Also, keep in mind that initial cost is only a portion of the overall cost. Vet care, food, training classes, etc all figure in. Sometimes a little more up front saves money on the back end, especially when it comes to vet costs and training.

collie (although I don't know how they would fair in texas heat)
golden retriever (same as above).
If you want a small dog, we got a Corgi and he is actually a pretty cool dog. Ultra protective and pretty funny.

I like rescue mutts.  I'm sure all these fans of different breeds have a million reasons why you should go to an ethical breeder, but it ain't easy to know if you're dealing with one and sometimes you find out when it's too late.  We have a 12-month-old and an 11-year-old who are both rescue mutts we got as pups.  When the older dog passes (and I hope it's still years away), we'll get another rescue mutt.  That's just my opinion.

Just a thought, and there are definitely some downsides, but...

Did you know beagles are routinely used as medical test animals? True story. It's something about their physical characteristics and the fact that they are very easy to handle. Beagles can only be used for one study. After that, the research labs... dispose of them. If the study is considered damaging, the dogs just get euthanized. If not, there's usually a short window for the dogs to be adopted out before being euthanized. This isn't exactly advertised, so you would either need to know someone who knows someone, or you would need to find a rescue group.

I knew someone, so I got my beagle for free directly from the source. He had less than 24 hours to live when I agreed to take him. He was an 11 month old intact male with no training. That had downsides, but I got a purebred beagle for free, and I saved his life.

If this path interests you, look into the subject and see what rescue groups are in your area.

Why do you hate OP?

Definitely not something i’d advise right out of the gate for a family new to owning dogs, especially with small children in the mix.

Standard sized male beagle. Best friend a boy could ever ask for.

Potty training and chewing are the only adverse behaviors I dealt with.

With potty training, the trick is I HAD to catch him in the act. He didn't understand if I tried to do anything afterwards. Once I caught him, he learned. The weird part is, because my house is a split, I more or less had to catch him on each level before he figured it out.

Chewing is a similar story with exercise as a variable. A beagle wasn't the best choice for a single dude that works a lot.

Something that I think matters that OP doesn't have, though, is I have another dog in the house. The other dog is definitely the dominant one, and he was here as an example for the beagle to learn from.

That leads to another question that should probably be asked, and it's not specific to laboratory beagles... How does OP feel about eventually ending up with two dogs?

The difference in responsibility and whatnot between having 0 dogs and 1 dog is significant, and the difference between 1 dog and 2 dogs isn't. It doesn't take much more time or effort to put food and water in two bowls instead of one.

Some dogs are cool being only dogs, and some aren't. They're pack animals. You might get a dog of whatever breed that is perfectly content playing with your kid and cuddling on the couch, but you might also find your dog comes alive with the company of another dog.

My older dog has been much happier since I adopted the beagle.

Keep in mind the lifespan of the various breeds.

While your brusk expression of disagreement isn't without some merit at it's core, there is some science behind my generalization. It's hard to know the pedigree of dogs from shelters, and as a guy who encourages shelter dog adoption I fall back on my experiences and reading I've done over the years.  Mutts are less likely to suffer from inbreeding and recessive gene defects. There's so many garbage breeders now that it's safer to err on the side mutts being a safer bet if there are any unknowns about genetic history.

Beagles are the most annoying dogs in existence.  Based on your list, I think a Boxer is a good choice to add.

I'll repeat him.  BULLSHIT.  There is no merit, other than, if you breed a shit dog, you're likely to get a shit dog.

I vote Labrador , any color , good with kids .
I got Jackson at a shelter for 100 dollars
Just plain good dogs .

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Female shorthairs are often under 50 pounds.

The OP isn't looking to spend the money a good pedigree breeder wants for a pedigree dog. He's going to end up with a BULLSHIT purebred. I'm trying to help the OP.

with suggesting an unknown lineage mutt "for health reasons"????? WTF

Boston Terrier would be a second suggestion from me for a smaller dog than a Boxer.  Two awesome breeds that won't break the bank and fit your requirements.

