I think it's important to define what you mean by "just walks." I have a dog who is great with "just walks" - we live in the city with no backyard to speak of - but that means we get up and walk for an hour every single day at 6am.

And by doing so, we set the pup up for success and are able to do 2-3 shorter walks through other parts of the day.

Also, do not correlate the size of the dog with energy level. I've seen 30 lb dogs with run all day energy and big dogs who are pretty happy to laze about.

Anonymous wrote:We plan to adopt a dog next year - we prefer a dog that is at least a year old (or older), house trained, good with children (elementary/middle) and can be active but also can be ok with just walks and with a very small backyard.

We want to know what kind of dog personality we are getting beforehand. What's the best way to know? Where is the best place to look?

Our dog is like this - she is about 40 pounds. Don’t get any bigger, but it can be done. Look for a calm temperment.

Anonymous wrote:Congratulations on adding a dog to your family! Best way to get a dog who'll be a good fit is to find one who's been in foster - so you have a good idea of how they behave in a real world home.

You can call most shelters and talk to their adoptions counsellors or foster coordination to help make that match. Or search on Adopt a Pet or Petfinder, and just check the bios for where they are living now.

Im not sure why people are giving you a hard time about giving your dog walks and play time in a small yard - that sounds normal to me.

I don’t get it either. They just don’t want a dog that needs a 5 mile run a day or needs acres on a farm. What’s wrong with that? Get a lap dog.

Anonymous wrote:Get a cat.

Agree as you don't seem ready to commit to the needs & proper care of a dog.

Get a dog thru a rescue group that’s in a foster home. They will know the energy levels of their dogs. Retired greyhounds are supposed to be great and don’t need much exercise and pugs are also couch potato dogs.

Get a cat.

Consider fostering a dog before committing to adopting the dog.

Dogs are similar to children - how do you know their personality? Um, you don’t. Certain breeds are definitely a better fit and doing your research helps but there is much unknown. An adult dog’s personality will be more formed than a puppy. But you must be prepared to love and take care of whatever you get.

Congratulations on adding a dog to your family! Best way to get a dog who'll be a good fit is to find one who's been in foster - so you have a good idea of how they behave in a real world home.

You can call most shelters and talk to their adoptions counsellors or foster coordination to help make that match. Or search on Adopt a Pet or Petfinder, and just check the bios for where they are living now.

Im not sure why people are giving you a hard time about giving your dog walks and play time in a small yard - that sounds normal to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We plan to adopt a dog next year - we prefer a dog that is at least a year old (or older), house trained, good with children (elementary/middle) and can be active but also can be ok with just walks and with a very small backyard.

We want to know what kind of dog personality we are getting beforehand. What's the best way to know? Where is the best place to look?

You're not ready to be a dog owner.

This. You seem to want a live stuffed animal. Dogs can be pretty complex and require a lot of care.

Do research online to find a dog that's a good fit for you. Do not get a breed that needs to run all damn day, like a husky.

We did a lot of research and ended up getting a lab. We wanted an active dog but one that could also be trained to essentially be a support for our SN kid. It's going quite well and we are all out and about more, which we like.

However, lots of my neighbors get huskys and german shepards and then restrict them to small walks and they seem miserable, both the people and the dogs.

IF you are worried about personality traits and temperament (we were) go to a breeder.

Anonymous wrote:We plan to adopt a dog next year - we prefer a dog that is at least a year old (or older), house trained, good with children (elementary/middle) and can be active but also can be ok with just walks and with a very small backyard.

We want to know what kind of dog personality we are getting beforehand. What's the best way to know? Where is the best place to look?

Getting a dog who is being fostered in someone's home is the best way to know the dog's personality beforehand. It's not a guarantee, though.

But your needs are VERY specific and if you're not more flexible, you're going to have a bad experience all around.

Anonymous wrote:We plan to adopt a dog next year - we prefer a dog that is at least a year old (or older), house trained, good with children (elementary/middle) and can be active but also can be ok with just walks and with a very small backyard.

We want to know what kind of dog personality we are getting beforehand. What's the best way to know? Where is the best place to look?

You're not ready to be a dog owner.

Please don't get an active dog that only gets short walks or time in the backyard. You need a lazy dog.

We plan to adopt a dog next year - we prefer a dog that is at least a year old (or older), house trained, good with children (elementary/middle) and can be active but also can be ok with just walks and with a very small backyard.

We want to know what kind of dog personality we are getting beforehand. What's the best way to know? Where is the best place to look?