Definitely a YORKIE first! I wish I had gotten a Yorkie years ago!
I did vote for the Papillon (sp) because they are so cute and remind me of a Yorkie/Chihuahua (for some reason).
A small Poodle is up there high on my list too. (don't shed or smell, cute and cuddly).
I had a Shih-tzu for a few years....that is a cute breed, but he was pretty sickly - course, I heard that about Poms too though. (and each individual pet will be different).
Maltese are so adorable too, but boy, they get dirty and tear stains all the time! (the red looking kind of stains). I've never heard of a Maltese or Shih-tzu eating their own poop - I have friends with maltese and Shih-tzu (and then the one I had) and no problems with that.
If it is a big dog you are wanting, I like the German Shepards because they are very smart and loyal and easy grooming. Golden Retrievers are up there too, but they require lots of grooming. I am partial to labs, but they are hyper, but easy to train.
Course, I think with any pet, it is what you and your partner BOTH agree on and like. Plus, once you go and look at each individual pup and breed, there might be certain areas that rate higher than others. I think that normally when you are buying a dog, you don't find them, they find you!