Lab, choose your color, nice size, but loveable lugs.

I would look for a breeder that specializes in downsized Golden Retrievers 55-65 lbs

Golden

Yes. Either way it's a gamble. Getting a backyard breeder Cocker Spaniel is a great way to get a dog with recessive gene origin problems, bad tear ducts, weak hind leg tendons that tear, food allergies and personality issues. The mutts tend to be hardier in comparison, and have better dispositions.

Beagles' intelligence is ranked lower than average, as are most hounds and terriers. They tend to take between 80 and 100 repetitions to learn a command. They do not always obey, only in 25% of cases.

No they don't...

But tell yourself whatever you need to to further justify your superiority over those that don't buy their dogs from a shelter.

OP get a poodle.  No shedding and their hair trimming isn't as bad as others would think.

Hounds only obey if they know they don't have a choice. I remember deer breaking my current coon dog.

He would come across a track, look at me and you could see that second or two where he was trying to figure out if I could catch him from where I was or not, then he would bolt if he think he had a chance at not getting reprimanded.

The shock collar fixed him of that....but only when the collar was on.

I will agree that the amount of money the OP is looking to spend is not going to buy a well bred dog in most circumstances. It is unfortunate, but a lot of people are not willing to set aside a little more money to pay for quality, or to do the research to find that quality. It’s disheartening, really. I would avoid any dog available at that price point unless it’s a retired show dog. Either get a free puppy or a shelter puppy, but don’t subsidize crappy breeders and perpetuate their business model. The throw away dogs would have the same background and socialization as the cheapo dogs anyway.

It's not "disheartening", it's crazy.  For a lot of the breeds we are talking about in this thread, $1000 will get you a well bred dog.  That's 2 trips to the vet.  Or extensive training because you don't know what you're getting.  We aren't talking $3k-5k dogs like many of us have.

Dog's aren't cheap no matter how you cut it (you obviously know that).  Cheaping out on the initial purchase price only costs the owner in the long run.

Yeah dude you definitely don't want a heeler, they're the opposite of what you're looking for.

Lab

Or toy poodle.

Yep. Establish a good working relationship with a quality, ethical preservation breeder, wait couple months for a puppy to come available, and use those couple months to save the extra few hundred it might cost.

Or impulse buy the first puppy available with the cash you have on hand right at this moment, and deal with the consequences later, after you’ve already gotten attached.

Corgi.

In Spring Green,WI such a "research" Beagle breeding kennel just opened up...they are using a pretty old veal calf barn.
One of the local veterinarians is CEO

I've never ran into a bad Golden Retriever.

Beagle. Your boy will be part of "the pack" and he'll never have a better friend. Yeah, they're a pain at times until they hit 2 years old but they're one of the most loving, wanting to be with you companions ever.

I have. Nearly lost an eye to one.

This is true, and very sad

 Yeah, a working or high energy dog is going to need to be worked or walked

I lucked out big time with my lab. He came from two registered dogs that were breeding stock, one yellow and one black, someone messed up and left a gate open so the lady had a bunch of mixed pups she had to get rid of.

Paid $100 for him, one of the registered pups from a matching pair was $800.

I figure my next one is going to cost about a grand.

@timfoilhat I appreciate looking out. I'm curious though, if both parents are purebred, how would the pups be a bullshit purebred? I'm not sure I get what you mean. From what the ads said the parents have AKC paperwork and if I want it for the pups it's an addition $50. Not that I do, I'm not looking for a show dog or anything.

Just trying to learn here, but how would one determine "quality" in a dog? And if both parents are, blue heeler for example, how would the puppies not be, or how would they have more problems than a mutt from the pound?

Definitely not doing that, hence this thread

About 2 years ago now I had to say goodbye to the two rat terriers that raised my kids. Both of them were 18 when they passed. The male could out energy a boy with endless energy. Wasnt a tennis ball that was unfindable or a person that could sneak up to the house unannounced. The female would put up with everything a little girl could do to a dog and still do everything else a dog should do. Definitely big dogs in small packages but not as crazy as a jack russel. If i had it to do over again I wouldn't hesitate to do it exactly the same.

