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What about a Shitzu?

I would say stick with something small and short-haired, like a Pug or a Boston Terrier. A lot of small breeds require trips to the groomer for hair cutting, which sucks.

Bostons are awesome dogs. My aunt used to breed them.

@ILoveLettie: you can also look at petfinder and sort by size, whether they're good with kids, etc. it's a great resource!

@ILoveLettie: They are really great dogs. You cant go wrong!

@ILoveLettie: i cant even have any more cats and i still look!!!

Pug!! Although it's tough to find them in rescues (except older dogs), at least around here. They're lazy which works wonderfully for apartment living, they adore kids, and they're very cuddly.

I think a poodle mix or maltese mix would be nice! The low/no shedding is really worth it IMO, especially with small children. Of course you will have to groom but if you start that training early and do it at home, that'll save you $$.

In my experience, the ones I've encountered have all been good with young kids but of course it really depends on exposure/training since some little dogs can be aggressive/snippy!

Good luck with your search!

Love, love my yorkie !!!!!! She's 9 lbs and we live in a townhome... We walk her 3x per day

We adore our beagle/Boston terrier mix we adopted from the local shelter. She fits all your criteria, but she's about 30 lbs. When we went to the shelter we weren't looking for anything specific (well we lived in an apt at the time, so a huge dog was not going to work), but we found our little girl there!

A Havanese? My neighbour has one and he is sooooo cute!

@TemperanceBrennan: I grew up with terriers and totally agree with you; they are generally NOT low energy; kind of the opposite!!!

I would suggest a poodle or poodle mix if you are really concerned about shedding. Pugs/Boston terriers and the like definitely shed; sometimes lots. The only pugs I've known have been super sweet though, which may make up for the shedding. I also have only ever known super sweet Maltese, KCC spaniels, bichons, etc.

I wouldn't get anything too tiny personally (like a chi or yorkie), they can be so delicate, especially sharing space 24/7 with a toddler (who are not always the most appreciative of small, delicate dogs!)

My MIL has two poodle/maltese mixes that are great with my young nieces (ages 6 and 3) and my son (5 months). The added bonus is that they don't shed!

Love our Boston Terrier! I chose her because I lived in a small apartment pre-kid and she's been great now that my toddler has come along too. I think she's 15 lbs, but she is on the smaller side for Bostons. From what I remember, Bostons are not "true terriers", so they don't have the same energy level. I think she could sleep all day and she hardly ever barks. No shedding either! The only maintenance I do is have her nails clipped.

I think the individual dog's personality is more important than the breed because it can really vary so much! But I would have to say that my Bichon-Spaniel mix does live up to the image of the happy, people-loving clown. Random children walk up to her and poke her and grab her from behind and she has no problem with it.

Another vote for shihtzu or poodle mix. We have a terrier mix now I adore but we wont be getting another. Too much energy, too much fur, waaayyy to smart for his own good. He gets into trouble no matter how much entertainment he has. I grew up with a shihtzu and she was the most chill, but also willing to play with two small children for a little while. But if we didnt want to play sh was happy sitting by our feet. They do have som issues breathing like all flat faced dogs, but totally amazing dogs. Ours as 20 when she died!

We have a Bichon/Shih Tzu mix. He is phenomenal with kids. Lorelei has tried to ride him and has about 15 pounds on him. He licked her. Doesn't shed... grooming can be a pain in terms of expense, but I do it myself. He looks pretty fugly, but he is clean and comfortable and we love him anyway. He's snuggly, not a big barker... he was really hard to house-train, though.