ORIGINAL: gaRCfield
Thanks for so many awesome replies! I have been thinking about an Australian Shepherd - I've always wanted one. They are incredibly smart, and have a lot of energy. The plan would be to bring the dog with me to the flying field every time, and maybe play fetch between flights. They have those 'tennis ball thrower' things that let you launch a ball pretty far so the dog can run a lot. Aussies are typically easy to train and are not agressive if trained.
Obviously getting a dog is a huge decision and commitment, so I'm going to take my time on this one. But I temporarily moved into a place with an Aussie (and a blood hound) and absolutely love this guy. I am excited to see him in the mornings and evenings, and I've only known him for 2 days now.
So they are 'medium' size dogs, 50-70lb and 20-23in at the shoulder, supposedly. Not the smallest dog in the world, but not huge. The trailer idea sounds great since I drive a small truck, and really liked the trailer I saw at Site 4 at the Nats this past year, with the AC and stuff.
I am going to try to meet some other Aussies and talk to their owners to see if it is a good fit - not sure how 'demanding' the dog would be and how much it would impact flying/building/other hobbies, although I have really been in need of a good walking partner.
I saw a guy at a 1/4 scale meed a couple of times with his AS. His was kind of white and bluish-gray, I remember it had really weird colored eyes. He was under the tent all the time, and I could not help myself and said hi. Very mild and tame dog. But he was on a leash, under his owner's canopy (planes were under the sun). I had a doberman that was the best behaved dog ever, and his sister was the craziest dog ever. Dogs are like a box of chocolates.
Like people, they are all different. But, breeds have some known traits.
At our field one of our members brings "Buddy", a yellow retriever. The first thing you have to do when you arrive is say hi to the dog that welcomes you. And if he finds out you have no milky-bones, he will leave you alone. He never goes on the runway on his own (unless we throw him the ball using a ball thrower... Having a dog will change entirely your life, will make you healthier, as you will walk even when it is cold, and horrible. You will have less free time. They demand a lot of time and care, not to mention about $7,000 (average for the dogs in the US, cats is more) during their lifetime for medical expenses. The time will come when you will want to travel to places you cannot take your dog, and you will have to have a plan b in place.
I have seen dogs that were absolutely OK at the field, some others better left at home... But think about it, same applies to kids. Heck, even to some pilots:-)
Good luck
Gerry