to be aggressive then I'd just muzzle it and keep it away from people so it wouldn't be a problem.

TEMPERAMENT ALWAYS MATTERS! There is no iff’s or but's, ALWAYS!! And if you think i'm shouting your right, I am!

Well said john
of course temperament matters it should be a prime concern when looking for any breed of dog.

Dogs in W. Europe and N. America are not wild animals. They have been bred over hundreds if not thousands of years by people for specific functions.

I truly hope you are just trying to get a reaction with your comments, because I hate to think of anyone expressing the views you have actually keeping animals.

Stacey

What about the fact that you would be encouraging, and endorsing breeders who do not put temperement first, by buying a puppy. What about the next family that comes along that does have children.

Yes Chloe, you do have a point. When I breed my Affs I DO breed for temperment as well, but seeing as the dog won't be socialising daily with strangers and children etc I'm sure I could cope with the dog being a bit nervous/aggressive towards people at agility etc. I do not want a dog that is "nasty" but temperment isn't the first priority on my list.
Cath

Sorry, forgot to add that I'm posting on my old login, my new one doesn't seem to be working...???

You have Affs as well? Do you know HappiAffi then Char?

Melody :)

So which of your usernames is that then Char?

does that mean that Char123 and happiaffi are one and the same ;)

Grace

Hello,
HappiAffi is me (Cath!) and Char123 is my oldest daughter's, but I have used it to post on once or twice. My password is coming up as error when I try to log in as HappiAffi.
Cath

I have to say , if I had posted ..and received replies ..then had to post with a different Username I would have made it clear in THAT post and not halfway down the thread!!

Melody

Dogs need exercise! Dogs will always have to go where other dogs and people go! Dogs need to go to the vets occasionally! Temperament is ALWAYS important!

Quite a few years ago the temperament of some dogs working in obedience was suspect. In order to tackle this, the KC brought out the S2 regulations. There is only one place for dogs with bad temperament and it is not in agility!

I don,t know what club you train at for agility but where i train with my affie temperment is certainly top of the agenda.The dogs are mixing all the same and if you do agility i presume off the lead then you need to be able to trust your dog and at my club if we do get a dog come to training that is agressive they either have to muzzle them or they are not taken off the lead,I for one wouldn,t want a dog at the club that could possibly go for my boy and stand the risk of having him put off enjoying his agility, so i,m sorry but temperment is absolutely crucial wharever you are doing with your dog whether it be showing ,obedience agilty, working trials or gundog work

"but seeing as the dog won't be socialising daily with strangers and children etc I'm sure I could cope with the dog being a bit nervous/aggressive towards people at agility etc. I do not want a dog that is "nasty" but temperment isn't the first priority on my list."

I can't believe I'm reading this from someone who claims to be a breeder who breeds for temperament. You may not be nothered if this dog is nervous/aggressive towards people at Agility etc - but if I was one of those people and it was aggressive to me I would care a lot and so would you. Aggression is part of the temperament and a trait that is unacceptable in any dog that is going to mix with other people or dogs. Any dog that is agressive has the ability to be nasty and as such shoud be a no no.

Saying Temperament is not the first priority undermines everything reputable breeders and good owners try to put across on this list. It always has to be the primary factor along with health.

Pam n the boys

I don't see anything wrong with getting a dog to live outside in a kennel. They wouldn't have home comforts in the wild.
It doesn't matter about it's temperment as it wouldn't often meet children. If it turned out to be aggressive then I'd just muzzle it and keep it away from people so it wouldn't be a problem.

First off,temperment counts and counts big. Can you guarentee every man, woman and child within ten miles of you that your dog will never come into contact with them? Dogs are great escape artists and only an ignorant person would purchase a dog with a poor temperment. Do you plan to always have your dog wear a muzzle?

Hi, Just to say that a well known Afghan breeder, whose name escapes me at the moment:o and who races her dogs also has a pomeranian. As far as I know this little dog is able to keep up with the Afghans. Hth.
Anna

As far as racing is concerned Afghans are not that quick over a short distance, they are not bred for that. I raced my Border Terriers at Afghan racing, and over 100 meters, the Borders were much quicker. Over a much longer distance, well then the Afghans come into their own, they are able to travel quite a long distance (usually in the opposite direction of the owner :D) at a steady even pace. Which is why it puzzles me that Happiaffi purposely feeds high protein diets to her dogs, just to make them move that bit quicker. Does agility really mean that much?
Dawn.

I can tell you now Pomeranian's may be small in looks but boy are they a big dog in a small dogs body. They are intelligent, they can keep going for quite some time and they can live to a ripe old age, they truly are real characters.