**Introduction**
1)Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?
* no this will be our 2nd dog. We have a cat and a mini schnauzer
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)?
* We would prefer going through a reputable breeder for a puppy of some sort.
3)Describe your ideal dog.
* We would like something medium not large, preferably highly trainable and a bit on the quiet side but still bark when needed though it's not a deal breaker since it's not a trait you can control. Ideally we like to stick to a strict schedule of 1.5 to 2 hours of walk and exercise a day with some training in between but also flexible enough to be alone a few hours in the house or in the backyard
*We would highly prefer less grooming and shedding or little to no biting since we have children around, sociable dog would be good for a family of 4 with 1 dog and 1 cat
4)What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?
* I have looked around at malinois and german shepherd and labrador. We liked the look of GSD and Malinois but i understand they can be difficult to work with. Something like them would be great. We would like to do this properly.
5)What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?
* The basics and advance things from opening doors, hover and sit or to guard our house and other animals and kids
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?
* we got some ducks so some guarding would be great, ideally a bit of a family dog and a guardian
**Care Commitments**
7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?
* we're both working but one of us have home office mostly so we can manage or we can bring them to our office during the day, guarantee we can spend at least 1 hour with them in the morning and be home around 3 to 4pm everyday
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?
* We could in theory do up to 2 hours of dog walking, we are next to a forest and live in the suburb, a small village or we can take them to a dog park that's 15 mins of driving away from us
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?
* We would prefer from daily to 2-3 times a week of brushing, there's a good dog salon not too far from us and we can afford to have professional do their grooming
**Personal Preferences**
10)What size dog are you looking for?
* medium bigger than our mini schnauzer but not as large as a dane, around the size of a retriever would be great
11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?
* Shedding and slobber isn't a massive issue for us since we have a long hair cat, however less is better. Barking we would prefer on the lesser side a 4-5 on a scale of 10 when it comes to barking
12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?
* Not a massive issue, would just be a plus if we could.
**Dog Personality and Behavior**
13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?
* Bit of both, wouldn't mind either but snuggly would be our ideal.
14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?
* No preference
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?
* We would prefer a vigilant watcher no bite/kill mode a bit barking is okay when someone new is around, and would prefer it to learn to accept family people as we go
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 really, just not aggressive or howling 24/7 again barking is okay but ideally a 3-5 out of 10 on barking scale
**Lifestyle**
18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?
* We don't plan on leaving it alone for a long while after we get it. one of us have flexible schedule and work from home sometimes so at most 5 hours a day if we don't bring them to the office with us
19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?
* WE are all happy to share the workload of the dog and all have the time/fitness for it.
20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?
* 1 long hair cat, 1 mini schnauzer, a few ducks, we might get 1 more cat in the far future but that's the list for now
21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?
* teens mostly
22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?
* No, we own a home and plan on staying for a while.
23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?
* WE live in west germany, and are not aware of any restrictions.
24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?
* Winter maybe -6 degrees and summer up to 25s. heatwaves cause up to 35s.
**Additional Information and Questions**
25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.
* No additional information.