AKC paperwork indicates only that the dog’s parents are both purebred, of the same breed, and registered. It does not indicate the quality, health, or temperament of the parents or the puppies. Charging extra for the paperwork is a HUGE red flag. Quality breeders do not charge extra for the paperwork.

A quality breeder tests their stock for hereditary problems (joint and skeletal issues, cardiac issues, thyroid issues, genetic issues, etc). They test the temperaments on their dogs (working certificates, temperament tests, obedience titles, etc.). They carefully match up parents to produce healthy, mentally and physically sound puppies, and then they take the time to socialize the heck out of those puppies to give them the best start in life that they can. And they are there as a resource person for questions or problems throughout the rest of those puppies’ lives.

Why does this matter if you just want a pet? Because that dog is going to be in your home, around your children, and in your hearts, hopefully for well over a decade. You don’t want to spend a small fortune on health issues if you can avoid it. You don’t want a dog that is nervous and flighty and nippy around your toddler. You probably don’t want a submissive urinator. You don’t want a dog that is neurotic or suffers severe separation anxiety. Or a dog you can never housetrain. You want a dog that will play happily with your children and be an excellent companion for years and years. And going to a quality breeder gives you a much better chance of getting that.

this right here, along with finding a reputable breeder...I love mutts, but not when kids are involved, especially a three year old, because like it or not, even though it will be your 9 year old's dog, it's really a family dog that everyone in the family will take care of and play with.

a reputable breeder is important because you want someone who stands behind their product, spend the money upfront now to avoid higher costs and heartache down the road, would suck to have to put a 4 year old dog down because you got a good deal on clearance at the local puppy store

but my breed recommendation would be for a labrador retriever, and an english lab, not an american lab...they are calmer and more stocky without the lanky legs, which ultimately means less health issues, english labs aren't as overbred as the american labs, english labs also seem more popular for use as service dogs, I think that says something in itself when talking about having kids in the house

good luck with whatever your choice

Check out Boykin Spaniels.  Fantastic all around family dog and get a female. Usually gravitate to the guys.

First check: are the parents health tested? That doesn’t mean they went to the vet for vaccines and an annual check up. That means they’ve had breed appropriate testing done. For a Heeler, this includes DNA tests for 3 different eye diseases, x-rays for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and patellar luxation evaluated by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, an eye exam by a board certified canine ophthalmologist, a test for congenital deafness, and a cardiac evaluation by a board certified cardiologist. Overall, heelers are a healthy breed, and doing these checks helps keep it that way because quality breeders don’t use stock that doesn’t pass these exams.

Second check: have the parents had any sort of independent evaluation of temperament or working ability? Have they passed a temperament test (with the paperwork to prove it)? Do they have any performance titles (herding, gun dog, obedience, agility, coursing, ratting), or do they actually do the work they were supposed to do? I also prefer to see a conformation title on the dog, which is just an independent evaluation that the dog actually looks like what it’s supposed to look like, but not everyone cares about that. Basically, what makes these dogs worthy of passing on their genetics, and how would someone know that?

Third check: what sort of early training and socialization have the puppies had? Quality breeders employ early neurological stimulation to expose the puppies to a variety of stimuli at an early age, which helps them adjust quickly and well to new, startling, and possibly uncomfortable experiences (like a toddler yelling, or a dropped pot, or a noisy toy, or a bunch of kids running around, or a kid accidentally stepping on a toe). They also do early training, so your puppy has already begun house training and crate training, is familiar with basic grooming procedures, may know how to walk on a leash.

Fourth check: what sort of follow up support does the breeder offer? Is there a health guarantee? Will they take the puppy back if you can’t keep it for some reason? Will they be a resource person for you in the future when you have questions or problems or concerns? Quality breeders are there for you and the dog throughout the entire lifetime of the dog.

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Get a lab

Shih Tzu...always Shih Tzu.

Let them choose.

Golden Retriever is a good one.