What's the best low-maintenance dog breed?

If you're looking for a low maintenance dog breed, ask yourself...do you really want a dog? No matter what the breeds characteristics may be, he's still going to require a load of attention, great foods, trips to the vet, walks and play time to be happy. I'm going to assume you mean low maintenance meaning your pet won't need to go to the groomer every two weeks, or won't need a huge yard to run around in; this being the case there are a few breeds that come to mine that may be ideal for your living situation.

Greyhounds are surprisingly one of the more low-maintenance, low energy breeds. Yes, they sure can run fast and love to sprint, but they don't require a ton of exercise. If you want to save a life, try a Greyhound rescue program (I'd be happy to help you find one in your area) these dogs are ex-racers, that are pretty content being couch potatoes! They require daily walks and exercise (at least 20 minutes), but are pretty content to curl up on your couch and hang with you at night...Greyhounds have extremely short hair which is easy to maintain, and they are gentle, quiet animals.

A great smaller breed dog to get is a Boston Terrier. Small, yet muscular these dogs would be great for smaller apartments because they only get to be about 15 and 25 pounds. They are loyal family dogs, protective of their families (despite their small size) and since they have short hair their grooming is minimal. They're intelligent as well! With some time and patience you can teach your Boston Terrier tons of tricks, and their intelligence makes it easy to house-break them.

If you want a bigger breed, why not try a dog that was on the top 10 best breeds in 2006, the Boxer. These dogs can weigh in at up to 70lbs but their short hair makes grooming the least of your worries...Boxers are intelligent family dogs but can be wary of strangers..like I mentioned they are smart,t but do require basic obedience training at a young age (this really applies to any dog you're thinking about getting..) Boxers are low maintenance pets but they will require daily exercise.

Pugs are great low-maintenance breeds because of their small size (they can get up to 25lbs at the most) and short coat. They are charming little dogs that love nothing more than curling up in your lap for a nap! Grooming is easy, you'll need a bristle brush and a comb...

A more exotic breed, the Shiba Unu are often called the cat lovers dog. These little fox-like beauties commonly have plush red coats (but do come in other colors) that are easy to groom. If you're looking for a dog that doesn't seasonly shed though, this isn't the breed for you. Shiba Una's are undemanding dogs, but they do need to be exercised on a daily basis...they could work for hours if you let them! These dogs are easy to train, bark little, and are fine around children if they are socialized well as puppies.

All dogs take work – if you're looking for one that's less work than others I'd suggest starting off by fostering a dog to see if having a pet is something you're ready to commit to. There are a ton of dogs out there that need fostering until they find permanent homes. Also consider adopting an older dog from your local shelter – some dogs that only have a few years left make their ways into shelters because their owners died, and not many people want to care for them. Older dogs can come with health problems but they will be more easy to care for than a puppy.