Trying to figure out what breed of dog I should get!

**Introduction** 1)Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs? * My first dog! I had two Great Pyrenees growing up, but I don't have any real experience training dogs. 2)Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a [reputable breeder]( http://ownresponsibly.blogspot.com/2011/07/identifying-reputable-breeder.html)? * Pretty strong preference for a breeder since I have two cats and would be a first time owner, but a breed-specific rescue wouldn't necessarily be out of the question. 3)Describe your ideal dog. * A snugglebug who enjoys a good long walk, but also fine to be a couch potato. Fairly mellow, but still smart and fun. (Not sure if these are mutually exclusive traits...) 4)What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why? * I've always been drawn to flashier-looking breeds (Dalmatians, anyone?) as well as sporting/hunting breeds (setters, pointers, munsterlanders), but I understand that they might not be compatible with my lifestyle. I know that looks SHOULD be the least important thing, but I do love a cool looking pup! 5)What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do? * Maybe some agility if I have time? But mostly just to be a well-behaved pal with good manners 6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport? * Agility could be cool, but really depends on if I have the time/energy **Care Commitments** 7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day? * I work from home, so plenty of time! 8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park? * Probably an hour or so daily. I live in a rowhouse in a city without much of a backyard and don't have a car, so we'd be doing lots of on-leash walking. Plus lots of puzzle games indoors for mental stimulation. (Not interested in accidentally training an endurance athlete who's still bored even after running around for two hours a day) 9)How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly? * Open to some regular brushing and grooming maintenance for sure. And definitely willing to pay a groomer! **Personal Preferences** 10)What size dog are you looking for? * Medium, somewhere between 25-50 pounds. (I don't want a little dog, but I'm fairly petite and would need a dog small enough that I could lift the dog myself if they got sick and couldn't move under their own power) 11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle? * Medium amount of shedding, minimal amount of barking, and low to medium amount of slobber 12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area? * Not important at all **Dog Personality and Behavior** 13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space? * Snuggly but can handle themself when I'm occasionally out of sight 14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please? * Eager to please 15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors? * Politely! No barking, no jumping or otherwise freaking out. (Happy to work on this with training) 16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs? * No 17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid? * Not sure I'm interested in being herded ;-) or in managing a super high prey drive **Lifestyle** 18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone? * I work from home, so not a ton of alone time. I'd still like to be able to go out for a few hours at a time and leave the dog at home. 19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog? * Just me in the house! 20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they? * I have two cats 21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly? * Not necessarily, but I'd still like them to be safe and comfortable around kids 22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease? * Nope, homeowner! 23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds? * No laws that I am aware of 24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live? * I live in the midatlantic on the east coast of the US. The summer can get pretty hot and humid. The winters can be chilly but not horrifically cold. **Additional Information and Questions** 25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant. * Not a huge fan of spaniels, greyhounds, or terriers. Also not a huge fan of curly or wiry coats. 26) Feel free to ask any questions below. Please tell me if I'm being unrealistic in what I'm looking for. I'm weirdly picky about what my ideal dog looks like, but I know that some of those breeds come with specific challenges. I'm happy to put in the effort to train a dog properly, but not sure I'm ready to play on Extra Hard Mode. And if the answer is that it actually doesn't make sense for me to get a dog then that's ok too.